Posts Tagged ‘ Jesus ’

Comfort and Joy in the King – God Rest You Merry Gentlemen

Keep your joy strong with wisdom from Proverbial Thought!

It is Christmas Eve! Tomorrow we celebrate God stepping into the time to redeem His Creation. There is no better explanation of that act than today’s song.

It is at least 300 years old and may be older than that. I have not been able to find verifiable information, but I have heard that it was written by a priest who was concerned with how much of the gospel message the average person actually knew. Therefore, he put the lyrics to a tune that could be heard in many pubs.

The earliest publication of the song was in 1833 by William Sandys, and one of my favorite stories, from 1843, used it: Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

God rest you merry, gentlemen.
Let nothing you dismay.
Remember, Christ our Savior
Was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan’s power
When we were gone astray
O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

In Bethlehem, in Israel,
This blessed Babe was born
And laid within a manger
Upon this blessed morn
The which His Mother Mary
Did nothing take in scorn
O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

From God our Heavenly Father
A blessed Angel came;
And unto certain Shepherds
Brought tidings of the same:
How that in Bethlehem was born
The Son of God by Name.
O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

“Fear not then,” said the Angel,
“Let nothing you affright,
This day is born a Savior
Of a pure Virgin bright,
To free all those who trust in Him
From Satan’s power and might.”
O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

The shepherds at those tidings
Rejoiced much in mind,
And left their flocks a-feeding
In tempest, storm and wind:
And went to Bethlehem straightway
The Son of God to find.
O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

And when they came to Bethlehem
Where our dear Savior lay,
They found Him in a manger,
Where oxen feed on hay;
His Mother Mary kneeling down,
Unto the Lord did pray.
O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

Now to the Lord sing praises,
All you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace;
This holy tide of Christmas
All other doth deface.
O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

Why I like this carol …

My first liking is that it tells the birth story of Jesus. It reminds us of the hope we have in His life and death, that He came “to save us all from Satan’s power when we had gone astray.”

My second liking comes from the title, which really means “God keep/make you joyful/content/hopeful/happy, people of God”. That is some paraphrasing on my part, but it is based on literal meanings of the words “rest” and “merry”.

This song is a reminder that God did not wait for us to achieve the impossible or seek Him out. He came to us, He redeemed us with His own life and blood, and He will return to redeem all of Creation. We should be joyful and hopeful knowing that our Lord wins and has won. He came and will come again!

Merry Christmas – Almost literally, “Joy comes from Christ’s suffering.”

Remember that is what “Merry Christmas” means, for the Christ-Mass, is the remembrance that Jesus Christ was born that He may die to bring us second birth … and He will come again!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2013
12/24
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Birth of Jesus
Christmas
Gospel
Holidays
Jesus
Music
TAGS









Leave a comment

Let Us Adore The King – O Come All Ye Faithful

Adore the Wisdom of God by finding some wisdom at Proverbial Thought!

We continue looking at some of my favorite Christmas Carols and why.

I have taken us through several songs and poems which have touched my life in some way, but honestly it is most Christmas carols and many Christmas songs that impact my life by simply being about Christmas and, specifically, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

That is why there is the ever-slightest shift this week.

The carol this week did not have a dramatic impact on my life, but it certainly begins to explain some of what I feel and believe.

O Come All Ye Faithful
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

O Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing all that hear in heaven God’s holy word.
Give to our Father glory in the Highest;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

All Hail! Lord, we greet Thee,
Born this happy morning,
O Jesus! for evermore be Thy name adored.
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

Why I Like This Carol …

… is that it is a call to celebration and worship.

There is something inherently joyous and celebratory about it, many times because the music is very upbeat and celebratory. Regardless of the music, those words just draw all focus to Jesus. They are a call to sing and celebrate the Savior of the world. They are a call to worship the Lord of all.

Join with me in celebrating and worshiping our God who saves us!

2013
12/17
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Birth of Jesus
Christmas
Holidays
Jesus
Music
TAGS









Leave a comment

If you look for Me at Christmas

Bless yourself with some wisdom from Proverbial Thought!

This is just a small break from my favorite Christmas carols as I share this interesting item.

I am not really sure where this came from.

This was e-mailed to me about two years ago, and I saved the picture. I share it with you now.

May we remember this Christmas season, in all of the hustle and bustle, in all of the craziness that life brings (regardless of the season), in all of the things that are wrong in this world, that Christ came into this world as a baby, but He saved this world through His death on the cross. May we remember that He rose to life again, and one day He will return to redeem us!

May we remember that He has not left us alone in the mean time!

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20b)

If you look for Me at Christmas

2013
12/10
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Christmas
Jesus
TAGS






Leave a comment

Discovering the King – What Child Is This?

Discover the wisdom waiting for you at Proverbial Thought!

Here we are in the fourth week of some of my favorite Christmas carols!

The song this week was written in 1865 by William Chatterton Dix not long after he almost died of an illness. It was originally written as a poem called “The Manger Throne”, and later some of the stanzas were put to a traditional English tune called “Greensleeves” and called “What Child Is This?”

What Child is this who, laid to rest
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
The cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
Come peasant, king to own Him;
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise a song on high,
The virgin sings her lullaby.
Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

Why I Like It …

The first reason I like the song is the Olde Timey sound, but that is just because!

The most important reason I like this song is the gospel message, of course!

The song sings of the newborn Jesus in Mary’s lap, but it looks forward with the hope of the cross and resurrection which brought us forgiveness of sins, salvation from death and God’s wrath, and the hope of eternal life! It reminds us that our Lord is deserving of our utmost praise.

2013
12/03
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Birth of Jesus
Christmas
Gospel
Jesus
Music
TAGS











Leave a comment

Playing for the King – The Little Drummer Boy

Get a dose of wisdom from Proverbial Thought!

For the next several weeks, as we build to “the most wonderful time of the year,” I am going to look at some of my personal favorite Christmas carols. Why not start with my longest-running favorite?

Carol of the Drum

The Little Drummer Boy started out in 1941 as a song by Katherine Kennicott Davis and by the name Carol of the Drum.

Here are the lyrics:

Come they told me, pa rum pum pum pum
A new born King to see, pa rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we’ll bring, pa rum pum pum pum
To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
So to honor Him, pa rum pum pum pum
When we come

Baby Jesus, pa rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum
That’s fit to give our King, pa rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
Shall I play for You?, Pa rum pum pum
On my drum

Mary nodded, pa rum pum pum pum
The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum
I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum

Why it is one of my favorites

First, I refer you to “The Parable of the Talents” from Matthew 25:14-30 (ESV):

 

 

14 For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.

19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ 21 Well done, good and faithful servant.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.

29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Here is what I want to say, then, about the song:

We know that God has entrusted us with responsibility in this life. He has given each of us gifts, be they abilities/talents, understanding, or the fruit of the Spirit. It can come in any form and varies from person to person.

Like the Little Drummer Boy, there is something we are tasked with doing. (I am going to reveal a secret to you: no matter what, it includes sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ to increase the Kingdom of God!)

Like the Little Drummer Boy, if we do our something to the best of our ability to give glory to God and make Him happy, God will smile on us.

It does not matter if we are rich or poor, eloquent or a stutterer, well-known or easily over-looked; if our goal is to play our part for His pleasure, we will one day hear our Lord say “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

2013
11/05
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Birth of Jesus
Christmas
Jesus
Music
The Talents
TAGS










2 comments

A Simple Look at the Trinity

Look at the wisdom available at Proverbial Thought!

There is an objection to Christianity, or even within Christianity, which may be raised: the Doctrine of the Trinity.

There are various sources of this argument: Mormons (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or LDS), Jehovah’s Witnesses, Unitarians, Muslims, Jews, and many other sources including some people from church who may have doubts.

The biggest reason is that the word “Trinity” is not used in the Bible. The Trinity is the belief that God is one Being with three distinct Persons (not simply personalities): God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit.

This is true, but there are many things that are believed by Jews, Christians, Muslims, and various cults and belief systems that are not found in scriptures. They are inferred from readings. (One example could be “falling in love with Jesus”. Not in the Bible, but the phrase conveys the need to discover the truth, grace, and love of God that can change your life.)

However, the title says this is a simple look at the Trinity. Therefore, I will merely give a mental exercise which can also be used as a form of apologetics:

To the objection that there is no Trinity and Christians worship three gods:

Look at this man (any man, really). He is a father. There is his child. Do you dispute he is a father?

Look at this same man. Here is his father. Is this man also a son? How can he be two different people.

Look at this same man. He has a license to heal the sick and prescribe medicine. Is this man also a doctor? How can he be three different people.

Obviously I must be talking about three different men, right?

Please remember, there is no perfect analogy for describing/explaining God. This is not me trying to say I understand God. This is merely a tool to help us understand a little better how God can be three and one at the same time.

It is my prayer that this may help you in understanding your faith in a better way or in sharing your faith with others.

If you are not a Christian as you read this, I pray you may understand better what Christians truly believe. Naturally, I hope you would also come to believe as I do in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Savior of the world!

2013
10/29
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Apologetics
Doctrine
God
Holy Spirit
Jesus
Trinity
TAGS











5 comments

Seeing Flowers in Weeds with Five Iron Frenzy

Head over to Proverbial Thought for your daily dose of wisdom!

Did you know God loves you?

It is so true.

How much?

Here are a couple of examples:

See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?
Matthew 6:28-30, NIV

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
Romans 5:8-10, NIV

If we were to compare ourselves to plants, it is as though we are flowers. Not just any flowers, but weeds. Due to our sin, we are out of place and only take away from our environment. A weed is a plant out of context. Our sin puts us out of context with God, and all we are able to do ultimately is cause harm.

Something that is quite amazing, though, is that in the hands of an innocent child weeds can become beautiful flowers.

What is more amazing is that, though we are not worth much on our own and out of context, when we turn to God and trust Him, we look like beautiful flowers being presented to Him by His Son who has redeemed us. For at the end of the age, Jesus Christ will return to take His redeemed weeds to the Father:

I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
Revelation 14:14-16, NIV

This is what Five Iron Frenzy is singing about in this song “Dandelions”.

Dandelions

In a field of yellow flowers
underneath the sun
bluest eyes that spark with lightning
boy with shoes undone.
He is young
so full of hope
reveling in tiny dreams
filling up his arms with flowers
right for giving any queen.
Running to her beaming bright
while cradling his prize.
A flickering of yellow light
within his mother’s eyes.
She holds them to her heart
keeping them where they’ll be safe
clasped within her very marrow
dandelions in a vase.

{chorus 1}

She sees love where
anyone else would see weeds.
all hope is found.
Here is everything he needs.

Fathomless your endless mercy
weight I could not lift.
Where do I fit in this puzzle
what good are these gifts?
Not a martyr, or a saint
scarcely can I struggle through.
All that I have ever wanted
was to give my best to you.

{chorus 2}

Lord, search my heart
create in me something clean.
Dandelions
you see flowers in these weeds.

Gently lifting hands to heaven
softened by the sweetest hush
a Father sings over His children
loving them so very much.
More than words could warrant
deeper than the darkest blue
more than sacrifice could merit
Lord, I give my heart to You.

{chorus 2}

Lord, search my heart,
Create in me something clean.
Dandelions
You see flowers in these weeds.

Gently lifting hands to heaven,
Softened by the sweetest hush,
A Father sings over his children,
Loving them so very much.
More than words could warrant,
Deeper than the darkest blue,
More than sacrifice could merit,
Lord, I give my heart to you.

2013
10/08
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Grace
Love
Music
Redemption
TAGS











1 comment

Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 09/01/2013

Find wisdom at Proverbial Thought!

We are to emulate Christ however we can.

The poem today was inspired by Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

be like Christ is

 

our priests and preachers say
live like Jesus did
but what if we need today
to be like Jesus is
i do not want to be like
a person that once lived
to live like Jesus Christ
we need to know Who He is
if we want to change our world
the way that is the best
is to live out the Good Word
which is who Jesus still is

2013
09/01
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Jesus
Poetry
TAGS





Leave a comment

Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 08/25/2013

Find a life of wisdom, and go read our commentary at Proverbial Thought!

Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

To deny Christ

Is to deny life.

 

 

 

 

 

there is no life

outside of Christ

worth any time

i could spend

on whom could i call

to save me from the fall

that ruined us all

our lives at an end

it is the true Messiah

sent down just because

our world lost all the awe

for a God and friend

He returned all of the joy

stolen in a satanic ploy

so that the devil could destroy

but our Christ made amends

2013
08/28
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Jesus
Poetry
TAGS





Leave a comment

Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 08/11/2013

Accept the truth that you need more wisdom, and go read the proverbial commentary at Proverbial Thought!

There are two groups in this world:

  1. Those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
  2. Those who do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

Within the first group there are subgroups which define a response to Jesus:

  1. Those who ignore Jesus.
  2. Those who hate Jesus.
  3. Those who love Jesus.

There can be subgroups for each of these, but the focus of the poem today is an explanation of that last group.

accept and respond

i heard the Good News

i looked at the facts

i know it was true

i accepted Jesus

my mental decision

brought in a choice

be a new person

or just say i know Jesus

this life can be hard

and not seem very just

i will take up my part

and respond to Jesus

i accept this truth

i will do what i must

i have to share with you

because i responded to Jesus

2013
08/11
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Jesus
Love
Poetry
TAGS









Leave a comment