Advent - Day 1

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
   from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
   the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
   the Spirit of counsel and of might,
   the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD—
                                                           ~Isaiah 11:1-2 (NIV)

Sunday Hymn

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
Words: Charles Wesley

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.

Praise the LORD!

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
        whose hope is in the LORD his God,
     who made heaven and earth,
        the sea, and all that is in them,
    who keeps faith forever;
         who executes justice for the oppressed,
        who gives food to the hungry.
    The LORD sets the prisoners free;
         the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
    The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
        the LORD loves the righteous.
     The LORD watches over the sojourners;
        he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
        but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
        . . . Praise the LORD!
                                            ~Psalm 146:5-9 ESV

Praise the Lord

[God] rescued us from the power of darkness and brought us safe into the kingdom of his dear Son. ~Colossians 1:13, gnt

So thankful

But now thus says the LORD,
    he who created you, O Jacob,
        he who formed you, O Israel:
    “Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
        I have called you by name, you are mine.
                                                      ~Isaiah 43:1 ESV

Sunday Hymn

Now Thank We All Our God
Words: Martin Rinkart, circa 1636 Music: Nun Danket

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessèd peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.

Giving Thanks

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever
A PSALM FOR GIVING THANKS.

    Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
         Serve the LORD with gladness!
        Come into his presence with singing!

    Know that the LORD, he is God!
        It is he who made us, and we are his;
        we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

    Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
        and his courts with praise!
        Give thanks to him; bless his name!

    For the LORD is good;
        his steadfast love endures forever,
        and his faithfulness to all generations.
                                                                     ~Psalm 100 ESV

Thankful that I can:

Know that the LORD has set apart his faithful servant for himself;
   the LORD hears when I call to him. ~Psalm 4:3

So thankful

Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely. ~Psalm 139:4, nrsv

Thank You, Lord

You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being. ~Revelation 4:11

Giving thanks

that when I become fearful He reminds me:

I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, "Do not fear; I will help you." 
~Isaiah 41:13

and then enables me to say:

When I am afraid, I will trust in you. ~Psalm 56:3

Sunday Hymn

God of Grace and God of Glory
Words: Harry E. Fosdick, 1930
Music: John Hughes, 1907

God of grace and God of glory,
On Thy people pour Thy power.
Crown Thine ancient church’s story,
Bring her bud to glorious flower.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
For the facing of this hour,
For the facing of this hour.

Lo! the hosts of evil ’round us,
Scorn Thy Christ, assail His ways.
From the fears that long have bound us,
Free our hearts to faith and praise.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
For the living of these days,
For the living of these days.

Cure Thy children’s warring madness,
Bend our pride to Thy control.
Shame our wanton selfish gladness,
Rich in things and poor in soul.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
Lest we miss Thy kingdom’s goal,
Lest we miss Thy kingdom’s goal.

Set our feet on lofty places,
Gird our lives that they may be,
Armored with all Christ-like graces,
In the fight to set men free.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
That we fail not man nor Thee,
That we fail not man nor Thee.

Save us from weak resignation,
To the evils we deplore.
Let the search for Thy salvation,
Be our glory evermore.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
Serving Thee Whom we adore,
Serving Thee Whom we adore.

Giving thanks

again for peace that passes understanding.

   Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. ~John 14:27

Giving thanks

for this: 
  I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. ~John 16:33

Giving thanks

that I am His loved, chosen, and treasured possession.

  For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you . . . but it is because the LORD loves you . . . 
~Deuteronomy 7:6-8 ESV

Giving thanks

for being called to a life of intercession.

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 
~Colossians 4:2

Giving thanks

that:
In peace I will lie down and sleep,
   for you alone, LORD,
   make me dwell in safety.
~Psalm 4:8
 

Giving thanks

for His grace . . .
   He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son 
and forgave our sins. ~Ephesians 1:7 (NLT)
   Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we're a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth. ~Ephesians 1:7-10 (The Message)

Sunday Hymn

O Give Us Homes
Author: Barbara B. Hart, b. 1916
Musician: Jean Sibelius, 1865-1957

O give us homes built firm upon the Saviour,
Where Christ is Head, and Counsellor and Guide;
Where ev'ry child is taught His love and favor
And gives his heart to Christ, the crucified:
How sweet to know that tho' his footsteps waver
His faithful Lord is walking by his side!

O give us homes with godly fathers, mothers,
Who always place their hope and trust in Him;
Whose tender patience turmoil never bothers,
Whose calm and courage trouble cannot dim;
A home where each finds joy in serving others,
And love still shines, tho' days be dark and grim.

O give us homes where Christ is Lord and Master,
The Bible read, the precious hymns still sung;
Where prayer comes first in peace or in disaster,
And praise is natural speech to ev'ry tongue;
Where mountains move before a faith that's vaster,
And Christ sufficient is for old and young.

O Lord, our God, our homes are Thine forever!
We trust to Thee their problems, toil, and care;
Their bonds of love no enemy can sever
If Thou art always Lord and Master there:
Be Thou the center of our least endeavor:
Be Thou our Guest, our hearts and homes to share.

Giving thanks

Reflecting on and rejoicing in this:
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.• The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.~ Psalm 46:1-4,7

Giving thanks

This post, There's grace enough for this girl..., from Holley was especially timely and such a blessing this week.

Giving thanks

Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save,
   nor his ear too dull to hear you call. 
~Isaiah 59:1

Giving thanks

I’m so very grateful for these comforting words:
      The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; * 
Because of them I'm freed to:
     Forget the past and look forward to what lies ahead . . .**

*~Lamentations 3:22-23
**~Philippians 3:13

Giving thanks

I am so grateful for the opportunity to do this each day:
Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; . . . Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ~Deuteronomy 11:18-19

Giving thanks

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights . . . ~James 1:17

I don't know how many times I've thought, written, and said the words, "I wonder why, when I got so much benefit from doing that, I stopped doing it." The acts of writing and reading about what I, myself, and others are grateful for is one of those things that brings such benefits to my life and those around me that I really don't understand how or why I allow myself to fall out of the habit of doing it.

So, what better time to begin again a habit that I hope will become a regular part of my living a life of intentional thanks giving, than November, a month (in America) traditionally associated with giving thanks for our blessings.

The kids and I have been reading, discussing, and digesting Ephesians 1:3-8. I can't think of a better way to begin my gratitude list or a better way to express what I am most grateful for than this:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.   ~Ephesians 1:3-8

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.*
*Words: Thomas Ken, 1674.  Music: Old 100th, Genevan Psalter, 1551