SEASONS – SCRIPTURE AND MEDITATION FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Let us consider the Holy Scriptures:

Micah 5:2-5a
5:2 But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.

5:3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel.

5:4 And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth;
5:5 and he shall be the one of peace.

Luke 1:46b-55
1:46b "My soul magnifies the Lord,
1:47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
1:48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

1:49 For the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

1:50 His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

1:51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

1:52  He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;

1:53  He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.

1:54  He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy.

1:55  According to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

As we light the fourth candle we begin to think of the future and the things to come.  We are looking for our Messiah, and the prophet Micah predicted that he would arrive.  

Are you looking for the One of Peace?  

Can you imagine what that will bring about?

It happened then as He came to us in the form of a child, and it will happen again as He comes to us in the form or a mighty King!

For many, these things came right before their eyes and they did not even notice.  They had not been looking or seeking, and they could not see the miracle!

Let us be like the shepherds and angels and wise men who knew and understood and saw what was happening with wide-open eyes giving glory to God as each moment passed by and each miracle of God appeared on the earth!  

Let us forget our fears and take hope in what this means for our future.  

For one to say they have lost hope is for one to say they do not believe in Messiah!  

We must NEVER lose hope!  

Hope will not come in the form of human governments; but it will come from a heavenly place in the form of a Mighty Messiah, with a government that is higher and above all that man could ever think, dream or do.

Let us not look to the world around us but to heaven above us.  

Let the hopeless human voices drown in the distance and listen carefully for the angel's songs.  

He is coming!

Let us try to reach the sad and hurting world around us by displaying the joy of heaven to them in the specially wrapped package of friendship and love.  

If anything can bring hope to the hopeless it is for those who have been saved by love to show that same love.  

In this season of hopefulness let us share our hope by loving one another.  

Let us take the attitude of Mary as she sang her song to God in thankfulness and gratitude.  

Have you found the joy that comes from the hope?
It is there and you MUST find it!

Mary knew joy and she lived it out every second of her life.  

She found a way when there seemed to be no way to give glory to God and to be content to fulfill His destiny for her life.  

Joy is knowing a plan of God is being fulfilled!  

The greatest joy comes from realizing YOU are living right in the midst of it!  

Every single second of time holds it's own wonder.  

God is not wasteful.  He created every moment for a purpose.  You are a part of that purpose, just as Mary was.  

There is a high and holy reason for each moment that you take air into your lungs.  You must find that reason and let it happen!
  
Open your eyes and discover this miracle!

Mary did not consider her lowly state in the eyes of men, she looked at the miracle from God that she was allowed to participate in.  Let us do the same on this fourth Sunday.  Let us all be like Mary and humbly offer ourselves to the fulfillment of God's plan.

Let the fourth candle ignite a spark in our hearts that grows into a flame that brings hope and love to all the earth; the pure hope and love that rains down from heaven when God's people do God's perfect will.

Let us boldly proclaim the glad tidings throughout he land that a Savior is coming and all hope is not lost!

For this O God we are eternally grateful and we offer up our thanks and praise!

   

SEASONS - THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT

PRAYER FOR THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT

Incline Thine ear to our prayers, O Lord, we beseech Thee; and make bright the darkness of our minds by the grace of Thy visitation.  Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.  Amen.

Today’s candle symbolizes love.  

When we think of love, we are reminded of the joy that is found in the hearts of all those who love God and rejoice when they hear of The Messiah.   

God sent an angel to make the announcement to the Shepherds who were tending their flocks in the fields.  The angel told them where to find Jesus and they quickly obeyed God and joyfully went to look for Him.  They believed in the Word of The Lord and they wanted to see the Savior of the world who had come humbly in the form of a child.  

Are you like these shepherds?  

Do you believe?  

Are you seeking the truth of the words of the Angel of God? 

 Are you looking for the Christ child to come?

It is believing God, seeking His truth and obeying His word that leads us down the path that brings us straight to love and joy.

Why do you think God spoke to the shepherds instead of a king?  

It was the shepherds that He used to proclaim His good news to the world, not the rulers of the nations.  

Are you a shepherd too?  

Do you have the blessing of a shepherd in your life that has helped you to hear the good news?   

We should thank God for all the Good Shepherds out there who are spreading the wonderful news of the gospel, and we all should aspire to do our part - to spread the love of God throughout the land as we continue through the wonderful season of Advent.

Remember!  He is coming! 

SEASONS - QUESTIONS FROM A FRIEND AT CHRISTMAS

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

I was asked by my friend to explain what Jesus means to me at Christmas time.  She had no idea what a loaded question she was asking.   I don't think my answer would be very typical.  Sometimes people find my beliefs a bit too complicated, but to me it is all really quite simple.  I just like to get in all the facts.  I mean if Jesus went to all the trouble to be born of a virgin, to live in the flesh and to leave the throne of heaven for you and me, then why shouldn’t I want to get the facts right?  After all, Jesus stands for truth and I’ve come to appreciate that very much.  My truth may sound a little different at first, because the world has twisted the truth a great deal.  I’m not telling the exact same word for word canned story as a lot of others that you hear, but I AM telling the story, I’m just telling it the way I feel Jesus has shown it to me; so here is my answer to the loaded question:

My first thought on all of this is that knowing and having a relationship with Jesus actually makes the whole year feel like Christmas.  Every day; all the time!

Of course, to be honest with you, I must tell you that I think Jesus was born in a Sukkah during the Feast of Tabernacles sometime around late Fall, most likely in September.  All evidence from scripture points that way.  But don’t let that make you think I do not celebrate Christmas!  I do indeed!   I see no reason not to celebrate His birth all year long, and to be more specific, I have my reasons for believing that Jesus was CONCEIVED sometime in December.  Just do the math.  It confirms a lot for me.  If Christ was conceived in Mary's womb around the end of December, about nine months later would have put his birth during the time of The Feast of Tabernacles in late September.  So I celebrate the conception of Christ (the Annunciation and Incarnation) in December and the birth of Christ in early fall.

When most people are celebrating the birth of Christ at Christmas in the month of December, I am actually celebrating  The Conception of Christ, which I perceive to be even more of a miracle than His birth into our world.  

It is truly a major miracle that a virgin gave birth to a child/God who came to save the world and become our greatest King of Kings!  What a reason to be celebrating!  

I can surely join in on that.  

I love the time and enjoy contemplating what must have been going on in Mary's heart during those days.  It teaches me so much about how to love Jesus.

When a child is conceived you begin to prepare for the child to come, just as we do when we contemplate and celebrate Advent, therefore; I join in with pure joy in celebrating the season of Advent and I rejoice in the fact that Jesus became our greatest Gift From God.  

So I guess you could say lighting the Advent candles is my first contemplation of Jesus during the Christmas season.   It makes me think of the child Jesus who was coming to earth; and the man Jesus who will one day return to earth.

Then there is Hanukkah, which I have come to know as a shadow of the coming of The Messiah.   It usually falls right in December too.   Everything in the telling of the story of the miracle of the oil and the seven more days of light that we see in Hanukkah is a type of Christ coming as the miracle that becomes the light of the world.   How appropriate to celebrate the fact of the miracle of His coming close to the time of celebrating the Conception of His life on earth.   

This time is yet another glorious reason to discover  more of Jesus inside the times of my year.

You might just make this summary pretty simple by saying:  I love Christmas so much that I celebrate it four times a year;   1) Advent  (anticipating the prophetic birth of Jesus, and anticipating His future return as Messiah and King),  2) Hanukkah (thinking of the prophetic miracle of His coming to be The Light of The World),  3) Christmas Day (celebrating His Conception by The Holy Spirit and recalling the Annunciation of Mary and  The Incarnation and all of the things that happened when Mary first learned the Christ Child was living within her) and  4) The Feast of Tabernacles (celebrating the actual birth of Christ.)   Now that’s a lot of Jesus and a whole year of celebrating Christmas!  That is a lot of celebrating!  Why not?  We have SO MUCH to celebrate!  

I love each part of the season and the way we celebrate His coming to earth in the flesh, and the recognition of  Jesus actually stooping down to be like us in order to save us.   All of these four celebrations during the year just build on top of each other and reinforce my further celebration of his physical birth at The Feast of Tabernacles, also called Sukkot; the fourth and last time of the year when I celebrate his  actual birth.   On top of that - I like to celebrate the Epiphany later!  We can't leave out the coming of the wise men; but that was probably two years after the birth of Christ and not necessarily in December and they may not have met Jesus in a three sided shelter; but possibly a house in Bethlehem, (and that may be yet another blog post.)  

I LOVE stretching out the significance of God's grace, and remembering some phase of this miracle of Christ all four times each year.  When you think of all the little details; there are actually two times to look back AND forward and realize much of the symbolism in some days was given as a shadow of what was to come, and a telling of what IS to come.  We see these things with Advent and Hanukkah; then on Christmas Day we enjoy celebrating His conception at Christmas time; and then in the next Fall (nine months later) we will be celebrating His actual physical birth at The Feast of Tabernacles.   What fun it was to me when I first learned that the manger was actually a sukkah, and the Christ Child was God's festival gift to us!  When Mary and Joseph could not find a place in the inn, they found a sukkah that had been used to shelter the animals.  It was next to a cave.  If you want to read how I've told that story to my grandchildren, look at this link: http://dancinginseason.blogspot.com/2016_10_12_archive.html.

So the time after Christmas for me is comparable to waiting on a baby in real life!  It is nine months of anticipiating Jesus and the Festival of The Feast of Tabernacles.  All year long I'm anticipating the coming of Christ into the world and celebrating it with my family inside our little sukkah.   All four celebrations are spread out time-wise, but all are very timely and significant.

Another amazing fact I find in these seasons of time is that the longer I walk with Christ through these different aspects of Christmas, the more He teaches me about how to live a more glorious life every other day of the year.   

I have come to cherish so many traditions that remind me of Who Jesus Is, and what He has done for this world.  I feel grateful for each reason that comes in each season.  This keeps a healthy balance in our home of  more Jesus and less of the world.  

So this year, and every year:  the first reminder of Jesus for me is seen in lighting of the Advent candles around the Advent Wreath, then the Menorah at Hanukkah.  

One thing I remember during Hanukkah is that even though I was not born of a Jewish nationality, I have been adopted and made a blood relative through the blood of Christ.  So, you might say I’m basically an adopted member of a Jewish family; but loved just as much as if I were born Jewish.  So I feel no guilt at all about celebrating the Hanukkah story along with my adopted brothers and sisters.  The same Father loves us all.   The beautiful story of Hannukah tells us about how God always sends miracles right on time, just the way they need to be delivered, in just the right packaging, and they always come just when they are most needed.  You know, that was what happened when He sent the package of Jesus into the world in the simple form of little child.  The miracle of Hannukah expresses the prophecy of Jesus.

I’ve read the Gospel of John, and I know Jesus celebrated Hanukkah; so why wouldn’t I?

It happened long before His birth, but He kept the Family Traditions going.  So why shouldn't I?  

I read in John of Jesus walking on Solomon's porch at the Temple during the Festival of Lights.  This was a Hanukkah being celebrated long after that first one when the oil lasted for eight days.  At the time that John wrote, Jesus was about to bring an even more significant oil into the world, and an even more significant miracle of light.   

That first Hanukkah when the Jews were able to finally return to the restored temple to worship God; God made one day's worth of oil last for eight days.  Now I look at the candles of the Menorah as we light them during Hanukah, and I think about the oil.  I note how the oil of the Holy Spirit fills me up and makes me shine as a reflection of the love of Christ.  

I only have enough love in me to last possibly for one day, but with the oil of the Holy Spirit and the Light of Christ, I can keep my light shinning long enough to last for many more days!  By some great miracle, it is actually enough to last until Christ returns again in the Second Advent.  And I can always go back and get more of this miraculous oil!  It is never used up! Jesus made it all possible. That same Jesus, who was the little child that grew into the Savior of The World. 

As I keep looking at the candles, and I keep thinking of how Christ is the light of the world, I can see Him shinning in all of our faces as we gather together to celebrate whether it is to light the candles at a special dinner table, or the candles of the Menorah, or the Advent Wreath, or even to light the Christmas Tree.  He is the true light that shines out, no matter where we chose to seek Him or look for Him, we can always find Him if we just keep on searching with all our hearts.



So; as I have already mentioned, the second tradition I usually see Jesus in on the way to Christmas is the lighting of the Advent Candles.  There is one candle for faith, hope, and joy, and the white one in the center that we light on Christmas Eve that means LOVE and stands for Christ.  These candles remind me that Jesus once came to live among us, to be like us, and that He will one day return again to save us from ourselves, and to help us learn to be more like Him.  

He is coming for us, the true Church to be His Bride; and we will live with Him forever!

The Advent candles always remind me of this, and every year they help me to renew my strong belief in Jesus as Messiah of the world.  So it is that sometimes when I light the candles, I'm actually thinking of weddings, remembering The Marriage Supper of The Lamb when my Beloved will come for me.  I pray that it will not be a long wait.

I know He is coming again, and I think of it every time I look up into a black velvet sky and see a star.  It makes me remember that star that shone over Bethlehem so long ago and pointed men in the right direction.

I think of Jesus as I put the lights on my tree, and many of the ornaments help to tell the shinning story.  I like to share a Jesse tree that tells not only His story, but also the stories of all those before and after Him that have passed all the stories on to us. 

I love remembering the way there was no place for Mary and Joseph, and the miracle of how God provided a place for them to stay, a type of "temporary dwelling" so very  similar to our earthly bodies as we think of our souls.  Also so very similar to the three-sided temporary dewellings (sukkahs) which we build at The Feast of Tabernacles.


I enjoy thinking of the humbleness of that little place and how it was changed in an instant when the child was born.  It became all lit up with the voices of the angels and the stars of heaven and suddenly became glorious with the precious gift of life that came down among so much humbleness and turned all the humble into the holy.   

I love thinking of how the shepherds heard the good news, and came to see the baby that would save the world.

I love remembering how the wise men followed the bright shinny star to Bethlehem. 
  
I love all of these stories because they have one common thread.  Every single story is about people searching for Jesus.  They kept seeking Him until they found Him, those shepherds and wise men and many, many others.  That is what I like to do most of all at Christmas time; seek Jesus with all of my heart until I find Him.  No amount of wrapping paper and tinsel can keep Him out of this day for me.  He is always there, just quietly waiting to teach us more of His story, always bringing light into the darkness, always making all things new.

I love that God made all of these things so perfect, so delightful, so right and so wonderful; with no contradictions and no complications, just a flood of pure genuine joy and love that arrives in perfect timing.

I cherish every Christmas thought about Jesus, and these thoughts bring me comfort as we move on through the year.  The stories stay in my heart way beyond Christmas Day.  Their light carries over into the ordinary days and makes them shine too.

I love Jesus! 

I love that we celebrate so much about Him at Christmas!

I love the story so beautiful that only God could have written it.  

His coming to earth is truly the greatest miracle of all, and the greatest gift ever given to mankind.   

SEASONS - THE LIGHT OF ADVENT

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

What could be more wonderful than lighting advent candles?  This simple little act helps us to rise above our circumstances and experience the hope of Christmas.    

The last Sunday of November will be the time for lighting the first candle of Advent and the flame will burn bright and beautiful on our living room coffee table this year.  Where do you place your Advent Candles?  It is truly a time we anticipate and enjoy at our house.  

If you never had an advent wreath, you just might be missing out on one of the true joys of Christmas.  This is a very easy tradition to learn and it adds so much to your weekly celebrations in the weeks leading up to Christmas.  The tradition of the Advent wreath started way, way back in history.  Some of the wreath's history started with the Germans who say they burned candles in greenery because their winters were so very cold and the warm candle light reminded them that the warmth of spring was coming and gave them hope of a better day.  Hope is what keeps people going.  Hope is how the wreath of candles started, and eventually it evolved from a small message of the hope of warmth and spring into the great message of the hope of Messiah.      

The tradition today is still about hope for a better day, but it has been refined to a much higher and more spiritual level as we hope and wait for the second coming of the Messiah.  The second coming of Messiah as well as the first coming of Messiah are celebrated by the lighting of the advent candles.  We are hoping and we are waiting for a better day.  We are waiting on something more wonderful and new and fresh as spring.  We are waiting on a miracle that will change our lives completely, and so we light the first candle in our waiting. 
Of course for every good and Christian thing there is a counterpart  from the enemy.  Satan would love to desecrate all those things that we use to measure out sacred times and spaces.  He doesn't want us to have those reminders of things that are sacred and cherished that draw us toward a Great God.  He will twist and twist the truth into any shape or fashion that he can to turn you against anything at all that will draw you closer to Christ.  He always likes for people to be reminded that the pagans had their traditions too.  If you stop at that portion of the story, he will steal your advent joy away.  Don't let him.  For instance, in Scandinavia during the winter months the people lighted candles that were placed around a wheel and prayers were offered up to pagan gods of light to turn the wheel of the earth back toward the sun to lengthen the days and restore warmth.  This was the practice, that is, until these people began to become Christians and worship the true God of Heaven and Earth.  They realized their custom was wrong, and they began to change it to incorporate ways that would honor the true God.  Many people stumble and get stuck on step one of this history, and the devil loves when that happens.  He tries to keep them from getting to step two.  It is their loss.  When people turn and change, God is pleased.  Now the advent wreaths in Scandinavia symbolize a totally different thing.  They worship God, and I would say that is a very positive change indeed!  The true light is shinning now and the advent wreath is lit for Christian reasons instead of pagan reasons.  This is one way to win victory over the enemy.  Change your focus and direct everything you do toward God.  Light begins to appear.  

God's people have always used candles to honor Him.  It seems God Himself started this tradition with the instructions for how to build the Menorah for the Temple.  Since that day His people have honored him with the lighting of the candles.  Every Jewish family across the land will have two white candles adorning the table for the Sabbath and the woman of the house will light them and say a prayer for God's blessings on her family.  Candle lighting has always held a very special place in the history of the life of true believers.

It was about the time of the middle ages that Christians saw the relation between the second coming of Christ as a King and the first coming of Christ as a child.  They started using advent wreaths as a symbol of hope while waiting on Christmas to come.  They recognized Christ as the true light of the world with their wreaths.  Both Catholics and Lutherans have made this a central practice in their homes all across the land.  Many others have joined them in painting the beautiful story with candles and a wreath.  The longer you look at life in the kingdom, the more beauty you will find in the different arts of worship that people use to honor God.  It is truly amazing to observe.  

How does God feel about beauty?  Have you ever looked at a sunrise?  The advent wreath is yet another one of those lovely art forms.

The symbolism today is so telling of the Christian story.  The green symbolizes everlasting life.  The prickly leaves of holly remind us of the crown of thorns that Jesus wore on the cross.  The circle of the wreath has no beginning or end and it symbolizes the infinity of God, the immortality of the soul and the everlasting life that Christ has given us.  Pine cones and nuts on the wreath symbolize resurrection and new life, because of the seeds found inside of them. 

There are four candles on the outside of the wreath and one is lit each week.  Each candle represents one thousand years, four thousand years all together from the birth of Adam until the birth of the Messiah.  Three of the outside candles are purple and one is rose.  The purple represents prayer, penance and sacrifice.  These are all things that we must be doing to get prepared.  The rose candle is lit on the third week and it represents joy.  By the time of the rose candle's lighting the people have arrived at the midpoint of advent.  The preparations are half over and their joy should be overflowing.  The progressive lighting of the candles represents the anticipation and hope in the first coming and the anticipation and hope for the Second Coming and the return of Christ again.  Both things speak of His coming to us and saving us from a world of darkness.  We are all waiting together and constantly anticipating the light that only He can bring.

There is much about the art of waiting in the lighting of the candles.  Life seems to be as much about the journey as the arriving sometimes.  Often what matters in the end is what we do in-between destinations.  This is where we must live out the lighting of the candles on the wreath.  This is where we must live in the day to day events of our lives. 

On Christmas Eve we light a larger white candle and place it in the middle.  This is symbolic of Christ.  It speaks of how He is the Light of The World.  It speaks of how He should always be living in the middle of our world.  It speaks of how He is our center and compass for finding the answers to life.  It announces Christmas and a time of blessing.   It says:  The waiting is over!  He is here!  The whole world has been waiting and He has now arrived!  We welcome the light in the center of the wreath and we welcome Christ into our homes to be the center of Christmas and the focus of all our adoration. 

Most people light their advent wreath each week before dinner and a traditional prayer is said.  The prayers from The Catholic Church are beautiful and compelling to use at this time.  If you have never read them, please find a copy and study them.  They will stir your heart.  There are a wide variety of advent messages and devotionals to chose from.   

It is okay to light the candles at any time or place you wish.  It is the idea of honoring God and His gift of Christ that is the important thing to remember.   I’ve known families to gather around the fireplace and light their candles on a coffee table as they share family devotions together.  Many churches throughout the land light the advent wreath in the services leading up to Christmas. 

As we take the time to prepare our hearts by lighting the candles of the advent wreath God gives us the blessing of helping us to prepare our hearts for His Second Coming.   Even this minute – we are waiting and watching the skies with hope.  Come quickly Lord Jesus!

May your time of Advent be full of God’s greatest blessings and may you find the Real Meaning of Christmas hiding in all that you do this season.

PRAYER FOR THE LAST CANDLE OF ADVENT

Lord, our God, we praise You for Your Son, Jesus Christ, for He is Emmanuel, the Hope of all people.

He is the Wisdom that teaches and guides us.

He is the Savior of us all.

O Lord, let your blessing come upon us as we light all candles of this wreath.

May the wreath and its light be a sign of Christ's promise of salvation.

May He come quickly and not delay.

We ask this in His holy name. Amen

REFLECTIONS:

Have you found and visited Jesus yet?  Have you let the world catch you up in its false things or have you been seeking to visit with Jesus this Christmas season?   We all seem to make time for what is most important to us at Christmas.  What is most important to you this year?

The fourth candle represents Christ, Emmanuel, God with us!  

This is what the world has been waiting on and hoping for and seeking since the beginning of time – Christ Our Lord!  He has come!  

He has come in the form of a baby. He has come in the form of a man.  He has come in the form of a suffering servant on a cross; and he will come again to us – in the form of the King of all kings.  He has come to us now in the form of the gift of The Holy Spirit.  

Have you found Him?  

Have you seen the signs of His presence?  

You must be alert, watching and waiting on His arrival into your heart and the hearts of others.  Like an excited child looking for Christmas Day, we too must anticipate that He is coming.  Look for the signs.  

And what do we do when he is finally here?  

When He came as a child he had visitors.  Have you visited with Jesus this season?  He longs for a visit from you.  The Angels told the shepherds and they came to see Jesus.  The star appeared in the sky and the wise men knew to visit Jesus.  Simeon and Anna waited at the Temple because they knew Jesus was coming.  They wanted to visit with Him.  

Everyone was telling everyone everywhere that God has come to dwell with us.  It can be that way again.  It can be the same today as the people from every nation, tongue and tribe come to bow before our Heavenly King and visit with Jesus.  

He is Emmanuel – God with us. 

Let the whole earth rejoice!

SEASONS - THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

Second Prayer For Advent:

O shepherd of Israel, hearken, 
O guide of the flock of Joseph!
Rouse your power, and come to save us.
O Lord of hosts, restore us, 
if your face shine upon us, then we shall be safe.
O Lord of hosts, how long will you burn with anger 
while your people pray?
You have fed them with the bread of tears
and given them tears to drink in ample measure.
You have left us to be fought over by our neighbors, 
and our enemies mock us.
O Lord of hosts, restore us,
if your face shine upon us, then we shall be safe.

The Second Sunday is about preparation, getting ready to meet Jesus.  Are you prepared?  Are you ready?  John The Baptist proclaimed the message loud and clear.  He was preparing the way for Christ.  We all must have repentant hearts and faithful spirits.  Come Lord Jesus!

SEASONS - A PRAYER FOR HANUKKAH ON THE FOURTH DAY AND A PRAYER FOR ADVENT ON THE FIRST WEEK

PRAYER FOR THE FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT:



(Taken from Catholic Collect for The Mass on The First Week of Advent)

Bestir, O Lord, Thy might, we pray thee and come; that, defended by Thee, we may deserve rescue from approaching dangers brought on by our sins, and being set free by Thee, obtain our salvation. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

READING FOR 
THE FOURTH DAY OF HANUKKAH:
(Shared from "Biblical Holidays" by Robin Sampson and Linda Pierce)

The Light of The Body is The Eye:

The light of the body is the eye; therefore when thine eye is single, they whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.  (Luke 11:34),

To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.  (Acts 26:18)

From Matthew Henry's Commentary:  

Having the light, their concern was to have the sight, or else to what purpose had they the light?  Be the object ever so clear, if the organ be not right, we are never the better.  The light of the body is the eye which received the light of the candle when it is brought into the room.  So the light of the soul is the understanding and judgement, and its power of discerning between good and evil, truth and falsehood.  Now according as this is, so the light of divine revelation is to us, and our benefit by it; it is a savour of life unto life, or of death unto death. 

If this eye of the soul is single, if it see clear, see things as they are, and judge impartially concerning them, if it aim at truth only, and seek it for its own sake, and have not any sinister by-looks and intentions, the whole body, that is, the whole soul, is full of light, it receives and entertains the gospel, which will bring along with it into the soul both knowledge and joy.  This denotes the same thing with that of the good ground, receiving the word and understanding it.  If our understanding admits the gospel in the full light, it fills the soul, and it has enough to fill it.  And if the soul be thus filled with the light of the gospel, having no part dark, - if all its powers and faculties be subject to the government and influence of the gospel and none left unsainctified, - then the whole soul shall be full of light, full of holiness and comfort.  It was darkness itself, but now light in The Lord, as when the bright shinning of a candle does give thee light.  

Note:  The gospel will come into those souls whose doors and windows are thrown open to receive it, and where ever it comes it will bring light with it.  But if the eyes of the soul be evil - if the judgement be bribed and biased by the corrupt and vicious dispositions of the mind, by pride and envy, by the love of the world and sensual pleasures - if the understanding be prejudiced against divine truths, and resolved not to admit them, though brought with ever so convincing an evidence, - it is no wonder that the whole body, the whole soul, should be full of darkness.  How can they have instruction, information, direction and comfort from the gospel, that wilfully shut their eyes against it?  And what hope is there of such?  And what remedy for them?  The inference hence therefore is:  Take heed that the light that is within thee be not darkness.  Take heed that the eye of the mind be not blinded by partiality and prejudice, and sinful aims.  Be sincere in your inquiries after truth, and ready to receive it in the light, and love, and power of it; and not as the men of this generation to whom Christ preached, who never sincerely desired to know God's will, nor designed to do it, and therefore no wonder that they walked on in darkness, wondered endlessly and perished eternally.