Luke 1:39-45, 56

Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”

And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home.

As we go through the season of Advent, I relish the words we get to hear in church every year, praying for the grace of God – that He send us our Deliverer, our Redeemer, our Captain in the fight come to win the battle that we can not.

Our prayers are not in vain. God remembered His promises. He remembered His promise to Abraham. He remembered the words He spoke to Adam and Eve in the garden. And the One who would come to die for the sins of the world would soon dwell among men. The promise would very soon be fulfilled. Hallelujah!

I simply LOVE the joy of this time of year. As the years have worn on, it has become clearer and clearer to me that the joy surrounding Christmas and all that we celebrate throughout the season is truly a foretaste of the Feast to come.

“But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.” Malachi 4:2

When Scripture speaks of arriving in heaven like a calf leaping happily out of a stall, it is that joy of which is spoken, even if what we experience right now is only the merest shadow of an inkling of what is to come.

Psalm 85

O LORD, You showed favor to Your land;
You restored the captivity of Jacob.

You forgave the iniquity of Your people;
You covered all their sin. Selah.

You withdrew all Your fury;
You turned away from Your burning anger.

Restore us, O God of our salvation,
And cause Your indignation toward us to cease.

Will You be angry with us forever?
Will You prolong Your anger to all generations?

Will You not Yourself revive us again,
That Your people may rejoice in You?

Show us Your lovingkindness, O LORD,
And grant us Your salvation.

I will hear what God the LORD will say;
For He will speak peace to His people, to His godly ones;
But let them not turn back to folly.

Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him,
That glory may dwell in our land.

Lovingkindness and truth have met together;
Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

Truth springs from the earth,
And righteousness looks down from heaven.

Indeed, the LORD will give what is good,
And our land will yield its produce.

Righteousness will go before Him
And will make His footsteps into a way.

Come Lord Jesus! Amen! Amen!

By Ted R

Posted in General