12.4 Advent Devotional

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus

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.

Scripture - Psalm 126

1When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,[a]
    we were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
    and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then it was said among the nations,
    “The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us,
    and we rejoiced.

4 Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
    like the watercourses in the Negeb.
5 May those who sow in tears
    reap with shouts of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping,
    bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
    carrying their sheaves.

Devotion - May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy

Early in our marriage in 1969 our first son was born 3 weeks early, about one week before Christmas. We were scared and excited. After his birth, I went to the chapel at our church and prayed and thanked God for all our blessings.

When it was time to leave the hospital, Nancy was told she could leave but the baby had to stay due to jaundice. There were tears and concerns and daily trips back to the hospital to see how he was doing.

Finally, we were told we could take him home, just before Christmas.

What an exciting and joyful Christmas it was and we celebrate his birth and HIS birth every Christmas.

That is Merry Christmas.

Mike Law

Bells are Ringing performed Joyful Noise

Many of us find that an intentional practice is important as part of our Advent reflections and you may want to consider this one. The Hunger Action Team suggests you set aside one food item or a small amount of money each day to stock the Food Pantry at North Raleigh Ministries. Click here for more information.

12.4 Advent Devotional

Bells Are Ringing