Friday, December 23, 2016

Advent Journal Day XXVII: Prepare The Stable

Just two more sleeps till Christmas. I can’t believe it…Christmas came so fast. Next week we will be entering into a New Year. This Advent season I purposed to create a thanksgiving theology, not just for Advent, but I need to put more effort into cultivating a grateful heart; one that celebrats Christ every day of the year—not only at Christmas. In Advent we prepare for Christ’s arrival, but our hearts need to be prepared to receive Him each and every day; He is coming again, and we know not the hour {Matt. 24:26}.


No matter where you have come from, or what you have done, you cannot be separated from the love of God in Christ Jesus {Rom. 8:31-39}. He came to a humble stable to tell the all the world that He came for all mankind. There is neither Jew or Gentile, slave or free, man or woman, rich or poor in Christ Jesus {Gal. 3:28}. The Bible also tells us that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit; Christ dwells in you. He dwells in me. Prepare the stable for Him {your temple} to receive Him every day. He has so much in store for you; Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. He saw so much worth in you, that He came to save you. Let’s be prepared for His arrival.  


My favorite Christmas movie is The Muppet's Christmas Carol, and at the end when Scrooge encountered his final ghost of Christmas (Muppet's version), he sings this song. I think it speaks beautifully to how we should cultivate a thankful heart, all year long, not just at Christmas.



Thankful Heart

With a thankful, with a endless joy
With a growing family, every girl and boy
Will be nephew and niece to me
Nephew and niece to me
Will bring love, hope and peace to me
Love hope and peace to me
Yes, every day will end and every day will start
With a grateful prayer and a thankful heart
With an open smile and with open doors
I will greet welcome, and what's mine is yours
With a glass raised to toast your health
With a glass raised to toast your health
And a promise to share the wealth
Promise to share the wealth
I will sail a friendly course, file a friendly chart
On a sea of love and a thankful heart
Life is like a journey
Who knows when it ends?
Yes, and if you need to know the measure of a man you simply count his friends
Stop and look around you
The glory that you see
Is born again each day, don't let it slip away
How precious life can be
With a thankful heart that is wide awake
I do make this promise with every breath I take
Will be used now to sing your praise
Used now to sing your praise
And beg you to share my days
With a loving guarantee
That even if we part
I will hold you close in a thankful heart
I will hold you close in a thankful heart
In a thankful heart
[1]






To read the entire Advent Journal click here:



[1] The Muppet's Christmas Carol, Walt Disney Home Entertainment, 2012.

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