1 In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. 2 In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me; turn your ear to me and save me. 3 Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. 4 Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.
5 For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth. 6 From my birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you. 7 I have become a sign to many; you are my strong refuge. 8 My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendour all day long.
Non-Christians claim that Christmas trees are a religious symbol of Christmas. Is a Christmas tree really a religious symbol of Christmas equal to a Nativity scene?
It depends on how religious symbol is defined. If it means anything to which religious significance can be attached, then yes, because many Christians have attached religious significance to the Christmas tree (e.g., the Tree of Life, both in Eden and on Calvary). But if a religious symbol of a holiday is considered a tangible object intrinsically attached to that holiday, and without which the holiday wouldn’t be the same, then no, because the celebration of Christmas does not require Christmas trees. Christmas trees are a decoration that Christians incorporated into their celebration of the holiday over the centuries. They did not become widespread in the English-speaking world until German relatives of the British royal family brought the custom to Great Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries. Christians justified the custom on religious grounds by explaining that the evergreen tree can symbolize eternal life. Even today in many traditionally Catholic countries, far more emphasis is placed on the much older Christian custom of erecting Nativity scenes, a tradition attributed to St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226). In short, although Christmas trees are a beloved custom in much of the English-speaking world, they are not necessary to the celebration of the holiday and are not nearly as symbolic of the holiday as the crèche. If it is agreed that a religious symbol should be understood to mean a tangible object intrinsically attached to that holiday, then Christmas trees are to Christmas what dreidels are to Hanukkah—a beloved custom but not a religious symbol.
O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree How lovely are thy branches O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree How lovely are thy branches
Your boughs so green in summertime Stay bravely green in wintertime O tannenbaum, o Christmas tree How lovely are thy branches
Let us all remember In our gift giving and our merriment With our family and friends and loved ones The real and true meaning of Christmas The birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ
O tannenbaum, o tannenbaum How lovely are, are thy branches O tannenbaum, o tannenbaum How lovely are, how lovely are thy branches
The pillars all please faithfully Our trust in God unchangedly O tannenbaum, o tannenbaum How love, lovely are thy branches
On Comet, on Cupid, on Donder and Blitzen Ha ha ha ha
13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Today is the first Sunday in advent ‘The Candle of Hope’
Isn’t it strange how at the lead up to Christmas you start to see adverts for donations to several charities whilst at the other end of the spectrum you see a house decorated like the one above.
Though having said that there used to be a person who lived in a nearby village to me decorated his house at Christmas to raise money for a ward in the local hospital.
15 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please our neighbours for their good, to build them up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: ‘The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.’[a]4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.
5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. 8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews[b] on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed 9 and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written:
‘Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing the praises of your name.’[c]
11For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
I have this tune on a recent CD I bought it’s a piano arrangement and I love the tune but being a musician when i looked up these words it made the tune a lot more meaningful.
As Jeremiah tells us God has plans for each of us we just need to pray for him to show and teach us the way to enable us do what he says.
In His time, in His time,
He makes all things beautiful in His time.
Lord, please show me everyday
As You’re teaching me Your way,
That you do just what You say in Your time.
In Your time, in Your time,
You make all things beautiful in Your time.
Lord, my life to You I bring,
With its winter and its spring,
May I fathom everything in Your time.
There’s a time, there’s a time
Both for sowing and for reaping there’s a time.
Time for losing, time for gain,
Time for joy and time for pain,
Every purpose under heaven has a time.
There are times, there are days,
Weeks and months we cannot understand God’s ways.
If for years we fail to scan
What is his eternal plan,
We’ll remember that He can, all the time.
22 Let the bountiful table set before them become a snare and their prosperity become a trap.[b] 23 Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see, and make their bodies shake continually.[c] 24 Pour out your fury on them; consume them with your burning anger. 25 Let their homes become desolate and their tents be deserted. 26 To the one you have punished, they add insult to injury; they add to the pain of those you have hurt. 27 Pile their sins up high, and don’t let them go free. 28 Erase their names from the Book of Life; don’t let them be counted among the righteous.
29 I am suffering and in pain. Rescue me, O God, by your saving power.
30 Then I will praise God’s name with singing, and I will honour him with thanksgiving. 31 For this will please the Lord more than sacrificing cattle, more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves. 32 The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged. 33 For the Lord hears the cries of the needy; he does not despise his imprisoned people.
34 Praise him, O heaven and earth, the seas and all that move in them. 35 For God will save Jerusalem[d] and rebuild the towns of Judah. His people will live there and settle in their own land. 36 The descendants of those who obey him will inherit the land, and those who love him will live there in safety.
Lo, Jesus came heralded by a star and so, each year candles flicker and sweet carols rise. What an infinitely small view man takes of this cosmic happening and Spiritual intrusion! God came to earth. The Creator became a creature. The Prince of Peace became a pauper. The Word of God a speechless child. King […]
I am saved from my self destructive patterns of the past! I am saved from condemnation! I am saved from shame! I am saved from the penalty of ALL of my sin! Thank You Jesus, WE ARE SAVED!
This hymn, which is also known as How Marvelous or My Savior’s Love, was written by Charles Gabriel.
Charles Hutchinson Gabriel was born in 1856 Iowa. From a young age he showed a talent and love for music. In 1912 he moved to Chicago to work for Homer Rodeheaver’s publishing company.
Gabriel married Fannie Woodhouse, but later the marriage ended in divorce. Together the couple had one child. Later, he married Amelia Moore and they had a child.
He edited gospel song books and contributed numerous hymns to various publications. He is credited with writing between 7,000-8,000 hymns and songs in his life. Many approached him to write the melody for their words. Some of his hymns include His Eye is on the Sparrow, O That Will Be Glory, Send the Light, Will the Circle be Unbroken, The Old Rugged Cross, Crown Him with Many Crowns, andAway in a Manger.
The inspiration for I Stand Amazed in the Presence is not known, but Gabriel wrote both the words and melody for the song. However, reading the lyrics, one can imagine how the passion of Christ found in the gospels vividly revealed itself to Gabriel as he penned the lyrics of the hymn.
The hymn first appeared in the 1905 E.O. Excell’s collection, Praises. Rev. Carlton R. Young, editor of The United Methodist Hymnal, notes: “This song of gratitude and praise for the atoning death of Jesus is a personal and Adventist interpretation of Luke’s account of Jesus’ sweating blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, a portion of the passion narrative not included in the other Gospels.”
Gabriel died on September 14, 1932 in Hollywood, California.
The song has been contemporized for modern audiences by Christian performer, Chris Tomlin. His version is known as “I Stand Amazed”
God. 
