Day 12 of the 12 Days Until Christmas

John 14: 27-29

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.  I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.

For a reading of this Scripture

Day 10 Song excerpt

Hallelujah Chorus

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

The kingdom of this world

Is become the kingdom of our Lord,

And of His Christ, and of His Christ;

And He shall reign for ever and ever,

For ever and ever, forever and ever,

King of kings, and Lord of lords,

King of kings, and Lord of lords,

And Lord of lords,

And He shall reign,

And He shall reign forever and ever,

King of kings, forever and ever,

And Lord of lords,

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

And He shall reign forever and ever,

King of kings! and Lord of lords!

And He shall reign forever and ever,

King of kings! and Lord of lords!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah!

Thank you so much for joining me in this preparation for tomorrow's celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Merry Christmas.

Prayerfully yours,

K

Note: To more fully understand the 16-9 Movement, please read the first blog entry by clicking here.

Day 11 of the 12 Days Until Christmas

Matthew 2:13-23

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. ¹⁷ Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

 “A voice is heard in Ramah,
    weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,
    because they are no more.”^[b]

The Return to Nazareth

After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee,  and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.

For a reading of this Scripture

Day 11 Song excerpt

Joy to the World

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 world, 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 sorrows 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.

Written by Isaac Watts,1719; music by Lowell Mason, 1848

Sung by Anoited, God With Us - A Celebration of Christmas

In Christian love,
K

Note: To more fully understand the 16-9 Movement, please read the first blog entry by clicking here.

Day 10 - 12 Days Until Christmas

Luke 2: 21-40

On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

Jesus Presented in the Temple

When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”, and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.” Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
    you may now dismiss^[c] your servant in peace.
 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
     which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and the glory of your people Israel.”

 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”  There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage,  and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.^[d] She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.  Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth.  And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

For a reading of this Scripture

Day 10 Song excerpt

O Holy Night

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

Words by Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure, 1847. Music by Adolphe Charles Adams, 1847

Sung by Out of the Grey, God With Us - A Celebration of Christmas

In Christian love,
K

Note: To more fully understand the 16-9 Movement, please read the first blog entry by clicking here.

Day 9 - 12 Days Until Christmas

Matthew 2:3-12

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.  He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.  On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.  And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

For a reading of this Scripture

Day 9 Song excerpt

Silent Night

Silent night, holy night


All is calm, all is bright


Round yon Virgin

 Mother and Child


Holy Infant so tender and mild


Sleep in heavenly peace


Sleep in heavenly peace



Silent night, holy night!


Shepherds quake at the sight


Glories stream from heaven afar


Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!


Christ, the Saviour is born


Christ, the Saviour is born



Silent night, holy night


Son of God, love's pure light


Radiant beams from Thy holy face


With the dawn of redeeming grace


Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth


Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth "

Written by Joseph Mohr, 1816

Sung by Twila Paris, God With Us, A Celebration of Christmas

In Christian love,
K

Note: To more fully understand the 16-9 Movement, please read the first blog entry by clicking here.

Day 8 - 12 Days Until Christmas

Matthew 2:1-2

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

For a reading of this Scripture

Day 8 Song excerpt

The First Noel

The First Noel,

the Angels did say


Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay


In fields where they lay keeping their sheep


On a cold winter's night that was so deep.


Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel


Born is the King of Israel!



They looked up and saw a star


Shining in the East beyond them far


And to the earth it gave great light


And so it continued both day and night.


Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel


Born is the King of Israel!



And by the light of that same star


Three Wise men came from country far


To seek for a King was their intent


And to follow the star wherever it went.


Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel


Born is the King of Israel!



This star drew nigh to the northwest


O'er Bethlehem it took its rest


And there it did both

Pause and stay
Right o'er the place where Jesus lay.


Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel


Born is the King of Israel!



Then entered in those Wise men three


Full reverently upon their knee


And offered there in His presence


Their gold and myrrh and frankincense.


Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel


Born is the King of Israel! 





Then let us all with one accord


Sing praises to our heavenly Lord


That hath made Heaven and earth of nought


And with his blood mankind has bought.


Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel


Born is the King of Israel! 

Published in 1833 in a collection of seasonal carols by William B Sandys

Sung by Steve Green, God With Us

In Christian love,
K

Note: To more fully understand the 16-9 Movement, please read the first blog entry by clicking here.