Sunday, November 27, 2005
The First Week of Advent
Advent. The season of anticipation of the birth of Christ. Advent begins with the fourth Sunday before Christmas. That would be today. I always love the Advent season. There's something special about it. For some reason, it tends to touch the deepest emotions in me, both up and down. One of my favorite things about the Advent season is the songs we sing in church during the four Sundays' services. Thinking about it this morning, I remember that we often sing "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" on the first Sunday of advent. This made me think of two related things. First of all, in our Christmas Cantata this year, my favorite piece is a gorgeous version of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel". It's a gorgeous violin solo with the male vocalists singing. It's a wonderful arrangement. Secondly, it reminded me of my blog posts from last December. I mainly wrote about our Secret Holiday Pals at work and then about the lyrics from Christmas hymns.
So, if you have a chance, go back and re-read some of the lyrics to Christmas hymns (you can start in my archive from a year ago, or you can Google some of your favorite Christmas carols online. Whichever you do, I encourage you to truly listen to the words of the Carols that you hear or find yourself humming (well, I'm not really talking about "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer", but the God-centered Carols).
Not only is Advent the season of anticipation of Christmas. It's the season of the anticipation of Christ. Consider using the Advent Season to remind you that when Christ entered this world, He entered our lives. Not only did He change the world forever, but He changes lives from the inside out, and these life-changes are forever.
Just a tidbit from the sermon that was preached at my church this morning. Our pastor reminded us that Christ IS our hope. He used a passage from Hebrews 10:19-25 ("Let us hold fast our confession of hope ... for He who promised is faithful...") Christ's advent on this earth was the advent of HOPE in our lives. One illustration that he (our pastor) used was from the C.S. Lewis novel, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, where it is "always winter and never Christmas." What an appropriate picture of a world without hope. But, when Aslan (like Christ) entered that world, Christmas came, and winter ended.
Well, given the season, I will end this post with a "heads-up" for you. I would like to continue with some more blog posts that continue the thoughts that I have about Christmas, Advent, and some of the Christmas Carols. That means that you can expect to be seeing some more religious posts here over the next few weeks. Read them, if you will ... and I hope that I can challenge you or at least encourage you to further considerations on your own part.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Thanksgiving
Okay - a more serious post this time. I have been thinking about, what else, Thanksgiving over the past week or two. At work, we had our homeroom ("T/A") students write in their journals about what they're thankful for. At church we are talking about thankfulness. I have even had some conversations with some of my friends about thankfulness.
So, here are some random thoughts about "Thankfulness". Are you ready?
First of all, did you ever notice that people talk about being "grateful" or "thankful" for things in their lives, but never express TO WHOM they are grateful or thankful? You know, people who say, "I am so thankful (substitute "grateful") for a wonderful family." So, is their thankfulness or gratefulness directed at empty space? Here's my take on the object of any gratitude or thankfulness. God, and God alone, is the giver of all good gifts. (James 1:17 "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.")
There's a song that I know that has the words, "God is good, all the time. And, all the time, God is good." Thinking about that song made me think about another aspect of gratitude or thankfulness. I ought to be thankful to GOD for EVERYTHING. Not just the things that most other people would consider to be "good". Thankful for difficulties in life because out of trials come strength and endurance. Thankful for the alone time that I don't like because it forces me to contemplate that I am never truly alone. Thankful for pain, physical or emotional or spiritual, because without pain, how could I even begin to appreciate Christ's greater pain on my behalf?
Philippians 4:6-7 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
First of all, I want to say that I've been trying for a week now to write a post about the trip that I took to visit friends in Chicago last weekend. But it's hard to write about. I had a wonderful visit. But it was mostly hanging around with people that I enjoy hanging around with. Everything that I came up with to write would probably not interest anyone but myself and the people that I was visiting. So ... know that I went to Chicagoland and had a great time ... and that's enough of that.
Now, on to world shattering stuff. I saw the new Harry Potter movie. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Here's my quick review, in the form of a list of thoughts (that's how my mind works best!):
