ADVENT MEDITATIONS - Part 8

DEC. 16 - (Страдание)
Today's meditational thought was about how we look at what Jesus came to earth to accomplish. From our human perspective, Jesus' death often seems like the opposite to what should have happened. That's the amazing thing about the way God works. He is masterful at using what seems to be bad to bring about good for us - and He has told us that we will suffer on this earth. But we can be sure of this: that as His children, He will use our suffering for our good and for His glory, just as He did through Christ's sacrifice for us.

I chose these verses for today - Romans 8:17-18 -- ...and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we also may be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

May we, not only at Christmas, but every day throughout the year, ask God for the grace to endure suffering with gratitude and praise to Him, because we know that He is using it to accomplish His excellent purposes in our lives and to bring about a glory that we could never imagine!

DEC. 17 - (Спасение)
Today's meditation was about salvation. Christ came for this purpose, to provide salvation and reconcile sinful mankind to God through His death on the cross.

I chose these verses for today - Romans 5:8-10 -- But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved through His life.

Such an incredibly great gift, this salvation!! And it was forever and unequivocally accomplished for us on the cross when Christ died. If we believe and accept that, we are saved from wrath. But the story doesn't end there -- because Christ rose, we are also being saved through His life! What an amazing God, that He would choose to show His love to sinful people in this way! That ALONE is the reason we sing songs of joy and hope at Christmas.

HOSANNA - Palm Sunday Meditation

This picture is my creative expression of what we celebrate on Palm Sunday, and the meaning of the word "Hosanna."

Today is Palm Sunday. Here in Ukraine, the Protestant churches will celebrate a month later, but I have decided to take time this week to meditate on the events we celebrate at Easter - which are the foundation of my Christian faith.

The word "Hosanna" originally was a cry for help, for salvation -- "Save us!"
In the context of the New Testament, it is generally used as an expression of praise and exultation - "Salvation has come," which is probably the intended meaning of Matthew 21:9 when the crowd shouts, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!"

I chose John 1:29 as the focal point of my Palm Sunday poster, because I believe this is the reason to shout and sing "Hosanna!" Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God, the Savior of the world, and when we cry "Hosanna," we are acknowledging that He is who He said He is.

I wonder if the people in Jerusalem really understood the significance of what they shouted as they waved their palm branches and rejoiced at Jesus' triumphal entrance. Perhaps some of them did, but not all believed that Jesus was the Messiah, the One sent from God to be the salvation of Israel.

Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday was a fulfillment of prophecy and an act of voluntary and complete obedience to His Father's will and it was also a demonstration of His love. It was the annunciation of Jesus' purpose on earth ... to be the Lamb of God, the Savior who takes away the sins of the world.

This Palm Sunday I witnessed a miracle -- following the pastor's sermon on John 3 and Jesus' declaration that a person must be born again to see the kingdom of God, one of the men in the congregation prayed to receive salvation and was spiritually born again, praise God!

HOSANNA in the highest, salvation has come! HOSANNA, to the Son of David, the Messiah, our Savior! BLESSED IS HE who comes IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!

THANKS-GIVING: A Feast of Blessings

The idea for the title came as I prepared a special meal on Sunday to celebrate Thanksgiving...

Boiled potatoes and carrots seasoned with butter and Italian spice, home-made stuffing seasoned and fried in butter, pan-fried seasoned chicken drumsticks, and delicious apple-grape juice (the best I've ever tasted!)

I realized that besides the food - which actually DID seem like a feast to me - I also have a feast of blessings around me every day! I call it a "feast", because when I count my blessings and give praise to the Giver of these wonderful gifts, my soul is satisfied and contented in an even richer way than enjoying a table full of delicious food!!

BLESSINGS:
- Uninterrupted time spent in preparation
- Listening to Tanya singing praise songs to the Lord
- The appetizing aromas filling the kitchen
- The satisfaction of being able to sit down and enjoy a meal
- Leftovers to enjoy in the coming days
- The abundance of fresh vegetables and food available to me

I had also planned a special presentation for Monday at school ... I wanted to show my language teacher, Galina, how thankful I am for her kindness and understanding and the excellence of her teaching. Friday, Oct. 5 was Teacher Day here in Ukraine (День учителя), but I didn't know about it until I asked her why all the schoolchildren were carrying flowers that day.

When she asked me why I was giving her flowers, I told her that it was Thanksgiving Day (День благодарения) in Canada, and that I wanted to say "Thank You," which led into a discussion of why we celebrate Thanksgiving - a great way to begin my Russian lesson! I gave her a handmade card as well which I had written in Russian -- it may not have been fully correct, but I could tell that she appreciated it very much, and that was all the response I desired.

BLESSINGS:
- Sweet fragrance of flowers moistened by the rain
- The unexpectedness of a surprise
- Joy in giving a gift to someone else
- Opportunity to learn some new vocabulary and share reasons for being thankful
- The Lord's faithfulness and new mercies every day
- Bringing a smile to someone else's face

When I arrived home, I had a special gift of my own to open ... my prayer partner, Vicky, had sent along several envelopes for me to open on special days of the year, and today was the first one! It contained a letter of encouragement and a little sticky-note pad.

I was very excited -- the sweetness and personal touch was a wonderful reminder of how blessed I am to have the love of so many people in my life!

BLESSINGS:
- The suspense of expectation and the fun of opening a surprise gift
- Quiet time with the Lord, meditating on Him
- The contentment of feeling loved
- A personal letter from a special friend
- Happy tears

And then... to top it all off, I received a phone call from a missionary friend here in Kiev, inviting me to their home for a special meal so that I wouldn't have to be alone on Thanksgiving. She had also invited another missionary to join us for the meal.

PHOTO, L to R: Amy R, myself, Agarim, and Kellie Benge.

What a special time! The food was great -- and I was hungry, because we didn't eat until after 7 pm -- and the company was even better!! We enjoyed talking, laughing and just spending time together.

BLESSINGS:
- Eating with friends, and not having to prepare a meal
- Common faith and various ministry experiences
- An unexpected invitation
- Laughter and sharing with one another from our lives
- Delicious home-cooked food and rich dark chocolate for dessert

These are just a few of the many blessings... there is not enough space here to list them all! As it is expressed repeatedly and eloquently in the Psalms:

"O, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."

WITH EVERYTHING...

With every day I see... new aspects of life here and new things to enjoy -- like beautiful purple morning-glory flowers on the way to language school, and places to try exciting new foods!

With every class I realize...how little I know and how to gracefully accept my mistakes -- and I trust that I will remember what I am taught.

With every word I learn...how to communicate what I need for living here -- and yet it is just a drop in the bucket, since there is so much more I want to know!

With every step I feel...a little more adjusted to the way of life here -- and I don't even mind the calluses on my feet so much. I'm getting a lot of exercise and it feels good!

With every hour I find...that time works differently here and I need to adjust my expectations -- the things I need to do will get done, just maybe in different timing that I wanted, and that's okay.

With every prayer I praise... God for His blessings and for the endurance, patience and grace He provides -- He truly is my sufficiency!

~ In everything give thanks for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus our Lord. ~

COME, LORD JESUS

This morning was a beautiful celebration of Christmas with my church family:

The Sunday School children led us in worship, and I rejoiced in the sincerity and sweetness of their faith and their obvious joy!

From the lips of children and infants, you, LORD, have called forth your praise. ~Psalm 8:2

The choir presented a cantata of praise to God for the eternal gifts He gave us through His Son, Jesus Christ, and His presence was so powerful - it was a delight just to be able to sing to Him in worship!

Shout for joy to the LORD all the earth; worship the LORD with gladness! Come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the LORD is good and His love endures forever, His faithfulness continues to all generations. ~Psalm 100

Three young people were baptized, giving testimony to the work of God in their lives, which is the reason that Jesus came to the earth - it was a blessing to see and witness their step of faith!

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. ~John 3:16-17

At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the advent of God's redemption plan. But we also look forward to when Jesus will come again, and I'd like to share with you a poem that God gave to me as I reflected on that hope...

WHEN JESUS COMES

(Written by Darlene Joy Koop)

The Light of the world shall illumine the sky;

And the glory of God made visible to mortal eyes,

When Jesus comes.

The trumpet shall resound to the earth below;

Every knee shall bow and every heart shall know,

When Jesus comes.

It may be in the morning, or it may be at night;

Yet certainly we shall see God's power and might,

When Jesus comes.

Oh may my soul be ready, and not be taken unawares;

May my heart and mind be free from all earthly cares,

That I may rejoice and welcome the day

When Jesus comes.