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| "The Magis" by Isabella Colette |
TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Chronicles 17:1-15
TO CHEW ON: "And I will establish him in My house and My kingdom forever; and his throne shall be established forever." 1 Chronicles 17:14
It's hard to see a king in a newborn baby. But that's what the angel told Mary her Son would be:
"'He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end'” - Luke 1:32-33.The angel's words echo what God said to David in our reading today. Though the promise of David's established kingdom was fulfilled in the near term by his son Solomon and descendants, the long-range fulfillment of that forever kingdom finds its fulfillment in Jesus:
Psalm 2:6-8
“Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.”
“I will declare the decree:
The LORD has said to Me,
‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
Psalm 89:35-37
Once I have sworn by My holiness;
I will not lie to David:
His seed shall endure forever,
And his throne as the sun before Me;
It shall be established forever like the moon,
Even like the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah
Do we think of Jesus as our king? In our attempts to make Jesus accessible, perhaps we have glossed over the fact of His identity as a sovereign ruler. Human royalty can only be approached according to protocol. Does the respect and dignity with which we would enter the presence of a human king impact our relationship with Him?
The wonderful thing is that we are part of His household—His kingly line. The writer of Hebrews tells us "But Christ as Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and rejoicing of hope firm to the end" - Hebrews 3:6.
Do we conduct ourselves as the King's children, with the awareness that we are representatives of His dynasty. Are we confident in His power? Do we live with hope in His ultimate victory?
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I want my relationship with You to be based on reality. You are in truth a King. Help me to keep that in mind as I approach You. Help me to live a life that reflects my royal lineage. Amen.
MORE: Only 3 more sleeps
Advent Calendar - December 22 Christmas Fact:
George Frederick Handel’s (1685-1759) Messiah is perhaps the most popular piece of classical music associated with the Christmas season.... Handel never intended Messiah to be connected with the Christmas season. In fact, he wrote the oratorio in the late summer of 1741 and premiered it around Easter of the following year. Subsequent performances during Handel’s lifetime also took place around Easter.
– Encyclopedia of Christmas pp. 365-6
The first public performance of Messiah took place on April 13,1742 in Dublin Ireland.
Detailed story of the writing of Messiah.
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