A NEW ADVENT APPROACH? PART 1 OF 4: AN ADVENT OF GRATITUDE AND ENCOURAGEMENT

An African Nativity Scene, with a frame borrowed from Facebook.

I spent the first 30 years of my life with an absent Advent. In the hymnal I'm most familiar with, I noticed a handful of Advent hymns and designated separately from the Christmas songs, but I still didn't really get it. I was more familiar with Lent (by reputation, not by practice) than I was with Advent. 

Recently, some of the churches I've attended have the advent candles. Also, at Arlington Avenue Baptist Church, I've seen two different breakdowns of the four weeks of Advent: Prophets/Angels/Shepherds/Wise Men and Hope/Peace/Joy/Love. The last couple of years, I've been going through the latter (last year, combining the Advent theme with my Sunday Psalms series). 

This year, I've decided to take a more creative approach, and pick out four themes on my own for this Advent series. I'm picking four topics - okay, each theme has two related topics - that both we have through the First Coming of Christ and desperately need to live out.

Today, I'll start with an Advent of Gratitude (Thanksgiving) and Encouragement. I consider them related: Gratitude is being appreciative of what others do, and encouragement is motivating others to keep it up.

Do we have thankful hearts? Do we have minds trained to encourage? 

And do I need to elaborate more than just asking the two questions? I don't think so, but let me know if you disagree. 

BOOK REVIEW - THEME PARK ABDUCTION BY PATSY CONWAY

 

Who kidnapped Rebecca Salmon's autistic son Austin at a theme park, and why? Can she, with the help of family friend (and F.B.I. agent) Jake Foster, decipher the clues her brother wrote aimed at Austin? 

Theme Park Abduction by Patsy Conway is an exciting story with all sorts of twists and turns (I'm trying to avoid the obvious roller coaster cliche). It's got a story that will keep you guessing, as well as interesting and unpredictable characters that have you wondering who are the good guys/gals and who are the not so good.

This is the 69th Love Inspired Suspense novel I've read. I'm sure I'm not the only one who will see similar themes, plots, and character types (including K-9s). For example, I read three this year alone that had the heroine starting the story with amnesia. This novel stands out with having a unique setting (theme park), a treasure hunt with clues to figure out, and having an autistic character. 

I highly recommend this book. 

BOOK REVIEW - HOLD FOR RELEASE BY HEIDI GLICK

"Bitterness: One will choose Forgiveness, One will choose Revenge." (From front cover)

Can journalist Jake Hartmann get his wife Carlotta to forgive him for committing adultery? Or will she give in to the advances of the handsome divorce attorney? And who brutally killed the dogs at the animal shelter? 

Heidi Glick has long been one of my favorite authors. I loved her debut Dog Tags several years ago. Her latest is Hold For Release, an edgy romantic suspense. I'll agree with what several other reviewers have pointed out - there are so many twists you have no idea what will happen next.

As the statement on the cover hints, a common thread between several of the characters is dealing with bitterness. I dealt with sadness reading the story, which is an indication of how well the story was written and how Glick had me caring for Jake, Carlotta, and her sister Rosario in spite of their flaws.

I highly recommend this powerful, thought provoking novel.

SUNDAY PSALMS PART 47 OF 48 - PSALM 149

 

Yavapai County Courthouse, Prescott, Arizona

1   Praise the LORD! 

    Sing to the LORD a new song, 

    And His praise in the assembly of saints. 

2   Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; 

    Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. 

3   Let them praise His name with the dance; 

    Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp. 

4   For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; 

    He will beautify the humble with salvation. 

5  Let the saints be joyful in glory; 

    Let them sing aloud on their beds. 

6  Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, 

    And a two-edged sword in their hand, 

7   To execute vengeance on the nations, 

    And punishments on the peoples; 

8   To bind their kings with chains, 

    And their nobles with fetters of iron; 

9   To execute on them the written judgment-- 

    This honor have all His saints. 

    Praise the LORD! 

                        Psalm 149:1-9, New King James Version

Yes, I've talked about some of my favorite Psalms. But if I would pick one Psalm, gather together a half to a full dozen of my theologically minded friends, and discuss that Psalm and what it means and how to apply it, this would be that Psalm. Allow me to highlight three points of the Psalm that put it in this category.

1. Verse one tells us to sing to the Lord a new song, and to sing it to the assembly of the upright. What is meant by a new song? I'd love to hear the above mentioned 6-12 friends give me their interpretations, and I'm sure at least one would  give the meaning of the original languages and the cultural setting, but I'll suggest it might include those that God has given the talent to write songs may compose new songs. I also love the concept of the assembly of the upright.
2. Verse four is an encouragement - that the Lord takes pleasure in His people and will beautify the humble with salvation. Isn't that a wonderful hope?
3. The passage that I want to discuss with those 6-12 friends (could they be considered an assembly of the upright) is the last half of the Psalm. It starts out with them receiving glory and singing praise to God. But then in verse 6, it mentions letting the high praise of God be in their mouth (which is typical in the Psalms) and a sharp two edged sword in their hand (not typical for the Psalm). It goes on to say that they'll punish the nations, bind the kings and execute on them the judgment. It then adds, "This honor have all the saints. Praise the LORD."

Wouldn't that be an interesting discussion?

Note. This is part 47 of 48 of my Sunday Psalms series. However, I'm taking a four week break from this series, and will conclude it on New Year's Eve.

HOLY DAYS, HOLIDAYS, AND HOLLOW DAYS , AND HOW DO WE FOCUS ON THE FORMER?

 

Cedars of Lebanon State Park, Lebanon, TN

A couple of days ago, Becky expressed her sadness about not taking the time to go to a Veteran's Day service.  That got my attention. I had the day off from work, because this year it fell on a Saturday. Maybe part of it is that Becky's father was a veteran. Neither my father nor my paternal grandfather were (I have no idea about my maternal grandfather). 

This blog is being posted on Thanksgiving Day, 2023. You can say the same thing. It seems the day has morphed from Thanksgiving to Turkey Day. It used to be a day when all the stores were closed; now, several are open for pre-Black-Friday deals. :'( I think the day should be a little more, uh, sanctified (set apart), but is my heart focusing on giving thanks any more than any other day? Or am I too excited to turn on the TV for the big sports event of the day: America's Dog Show on NBC?

Allow me to use that introduction to suggest that our special days can fall into three categories: holy days, holidays, and hollow days. And I also want to make it plain that each have their place. Let me take them in reverse order:

1. Hollow Days. Someone I know used that term for what they considered pagan holidays (e.g. Christmas, Easter), to reflect the emptiness. Let me look on the concept more positively - there are days we need to be off from work, have a cook-out with friends, and watch a fireworks show after dark. (What I've just described can be how we celebrate Memorial Day, Independence Day, or Labor Day.) Anything wrong with that? Nope. We need time to rest. 
2. Holidays. These days are ones we celebrate via traditions. We wear green on St. Patrick's Day. We eat turkey and watch football (or in my case, the dog show) on Thanksgiving. We dress up for Halloween. We decorate a tree and deck the halls for Christmas. And we wait with apprehension to see if Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow. Each are fun events that occur once a year that make the day stand out from a day off. In the past (not true now) I would have that mentality for the Oscar's, the baseball All-Star game, and the then-annual showing on CBS of "The Wizard of Oz." None of them change the world, but it gives the year a little variety. 
3. Holy Days. Holy means set apart, and a holy day is set apart. There is a solemnity to that day, like the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) in the Bible. We could have that sanctified approach to major holidays we have off (Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day for families where a member made the ultimate sacrifice) or days that are special to us. In my case, this would include Reformation Day, All Saints Day, World CEF Prayer Day, International Day of Prayer For The Persecuted Church, and World Refugee Day. 

Confession time. These days I mentioned usually are just a normal day. I want that to change. Reformation Day and All Saints Day are ones that currently are something I quietly acknowledge, but I really want to celebrate it with others! True, it might be overdoing it to have a Reformation Day party one day and follow it up with an All Saints Day party 24 hours later. But you get the idea.

Can I summarize? We need days to rest. We need days to have fun and break up the routine. And we need days to reflect.

BOOK REVIEW - DRAWN IN ASH (A LEGACY OF INK BOOK 1) BY JOHN OTTE

 Why was Everys chosen as a replacement wife for King Narius? Is Narius wise in allowing his new queen to care for the poor, or is he risking rebellion and waar? And can they keep the fact that she's an illegal mage from becoming public knowledge?

Drawn in Ash is the first book of "A Legacy of Ink," a new series by one of my favorite authors, John Otte (pronounced Ah-tee). This new collection is more of a fantasy than his previous novels (a superhero trilogy and a two-part sci-fi series). While a different genre, it still includes Otte's great story telling and interesting characters such as his spymaster who appears out of nowhere and disappears just as suddenly, or the queen's personal guard.

I enjoyed this novel and will look forward to book two. 

SUNDAY PSALMS PART 46 OF 48 (THANKSGIVING EDITION) - PSALM 100

Eastwood Baptist Church, Cookeville, TN

1   Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
2   Serve the LORD with gladness;
    Come before His presence with singing.
3   Know that the LORD, He is God;
    It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
    We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4   Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
    And into His courts with praise.
    Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
5   For the LORD is good;
    His mercy is everlasting,
    And His truth endures to all generations.
                    Psalm 100:1-5; New King James Version

It may just be me, but I associate Psalm 100 with Thanksgiving. It is a nice joyful song, and encourages us to enter His gates with thanksgiving.

One side note - the hymn "All People That On Earth Do Dwell" takes its lyrics from this Psalm. I love the last verse of that hymn, which mirrors the final verse of this Psalm:

     "For why? The Lord our God is good;
        His mercy is forever sure;
    His truth at all times firmly stood
        And shall from age to age endure."

The name of the tune for the song is "Old 100th," referring to the Psalm. You might not be familiar with the above hymn or the tune's name, but it's the tune of the doxology ("Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow").