L'Abri Journals...ACGray
December 2003
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Meditation for Advent

Chalet LAbri, December 1, 2003

a page from my journalacg

 

We also have a Holy Place the soulthe place of intimacy, where the intimate functions of our being take place; the functions of mind, conscience, memory .Then there is that other place, the Holy of Holies, behind the veil, impenetrable.  We cannot enter there.  We know there is something more, something deeper, underlying the soulish aspects of our lives.  . That is the place where God intended to dwell, and which is the intended center of human life.  It is the spirit of man.In the Gospel of Luke we trace the coming of One who at last penetrates into the secret place, who enters the spirit of man, the place of mystery, and rends the veil, opening it up so that man might discover himself and the mystery of his being, and thus fulfill himself. 

Ray Stedman, in a sermon:  The Gospel of Luke:  The Perfect Man

 

      In preparation for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, I resolved to make a systematic study of the gospel of Luke.  Dr. Lukes account of the Christmas pageant has always been my favorite.  Why not, then, delve into his Gospel with the hope of recapturing the elemental true Spirit of the Christmas season?  The very first verse of Lukes gospel speaks of those things which have been fulfilled in the life of Jesus, a treasure trove in those six words.  In His incarnation, God through Jesus, had entered into history in a way that was unprecedented and could never be surpassed.  Paul, writing to the Colossians would elucidate:  In Jesus God has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and conveyed us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.  The treasure for me is in knowing that I am a sinner, saved by His Grace alone.   With thanksgiving for this deeply felt reminder of His forgiving love, I resolved to repent of all that I know to be wrong in my life, and to seek His Presence and wisdom for all that I say, do, or buy in this Advent season and henceforth. I am rewarded with unexpected moments when I see Him in the eyes and life and actions of those about me these days, celebrating Him in the marketplace of the world.  It is then that I warmly feel His Presence and know that my God is real.  I yearn and pray for many more such insights and reminders of His presence.  Give me the wisdom of the magi who traveled far and brought costly gifts to pay homage to Him, the Bethlehem Babe who was God in Christ, come to reconcile a sinful world unto Himself. He came for me. 

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     In this world with its noisy and demanding clamor the crowd of common thoughts and common interests has poured in upon us and taken possession of our time and our attention, and when Christ comes with His infinite gift for the enrichment of our souls, there is no room for Him in the inn.We never do know when the great possibilities of God are at our doors unless we have taken the pains to keep our spirits sensitive.  The mystery waiting to bring us the birth of a redeeming Savior may be at our doorsThe note of His coming will be joy.  When anything happens in life that is joyous, then we need to understand that the reality of Jesus may be coming near.

            William Russell Bowie

 

 Blessed Holidays to all my faithful readers

 

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen.  (Luke 2:20)