December 26, 2024

Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus

 

SHhopeadventI wait for the Lord, I expectantly wait, and in His word do I hope.
I am looking and waiting for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning,
I say, more than watchmen for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is mercy and loving-kindness,
and with Him is plenteous redemption.
And He will redeem Israel from all their iniquities.
Psalms 130:5-8

Come, Thou long-expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free
From our fears and sins release us
Let us find our rest in Thee
Israel’s strength and consolation
Hope of all the earth Thou art
Dear desire of every nation
Joy of every longing heart

Born Thy people to deliver
Born a child and yet a King
Born to reign in us forever
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone
By Thine all sufficient merit
Raise us to Thy glorious throne

Advent, Week One ~ Hope

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The first week of the Advent season is to acknowledge Hope.  Hope is where we realize that God will always fulfill His promises. It does not mean we will not see troubles, but we will see God’s best, as long as we seek His will first. As we celebrate this Christmas season, let’s just forget the political correctness…let us worship and proclaim our Savior’s birth as never before!

As I researched Advent, I came across this devotional. The link is located at the end of this blog. Please feel free to use this throughout the coming season.

Lighting of the Candle

[As someone lights the first purple candle, the following should be read or paraphrased.]

We light this candle because, like God’s people centuries ago, we also look forward with hope to the coming of the Shepherd. The purple color of the candle reminds us of the seriousness of our hope.

Psalms 80:1-7
In this psalm, we join the people of Israel as they invite God, their Shepherd, to save and to restore them.

Isaiah 40:1-11
This passage looks ahead to the coming of the Lord, Who will care for His people like a shepherd.

Revelation 7:9-17
Like God’s people before the coming of Christ, we also look ahead to the time when Christ, who is both the Lamb and our Shepherd, will finish His work and “God will wipe away every tear” from our eyes.

Prayer of Hope
[To be read or paraphrased]

Dear God, as we light this candle, we hope for Your coming as our Good Shepherd. Please gather us in Your arms, feed us with spiritual food, wipe away every tear from our eyes, and “let Your face shine, that we may be saved.” Come, our Shepherd! Amen.

 

{ Read more: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markdroberts/series/advent-devotional-guide-preparing-for-the-coming-of-christ/#ixzz3KUfQx5uJ }

Joyful Mood

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For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
and the government shall be upon his shoulder:
and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller,
The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

Hey sisters, you know what joys a baby brings to a family! How about a miracle Baby like Jesus, who came into being through so many prophecies, miraculously, for that matter. Think of Mary how much joy did she have in her heart when the angel visited her despite being worried of what people, and what they would say about her.

I tell you a child brings GREAT joy to a family. Think of Hanna…she was grieved to a point of great distress that Eli thought she was drunk. Really, she needed a child. She cried to the Lord for a child and God granted the desire of her heart. She had great joy!

Now a child is given to us, JESUS—He should be received with all the joy a child brings! Especially now that this Child we have been given will have the power to heal all our diseases, remove all our iniquities, at His name every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess His Lordship. A Child who will have the power to speak to the devil and the devil tremble. And this Child is given to us; don’t we think we are privileged to be given this type of a child? I feel like singing aloud for you to hear what am feeling inside. (Thank God for this revelation!) Oh, HALLELUJAH! Praise the Lord!!!

In this world, when we have a child, he/she goes to school and later starts a job and we enjoy the fruit of paying the school fees and the like.

NOW this Child, Jesus, is given to us. He grew up, He worked, and He died on the Cross. He later paid the bill for us…for our redemption. What else do we need apart from appreciating this Child we are given freely by our loving Father in heaven? The way we dance with joy and hug our child when he /she has done something good—that’s the very same joy we should feel about God’s Son, Jesus. We write messages telling our friends/relatives what our child has done.

Here Jesus is not a mere son, but THE Son! He has come to serve; let’s praise the Lord again and again. Let’s tell our friends and relatives of what this Son, Whom we were given, has done and is doing and shall continue to do. Let us embrace Him with our hearts full of joy.
Let this Christmas season be full of joy. Share the joy with others the same way we share when we receive a worldly child.

* * * * *

Father, we thank You for giving Your Son, Jesus, to this world. We appreciate Your goodness and Your loving kindness. May we realize what Jesus came to this world for and let us not take it for granted. Help us, Lord, to realize what He has in store for us! In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

God-Given Joy

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Each week during the season of Advent, our blogs will focus on a central theme which is associated with the coming of Christ—His Advent.  This final week’s theme is JOY.  Christians throughout the world celebrate Advent.  Some light candles or sing songs; some give gifts or  hang wreaths.  All of these are simple joyous ways of extending the celebration of Jesus’s coming beyond a mere 24 hours on December 25. Our prayer is that these devotionals throughout this season of Advent would help you to celebrate His first Coming and anticipate with the peace and joy of His second Coming.

I’m sitting here thinking about joy  and what it truly means. I have read books, watched videos, and talked to people about the concept of joy and what it really means to be joyful, or to have joy, or to even fully understand the word joy.

The words joy and happiness are oftentimes used interchangeably, but I think it’s so much more than simple happiness. We’re happy opening presents, we’re happy when our family and friends are over to celebrate. This is great! But happiness is a temporary emotion, a feeling that can leave us once something goes differently than we planned. But joy is something different….

After all the looking and researching I learned that joy isn’t simply something that I can find. It isn’t the contents inside of a gift…it isn’t something I can find in a job well done. Even though I can’t touch joy, I can embrace it. I can embrace it because it is something that is given to us—something that we, as children of God, have been given a right to.

To me joy is a feeling in my heart and mind that no matter what happens in my life, that everything will be okay. I have joy in knowing that I am loved with the most unconditional love by the Creator of everything. Growing up I always heard that our joy is something that no man can ever take, that Satan can never take; this is because joy is God-given, and what God gives us can never, ever  be touched. Joy is ours.
What is joy to you?

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials….
James 1:2

* * * * *

Let’s pray: Dear Heavenly Father, so many things are temporary in this world.  They come and they go, but the joy that we are given by You can never be taken away. Lord, please open our hearts and minds to what joy truly is. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

Great Joy and Rejoicing

luke SeekingHimLogo

Each week during the season of Advent, our blogs will focus on a central theme which is associated with the coming of Christ—His Advent.  This final week’s theme is JOY.  Christians throughout the world celebrate Advent.  Some light candles or sing songs; some give gifts or  hang wreaths.  All of these are simple joyous ways of extending the celebration of Jesus’s coming beyond a mere 24 hours on December 25. Our prayer is that these devotionals throughout this season of Advent would help you to celebrate His first Coming and anticipate with the peace and joy of His second Coming.

“But the angel reassured them, ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said.
‘I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.”
Luke 2:10

“Don’t be afraid”…”great joy!” God has sent His only Son as a gift of love, peace, joy, and hope to all mankind.  His Son, who would die for us so we could have everlasting life, is good news to all those that hear and believe (with faith) that Jesus was born, lived as a man on earth, and died, then rose from the dead. Good news is hard to find these days as news of odd and bad things now seem to fill the air waves and other news-reporting media. It is reassuring to know that Jesus is on our side.

Just knowing that Jesus was born was great joy for the people of Israel on the night He was born. They had long been waiting for their Savior to be born. His birth brought joy to the people. His life brought peace and hope to those who believed, skepticism from those who did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, His death and resurrection brought joy and hope in anticipation of eternal life.

It is hard to find joy in death even though we know that, if our loved one was a Christian, that they are in a better place. Yet it is easy to find and show joy in the fact that one day, if you believe in Jesus and the Resurrection, that you too will find the same peace and joy when you see Jesus.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice!
Philippians 4:4

Always have joy in the Lord. Rejoice every day. As we immerse ourselves in this busy and joyous season, I always remember the words of Kevin’s mother in the movie, Home Alone, “This is the season of perpetual hope! This is Christmas!” Just remembering those words bring joy to my heart. Those are two of my favorite quoted lines during the Christmas season. I rejoice just in knowing and feeling that knowing Jesus brings thoughts of love, peace, joy, and hope.

The shepherds found joy in the news that their Savior had been born. Prophecy had been fulfilled. They were so overcome with happiness and joy that many of them left their own flocks of sheep to meet the Baby who would grow into the man who would save us all. We should all have the same joy as we go through this holiday season and every day as we go into the New Year.

* * * * *

Dear Heavenly Father, we find great joy in the gift that you sent over 2,000 years ago. This gift brings hope, love, peace, and joy to us all. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.

Joy Came

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Each week during the season of Advent, our blogs will focus on a central theme which is associated with the coming of Christ—His Advent.  This final week’s theme is JOY.  Christians throughout the world celebrate Advent.  Some light candles or sing songs; some give gifts or  hang wreaths.  All of these are simple joyous ways of extending the celebration of Jesus’s coming beyond a mere 24 hours on December 25. Our prayer is that these devotionals throughout this season of Advent would help you to celebrate His first Coming and anticipate with the peace and joy of His second Coming.

In a garden, a dark-colored flower next to a white flower presents a contrast that is more striking when the two come together than if either is presented by itself.
Now, journey from a garden to the Bible…. Elizabeth and Zechariah were old when Gabriel told Zechariah his wife would have a son and they were to name him John. But Zechariah was struck with silence for a while because of his lack of faith that this could happen with certainty.  (See Luke 1:11-23.)  Elizabeth became pregnant and her response was, “The Lord has done this for me…” (verse 25).  She gave God the glory.

Months later, Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her, “You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High…” (verses 31, 32). Mary asked how this was to happen since she was a virgin. (But she was not questioning whether or not it would happen.)

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.
Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child a child in her old age,
and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month.
For nothing is impossible with God.”
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be as you have said.”
Verses 35-38

Zechariah’s lack of complete faith is contrasted against Mary’s complete surrender and faith.  Catch the heart lessons as we move toward the reason of ultimate joy.

Mary quickly went to Elizabeth. “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit” (verse 41). Elizabeth proclaimed, “As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” (verses 44, 45).  Joy happens when the beauty of Scripture takes place as it has been foretold (Jesus is coming!) and when one witnesses the great faith in God of another. Both of these things happen in the wonderful encounter between Mary and Elizabeth. It‘s a joyous time as the spotlight is turned toward Jesus’ coming.
What the prophets/Scripture had been foretelling for many years was finally about to happen: Jesus was coming soon!  Mary breaks into praising God right after her encounter with Elizabeth.  And Zechariah praises God out loud when his silence is broken soon after John the Baptist’s birth.

Two different journeys led to paths of praise (joy) when faith in God was the focus. Difficulties, hard times, miracles, and waiting can all produce joy when people have faith in God.  Let’s all be reminded of Gabriel’s words: “Nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37).

Then, the day finally arrived! Mary was there when some of the most joyous verses in all of Scripture happened and when silence was broken with a baby’s cry:

While they were there, the time came for the baby to the born,
and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.
She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.”
Luke 2:6, 7

Jesus brought boundless, complete joy to a world that would never be the same again! The Light of the Word came to a dark world!

…the people living in darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.
Matthew 4:16

* * * * * 

Dear Lord, let us have boundless joy over Your coming to earth to be the Savior of the world!  We give You great praise and glory through our faith!  Let us love and adore You this Christmas season and for all times!  In Jesus’ precious Name we pray, Amen.

Joy of the Season

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Each week during the season of Advent, our blogs will focus on a central theme which is associated with the coming of Christ—His Advent.  This final week’s theme is JOY.  Christians throughout the world celebrate Advent.  Some light candles or sing songs; some give gifts or  hang wreaths.  All of these are simple joyous ways of extending the celebration of Jesus’s coming beyond a mere 24 hours on December 25. Our prayer is that these devotionals throughout this season of Advent would help you to celebrate His first Coming and anticipate with the peace and joy of His second Coming.

* * * * * * *

The definition of Joy: “…the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires; the expression or exhibition of such emotion gaiety; a state of happiness or felicity bliss; a source or cause of delight”

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold,
I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
Luke 2:10 (ESV)

I can just imagine the awestruck look of the shepherds when they saw and heard the Angel of the Lord right beside them. Then seeing and hearing the heavenly host singing praised to God about the birth of His son Jesus! I would think that not many people had ever heard the voices that are God’s exclusive choir. We have the opportunity every day to share the joy of God’s love, mercy, and grace.

During the Christmas season, we need to focus on what is real about this holiday—celebrating the birth of Jesus and what promises He brings to us, His people. As we celebrate this Christmas season, let us find new ways to bring Christ back into our homes. This can be done by reading the Nativity story, or asking the younger children to act out the story at home and by singing praises to God our Father.

Be sure to share the joy of receiving Christ into your heart with others. Write down your testimony and prepare to share it with others. You may be surprised of how much your story could inspire others to believe—or better yet—to rededicate their life to God. We each have our journey that began at birth. We have walked out things in common with each other but some things will be unique to our own lives. Who knows if God had us walk through those circumstances to come through and be able to help others with similar situations…?

Joy is ultimately a choice, just as forgiveness is a choice. We each have a decision to make. Belief and trust in God will allow us to make changes in what we do and think and say in our everyday life. Joy is an inward change and one that was greatly hoped and prayed for when Jesus was born several thousand years ago.

Let’s pray.  Father, thank You for loving us enough to send Your Son, Jesus, to become one of us. Thank You for wanting to show us the kind of relationship You have desired with us since You created Adam and Eve. We each search for that relationship that only You can give. You will always complete the void in our lives.  We pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

Love Expressed

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Each week during the season of Advent, our blogs will focus on a central theme which is associated with the coming of Christ—His Advent.  This week’s theme is LOVE.  Christians throughout the world celebrate Advent.  Some light candles or sing songs; some give gifts or  hang wreaths.  All of these are simple joyous ways of extending the celebration of Jesus’s coming beyond a mere 24 hours on December 25. Our prayer is that these devotionals throughout this season of Advent would help you to celebrate His first Coming and anticipate with the peace and joy of His second Coming.

 

The song, “The Christmas Shoes” can speak to us about love in heart-touching ways! Oh, to have the love and faith of a small child is such a wonderful thing. Little ones often teach us how to express love to others.

If you’re aware of this song, you know that a little boy desperately wants to get a beautiful pair of shoes for his mom before she passes away and meets Jesus. It’s a sad song, and maybe some don’t even want to listen to it. But some of the hardest or saddest experiences before us can teach our hearts about what’s really important. This song can teach us what’s important at Christmas time…or any other day of the year….love! So, I pause and reflect on this song…seeing how this small child mirrors the great love of God in several ways.

First, there’s the recognition of the little boy’s great love for his mom. (God loved us.) The little boy knew he wanted to do something to show his love for her and to give her what he thought she needed before it was too late. (God knew we needed a way to be reconciled to Him, so out of love He sent His Son to earth to be our Savior of the world.) The little boy went to the store and gave all he had to buy the shoes for his mom. And when he hit an obstacle and didn’t have enough money, he persevered, and asked for help and got it. Love would not let him stop! (God gave His most loved and wonderful possession–His Son. And when Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane, He knew the cost and what would take place in giving His life as a sacrifice; and it was there in the Garden that He cried out to God in prayer. God supplied His need. Jesus would fulfill God’s will for His life. Love would not let Him stop!) When the little boy bought the shoes for his mom, he ran home to give them to her on Christmas Eve. True and absolute love were expressed as he gave from his little heart of love what he thought she needed most—new shoes for her to wear when she would meet Jesus. (Jesus died for us and rose again…His ultimate love was expressed and shown for mankind! And THAT IS what we all need most: JESUS!)

I invite you to listen to this song packed with a powerful message of love for one another. Christmas time has beautiful packages, lit-up Christmas trees, colorful ornaments, fun traditions, events and parties, and so much more. But please, don’t forget about God’s love, our love for God, and our love for each other. Please don’t get so busy, that you forget about Christ this Christmas. Love Him, and love others. And remember that God first loved us.

We love because He first loved us.
1 John 4:19

And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
1 John 4:21

  • Do you know someone who’s hurting this season who needs more love?
  • Do you need to forgive someone who has hurt you?
  • Do you need to cook a meal for a family; or get a group together to go sing Christmas carols at the home of a friend or family who needs some extra love?

God expressed His love by sending His Son. How are you to show love this Christmas season or any day of the year? Listen to this song, and let it touch your heart in the way it needs to.

This little boy brought shoes—what will you bring to someone? How will you express love?

If you have the opportunity, go to youtube.com and listen to “The Christmas Shoes” written by Eddie Carswell and Leonard Ahlstrom ~ sung by NewSong.

Dear Lord,

Let us be mindful of Your great love sent in a precious baby Boy one starry night in Bethlehem. Let us be so changed by the power of Your love that we choose to love others in the ways You bring to our hearts and minds to do so. Let each new day be an opportunity to praise You more and to love others better than we have.

In Jesus’ precious Name I pray, amen.

No Ordinary Day

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Each week during the season of Advent, our blogs will focus on a central theme which is associated with the coming of Christ—His Advent.  This week’s theme is PEACE.  Christians throughout the world celebrate Advent.  Some light candles or sing songs; some give gifts or  hang wreaths.  All of these are simple joyous ways of extending the celebration of Jesus’s coming beyond a mere 24 hours on December 25. Our prayer is that these devotionals throughout this season of Advent would help you to celebrate His first Coming and anticipate with the peace and joy of His second Coming.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

They were living their lives like it was an ordinary day when this happened!

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ’Do not be afraid I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.’

Luke 2:9-14

That day, the shepherds experienced a day that was no ordinary day! The angel had just announced the birth of Christ the Lord and gave them a sign in telling them the way they would find Him. The shepherds were the first to be invited to come and see the Son of God in person! What an invitation! And can’t you visualize the host of angels that appeared and praised God? The angels first spoke of glorifying God and then, “…on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

God grants peace through His Son, Jesus.  How?

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,
and through him to reconcile to himself all things in heaven,
by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Colossians 1:19-20

God gives peace to those who are reconciled through His Son.  Thank You, Jesus!  And the lowly shepherds received the first invitation to come and behold in the flesh this “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).  (Don’t you love that?  I do!)  For it is not about status, income, background, position, education, race, gender, or fame that matters to Jesus!  It is about the heart.  It is about those who ask for forgiveness of sins—believing that Jesus died for our sins in our place and that we trust in Him as Lord and are reconciled to God through His Son on the Cross.

God can bring peace to the shepherds or kings, who came later (and all those various people types in between) in the same way: through Jesus!

If you have not come already, are you ready to receive the peace Jesus brings? Come to Jesus. He’s no longer in a manger, but He is waiting. And if you’ve already come to Him, simply praise and glorify God this Christmas season and everyday afterwards for Who He is and all He has done, is doing, and will do. Let us celebrate the peace Jesus brings!

Friends, let’s be ready.

For one day, you will be living your life like it’s an ordinary day and then, you will either leave this world and stand before God or else Jesus will return in victory and with great power and you will see Him face to face then. Either way, you will meet Him.

Receive the peace Jesus brings.

Dear Lord,

Thank You for the peace that You bring! The day You became Lord and Savior in each of our lives was no ordinary day! Let us remember to praise You each and every day forevermore! You alone are so worthy to be praised!

In Jesus’ precious Name I pray.

Amen.

Peace of Mind – and – Peace of Heart

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Each week during the season of Advent, our blogs will focus on a central theme which is associated with the coming of Christ—His Advent.  This week’s theme is PEACE. Christians throughout the world celebrate Advent. Some light candles or sing songs; some give gifts or  hang wreaths.  All of these are simple joyous ways of extending the celebration of Jesus’s coming beyond a mere 24 hours on December 25. Our prayer is that these devotionals throughout this season of Advent would help you to celebrate His first Coming and anticipate with the peace and joy of His second Coming.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart.  And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.
So don’t be troubled or afraid
John 14:27

The greatest gift ever given to us is the gift of salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If we truly accept this gift, our hearts and minds should be at peace.  The world cannot give us this peace; no matter how hard it tries.

The universal Christmas wish every year is probably peace on earth. Yet what is peace on earth? To many, peace would be no fighting, no hunger, no pain, and no sickness. The world would be giving us everything we need to be at peace. Yet, it can’t. No matter how hard we strive for peace from the world the world cannot give it. Only Jesus can do that.

Jesus’s birth brought the promise of eventual peace on earth.  His birth also brought the promise of peace in the heart. When we accept Jesus into our hearts, spiritual peace of the mind and heart is part of the gift of salvation. We should never have to worry about what the world cannot give us. We are granted peace as part of the gift from Jesus.

I will give you a case in point… From around November 1-January 2, it is chaos in our house. We have school, church, work, and our home lives to deal with. We are constantly on the go during these weeks with family outings and get-togethers. Just when we need a weekend at home or a day of the weekend at home, we can’t get it. We can’t get the peace of our home for one single minute during the weekend. The case this year: December 7-Live Nativity, December 8-Calloway Gardens; December 14-Christmas Parade; December 15-Christmas Lunch and Sports Banquet; December 20 (and on) – family dinners, Christmas, and New Year’s. We can’t get a moment’s peace until at least January 2. Because of the busyness of the world, we cannot get peace of mind because our minds our constantly going with everything that is going on. However, when we think of Jesus, we get a little bit of peace because that is what His birth, death, and resurrection has brought us.

In this season of hope, love, joy, and peace, the main point to remember is the peace that Jesus brought to the world and the peace He will bring again when He returns. Just the thought of eternal life in heaven should bring peace to the mind and heart.

* * * * *

Dear Heavenly Father: Please be with us as we go through this busy time of year. Bring peace to our minds and hearts as we go through the motions of the holiday season.  In Jesus name. Amen.