Shirlee Abbott

Silent Night, Sleepy Night

Posted on December 8, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

Sleep in heavenly peace.

Hush. Jesus is sleeping. For the first time. Ever.

Psalm 121:4 (NLT)
Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never slumbers or sleeps.

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Wild, Silent Night

Posted on December 7, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

All is calm.

Seriously?

Joseph, looking for a place–any place!–to shelter his laboring wife. And then . . .

. . . a woman birthing a baby. In a barn.

Need I say more?

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Holy Night, Indeed!

Posted on December 6, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

Continuing our meditation on “Silent Night”–

Silent, holy night?

Consider John’s view of holy:

Revelation 4:5,8 (CEV)
Flashes of lightning and roars of thunder came out from the throne in the center of the circle. . . Day and night they never stopped singing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord.”

I’m guessing that heaven was far from silent at the birth of the holy infant.

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Not-So-Silent Night

Posted on December 5, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

It’s Advent. A season of preparation. A season of meditation. A season of serious thought.

I’m continuing with the theme of carols–those seasonal songs that play in the background everywhere. Words that float below our consciousness. My goal is to make you think about the words. To meditate. Seriously.

This week’s carol is that old favorite, Silent Night. Don’t get me wrong–I truly like this one. But, really!

Silent night?

With Bethlehem filled to over-flowing, a woman in labor and that sky-bursting angelic host? I don’t think so.

God and noise. Perfect together.

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O Come

Posted on December 2, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

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God with Us

Posted on December 1, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

“It would be out of character for the Father
to call you to do something
then not help you accomplish it.
He always gets involved.”
Dr. Charles Stanley

God involved, God with us, Emmanuel.

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Come, Emmanual

Posted on November 29, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

Come, Emmanuel.

Come, God-with-us.

With all of us–all believers round the world.

Come, God-with-me.

With me.

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“O Come, O Come Emmanuel”

Posted on November 29, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

Come, sing your way through the Bible.

“O Come, Emmanuel.”

Isaiah 7:14 (KJV)
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

“O Come, thou Rod of Jesse.”

Isaiah 11:1
And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.

“O Come, O Dayspring.”

Luke 1:78
Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us.

“O Come, Thou Key of David.”

Revelation 3:7
These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth.

“O come, Adonai, Lord of might.”

Psalm 38:22
Make haste to help me, O Lord [Adonai] my salvation.

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Old Testament Carol

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

It’s Advent.

Christmas is coming–

Lights
Presents
Carols!

Ah yes, the music of Christmas. Let’s start with O Come, O Come Emmanuel.

This carol dates back more than a thousand years, written by some unknown monk, someone who understood both the Old and New Testaments. It explains how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophesies of the Messiah.

Emmanuel means God with us. God-in-the-Tabernacle with the Israelites, God-in-the-manger at Christmas, God-on-the-cross at Easter, God-in-our-hearts today.

“O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here.”

Cheered by Advent. So be it, amen.

Posted in other | Tagged Advent, Christmas Carols, O Come O Come Emmanuel | 2 Comments

Color Me Thankful

Posted on November 25, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

I’m thankful for color:

the brown of roast turkey and my grandsons’ eyes
the red of cherry dessert and weathered barns
the green of pickles and pine trees
the white of marshmallows and highway lines
the orange of sweet potatoes and the new kitten
the black of ground pepper and the night sky

It’s a bright and beautiful world!

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