Podcasts about his advent

In astronomy, a supernova releases so much energy and light that creative power is unleashed. The Advent of Jesus Christ did the same thing for us. Check out the other ways Jesus shined brightly at His Advent in our series The Star Of CHRISTmas. ►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

Christmas season where we celebrate the birth of the Lord is rapidly approaching and it is useful to us to think about all the things we need to do in order to prepare for His Advent. One key item on each of our checklists should be to REPENT! We will discuss the important role John the Baptist played in preparing people for the Lord's coming.

Christmas season where we celebrate the birth of the Lord is rapidly approaching and it is useful to us to think about all the things we need to do in order to prepare for His Advent. One key item on each of our checklists should be to REPENT! We will discuss the important role John the Baptist played in preparing people for the Lord's coming.

When God Himself was born as a baby here on Earth, God sent angels to announce His Advent to both the Wisemen—wealthy, wise, and respected—and the Shepherds—low, lonely, and despised. His message to the Shepherds, and to us, is this: have no fear, rejoice in the good news that we are fully loved and cared for, and walk with Jesus in a life of praise so that others may see God's goodness. Let's pursue this together this Christmas season.

Advent Hymn (Watching, Waiting, Longing)Label: Lifeway WorshipNumber of Tracks:1Total Time:00:04:11From the Album: Hymns, Prayers, and InvitationsFormats: Christian AC, ChristmasAvailable Date & Time:  November 5th, 2021Impact Date: November 25th, 2021Official Music Video:Web Site: www.rickleejames.com PURCHASE ALBUM Downloadable Charts, Multi-Tracks, and More available from LIFEWAYWORSHIP.COM for Advent Hymn (Watching, Waiting, Longing) click HERE Endorsements: “A perfect and needed addition to any Christmas playlist this year. Rick Lee James bringing home the Advent Message.”-CCM Magazine (Link to story)“I love Advent Hymn (Watching, Waiting, Longing), which gives newness to the phrases of Isaiah. Watching, waiting, and longing is what we do now, and these songs help us do that in confidence. I anticipate that this album will be received as a great gift by many who will find their faith nourished and awakened by it.”– Walter Brueggemann (Professor Emeritus of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary)"I've watched Rick grow as an artist and songwriter for many years. Congratulations brother on an excellent independent release."-Paul Baloche (Dove Award Winning Songwriter)"Rick Lee James is a poet and singer. You will not only enjoy listening, you'll be drawn into the source – Jesus."-Mike Harland (Director of Lifeway Worship Resources)For Booking Inquiries  CLICK HEREor contact Voices In My Head ProductionsBy Phone: (937) 206-1146By Email: RICK@RICKLEEJAMES.COM  Management General Office Hours:Monday – 10AM – 5PMTuesday – 10AM – 5PMWednesday – 10AM – 5PMThursday – 10AM – 5PMFriday – 10AM – 5PMRick Lee James BioRick Lee James is an acclaimed singer/songwriter, worship leader, author, speaker and podcast host. His recordings include Basement Psalms Live and Hymns, Prayers & Invitations. James' 2018 hit, “Advent Hymn,” remained at #1 on Christian Radio Weekly's “CRW Adds Chart” for seven consecutive weeks. The song has been played on over 1100 radio stations in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. James' book, Out of the Depths: A Songwriter's Journey Through The Psalms, has been used as a textbook for the National Praise & Worship Institute at Trevecca Nazarene University. He has also been a contributor to Worship Leader magazine, Holiness Today, The Table and Worshiplife.com. His podcast, “Voices In My Head,” has featured such leading singer/songwriters as Andrew Peterson, Sara Groves, Jason Gray, Michael Card and Paul Baloche.For further information, visit rickleejames.com. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. For booking inquiries, email Voices In My Head Productions or call 937-206-1146. Song LyricsAdvent Hymn (Watching, Waiting, Longing)Verse 1Heaven sent a child to save us, light for all to seeHelpless baby, mighty savior, holy mystery.Unto us a son is given, born in BethlehemLamb of God the light of nations, God in flesh becameChorusWatching, waiting, longing for the dayWhen His people would glorify the Name above all namesVerse 2For the joy that lay before Him, chose our agonyJesus bore the wrath of Calvary, washing sinners clean.Our Messiah, Christ our brother, word of God in fleshLoosed the chains that held us captive, broke the bonds of deathChorusWatching, waiting, longing for the dayWhen His people would glorify the Name above all namesVerse 3So we wait with expectation for His Advent here.Bride of Christ, His word proclaimed for all  the world to hear.He will come in clouds descending at the trumpet soundIn the light of Christ our Savior every knee will bow.Final ChorusBorn in an manger, dying on a treeRising Easter morning to set His people freeWatching, waiting, longing for the dayWhen all nations will glorify the Name above all namesWords and Music by Rick Lee James and Ted Rastatter  © Copyright 2011, Assigned 2015 McKinney Music, Inc. (BMI)/Broadman Press (SESAC) (both admin. by LifeWay Worship c/o Music Services, www.musicservices.org). All rights reserved. CCLI #6152291 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rickleejames.substack.com/subscribe

Humble Beginnings Advent 2020 || In introducing the gospel of Christ, Luke first describes two appearances from the angel Gabriel; one to Zechariah and the other to Mary. As we will see, though the messages are both delivered by Gabriel, sent by God, and even contained similar content – that they’d both respectfully parent a son that was miraculously conceived – their responses couldn’t have been more opposite from the other. As we continue to look at the Humble Beginnings of Christ this week we learn the importance of a Humble Response to His Advent(s).

Ever wonder what the Son of God declared in heaven when Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word."? Amazingly, we have a record of His pronouncement contained in Hebrews. We are in the Christmas season of the year of our Lord 2020. Regardless of the turmoil in the world, and in good measure because of it, His Advent was and is good news. In this sharing, we examine the epic scope of the Incarnation and the love of the One who sacrificed everything to redeem us.

Week 1 of our 4 part Christmas Series. This Sunday, Vic looks at the fact that Jesus' birth was predicted many times over many years before His Advent!

Click Here to Listen to the other parts in the seriesCelebrating Advent with Laura Rainey Dries (Part 1) - A Call to AdventCelebrating Advent with Laura Rainey Dries (Part 2) - Being StillCelebrating Advent with Laura Rainey Dries (Part 3) - Introducing Your Kids to the SaviorCelebrating Advent with Laura Rainey Dries (Part 4) - His Savior NamesCelebrating Advent with Laura Rainey Dries (Part 5) - Remembering Christ at ChristmasFamilyLife Today® Radio Transcript  References to conferences, resources, or other special promotions may be obsolete. A Call to Advent Guests:                      Dennis and Barbara Rainey                       From the series:       Celebrating Advent (Day 1 of 5)Air date:                     November 28, 2016  Bob: Does your church or does your family do anything to celebrate the Advent season?  Are you even familiar with what Advent is?  Here's Barbara Rainey.  Barbara: The term, “advent,” just means Jesus' coming—it means the time when He came to earth / He left heaven. The Book of John tells us He was sent by God—He left heaven, and He came to earth. He became a baby, as we all know in the story, and was born and lived and gave His life for us. But the time—those weeks leading up to Christmas—years ago, in the Middle Ages or somewhere in there, the church fathers met and decided that this would be a good time to help people prepare their hearts to celebrate and to worship when Christmas Day actually came.  I think it's a great concept because, in our culture today, we don't wait very well, we do not celebrate very well, and we don't mark the days very well.  1:00 I think there is some benefit—especially for families—to mark those Sundays of Advent with, even, a ten-minute gathering. Get together before bed time, if you have to—or after breakfast or whenever it works—and just think together about what this season is all about. The whole idea of Advent is preparing your heart to worship and to appropriately celebrate the gift of Christ.  Bob: This is FamilyLife Today for Monday, November 28th. Our host is the President of FamilyLife®, Dennis Rainey. I'm Bob Lepine. We have a great opportunity, over the next four weeks, to prepare our hearts and minds for the celebration of Jesus' coming. We'll talk about that today. Stay with us.  2:00 And welcome to FamilyLife Today. Thanks for joining us on the Monday edition. I just—I'm wondering: “Do you guys have, at your house, somebody who comes through—like at the end of the weekend after Thanksgiving—and says: ‘Okay; we've got to do a major shift here!  We've got to take all the Thanksgiving stuff down'?”   Dennis: You're looking at him. [Laughter] My martyr meter is going off right now. [Laughter]   Barbara: There's not that much Thanksgiving stuff to take down; mind you.  Dennis: There really isn't; but I'm going to tell you—the Christmas—we have it out in a little storage shed. I'm not saying it's a lot, but we hire an 18-wheeler to move the 200 feet from our storage shed up to our back door. [Laughter]   Bob: You had to put an addition on the storage shed—didn't you?—just to handle more Christmas stuff over the years?  [Laughter]   Barbara: You guys are terrible!   Dennis: We are terrible.  Barbara: You are, because it's so not true.  Bob: But the truth is that— Dennis: Barbara—you know, here is the thing, Bob—this is a paradox of life.  Bob: Yes?   3:00 Dennis: Barbara says her favorite holiday is Thanksgiving.  Bob: And by the way, Barbara is joining us again today. Welcome back to FamilyLife Today.  Dennis: Welcome back, Sweetheart.  Barbara: Thank you. Bob: So, Thanksgiving, which we've just completed—your favorite holiday; right?   Barbara: Yes; and the rest of the sentence is?   Dennis: Why are there boxes of Christmas gear that we bring in?   Barbara: Because there is so much more available to purchase, and to display, and to decorate with for Christmas than there is for Thanksgiving.  Dennis: Especially since you created Ever Thine Home®.  Barbara: That's part of it too.  Dennis: You have declared the reason for the season, both at Thanksgiving and at Christmas— Barbara: So, part of— Dennis: —and at Valentine's, and at Easter.  Barbara: —and Easter. Part of the reason— Dennis: —and the Fourth of July!  [Laughter]   Barbara: Part of the reason we have more at Christmas now is because we have all the old stuff—all the old Santa, snowmen / things have nothing to do with Jesus—stuff that I haven't gotten rid of yet.  Dennis: You know what I think?—[whispering]—they could disappear.  Barbara: They could.  Dennis: [Whispering] They might—they might vanish.  Barbara: But we've replaced them with all the new things about Jesus.  Bob: If you see an extra trash can out at the curb tonight when you go home—[Laughter] 4:00 Barbara: I'll know what it is; yes! [Laughter]   Bob: —you will know— Dennis: It may be my body!  [Laughter]   Bob: —you will know that your husband has decided to edit some of your Christmas decorations.  Dennis: This could be the end of me! [Laughter]  No; we have a good time with it—I really enjoy the season. We do pull it out, and there is a transition. There's not that much gear that comes down from Thanksgiving / there is a good amount that comes up to celebrate Christmas.  Bob: Well, I've been to your home at Christmastime. I just love—there is a red vinyl record that you've had up— Barbara: You like my old records?   Bob: I love the old records.  Barbara: I do too.  Bob: You knew that would be something that I would gravitate toward.  Barbara: Yes.  Bob: But what is it? I don't know if it's Joy to the World. What is it?  Do you remember?   Barbara: Well, it may be Hark!  The Herald Angels Sing; but I have three of these old records left from my childhood. We had stacks of them that my brother and I used to play on our little record player. For some reason, I ended up with these three— 5:00 —two are red and one is a 78 [RPM]—which nobody knows what that is anymore except you [Bob]. One is a 78, and it's yellow. I put those up on little plate stands every year at Christmas. They are just some of my favorite things that I put out every year at Christmas.  Bob: Okay; well, I have to be honest with you—since we have become empty-nesters at our house, we've had the conversation of “Can we just kind of scale back the home decorating?”   Barbara: Oh, yes.  Bob: It was one thing when the kids were home— Barbara: Right.  Bob: —and you really wanted to create an atmosphere.  Barbara: Right. Dennis: Have your kids let you have it for doing that?   Bob: Well, I mean, they only show up for a few days; and you can endure that. [Laughter] I'm just curious: “Have you thought about scaling back since it's just the two of you now?”   Barbara: Yes; we have scaled back. In fact, when we did some remodeling on our house a few years ago, I didn't even put up a full-sized tree / it wasn't even a fresh tree—I had a smaller tree that was a table-top tree. When I got that and I set it up, I heard in my head the words that I said to myself when I was a young wife:  6:00 “I will never do a table-top tree like all these old people that I know.”  [Laughter]  All of a sudden, I thought: “Oh my gosh!  I'm one of those. [Laughter] What has happened to me?”   Dennis: You're not an old person; trust me.  Bob: But you have scaled back?   Barbara: We have scaled back; yes.  Bob: Because Dennis makes it sound like it's just getting bigger and bigger every year.  Barbara: It is not getting bigger and bigger every year. So, sorry, dear; I disagree.  Dennis: There you have it—another great illustration ruined by an eye-witness.  Bob: Here's what has happened at your home—and we talked about this earlier. Some the old decorations that were festive have been replaced by decorations that are more purposeful.  Barbara: Correct; yes.  Bob: And this is something that I know—over the last five years / maybe longer than that—has become a real burden for you.  Barbara: Well, I've wanted to find Christmas decorations—whether it was ornaments or other kinds of things that I could put out at Christmas—   7:00 —for 20 years, I've been looking for things that were about Christ, other than a Nativity set, which we had a couple of, and we put those up every year. Other than a Nativity set of some kind, it was very hard to find anything to hang on a Christmas tree that was about Jesus.  Now, that I've started creating these Christmas ornaments that are about Jesus, called Adorenaments®, that's what my tree is covered with now. I don't put up all the other ones that we used to put up when the kids were at home. We don't have Santas, and reindeer, and snowmen, and footballs, and all of that stuff on our tree anymore—partly because the kids are gone.  If the kids were still home and little, and they wanted to hang those ornaments, we would hang them; but I would also put up ornaments about Christ, because Christmas is about Jesus. I want anyone who comes in our home—and those of us who live in our home—to be reminded every day, during the month of December, that what we are celebrating is about Jesus Christ—it's about His birth / it's about His incarnation.  8:00 It's not about all this extra stuff, and I want that to be preeminent in our home.  Bob: Some of our listeners will know that we are in a season—that, on the church calendar, is an official season. In fact, some listeners, this week at church, will have lit a candle as part of the worship service around an Advent wreath.  Barbara: That's right.  Bob: They are marking out Advent as a season. I know other listeners are going, “I thought Advent was something that the church down the street did, and we don't do it,”—it's a foreign term for them.  This is something that you've kind of dug into and said: “What's the history of Advent?” and “Why has the church marked out this season in advance of Christmas?”  What have you found?   Barbara: Well, the term, “advent,” just means Jesus' coming—it means the time when He came to earth / He left heaven. The Book of John tells us He was sent by God—He left heaven, and He came to earth. He became a baby, as we all know in the story, and was born and, then, lived and gave His life for us.  9:00 But the time—those weeks leading up to Christmas—years ago, in the Middle Ages or somewhere in there, the church fathers met and decided that this would be a good time to help people prepare their hearts to celebrate and to worship when Christmas Day actually came.  I think it's a great concept because, in our culture today, we don't wait very well, we do not celebrate very well, and we don't mark the days very well. I think there is some benefit—especially for families—to mark those Sundays of Advent with, even, a ten- minute gathering. Get together before bed time, if you have to—or after breakfast or whenever it works—and just think together about what this season is all about. We've got some ways that we want to tell you about that we think that you could do that, but the whole idea of Advent is preparing your heart to worship and to appropriately celebrate the gift of Christ.  10:00 Dennis: Advent can be celebrated on each Sunday, leading up to Christmas, as it is this year. It's already started—people begin to celebrate Advent, thinking about the coming of Christ.  It's also celebrated on a daily basis, leading up to Christmas Eve—and, then, Christmas morning—where the arrival of the Christ-child and the celebration of Him coming and physically visiting the planet can be talked about, as a family, and what that meant for us, as individuals; us, as a family; and also our world.  Bob: We're encouraging listeners to be intentional and purposeful during the Christmas season this year. We've got some suggestions we've been sending out to folks and will be sending out during the Advent season. You can go to our website, FamilyLifeToday.com, to find out how you can get these emails or these text messages sent to you during the season so that your family can be more purposeful, more focused, more intentional during this season of the year.  I remember—when I was growing up, we had an Advent calendar— 11:00 —different one every year—that we would get out. Each day on the calendar was covered up with something. As a child, I either got to tear off the piece of cardboard to show what was behind the date or I got to flip something over and see what was revealed—always something hidden that is revealed each day. That's part of what we are remembering during the Advent season—is that there is expectation—there is something hidden that is about to be revealed. Each day of Advent, we're expectant / we're anticipating.  There was one calendar that we got one year, where there was a piece of chocolate behind every day. That got attention paid to it. Trust me!  Every day at breakfast— Dennis: You've never forgotten it.  Bob: That's right. [Laughter] Barbara: It was your favorite; right?   Bob: Yes; of course!   Dennis: And we had one, when we were raising little children, that was kind of a— Barbara: It was felt.  Dennis: —it was felt. You pulled out an ornament—a candy cane / a Santa Claus—again, it was not centered on Christ as you would think it would be as an Advent calendar.  12:00 I'm just listening to Barbara talk about this, Bob—over 25 years ago, she began to look around and to search for ways that were about Christ in helping us celebrate His advent/His coming to the plant—but also, things that were beautiful, that were elegant, that weren't just plastic but were heirlooms that could be passed on to future generations.  Bob: You started with the Christmas tree, and this is your fifth year to make ornaments for trees?   Barbara: That's correct.  Bob: Back, five years ago, you came up with a set of seven ornaments that were all around the Christmas names of Jesus.  Barbara: That's right.  Bob: The next year, you did His royal names— Barbara: Correct.  Bob: —in the shape of crowns. The year after that, you did His Savior names that were all in crosses—   Barbara: Correct.  Dennis: —different crosses from different eras in church history.  Bob: Last year, you took the name of Jesus and you had it in different languages with the different alphabets from those languages.  13:00 Barbara: Yes. Bob: This year, you've got a new set of ornaments?   Barbara: We do. We have a new set. We've titled these “His Advent Names,” appropriately, because these ornaments—there are four of them this year—they are all round, and they're all globes. You see the continents of the world on these globes; and then, each one has a name of Christ. Then, on the other side of the globe, it has the verse where that name is found in the Bible. The focus of this set of ornaments is that He came to earth. We visually created globes to remind us that Jesus came to earth for us; and then, these are some names that are associated with His advent.  Bob: And what are the four names you used this year?    Barbara: The four names are “Jesus is the Light” / He came to be the light of the world—“Jesus is the Son” / “For God so loved the world that He gave His Son…”—“Jesus is the Word” / “For the word became flesh and dwelt among us,” / that's all about His birth in the manger.  14:00 And then, the last one is “The Messenger”; and it's about Jesus coming to bring good news and to tell us who God is.  Dennis: Everybody who has seen these—and seen the others that Barbara created—say these are their favorites / that the globes that feature the names of Christ really are spectacular and also, again, call attention to the reason why He came to the planet.  I just think it's important, Bob, as we hang these ornaments on our trees, to bring our children / our grandchildren into the experience and talk about—not just hang the globe or hang the name on the tree, but to talk about: “What does that mean?”  You could literally take all 25 of these ornaments that Barbara has created over all—His Christmas names, His Royal names, His Savior names, and now, His Advent names—you could turn your Christmas tree—over the next, well, almost 24/25 days—into an Advent Christmas tree. One day after another, hang one of these on your tree and talk about the name of Christ— 15:00 —and introduce your children or, as a couple, talk about, “How is Jesus the Light of the World?”   Bob: And radio really doesn't do justice to these. Again, I'll encourage listeners to go to FamliyLifeToday.com, where they can see what you've created. If folks are interested in ordering, they can order from us, online, at FamilyLifeToday.com.  This is not something you guys have done throughout your marriage. In fact, Advent—you kind of didn't pay attention to Advent until your kids were grown; right?   Barbara: Well, I paid attention to it when we were raising our kids, but I didn't know what to do with it; because I was too busy—and school parties—you know, there were just too many things going on during the month of December. I think every mom, listening, would say the same thing. It's a very, very busy season—we want to do all those things with our kids, and we want to do gifts for all these people, and we wear ourselves out.  16:00 So, even though I wanted to do Advent, I didn't know of an easy way to do it. The times that I tried it, we only did one Sunday; and then, we never finished. I felt like a failure, and I didn't like feeling like a failure. I just thought: “Well, forget that. We won't do Advent in our house, because it's just too hard to pull it off.”   But I do think that Advent is worth practicing, even if you only do it once. That's what I didn't understand when I was a mom—that doing something—even just doing one time—is better than nothing. I think that's my encouragement to moms and to women is: “Even if you just do one Sunday / even if you do one something, it's better than nothing.” I think that makes it valuable, because you're being intentional. You're creating some moments of meaning with your family if you try to make a pause in your life—take a timeout from your busyness—to reflect on who Christ is and what He came to do.  Dennis: I think the significance of this is way underestimated.  17:00 You know, over in Philippians 2, it talks about—someday, at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Lord, to the glory of God the Father. I think we underestimate that these names—and interestingly, how many names in your study did you find in the Scriptures were the names of Christ?   Barbara: Some scholars say over 300. I don't know—I've not counted them—but there are a lot more names than any of us have.  Dennis: Well, these 25 names that she's illustrating with these Adorenaments—these are powerful names that give parents practical ways to teach your children about who God is—talking about how Jesus is the Light of the World / how He is the Word—and how they need the Word today; how they need to have a guide / how they need to have a direction for their lives. If they don't, they're going to be obedient to the world and going to conform to the world. So, because Christ came, He showed us what a straight line really is.  Bob: And some listeners, I know, are thinking, “I've heard about Advent, but our church doesn't do that.” 18:00 They feel like, maybe, there is something just strange about it; because it's unfamiliar. What would you say to them?   Barbara: Well, I would say familiarity doesn't always mean that is right. I think that just because it's different doesn't mean that it's something that you shouldn't do. There is value in taking some time, as a family—or even just as a husband and wife if you don't have kids yet—to talk about the names of Christ, and to talk about who He is, and why He came. That's what Advent is all about—it's preparing your heart.  I think anytime we can pause and prepare our heart to welcome Him / to give Him worship, we're going to be better for it. It may be a little different than something you've heard of, but just think of what the word [Advent] means—it just means preparing for His coming.  Bob: Explain for listeners what the benefits are of taking time out to focus on Jesus during the Advent season.  19:00 Barbara: The whole purpose for Advent—the reason that the church fathers came up with this idea, back in the Middle Ages, was to encourage people, who were believers in Christ, to prepare their hearts for Christmas Day. It's a way to anticipate His coming / it's a way to look forward to celebrating the birth of Christ on Christmas Day. When we practice Advent today, it's essentially the same thing—it's a way to mark the time, but it's also a way to build anticipation.  I think there are some real benefits for families. The first one is—it teaches us to be patient. We are not a patient people in this culture—our children aren't patient / we're not patient—we're so used to everything being readily available whenever we want it. If you mark Advent—and you can only open one little box, and you have to wait a whole week for the next one—it teaches us, as people, to be patient. That is a good quality / it's a good attribute.  20:00 Another benefit, I think, for celebrating or marking the days of Advent is that it helps us to pause and reflect about who Christ is. Another is that it builds anticipation—when we're anticipating, we are believing. I think that's really, really good for us.  Reason number four is that Advent encourages eternal decisions; because I think, when we take the time to think about Jesus and why He came to earth, it naturally makes us go, “Oh; do I know Him?”  As moms and dads, it's a great opportunity for you to say to your kids, “Do you know Jesus?”  Advent is a way for us to pause in the middle of the busy season and take advantage of Advent—it helps us have those conversations. It may lead to the most important decision you or one of your kids will ever make.  Bob: Well, and I know, at our house—especially when our kids were younger—there was a lot of anticipation and expectation during the Christmas season / during the Advent season— 21:00 —but it was expectation and anticipation around, “What am I getting on Christmas morning?”   Dennis: Yes; of course.  Bob: Not a whole lot of expectation or anticipation around celebrating the birth of Jesus— Barbara: Right.  Bob: —or having a Christ-centered focus. That's where you are trying to redirect— Barbara: Correct.  Bob: —our attention with the resources you're creating and all that you've been working on.  I'd encourage listeners to go to our website to see the new set of Adorenaments—the globes that you've created this year / His Advent names. There are four of them; and you can see them at FamilyLifeToday.com, along with some of the ornaments from past years as well.  If you've got the FamilyLife app on your iPhone or on your Android phone, we're building into the app this year some devotionals you can do together, as a family—ways to talk about Christ during the Christmas season—some questions that you can ask one another at the dinner table just to get conversation going around more spiritual themes.  22:00 If you don't have the FamilyLife app, you can download it from your app store and look for the Christmas content that is included in the app this year.  Once again, if you'd like to see the resources Barbara has been working on over the last year, go to FamilyLifeToday.com. You can order the new Adorenaments from us there; or you can call to order at 1-800-FL-TODAY—1-800-358-6329. That's 1-800-“F” as in family, “L” as in life, and then the word, “TODAY.”   Today is a special day for Glen and Shawn Solberg—who live here in Little Rock and, until recently, were coworkers of ours, here at FamilyLife—they are celebrating 24 years together as husband and wife: “Happy anniversary!” to the Solbergs.  We've been all about anniversaries this year because it's really tied to the mission of this ministry.  23:00 We want to see more couples celebrate more anniversaries, year in and year out. We want to effectively develop godly marriages and families, who change the world, one home at a time.  When you support the work of FamilyLife, it is couples—like the Solbergs—you're supporting. Together, we are providing practical biblical help and hope for husbands and wives, moms and dads, all around the world. We're grateful for those of you who partner with us in this ministry. In fact, tomorrow is Giving Tuesday—it's a time when, in advance of Christmas, a lot of people decide to make yearend contributions to ministries and other non-profit organizations.  Maybe today, you could talk about making a donation—a yearend donation—to FamilyLife. Tomorrow, on Giving Tuesday, you can go online at FamilyLifeToday.com to make a donation; or call 1-800-FL-TODAY, donate over the phone; or write to us with your donation.  24:00 Our mailing address is FamilyLife Today at PO Box 7111, Little Rock, AR; our zip code is 72223.  Now, tomorrow, we're going to talk more about how, as a family, we can help ourselves and help our children be more focused on what Christmas really is all about. Hope you can tune in. Barbara Rainey is going to be back with us, and I hope you will be as well.  I want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, along with our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I'm Bob Lepine. We will see you back next time for another edition of FamilyLife Today.  FamilyLife Today is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas. Help for today. Hope for tomorrow.   Copyright © FamilyLife. All rights reserved. www.FamilyLife.com    

Click Here to Listen to the other parts in the seriesCelebrating Advent with Laura Rainey Dries (Part 1) - A Call to AdventCelebrating Advent with Laura Rainey Dries (Part 2) - Being StillCelebrating Advent with Laura Rainey Dries (Part 3) - Introducing Your Kids to the SaviorCelebrating Advent with Laura Rainey Dries (Part 4) - His Savior NamesCelebrating Advent with Laura Rainey Dries (Part 5) - Remembering Christ at ChristmasFamilyLife Today® Radio Transcript  References to conferences, resources, or other special promotions may be obsolete. His Savior Names Guests:                      Dennis and Barbara Rainey and Laura Rainey Dries                From the series:       Celebrating Advent (Day 4 of 5)Air date:                     December 1, 2016______________________________________________________________________________ Bob:  The Christmas season gives all of us the opportunity to be talking more easily and more comfortably with friends or family members about who Jesus is. Here's Barbara Rainey. Barbara:  This good friend of ours had the great privilege of leading his son to Christ as a result of focusing on the names of Christ at Christmas. I think that's what God is calling all of us to do. He's calling all of us to settle things and make things right with Him. Christmas is a wonderful time to do that, because we're naturally thinking about Jesus being born in Bethlehem. It's a perfect opportunity for moms and dads to help your kids understand what a decision for Christ looks like and why that's the most important decision they'll ever make. Bob:  This is FamilyLife Today for Thursday, December 1st. Our host is the President of FamilyLife®, Dennis Rainey, and I'm Bob Lepine.  1:00 Are you thinking, and planning, and strategizing about ways you could take advantage of spiritual opportunities in your family or among your friends during the holiday season? We'll talk more about that today. Stay with us. And welcome to FamilyLife Today. Thanks for joining us on the Thursday edition. It's actually the first day of December. This is the first day of the last month of the year, and the last month we'll be celebrating our 40th anniversary as a ministry. Dennis:  You're exactly right. It's been a great year to celebrate 40 years. FamilyLife has been, for 40 years, the Proud Sponsor of Anniversaries™—not ours—yours. I read a great letter recently, Bob, from a couple, whom you mentioned, congratulating them on their 70th. Bob:  That was great—back in August; yes. Dennis:  Seventy years of marriage—just a great letter of how their friends at church heard it and they thought: “You guys are famous! You're on FamilyLife Today!” [Laughter]  2:00 Well, 70 years deserves a celebration; and you know what? There's another season that demands celebration as well—that's Christmas. We want to help you do a better job of doing that. Before we talk about how we're going to help you celebrate Christmas—Bob, in our family, when I was growing up, we had a time when the family would come together around the dinner table and we'd say, “There's something important we need to talk about.” It didn't happen many times but enough times that I knew, as a young lad, this was important.  You know what? We're at a table here—kind of a dinner table of sorts. I'm asking the listener to scoot up a chair and just listen as I invite you to become a part of FamilyLife's mission. We need you. We need you to stand with us as we stand alongside you—as a single person, married, parent, grandparent—with God's blueprints for marriage and family.  3:00 This ministry's made possible—our mission of supporting families—is made possible by folks like you. As you slide the chair up to the table, maybe you can slide your checkbook out on the table and write a check; because that's what makes this broadcast possible. I just want folks to know we believe this is the mission of the hour for our country, and we need you to stand with us if you believe that as well. Bob:  And there is a significant incentive right now. If you're able to help with a donation, there's a matching gift that has been made available to us, here at FamilyLife. We've asked our friend, Michelle Hill, to be our matching-gift monitor throughout the month of December. Can you give us the details on how the matching gift is working? Michelle:  Sure, Bob. Here's how it works—first of all, the matching fund is $1.25 million. When listeners make a donation in December, their donation is actually going to be tripled by money drawn from this matching-gift fund.  4:00 Let's say somebody gives $50. Well, we're able to draw $100 from the matching fund so that the total gift becomes $150. I'll keep tabs on how things are going throughout the month; and of course, keep you up to date! Bob:  Well, we will check in with you regularly throughout the month. We'd love to have you join us in the work of FamilyLife. Go to FamilyLifeToday.com—make a donation online; or call 1-800-FL-TODAY to make a yearend donation. Or you can mail your donation to FamilyLife Today at PO Box 7111, Little Rock, AR; our zip code is 72223. We hope to hear from you, here, between now and the end of the year. Dennis:  We sure do. I just want to remind you: “Christmas is about family. It's about love; and it's about giving, because ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.'”  5:00 Early in our marriage—I'll never forget—Barbara came to me and she said: “You know, I am just kind of sick and tired of the messages of the culture. How can we train our children to be more about gift giving than gift receiving?” We put our heads together—we started asking people. I don't know who shared it with us, but somebody—it wasn't us—originated the idea that, instead of lining up all your presents that you're going to open for yourself / instead, line up all your presents that you want to give to others. In fact, I'm looking out to the audience that's out there listening to us tape this program right now— Bob:  A small audience—we have about five or six— Dennis:  It's not— Bob:  And we have your wife Barbara joining us again today. Barbara—welcome back to FamilyLife Today.   Barbara:  Thank you. Bob:  But we do have a studio audience that includes your daughter, Laura. 6:00 Dennis:  Come on back in here, Laura, into the studio. Share with our audience what you used to think about as you used to have to get all your gifts that you were going to give rather than all of the gifts that you were going to get. Laura:  Well, honestly, it just changed the perspective between my siblings. It became kind of like a game of who's going to get to give first and, “Which gift am I most excited about giving?” I just remember thinking: “Oh, I know Ashley is going to love this. I can't wait to give her this gift!” It just changed the perspective. Instead of thinking, “Oh, I wonder what's in that box for me,”—[it was]—“I hope they like what's in this box for them.” Bob:  Okay; but I heard a story about an awful, terrible Christmas— Laura:  Oh! Yes! Bob:  —where everybody—you know what I'm talking about? Laura:  This is amazing. I hope this is the one you're talking about! Bob:  Is it the hair dryer story? Laura:  Yes! It had nothing to do with me, which makes it even a lot better; right? [Laughter] Dennis:  Some of our regular listeners have heard this before; but it is worth revisiting, because this is a Rainey classic right here. 7:00 Laura:  Well, Samuel, my older brother, came up with it; because one year, my older sister, Rebecca, said all she wanted for Christmas was a hair dryer. Barbara:  All she wanted— Laura:  “The one thing— Barbara:  —the one thing. Laura:  —“I need this year, guys, from all of you is a hair dryer.” So Samuel thought: “Perfect! We'll all get her hair dryers.” [Laughter] So we all got a hair dryer. Maybe he went to WalMart®; I can't remember. Barbara:  No; he and I went—Samuel and I went to K-Mart®. We bought six hair dryers. I kept the receipt, because I knew we'd be returning five. Laura:  Yes. Barbara:  But when we walked out of there, we giggled and we laughed—it was so much fun. Laura:  So, it was just a large prank. It turned Christmas morning into something that we all thought was hilarious. Lots of tears after about the third or fourth hair dryer that Rebecca opened [Laughter]:  “Did you guys not talk to each other? What happened?! How did you do this all together?” We all thought it was great; and then, it was not funny to Rebecca at all. Bob:  Were there some backup presents in the— Laura:  Oh, absolutely. We all had backup presents. Bob:  So you didn't just stick her with six hair dryers.  Laura:  —and say, “Good luck!”—right. [Laughter] Bob:  And it wasn't your favorite Christmas; huh? 8:00 Laura:  No; I don't think so. Dennis:  But the point is—we wanted our family to focus on gift giving—because, really, Christmas is about God giving His Son, Jesus Christ, to come and be our Savior.  What Barbara's been working on for families for the past, really, five years is to help you, as a family, know how to best celebrate Christmas and what God was trying to communicate through His Son Jesus Christ. She's done that through a series of ornaments that she's calling Adorenaments®, all around the song, O Come Let Us Adore Him. You've now created 30 different, unique ornaments that are beautiful, but also meaningful, around the names of Christ. 9:00 Barbara:  Yes; we have. It's been a great privilege to be able to create these and to help families make their Christmas tree about Jesus instead of your Christmas tree looking like Santa Clauses, and reindeers, and all kinds of things that have nothing to do with Christmas—not that those things are bad—but those of us, who worship Christ—our Christmas tree should say something about Jesus. Our trees should say something about the reason for the season, which is His coming to earth, as you said in John 3:16, to save us and to redeem us. Dennis:  And one of the things that Barbara did in our family was—every Christmas Eve, she would wrap up an ornament. She would give each of the kids an ornament that she had bought a year earlier, after they went on sale the day after Christmas. Barbara:  True. Dennis:  It really is true—that's how she did it. They were really beautiful ornaments, but none of them—I don't think a single one of them—had much to do with the real reason for Christmas. Barbara:  Well, if I could have found some, that would be what I would have purchased for our kids. One of our daughters collected angels; so I tried to find her angel ornaments every year—  10:00 —that was sort of close to the Christmas story. But there weren't too many to be found that were actually about the reason for Christmas; so I bought other things for our kids for Christmas / for their ornaments. Bob:  Do you remember any of the ornaments you got? Laura:  Oh yes. I just opened them a couple days ago. I couldn't wait! I was so excited to decorate the tree. Bob:  Because this is your first—this is your first married Christmas. Laura:  Right; it is. Bob:  Any of Josh's old ornaments on the tree? Barbara:  I don't know if he has any. [Laughter] Laura: I don't know if he has any. Dennis:  A single guy with ornaments, Bob? Bob:  I had a box of ornaments that my mom gave me. I mean, you gave your boys ornaments; right? Barbara:  Our sons have their ornaments that I gave them when they were growing up; yes. Bob:  And do they still show up on their tree? Do you know? Barbara:  I don't know—yes; Samuel's do, because I've seen his several years. I don't know about Ben's. I'm sure they're there—I just haven't noticed them. Bob:  You'd better ask Josh if he has any ornaments. Laura:  I think he probably left them in the attic—he was embarrassed. [Laughter] If he has any, we'll incorporate them in. 11:00 Actually, I have—like Mom said earlier—she gave us a different ornament every year and truly continued on. I still—well, I'm probably not going to get one this year—she's cutting me off now that I'm married. Barbara:  Now that she's married. [Laughter] Laura:  It's all downhill from here! Dennis:  Josh can get you an ornament.  But what you've done, Barbara, is—you've created now five different sets of ornaments. The first year, there were seven names—they're metal names of Christ from Luke, Chapter 2, and Isaiah. The second year was His royal names—these are in the shape of a crown. The third year, His Savior names—we'll talk about them in just a moment—they're in the form of crosses / different crosses from different eras in history. The next year, you had the name of Jesus—that we mentioned earlier—in the various languages throughout the world. Then, this year, you've created globes—which are his Advent names—that are meant to be used at Christmas to help people lead up toward Christmas Day. 12:00 Barbara:  Yes; and you can use any of these ornaments as sort of an advent for your family if you want to. You could hang one ornament each day of the month of December if you wanted to; or you can use just the globes, and you hang those out once each week, leading up to Christmas. There are lots of different things you can do; but by focusing on the names of Christ, no matter which set it is, it helps you remember and focus on the real meaning for Christmas, which is that Christ came to redeem us. Bob:  With five different sets that you've created, do you have a favorite set? Barbara:  Oh, that's a hard question. Dennis:  That's a tough one. Bob:  I know.  Laura: Yes; you do.  Bob: Which is your kids— Barbara:  I do? Laura:  Yes; of course! Bob:  Which one? Laura:  The crowns are her favorite. Bob:  Are they your [Barbara's] favorite? Laura:  I think they are.  Barbara:  It's hard to say. I mean, I really don't know that I can say. I do love the crowns, because I love the idea of Jesus being the King. You know, we don't see Him as King like we will someday when He comes back—so I do love that. But I have to say I love the crosses, because the crosses remind us— 13:00 Dennis:  Now wait a second! That was going to be mine. Barbara:  Well, it can be yours too. [Laughter] Dennis:  I like the crosses, too; because they speak of His purpose—of why He came to save His people from their sins. Each cross is a different cross from a different era in history, and I just think they're magnificent and beautiful.  Bob, what about you? Do you have a favorite? Bob:  I'm partial to the crosses too. I hate to kind of weigh in with the majority here; but the crosses have always been my favorite, because the cross is the centerpiece of our faith that points us to the gospel and what Jesus came to earth for. We tend to think of Christmas being about a manger, and Easter being about a cross; but we need to remember the cross at Christmas as well. Barbara:  They were one in Jesus' mind—I mean, He came for the purpose of dying for us. When you look at it from God's perspective, they're inseparable, even though we celebrate them at two different times of the year. Dennis:  We skipped over Laura. Barbara:  We did; I know. Dennis:  We didn't ask her what her favorite— Bob:  Do you have a favorite set, Laura? 14:00 Laura:  Well, up until this year, the Christmas names were my favorite; but I do love the globes. I think they're different, and they're unique—I love the colors. They really stand out on the Christmas tree. I think it just presents a really neat opportunity—for people who come into your home—aside from all the other ones / they also present the opportunity—but to speak of the reason why Jesus came in an incredibly tangible way is a unique opportunity. Bob:  We are describing these. We ought to point listeners to our website if they'd like to see the globes versus the crosses versus the crowns versus all of the different designs you've done over the years. You can go to FamilyLifeToday.com and click the link for the Adorenaments to see each of the 30 ornaments that Barbara has designed over the years. Dennis:  I was looking forward to asking my wife this question, because I'm not sure I know the answer to it. Bob:  Okay. Dennis:  Why did you pick the Savior names for the third year to help celebrate Christmas? I'm looking at these names, and I just want to mention them— 15:00 —just kind of puts it in context here: Anointed One, Chief Cornerstone, Great High Priest, Lamb of God, Mediator, Messiah, and Redeemer. Why did you pick His Savior names? Barbara:  When I was starting to create these ornaments, I was in conversations with a bunch of different people around the office. I remember one day—because there are over 300 names of Christ—so where do you start? I mean, that's a long list of names. I was mulling all this over in my mind. One day, I was talking to Bob; and Bob said, “Okay; if you could only do three sets of Jesus' names, which ones would you do?”  I knew right away what that would be. I would do His Christmas names, because they're the names we know the best. I would do His royal names, because those are His names that we will know better when He comes back; and then we had to have His Savior names.  16:00 That's why I did those three sets first, because it was sort of—it was a challenge / it was a charge from Bob: “If you could only do three, which three would you do?” So that's why we did those three first. Bob:  I had no idea. Barbara:  You didn't know you— Bob:  I didn't know. Barbara:  —had that kind of influence. [Laughter] Dennis:  See, I didn't know the answer to the question. The next question is: “Why did you pick these crosses from different eras in history?” I'm holding the Savior's name here, Mediator, and it's the Saint Thomas cross. Barbara:  I did not know when we started working on His Savior names that there were so many different types of crosses. The Saint Thomas cross was developed by the Armenian people. Armenia is an area in eastern Turkey. It's said that Thomas, the disciple, went to Armenia after the resurrection of Christ—that he was the one who went east to take the gospel to people—so they created this cross.   17:00 It has a dove on the top to signify the Holy Spirit, who comes to dwell within us; and they named the cross after the disciple Thomas. I did not know that; and I thought, “Well, what a cool story!” So each one of these crosses has a similar story—why it was created, who designed it, what the name is, and why it became important in the history of Christendom throughout the last 2,000 years. Dennis:  So what's the story behind the cross that bears the name, Messiah? It's called the anchor cross. Bob:  I knew he was going to ask about it—he loves the anchor cross. Dennis: I do. Barbara:  It is his favorite. When we were talking about favorites—it's his favorite. Barbara:  Oh, it's yours, too, Laura? Laura:  Yes. Barbara:  Why is it your favorite? Laura:  Well, when people buy His Savior names—you can read this in the book—but it's my favorite because, in the book, it says the promise of Messiah is a message of hope. If you keep going [reading] down, it says the anchor cross has symbolized hope since the early days of the church. I think around Christmastime, it's such a happy and a celebratory time; but it can also be a really hard time for a lot of people. 18:00 Barbara:  Yes. Laura:  It can be a time where you've lost a loved one; and so you're reminded, around that time, of someone that's missing in your life—or something that you would like to have / if you longed to be married or if you've longed to have children and you can't. It can be a hard time of year, around Christmas. I think that's why I love the Messiah ornament. Barbara:  That's why we put the name, Messiah, on the anchor cross; because there's the verse in Hebrews 6—and it says, “We have this hope, this sure and steadfast hope that is the anchor of our soul.” The idea that Jesus is our anchor—that when everything around us feels like it's giving way / when we're caught in some kind of a tempest, or a trial, or a really difficult time—we can be confident that Jesus is with us, that He will never leave us or forsake us, and that our faith in Him has been likened to an anchor. So we put the name, Messiah, on the anchor cross. 19:00 Dennis:  We don't have time to look at all the names here; but the one we have to talk about, if we're going to talk about Savior names, is Redeemer. This is the Celtic cross. The word, Redeemer, is used 141 times in Scripture. It's used 13 times in the Book of Isaiah, where it foretells the coming of Jesus Christ. He came to be our Savior/our Messiah, but He also came to redeem us.  I was thinking, as I was reflecting on that name, of the illustration given of a man who was standing before a judge, guilty. The judge declared him guilty and told him what his penalty would be. At that point, he got up, pushed back from the chair, took his robe off, pulled out his checkbook, walked around in front of the judge's bench, and wrote out the check, “Paid in full.” That's what our Redeemer did.  20:00 He came to do what you can't do for yourself.  If you're listening to us today, and you don't know—the Redeemer, the Messiah, the One who is the chief Cornerstone, the Anointed One, the One who is the Savior of the world—then you just simply need to cry out and say to Him, “Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner!” There was another person who cried out that prayer—he was in the process of dying on a cross. He was one of the criminals that was executed next to Christ on the day that Christ was crucified. Jesus turned to him and said, “Surely, you will be with Me today in paradise.”  You know what? If you cry out to Jesus Christ / surrender your life to Him, He will hear your prayer. He will meet you where you are in the middle of your mess, and He will redeem you. He will be your Messiah. He will become your anchor in the storm. 21:00 Bob:  We have on our website, at FamilyLifeToday.com, a tab that says, “Two Ways to Live.” I'd encourage listeners to go and click that tab and look at what's presented there, because there are only two ways to live. There is the God-centered way of living, and then there is the man-centered way of living. Each of us decides which path we're going to walk on. Again, go to FamilyLifeToday.com. Click the tab that says, “Two Ways to Live.” As you read it, ask yourself the question: “Who or what am I living for? What's my life really all about?” While you're on our website at FamilyLifeToday.com, take a look at the resources Barbara has been working on that we've talked some about today—the ornaments that have been created in past years to hang on your Christmas tree to proclaim the names of Jesus during the Christmas season—and the new set of ornaments, His Advent names.  22:00 These are four globe-shaped ornaments that have four different names for Jesus—Jesus is the Son, the Messenger, the Word, and the Light—corresponding verses on each ornament. You can order any of the ornaments in the collection when you go to FamilyLifeToday.com; or you can call to order at 1-800-FL-TODAY—1-800-358-6329—that's 1-800-“F” as in family, “L” as in life, and then the word, “TODAY.” And for those of you who have the FamilyLife mobile app—some of you, I know, listen to this program using the app—we're starting to include some devotional material for the month of December in the app / some Advent devotions; some questions you can use to prompt spiritual discussions during the holiday season, with friends or family members—or your children, for that matter—ways to talk about Christ during Christmas. You'll find it all on the FamilyLife app, and the app is free.  23:00 Simply go to your app store to download it. Of course, FamilyLife Today is available on the app every day. It's easy to tune in that way. I want to say, “Happy anniversary!” today to Pastor Jason and Lady Charita Spruill, who live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I was just up in Philadelphia for our Weekend to Remember® getaway recently—had a great weekend with listeners who came out for the getaway. The Spruills are celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary today. They listen to FamilyLife Today on WFIL. We want to say: “Happy anniversary to you guys! Hope you have a great celebration.” We're all about anniversaries, here at FamilyLife. We've been helping couples celebrate more anniversaries for 40 years now. We want to thank those of you who partner with us to make this ministry possible. We mentioned earlier the matching gift that is available during the month of December. We hope you'll consider a yearend contribution to this ministry. You can give, online, at FamilyLifeToday.com; or you can call 1-800-FL-TODAY to give.  24:00 Or you can mail your donation to FamilyLife Today at PO Box 7111, Little Rock, AR; our zip code is 72223. Now, tomorrow, Barbara Rainey is going to be back with us again. We're going to continue our conversation about how we make Jesus the issue at Christmas and how we make sure that He doesn't get cluttered out. Hope you can tune in for that. I want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, along with our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I'm Bob Lepine. We will see you back next time for another edition of FamilyLife Today.  FamilyLife Today is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas. Help for today. Hope for tomorrow.______________________________________________________________________________ Copyright © FamilyLife. All rights reserved. www.FamilyLife.com    

Luke 21:25-56 All three readings for this Sunday point to the Word preparing us for Christ to come in His Advent.  His first Advent when he is born in a manger to be our savior.  His Second Advent when he will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead.  Finally, his third Advent when he comes to us in the Word and Sacraments.  

From assigning secret “Advent Angels” to your family members to a Las Posadas door-to-door procession and celebration, these ten meaningful Advent traditions will bring your whole family closer together as you experience the joyful anticipation of this liturgical season. *_Snippet from the Show * People who are truly alive in the Catholic faith shape their entire lives with the Gospel. This next four weeks, let’s shape our homes, shape the minds of our children--shape everything we do around the joyful anticipation of this holy Advent season._ *Advent Wreath: * Ours is a circle of evergreen branches surrounding four candles (four violet, one pink) representing the four weeks of Advent. Bless your Advent wreath with this special liturgical blessing Put it on your dinner table (or nearby), and light it each night leading up to Christmas with your children or grandchildren. *Advent Prayers During Dinner * During dinner, pray a short Advent prayer or sing an Advent hymn with your family. O God, Who gladdens us by the annual expectation of our Redemption, grant that we, who now receive with joy Your only-begotten Son as our Redeemer, may behold him without fear when He comes as our judge. Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the ways of Your Only begotten Son, that we may attain to serve You with purified minds, through His Advent. Who with you lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen. The Empty Manger Place an empty manger in a special place in your home. Have your family members place a piece of straw in the manger every time they do a kind deed or make a sacrifice. This symbolizes their effort to prepare a special place in their hearts for the baby Jesus. “Advent Angels” Randomly assign your family members as secret “Advent angels” to each other. The goal is for each person to perform acts of kindness and service for the person to whom they’ve been assigned. *Make a Jesse Tree * The tradition of the Jesse tree comes from the passage in Isaiah: “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.” The symbols hung on the Jesse tree tell the story of salvation history and lead up to the birth of Christ at Christmas Dr. Sri’s “Advent Cards: Retell the story of salvation history with simple illustrations Bless Your Christmas Tree (and Recall the Tradition's Historical Roots) If possible, wait to put it up later, like the original tradition of the Christmas Tree (symbolized the tree of Adam on Christmas Eve, was decorated with Candles on Christmas to symbolize Christ the light of the world) Special blessing of a Christmas Tree *Celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas * Have your children put their shoes by the fireplace or by their bedroom door. While they are sleeping, put little surprises in their shoes (saint cards, gold chocolate coins, a few pennies) Teach your children about the life of this great saint. A great way to do this is through the animated movie Nicholas: the Boy Who Became Santa Celebrate Las Posadas Read Tomie dePaola’s book The Night of Las Posadas Gather friends and neighbors to organize a night of Las Posadas in your community. Children dressed in nativity costumes go from house to house asking for lodging but are refused until they reach the final house, whenthey are welcomed into the “inn,” where they have a party with food and drink ** Listen to Advent Music Instead of Christmas Music** Follow the Church’s lead--the Church does not sing Christmas hymns until the Christmas Eve Vigil Mass. Dom Gueranger: “The Church also, during Advent … suppresses the angelic canticle, Gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terra paz hominibus bonae voluntatis; for this glorious song was sung at Bethlehem over the crib of the divine Babe; the tongues of the angels are not loosened yet; the Virgin has not yet brought forth her divine Treasure; it is not yet time to sing. It is not even true to say, ‘Glory be to God in the highest, and peace on earth to men of good will.’” *Some suggestions: * Advent of Ephesus by the Benedictines of Mary Advent Promise by Roger Wilcock & The London Fox Players The Advent of Christmas by Matt Maher Handel's Messiah

Dec. 1, 2019 - Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Deacon Ken reminds us today that the word Advent means "the coming of someone." Our Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated for us that no matter what they did to Him as He came to save us, no one could stop His Advent from continuing. The same would be true for His disciples and every generation that follows. He is the Advent that cannot be stopped. And we are the continuation of that Advent today. We are also encouraged that, for those who remain in Him, His Advent within us that transforms our lives and saves our souls will never fail to continue out of His great love for us.

Advent: Wisdom Cries Aloud - God's Wisdom in Creating All Things Jobey McGinty Christ is the Wisdom of God, and when He came to the earth 2,000 years ago, we got to see and behold God's Wisdom in the flesh. But the leading up to His birth, and the result of His life, is what makes His appearance, His Advent, so awe-inspiring and the ultimate display of His Wisdom.

Those who truly believe the promise of His Advent will prepare their hearts with the humility of childlike trust as described in Psalm 131.

Guest: The V. Rev. Patrick Henry Reardon, pastor of All Saints Antiochian Orthodox Church, Senior Editor of Touchstone magazine, AFR podcaster, and author of the newly released The Jesus We Missed: The Surprising Truth About the Humanity of Christ, speaks about the often misunderstood human nature of Christ just two days before His Advent celebration!