Faithfully Yours Forever

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
      though you are small among the clans^[a] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
      one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
      from ancient times.”
Therefore Israel will be abandoned
      until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
      to join the Israelites.
He will stand and shepherd his flock
      in the strength of the Lord,
      in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
      will reach to the ends of the earth.
And he will be our peace
 
The prophet, Micah, knew that although Bethlehem was small and seemingly insignificant, it would be the chosen place for the birth of Jesus, the Christ.  Though we are each just one, yet we are one, let us each do what we are able to do to share the joy and hope we have found in Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

Sing, Daughter Zion;
      shout aloud, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
      Daughter Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away your punishment,
      he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;
      never again will you fear any harm.
On that day
      they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, Zion;
      do not let your hands hang limp.
The Lord your God is with you,
      the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
      in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
     but will rejoice over you with singing.”
“I will remove from you
      all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals,
      which is a burden and reproach for you.
At that time I will deal
      with all who oppressed you.
I will rescue the lame;
      I will gather the exiles.
I will give them praise and honor
     in every land where they have suffered shame.
At that time I will gather you;
      at that time I will bring you home.
I will give you honor and praise
      among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes
      before your very eyes,”
says the Lord.

“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.

“‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.
 
“‘In those days and at that time
     I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line;
     he will do what is just and right in the land.
 In those days Judah will be saved
     and Jerusalem will live in safety.
This is the name by which it will be called:
     The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’

We are going to get a little jump on the season..  Advent is a time to anticipate our celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, but it is also a time to expectantly await His return.  During this advent season, the River Run Church of the Nazarene will be posting simple prayers to nurture the soul, in anticipation and expectation.  We pray you will take a few moments for study and reflection on God’s Word.  May you find special meaning, joy, and peace during this advent season.

“Come Branch of Jesse once again and bring to completion all of the promises of God for your waiting creation.” (Anticipate – An Advent Experience, Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, pg. 12.)