Joy To The World

 

"Yes, it is true! Surely I am coming quickly!

Yes, come, Lord Jesus!"

(Revelation 22:20)

Christ Light 

(2017)

Daniel Holeman

 Painting courtesy/Fine Art America

Joy to the world; the Lord is come;

Let earth receive her King:

Let every heart prepare Him room,

And Heaven and nature sing,

And Heaven and nature sing,

And Heaven, and Heaven,

and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns;

Let men their songs employ;

While fields and floods,

 rocks, hills, and plains

Repeat the sounding joy,

Repeat the sounding joy,

Repeat, repeat, 

the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrow grow,

Nor thorns infest the ground;

He comes to make His blessings flow

Far as the curse is found,

Far as the curse is found,

Far as, far as,

the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,

And makes the nations prove

The glories of His righteousness,

And wonders of His love,

And wonders of His love,

And wonders, wonders,

 of His love.

"Joy To The World"
(1719)
Isaac Watts
(1674-1748)
English Congregational minister,
 hymn writer, theologian.

The Story Behind The Song

Reverend Isaac Watts

Image courtesy/Wikipedia

Although this beloved hymn is sung in Christian churches all over the world
during the Season of Advent,  Isaac Watts actually based, "Joy To The World"
 on the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, the future time when Messiah
 will rule the world, "with truth and grace" from His Kingdom in Jerusalem.

 Reverend Watts took much inspiration for his song from Psalm 96 and
 Psalm 98, respectively, because he said, "Their conclusions are both alike."

"Before the Lord, for He comes, for He comes to judge and govern the earth!
He shall judge the world with righteousness and justice and the peoples
with faithfulness and truth."
(Psalm 96:13)

Corresponding Old Testament verses:

"Sing to the Lord all the earth; 

show forth from day to day His salvation.
.
Declare His glory among the nations;

 His marvelous works among all the peoples.

For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised;

 He is to be reverently feared above all so-called gods.

For all the gods of the people are lifeless idols,

 but the Lord made the heavens.

Honor and majesty are found in His presence; 

strength and joy are found in His sanctuary.

Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples,

 ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name.  

Bring an offering and come before Him; 

worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness 

and in holy array.

Tremble and reverently fear before Him, 

all the earth's peoples;

the world also shall be established,

 so it cannot be moved.

Let the heavens be glad

 and let the earth rejoice;

and let men say among the nations,

 The Lord reigns!

Let the sea roar,

 and all the things that fill it;

let the fields rejoice, 

and all that is in them.

Then shall the trees of the wood

 sing out for joy before the Lord,

 for He comes to judge and govern the earth.

O give thanks to the Lord for He is good;

 for His mercy and

loving-kindness endure forever!

(1 Chronicles 16:23-34)

Corresponding New Testament verse:

"After that I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse appeared!

The One Who was riding it was called Faithful, Trustworthy, Loyal,

Incorruptible, Steady, and True, and He passes judgment and wages

war in Righteousness, Holiness, Justice, and Uprightness!"

(Revelation 19:11)

Maranatha!

Joy To The World

(1962)

Nat King Cole

Zola Levitt Presents: A Child Is Born

"Declaring the end and the result from the beginning, and from
ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, "My
 counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure and purpose."
(Isaiah 46:10)

Development of a Fetus in the Womb

Image courtesy/iStock.com

In this classic presentation, Messianic Bible teacher Zola Levitt (1938-2006)  
reveals an amazing series of "biblical connections" between the gestation
  period of a baby in the womb and the schedule of the Seven Feasts
  of Israel, God's special times of holy convocation.

A Child Is Born

Zola Levitt Presents

Faith Foundations: What Does It Mean To Be Born Again?

 

Dr. Todd Baker of Zola Levitt Ministries explains
what it means to be "Born Again".

What Does It Mean To Be Born Again?
Faith Foundations
Zola Levitt Ministries/Our Jewish Roots
(December 8, 2022)

Mary Heard The Angel's Message

 

"Then Mary said, "Behold I am the handmaiden of the Lord;
let it be done to me according to what you have said.
And the angel left her."
(Luke 1:38)

Mary heard the angel's message:

"Greetings, Mary favored one!

Do not fear, for God is with you;

You will one day bear God's Son."


Filled with questions, filled with wonder,

She proclaimed her faith in God:

"May it be as you have spoken;

I am the servant of the Lord!"

When she heard her cousin's greeting,

Mary's heart was filled with joy,

So she sang of God's great blessing

Promised in her baby boy:


"God has looked on me with favor,

So I sing this song of praise.

God has worked the proud to scatter...

Humble, hungry ones to raise."

Mary heard the shepherds' story,

Words she treasured with delight.

Then an angel gave the warning:

"Flee with Jesus in the night!"


Mary wondered in her anguish,

What would be the pain He'd know?

Fleeing then, she held Him closely...

One day she would let Him go.

Mary heard, "Who is My mother?

Who is My family?

All who do My Father's bidding-

All these ones belong to Me."

Later on the hill she heard Him,

"Woman, see your new son there!

You, my friend, behold your mother!"

So Christ formed new bonds of care.

When they learned the Lord had risen,

Christ's disciples met to pray.

Mary was among the faithful

Bound in love, on Jesus' Way.


God, we see her, Christ's disciple,

Loving, learning, serving, too.

Like her, may we hear and answer,

"We, your servants, live for You."

"Mary Heard The Angel's Message"
(1999)
Carolyn Winfrey Gillette
(1961-
American Presbyterian pastor
and hymn writer

"Kissing The Face Of God"
Morgan Weistling
(1964-
American artist
 Painting courtesy Morgan Weistling
via Google Images

The Story Behind The Painting

"Kissing The Face Of God"

This painting was first inspired by a song I heard one day.
Sometimes, hearing one phrase is all it takes, and then a flood 
 of inspiration follows.  The phrase, "kissing the face of God"
immediately struck me with this powerful image of
Mary and the Baby Jesus.

"It is an image that we have seen depicted many times, but
never simply as a mother and her child with real tenderness.
I started to contemplate the awesome privilege that Mary
was given, being able to hold God in her arms, but also
keeping in mind that He was still her baby.

This cute little child whom she bore was also God in the flesh.
And yet, she cuddled and kissed Him, just as all mothers do
with their babies.  This thought propelled me right into this painting
 which I wanted to be a very human representation of divinity.

My prayer is that the viewer will be struck, as I am, with the
amazing way that God chose to send His Son into the world-
in pure humility." -Morgan Weistling

Full Cold Moon Tonight

 

There is nothing more beautiful than a snowy landscape
glittering beneath the full moon.  Especially with Christmas
right around the corner once again!  Where has this year gone?

Diamonds In The Snow Under Moonlight

Photograph by Jari Romppainen/via Reddit

When Worlds Collide?...Um, Not Quite!

According to the folks over at the Old Farmer's Almanac, this month's
Full Cold Moon will rise just before sunset tonight and will wander
across the night sky towards the "Red Planet" Mars. 

 Viewers will be able to see the moon drift extremely close
to the planet and then obscure it completely!

This is what astronomers call a "lunar occultation".

One of the celestial highlights for the month of December, this close encounter
  between the moon and Mars will be visible in certain parts of North America,
   Europe, and  North Africa.  In the USA, good viewing will depend on
  weather conditions as well as the time zone.

According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, these places 
include the Eastern Seaboard, down on the Gulf Coast, 
 and across sections of Appalachia.   

Meanwhile, in places like western Alaska, viewers will not be able 
to see full occultation, but Mars will still be very close to the Moon.

Since it is dreary and overcast with on and off rain showers in
my area today I am not sure I will be able to see lovely Luna 
playing her game of hide-and-go seek with the Red Planet tonight.

🌝 But I hope the skies will be clear where you're at!🌝

Joshua And Caleb Ask: Can God Change His Mind?

"God said to Moses,  I AM who I AM"
(Exodus 3:14)

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
(Hebrew 13:8)

Joshua and Caleb, a.k.a. the Bearded Bible Brothers
ask the question, Can God change His mind?"

Can God Change His Mind?

Our Jewish Roots

(December 6, 2022)

Pearl Harbor Day Remembrance: Peter Marshall's Pearl Harbor Prayer

"Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow."
(Psalm 144:4)

Image courtesy/History on the Net

On the morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941  the Reverend Peter Marshall
preached to a regiment of midshipmen at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis.
A strange feeling had come over him that day which compelled him to change
the subject of the sermon he had planned for the service.  He chose instead to
 base his homily on a passage from the Book of James which attests,

"Yet you do not know the least thing which may happen tomorrow.
What is the nature of your life? You are really but a wisp of vapor,
a puff of smoke, a mist, that is visible for a little while
and then disappears into thin air."
(James 4:14)

Later that same afternoon, as Peter Marshall was driving back to
Washington DC with his wife, Catharine, a program on the car radio
was interrupted by an announcement that the United States Naval Base
at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii had been attacked by Japan.

America was now at war.

In her best-selling book about her husband's life and ministry work,
 "A Man Called Peter" Catherine Marshall recalled that fateful December
day when she wrote,  "Within a month, many of the boys to whom
Peter Marshall had just preached would go down to heroes' graves in
strange waters.  Soon all of them would be exposed to the risks and
dangers of war, and Peter Marshall, under God's direction, that
very morning, had offered them the defining metaphor
about the reality of eternal life."

 Actor Richard Todd recites the Reverend Peter Marshall's
" Pearl Harbor Prayer"

From the movie,
 "A Man Called Peter"

(1955)
20th Century Fox

 "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."
(John 15:13)

To the men who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor eighty one years
ago today, and to those who survived and went on to fight in the
war, thank you for your courage and for your service to America.

Thank you especially for my freedom.