Psalm 45:10-11, 13-15

Listen to me, O royal daughter; take heart to what I say. Forget your people and your homeland far away. For your royal husband delights in your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord. [...] The bride, a princess, waits within her chambers, dressed in a gown woven with gold. In her beautiful robes, she is led to the king, accompanied by her bridesmaids. What a joyful, enthusiastic procession as they enter the king's palace!



Ultimate Blog Party 2009

Monday, December 24, 2007

Looking Back: December 24, 2005

Come! Come all you adoring fans. Come all you who are faithful. Come righteous. Come longing. Come old and young alike. Tonight is the night. Your salvation has come this very night! Proclaim the way, proclaim the day, proclaim Christ our King is born! God’s kingdom has come and His will be done. Make no mistake of that.

Oh Holy of Holies, Merciful and Mighty…God of high and low, come as we call upon your name. We want to see You lifted highest. Come, o come Emmanuel. God is with us and goes before us as we proclaim His name and praise him, praise him all you glorious hosts!

We hymn God the Father,

We hymn God the Son,

We hymn God the Holy Spirit.

Holy and undivided, perfect in unity.

O taste and see that the Lord is good all ye faithful.

Praise the name of the Most High, glorious in heaven above.

Angels sing on high, voices echoing, “Gloria, in excel sis deo!”

Glory! Glory to God in the highest!

Praise Him the name above all names who took our sins upon his throne and set himself in a lowly manger and then on the cross, a cross meant for the highest sinners, a cross of treachery. The perfect and holy Lamb of God, say that one more time the Perfect and Holy Lamb of God, pure and spotless before the throne of God came in such a way, in such a manner that man did not recognize him. Though earthly kings feared him few took notice until the appointed time. Think of it, Mary sat as a young woman with God himself on her knee. How lowly our Savior had to come to save us. Do we not recognize the power of His life, the power of His death? Do we not recognize that God’s mercy is so great? So great that it’s beyond measure! It’s higher than the mountains and deeper than the deepest valleys. God is God in the highest. He came to save us when we didn’t even think we needed saving. We, a people so ignorant of our own wrongdoing, were unaware of God’s massive mercy and grace. He came “to save us all from Satan’s power when we were gone astray.” O what tidings of comfort and joy that does bring to us, to those who believe! O children of God, believe, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved!

What is the crux of our faith? Do we believe? Do we honestly know without a shadow of a doubt that God came to earth as a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes. God—yes, God! —was wrapped in the clothes that barn animals were wiped down with! Oh children of God, can we not see it? Have we not heard? He gives strength to those we are weary, to those who put their hope in him? He is our Beloved Savior who has come to ransom us. Yes, yes we were captives—captives of Satan and sin! The most blessed Heavenly Father came to redeem us, to bring us back from exile. Do we know, I mean honestly from our heart with true emotion, that Jesus came to set his people free? Do we know that this season of Christmas, festival of Christ, is for Christ and because of Christ? We didn’t do anything to deserve a celebration. We have no merit on our own accord. We have done nothing—no thing! So, why? Why do we have some many presents and parties and songs and whatever apart from Christ at this time? Why, why can’t we have just two days reserved for blessing our Heavenly Father and the gift of salvation and life without getting the self involved? Without counting how many presents are under the tree or what people are going to think about what we’re wearing to Christmas dinner or if someone likes what you got them for Christmas? Who cares about those things! This is Christ! This is Christmas! Have we missed it altogether? Has the Body of Christ forgotten to worship him? Has His own Bride so believed the lies of Satan that Christ is all but forgotten in Christmas?

O children of the Most High, I implore you…change your hearts! Love the Lord your King. Make His name be exalted! Take time to bring forth His Word and just praise Him. Praise Him in awe and wonder. O passionate hearts, find truth this Christmas in the only Truth. Christ the Lord is born, he is born and he lives.

O praise Him, praise Him, praise Him!


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