Advent Gem #25 

Christmas Blessing 
By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe 
 
Isaiah 9:6 (NKJV) 
6  For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 
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God has given us a blessing in the person of His son.  While this verse looks into the future when Christ shall reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, it is also a promise for now.  While the future fulfillment is global, the present fulfillment is personal and individual.  
 
Unto each of us as individuals, the Son of God has been given. The greatest blessing of this Christmas, and every Christmas is when we truly allow Christ to be Emmanuel, God with me.  
 
No matter what is happening in the world, we can walk in the promises of the Kingdom of Heaven.  Emmanuel transcends the world.  We must allow ourselves to be blessed.  We must be willing to lay down frustration and confusion and rest in Him.  
 
May this be our Christmas declaration:  
 
I praise the Lord for unto me the Son of God has been given.  The government, direction and purpose of my life rest upon His shoulders.  He has said that His thoughts toward me are good in order to give me a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).  I will allow Him to govern my life so that I might walk hopefully toward tomorrow. 
 
I stand amazed at the wonder of who He is, Creator, Sustainer, Light and Love.  His wisdom and counsel surpass even the greatest philosophers and counselors that have every walked the pages of history.  
 
He is the Mighty God, El Shaddai.  He is omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent.  Because of His love for me, I am more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37). 
 
He is the Everlasting Father.  He is the same yesterday, today and forever more (Hebrews 13:8).  
 
He is the Prince of Peace.  Because His peace is not as the world gives, I will not allow my heart to be troubled or afraid (John 14:27). 
 
I declare with the army of God, “Joy to the world, the Lord has come.  Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" 
 
Amen 

 Advent Gem #24 

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe 

Matthew 2:1-10: “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.''  

“When Herod the king heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.  So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.'  

''Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search diligently for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.''  

“When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.” 

Matthew 2:12-15: “Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.  Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.'' 

“When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son. 

Proverbs 16:9: “A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. 

The Wise Men had carefully planned their trip. However, they were wise enough to listen to the Word of God and to change those plans. 

Proverbs 19:21: “You can make many plans, but the Lord's purpose will prevail” 

Herod made plans, but he could not thwart the purpose of God. 

Joseph, in faith, followed the counsel of God. We seldom speak of the provision of God for the Holy Family’s sojourn in Egypt. We often speak of them as impoverished. Remember the gifts of the Wise Men. Gold, frankincense and were expensive products in ancient times. God sent His loved ones into Egypt with abundance.  

Matthew6: 26,33: "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 

The Lord God Almighty is our provision as well. 

 Advent Gems #23 

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe 

 
Matthew 2:1-2 (NKJV)  
“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."  
Matthew 2:11 (NKJV)  
“And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” 

 
Most Christians know much of the tradition associated with the Magi, but little of the significance.  Scripture does not tell us how many came to worship the King of the Jews; their names and ethnicities are not included in the Biblical account; they did not visit the manger in Bethlehem; they visited a young Child living in a house; only they saw the star.   
We can be sure that the Wise Men were well versed in the Hebrew scriptures. They must have recognized the unusual star as a fulfillment of Numbers 24:17:   "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult.” 

The star recalls the pillar of fire that the Israelites followed in their wilderness wanderings.  It is a picture of the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  

The Wise Men must have also been familiar with the "70 weeks" as described in the book of Daniel which dates the birth of the Messiah as "7 weeks" after Cyrus’ decree for the Jews to return to Israel and rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple.  They knew when to start looking for the star. 

The gifts they presented are likewise meaningful: Gold signifies the divinity of the King; frankincense declares His priesthood; myrrh foretells His sacrifice.  Our God is our King and our High Priest who is the sacrifice for our sins.  Hallelujah! What a Savior. 

Like the Wise Men of old, we are called to walk in wisdom.   In their story, God has shown us the way to wisdom.  First of all, the Wise Men reverenced God and His word.  Proverbs 1:7 admonishes us that reverence for God is the beginning, the foundation, of wisdom.  We can never know too much of the word of God.  It is knowing and applying the word of God to our lives that allows us to discern between truth and falsehood, between good and evil, between darkness and light. 

Secondly, just as the Wise Men relentlessly followed the star, we must persevere in following the guidance of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.  Our purpose in submitting to the Holy Spirit is to worship and honor God in everything that we do.  In doing so, those with wisdom. One of my favorite praise songs is “Turn My Heart” by Lynn DeShazo.  The song describes a lifestyle of worship.  

“Turn my heart, O Lord, 
By Your hand 
Till my whole life flows 
In the river of Your Spirit 
And my name brings honor 
To the Lamb 
And my name brings honor 
To the Lamb”  
 
May we, like the Magi, come to a deeper understanding that as our Savior and Redeemer, He is our King and our High Priest.  He suffered the agony of Calvary that we might be delivered from the agony of eternal suffering.  

Those with wisdom know His word, walk in His guidance, acknowledge the finished work of the cross, and worship Him.  Those with wisdom live in such a way that their names bring honor to the Lamb.