by Pastor Cecil | Dec 25, 2009 | Luke
Luke 2:13-14
“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.’ “
When I was a young husband and father we lived for a time in Vancouver, Washington. The choir was so hard pressed for talent that I was accepted as a member. We were to sing several Christmas Carols as a part of the program. We were located under the balcony and the lights were so low that we could hardly see our music. So it was inevitable that there would be some slips.
The program called for us to sing “Hark, The Herald Angels Sing.” Because of the dimness one of our sopranos jumped the gun. Suddenly out from under the balcony came a loud voice, “HARK!” The crowd could not control their laughter. When quiet returned, the pastor, who was narrating the program pronounced: “Hark! Hark! The lark in the dark!” Even the soprano enjoyed the humor.
It was a joyous night on that Judean hill when the angel announced the birth of the promised Messiah to a group of lowly shepherds. I can just imagine the laughter and joy as they rushed to Bethlehem to find the new born King of kings.
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, “Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations rise, Join the triumph of the skies;
With th’angelic host proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem!”
Refrain: Hark! the herald angels sing,“Glory to the newborn King!”
Christ, by highest Heav’n adored; Christ the everlasting Lord;
Late in time, behold Him come, Offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; Hail th’incarnate Deity,
Pleased with us in flesh to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel.
Refrain: Hark! the herald angels sing,“Glory to the newborn King!”
Hail the heav’nly Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings, Ris’n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.
Refrain: Hark! the herald angels sing,“Glory to the newborn King!”
Come, Desire of nations, come, Fix in us Thy humble home;
Rise, the woman’s conqu’ring Seed, Bruise in us the serpent’s head.
Now display Thy saving power, Ruined nature now restore;
Now in mystic union join Thine to ours, and ours to Thine.
Refrain: Hark! the herald angels sing,“Glory to the newborn King!”
Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface, Stamp Thine image in its place:
Second Adam from above, Reinstate us in Thy love.
Let us Thee, though lost, regain, Thee, the Life, the inner man:
O, to all Thyself impart, Formed in each believing heart.
Refrain: Hark! the herald angels sing,“Glory to the newborn King!”
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 24, 2009 | Luke
Luke 3:15
“The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ.”
I can clearly remember the moment we received the news that Joyce was given the word that she was pregnant. She was “expecting!” I am not sure if that is the term that is still used today to describe an expectant mother. We might say a woman is PG, in a family way, or some similar description. Regardless of the term, it means a child is on the way.
The people of Jesus’ day had been expecting the promised Messiah for centuries. They were expecting the fulfillment of prophecy that seemed so long in coming. In addition, they were looking for a conquering Messiah, not a tiny babe in a manger or a Savior on a cross. They were expecting, but they were expecting the wrong thing for the wrong reasons.
Most folks are self-absorbed. They desire the things that will make them feel better or making life easier for themselves. Not that you and I are that way—heaven forbid! That is all too often our own personal objective.
Christmas 2009 is at our doorstep. Beyond the glitter and hype, what is the deeper meaning of this day? It is that we have a Savior who has come. That’s right, He has already come. Just as people rejected Him then, consigned His mother to a stable in which to give birth, and watched with indifference when He was crucified, so the vast majority ignore Him today.
In what way are you spiritually expecting? Are you eager for Him to be the Lord of your life, or are you content to float along with the masses? Do you expect Him to give you the power to minister for Him? I pray that you and I are expecting!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 11, 2009 | Luke
Luke 2:15
“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.'”
The beloved Carol “O Come, All Ye Faithful” was originally written in Latin (Adeste Fideles). The words were written by an Englishman, John Wade who had intended it as a hymn.
The music to “O Come, All Ye Faithful” was composed by fellow Englishman John Reading in the early 1700s. In 1841, Rev. Frederick Oakley revised the lyrics of “Adeste Fideles.”
“O Come, All Ye Faithful“
O Come All Ye Faithful
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
O Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing all that hear in heaven God’s holy word.
Give to our Father glory in the Highest;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
All Hail! Lord, we greet Thee,
Born this happy morning,
O Jesus! for evermore be Thy name adored.
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
To access O Come, All Ye Faithful, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/ocomeallyefaithful in your browser or click on the image below.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 4, 2009 | Luke
Luke 2:10-11
“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.'”
Carol of the Bells is also known as the Ukrainian Bell Carol composed by Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych. It was first performed in December 1916 by students at Kiev University. In the United States the song was first performed on October 5, 1921 at Carnegie Hall.
The original Ukrainian song is based on an old Slavic legend that every bell in the world rang in honor of Jesus on the night of his birth.
“Carol of the Bells“
Hark! How the bells,
Sweet silver bells,
all seem to say,
“Throw cares away.”
Christmas is here,
bringing good cheer,
to young and old,
meek and the bold.
Ding, dong, ding, dong.
That is their song,
with joyful ring,
all caroling
one seems to hear,
words of good cheer,
from ev’rywhere,
filling the air,
oh how they pound,
raising the sound,
o’er hill and dale,
telling their tale.
Gaily they ring,
while people sing,
songs of good cheer,
Christmas is here.
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas
On, on they send.
On without end,
their joyful tone,
to ev’ry home;
Ding, dong, ding, dong.
To access Carol the Bells, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/carolofthebells in your browser or click on the image below.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 2, 2009 | Luke
Luke 10:2a-3
“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.”
Is it just human nature to want to stay in our warm and snug comfort zone, or is it the method Satan uses to keep us from doing God’s will and working in His harvest fields?
Regardless of how we answer that question, the fact is that God wants us to move out of our comfort zone. Inside our zone of comfort we focus most, if not all of our energy on ourselves, and neglect the needs of those around us.
The harvest fields that Jesus speaks about in this passage are the lost and dying all around us. You know, there are different types of harvest fields. When wheat or barley is harvested, all of the grain is gathered at one time.
In a field of strawberries, only those berries that are ripe are picked. It requires many subsequent trips to complete the harvest. It is the same way with the souls of men and women. Some may be gathered all at once in a mass crusade, while others must be picked one at a time.
As we move out to the harvest field we must stop and consider when the crop is ready. It is not our comfort zone that is important, but the harvest. Are you ready?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 26, 2009 | Luke
Luke 8:14-15
“The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”
I have read Jesus parable of the sower so many times I imagine it would be in the hundreds. Even so when Joyce and I read this passage for our devotions this morning I was struck by a new insight. That is the justification of reading Scripture over and over. God’s Word is alive and active and will speak in new ways as we read it with an open heart.
This portion speaks of the seed that fell among thorns. It was choked by three things that the Lord mentions: worries, riches and pleasures. I notice that the plants are not destroyed, but they certainly fail to mature.
Repeatedly the Word of God charges us to not worry. To worry is the opposite of to trust. We seem to have the idea that there are certain things in our life that are too big for God to handle, so we have to worry about them ourselves. Here is a revealing question for you: How has your worry helped any situation in your life? Hummmm.
Riches and pleasures can easily be considered together. We are prone to feel that if we have riches, then the pleasures of life will follow. Sorry to break your bubble, but that is just not the way it works.
Neither the riches nor pleasures of this world will ever satisfy. Only Jesus can fill that void in our heart. Jesus says that the seed on good ground are those with “- – – a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” What ground are you?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
