Advent - Thanksgiving

Kind of a strange thing to say. So today we're not on the holiday. We're two days from Thanksgiving and tomorrow is the beginning of Advent. So we're kind of like in between the holidays and a weird way and I decided that I would kind of do both things. I think God blood me to do this. 1 subtitle for the sermon today is unabashedly advent. And that a weird title. We're waiting. What are we waiting for waiting for the Lord unabashedly.

At the season were in. So, That's what I told that in the fullness of time. Everytime, I think about Advent, I Think Jesus came in the fullness of time and every time I think about that particular, this time of the year partly because it's getting darker. And every day that the daylight hours are fewer and fewer every day until around December 25th at winter solstice and then it it gets belied starts being a lighter again. Praise God, that it gets to be lighter. Again, I would hate it. If it's just got darker and darker and colder and colder. I like winter but I don't want it to get colder than it gets. I love the seasons. I praise God, for the seasons, we lived in Phoenix and in Saudi Arabia for 10 years and I've had enough of this hot desert.

Temperature is above 120 degrees Fahrenheit. I don't enjoy. My deputy and sorry, he knew I didn't want to know how hot it was. But I had to ask him because I had to make sure he was doing these reports. I'd say was so Bill, how's the weather today? And he knew, I did not want to know how hot it was, but he had to tell me how hot it was, and it's part of the job. And so, he would say, cheerfully in the 50s, Rob, in the 50s.

Yes, Celsius.

And sorry if it was well over 120 Fahrenheit. It was it was crazy hot.

Most of the time it was extremely dry heat and Lucas cutting me off. Rightfully, so, thank you Lupe. My dear loving wife Advent in the fullness of time in anticipation and preparation for the coming of our Lord and Thanksgiving.

Lord, we ask your blessing as we begin this time together. Guide us lead us instruct us may My Words Be received in a way that you intend them to be received and Use in whatever way you intended to be used. I've prayed for your leading and I trust that you have guided me. And so now I ask you for your blessing and delivering these words Etc. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen, and amen. So, a couple weeks ago, I gave a sermon on. After the feast after the Harvest Ecclesiastes, figure out what God wants you to do and just do it. That's the whole whole idea, get on with it.

The sun knows what it's doing. It rises and falls. The water cycle knows what it's doing. It goes down to the Sea and comes back and goes down to the Sea, all these things, all these cycles of life. Keep going on in in Solomon, says all, this is Terry. Interior, with all these are tedious.

Wearing me out man. Just think about all this work. Kind of like what's Solomon saying, but he's saying, you know, if any of these things stop doing what they're doing, we die. So they're important things to do even though they just kind of go on and on and on and on or not and people who were stepping through life one step, at a time, can get the feeling. This is tiring. This is boring. This is hard, this is a bummer. It's not if you're doing what God wants you to do, your doing what God wants you to do and it's for a purpose. And so that was a sermon a couple weeks ago and I said but you know, it's not over just because the Harvest is over in the feasts are over, Sukkot is over, it's not over, it's never over repentance atonement. You dabob, his dwelling with us rejoicing in God's word and celebrating his rest is never over. I taught this a few weeks ago and this week I've added and prayer and Thanksgiving is never over. It's always appropriate to pray and to give Thanksgiving. It's never over the season. We find ourselves in in the church year and the years of our lives, in the calendar of the Bible, all these calendars kind of collide and wearing all of them, you can't avoid the calendar of your life. I'm 74. I'm beginning to deal with things that I didn't think I had to deal with when I was 21. It's a calendar of our live, our life, the season. We're in its winter.

I'm making fires in the fireplace cold, the calendar is changing. I can expect for certain phone calls, from family, and friends, text, it all collides. What we're studying in the Bible in the calendar of Our Lives, all Collide, and God intended this. So we we find ourselves in this season, it's seasonal Thanksgiving. And so, we're going to talk about that little bit the Christian pilgrims and Sephardic Jews were together in Holland at something. That's not always stressed. Maybe enough in 1607 and they appreciated a feast of Thanksgiving and prayer. When they came to the new world, our Thanksgiving is in some way related to the biblical Sukkot. I've got a good slide on that in a few. In a few minutes Advent, the season of waiting for his coming. When's he coming? He came once is coming again, had he come when they were in the garden? Yes.

Is he coming again? Yes. Is he here today? Yes, his coming is constant and yet it's broken up in time. So it's this expectation that something is going to be great, his coming. Jesus birth Hanukkah like Sukkot celebrating his presence to read Malachi. It says it was a season, why Sukkot? It was a festival likes to coach. They wanted to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles but couldn't cuz they didn't have the temple condo complex and then they gained control of the temple complex. They purified it and they celebrated Sukkot light, it's okay to celebrate Sukkot late. That's what Hanukkah is. It's a rededication, even though it's late. Jesus birth, if you want to talk about rededication and And the idea of renewal and the idea of God being with us and Manu. Well you're really talking about Jesus birth. Now we don't make a big deal out of December 25th in church the Messiah. It's got a lot of pagan issues that people object to but there's nothing wrong with that with expecting his coming, it's absolutely appropriate. And this is not a bad time of year to look forward to his coming because it's getting darker and darker and we're looking for it to get lighter and lighter and for life to begin again. We we did a lot of garden work, Mack helped us to do a lot of work in our yard and we're really looking forward to what it's going to look like next year. We're waiting.

In anticipation. It's a good time Epiphany when God revealed himself to the world end in the baby Jesus to the to the king is the church celebration of epiphany celebrated his coming in his presence, there's not a thing. If you think about it, it's not celebrating Christ, and his presence with us today Thanksgiving. So now we're going to talk about Advance. It's no good talk a lot of but mainly I wanted to point out to you that Thanksgiving could not have happened. If not a lot of things happened in before we celebrated Thanksgiving, we wouldn't have Thanksgiving if these things hadn't been in place. You could almost say in the fullness of time Thanksgiving was celebrated in Plymouth Colony. It's weird. Just stay with me. I'm, I'm going to illustrate Thanksgiving to give you a taste of what you should be doing for the coming of Christ. Celebrating this Advent season. So, this is the Godmother of Thanksgiving, Sarah, josepha Hale. She was a mother of five and her husband died and she decided she needed to do something. And so she wrote poems and different things and she was eventually hired to be a woman's magazine editor around 1830 ish. But before that, she wrote a novel, which is got her hired partly in 1827. And she wrote these words, we have too few holidays. Thanksgiving should be a national festival. And so from 1827 until 1863 36 years, she pushed for Thanksgiving becoming a national holiday. And then, in the midst of the Civil War, she wrote a letter to Abraham Lincoln and he decided to issue a proclamation. He issued the proclamation on October 3rd 1863 36 years after she began insisting, this holiday be celebrated, and then he gets issued another proclamation in an 1864 book before the end of the Civil War. It's important to know that Thanksgiving Lincoln's Thanksgiving was celebrated twice during the Civil War for different reasons. He wanted the nation to be reunited. He was grateful for surviving as a lot of reasons to be celebrating Thanksgiving prayer and Thanksgiving. When you're going through a difficult time, it's an ideal time to pray and be thankful to celebrate Thanksgiving. At the worst of times, it's really good to praise God. And be thankful Washington also, celebrated Thanksgiving hirota, Edict of legislation designated the key of the first Thursday in November as as a Thanksgiving. And this was at the urging of all of the states Governors, who wrote him letters begging him to issue this Proclamation. So you could say that. You could say that Washington writing a letter for claiming a day of Thanksgiving, a prayer and Thanksgiving. Was a unifying factor in the early, United States of America, because the states all wanted it. The states all begged Washington to write this letter. So that's enough history. No no no, no. In the fullness of time, if anything had been different, nothing would be the same. Many unusual circumstances brought these things together. Are we talkin about Christ coming? Yes, are we talkin about Thanksgiving? Yes, but you don't know that yet.

Here's a hint. A two things. One is so you can keep up with me on the slides and the other one is 40 top. 40 Messianic prophecies from Jews for Jesus. They're both pretty good. And so I thought you guys might like copies of these And the Thanksgiving one is so you can keep up with me. Slides kind of go fast, but when the fullness of time this is advent, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born of the law, under the lottery, doing those who are under the law. So that we might receive adoption his sons and because you are Sons and Daughters, God has sent the spirit of his son into your hearts. Crying Abba, Father. So the spirit is in your heart, crying out, father father. So you are no longer a slave, but a son. And if a son than an air through God Galatians

Now, we're going to talk about Thanksgiving. Yeah, I'm going to need one of those.

Sorry, I might need one of those. Thank you.

Anyone ever heard of the great privilege? Yeah, cool.

This is Mary of burgundy. A burgundy, burgundy and kings were a powerful group and they controlled a lot of Europe. Holland Netherlands, that point points us pain at times France, Germany at times different things. This is Mary of burgundy and she mothered the entire Habsburg Dynasty. She's the mother of the habsburgs, which is a royal line. It's the only real line that never contracted haemophilia interesting side note. But anyway, she was a girl, 19 year old girl and her father died and she Gain control of all of this power. She was a very powerful woman in control of all of this power and she did a radical thing. She went to to the Netherlands and she gave them a great privilege. She granted them a legal document, a great privilege that returned to them, the freedoms that they desired to have.

From who? From Spain.

Who was in control. So she gave them as she issued a great privilege and they were grateful to have this freedom and they began exercising, their freedom on a new level. After this great privilege was granted, this is in 1477

About.

15 years later. A radical thing happened. Spain. Reconquered Granada. Now, Grenada had been taken over by the Moors approximately, anyone have any guests? 700 AD.

700.

1477.

1492. Does that ring a bell Columbus? Sailed, the ocean blue in 1492 Elvis blurring that in grade school sometime. And this is 1492. This is before the Spanish Inquisition, this is when Spain reconquered the Emirate of Granada. Now the the Muslim empire had been pretty much devastated when the Mongols took over Baghdad and ousted the the caliph there. But certain segments of this Muslim, powered, continue to exist and this Emirate of Granada was still fully enforce throughout Spain until 1492.

In Jan, in January Spain's, Reconquista of the Muslim Granada. From the nasri dynasty after seven hundred years of occupation. So, the moslems had occupied it over seven hundred years and now they re had it. They had it back and they decided when they reconquered these lands, they wanted these moslems who weren't going to convert to Christianity to leave And the biggest reason they wanted them to leave was, they didn't want them trying to convert. The Catholics who now had power and authority to Islam. And that's not a bad reason to want them to want to be gone, but you could convert and some didn't convert, but by and large the Muslim population was deported from Spain. I do to this Reconquista and since the moslems were expelled, the Spanish king and queen Ferdinand and Isabella different countries, but they're in power of that whole region. Now, issued a decree called the alambra decree which ordered the Jewish conversion, or expulsion of Jews within four months. So you had, you could choose to convert within four months or you had to leave

Now, if you were a Sephardic Jew, how would this make you feel?

Persecuted. Now what if there was a place you could go if it was kind of free and religiously tolerant?

It would be kind of cool. There is such a place. It, it just happened.

Reconquest.

Inquisition. Columbus departure. In 7 months.

That's a fast thing going on here.

This is a picture of the Grand Inquisitor Tomas. They took something like that. Anyway, he was given absolute authority to a persecute anyone who was not Catholic. So if you were Protestant, you got to be dead. If you were a Muslim, you got to be dead. If you were a Jew, you got to be dead. Unless you were leaving, you got to be dead. They issued an interesting thing because they were acquiring, huge tracts of land in the new world sort of not yet, but they're about to, During those years, they decided not to kill all the Indians. They would let them convert, but they're already Pagan. So their Pagan, they could did but not in the new world in the new world. They said, pagans are. Okay, we're going to help them learn from

who we are and what we're doing. But he had complete authority over anyone. So this entire church would get to be dead. if we were at this time, anyone here a Monty Python fan. Yeah, no one expects.

No one expects. The Spanish Inquisition.

Yeah, that's another good one.

Okay, now it's in my head. Nevermind. so, All, that's interesting. Sail, the ocean blue. About ninety years later. Sorry, I skipped one about 90 years later in 1581 the Dutch. Declared independence from Spain,

They were kind of going in that direction already.

but with all this going on in Spain, they decided they needed to be free from Spain and overtime.

Amsterdam became known as the Jerusalem of the West and in the, in the world. At that time, it was called the Jerusalem of the West End. Question would go forth. Cuz Jerusalem, wasn't Jewish, arguably to a large degree cuz they were controlled by the slime to some degree. Where is Jerusalem? Is it in Amsterdam? No, but Amsterdam is the Jerusalem of the West. This is kind of a common statement that was made during this period. So, Jews were very comfortable in Amsterdam, in this time. Important to remember that.

King James decided he wanted some more colonies, he wanted more power, he wanted more money, he wanted more stuff. And so he chartered a group of people with the Plymouth Colony Charter, they were to go to Virginia, and, and start colonies around the vicinity of Virginia so that they can have more English power and authority, and money and stuff you with me. Okay. Doesn't sound like the pilgrims, does it? Yeah, it is the pilgrims. Whole other track. The French were surveying the world and they were very interested in acquiring all kinds of stuff, goods and land and power and everything else. And there was an Explorer called Samuel de Champlain. And he happened to be going all over the place and he went through this place called Plymouth Harbor, Cape, Cod area. And his ship ran aground.

Radical a while. His ship was a ground, he decided he would map the whole area. So he did this map of the whole area of of. It's not the whole area, I'll show you. I'll show you where it is in the next slide, but he decided he would, he would map in each of these things. These are Indian villages. Or crops. And so the place that the Plymouth ended up that where the pilgrims ended up settling in this area. They had standing crops, they could use to some degree. They had a wonderful underground spring Rivers, they had property that had already been cleared of Timber and was farmable and usable and there were no Indians there.

Wow. This is sorta. Like sounds like the Bible where they said that you'll be having, you'll be living in places that we didn't build. And things that you didn't do, you'll be leaving things, you didn't grow. Sort of sounds like it and they got it. She they they got it. This is Samuel de Champlain. Little little more Side Story. So the decision was to

English pilgrims. Wanted freedom from what did they want, freedom from?

The Church of England. Now the Sephardic Jews wanted freedom from the Catholic Church. And they ended up going to the same place, the, the, the Plymouth, the Plymouth Colony people decided they would try to get to Holland, which was religiously tolerant. And so they, they figured they would, they would use two ships, the Mayflower which we know famously. And the Speedwell The Speedwell was to be the passenger ship. And the Mayflower was not intended to carry passengers, it was intended to carry cargo.

Weird. The Speedwell is in Holland. Getting ready for everything to go on and the mayflowers and England. And there's a group of financiers who are investing money in this Plymouth Colony, cuz they want money, they want stuff. And so they're investing money in this Mayflower cargo etcetera. So that's kind of going on in two countries and the speed wells in Holland. And the pilgrims are in Holland. Actually they tried to get the Holland, but couldn't because they got arrested. So the Plymouth, the Plymouth Colony pilgrims were in England. They wanted to get to Holland that got arrested.

A little while later somehow they got the Holland. Crazy mean while people are investing. So there's this growing interest in this Plymouth Colony investment and people are giving money to the Mayflower crew to put cargo on it and all that stuff. Some mayflowers getting ready, speed wells in Holland and then the Speedwell departs,

No, one more.

Here we go. Anyone ever heard of John Smith?

He was a captain right here is subordinate Captain named, Thomas Hunt and Smith went back to England for some stuff. Smith was actually Jamestown Smith and Plymouth colonies Smith. He's kind of all over the place Smith but he, he has to board. The captain named, Thomas Hunt and Thomas Hunt. He left Thomas Hunt behind to, to get to get used to the Wailing in the fishing and all the good stuff he could do on the ocean. And Thomas Hunt said, hey I got a better idea. I'm going to pick up 27 of these Native Indians here, whatever they call him and I'm going to take him to Spain and sell them as slaves.

And so he took 727, Indians to Spain and sold them as slaves and overtime. Some of those slaves made their way to England and one of them named Squanto of famous tradition learned English really, really well he could speak and and almost become an Englishman. He was he was very English in a lot of ways. So if if Smith had left behind this, no good for nothing. Ship captain, Thomas Hunt and if Thomas Hunt hadn't sold slaves into slavery in Spain, from this area taken from this area, Squanto would not have lived because he would have eventually died because the black rats that made their way, On the ships had made their way into this area and spread something like the black plague, which killed all the Indians at least nine out of 10 of the Indians died. And they decided this is not a safe place to live and they left and that's how we have all these vacant Villages and all these crops standing and everything else is kind of couldn't have happened. You couldn't have set up a more perfect storm A lot of things claimed in the, in the play and and where were where we're going. So, the Speedwell eventually, left Holland and met with the Mayflower and they departed. They departed England, and the Speedwell leaked, and so they all had to go back to England and get the speedwell's leaking fixed. And so then they departed again in the Speedwell leaked and then they went back and this happened a couple times and and then they decided well we'll just leave the Speedwell in England and will reboard the Mayflower with part of the people and the cargo and we'll take the Mayflower to the new world or whatever. It's called in and the Speedwell remained in England. The rumor is that the speedwell's captain didn't wanted to go on this trip and CEO. He overloaded the Timbers. So it was, it was, it was, it was a foregone conclusion, it would leak. He knew it would leak. He knew it would need fixed. Any Wells, Speedwell, finally made it later but that's a whole other story. But here's the Speedwell leaving Holland with the pilgrim fathers. Stream 1620.

This is the Plymouth Colony, this is Cape Cod area. This whole area is going to called Cape Cod, this right here, see right here, this is Champlain's map. So this is the area that they knew, they had empty Villages and crops and all that stuff. This is where they ended up settling. This is where they first landed, but this is where they ended up settling.

Eventually an Indian from a different tribe Samoset. He's from up North near Main. He'd learned English, some English from the English fishermen, in the area, learned how to trade things and stuff like that. And so he walked into the colony one day and said, welcome Englishmen.

And they welcome to men and then he said something like you have any beer.

He knew he knew about beer and the store gets twisted here was her whether it was Samoset or Squanto, we don't know. But somebody said, do you have any beer and they said no, we're all out of beer, would you like some Brandy?

No this is this is documented. Historical fact you can read about it in the light in the Glory by Marshall. So anyway these are different tribes but they kind of your friends. They were English-speaking England and an English-speaking Indians in that area and Squanto went back to his village and found. No one was there. The people that he the people, he grew up with his dad died because of these black rats that carry disease brown rats carry disease later. But at this point, I think it was the black rats. Pretty devastating disease. The Indians feared, this land that had formerly been there place. but now, the britisher living on it, In this Plymouth Colony and the two of these guys got together and kind of work, the treaty with the Wampanoag, Wampanoag, Indians who became friends. And because they became friends, they decided to celebrate a harvest the following year, because Squanto had taught them how to plant corn. And so they grew corn and they got turkeys and other things and they had a big big Feast. How long is the Feast of Tabernacles? 7 Days, right? Plus one, how long was the Feast of Thanksgiving?

3 days.

I don't know why it wasn't 7 but it wasn't 7 was three days. The first Feast of Thanksgiving was 3 days long. So, I stumbled across this in the Jerusalem. Post the title of the article is Thanksgiving modeled after Sukkot. Curtains were well-versed in the Bible and knew that Sukkot the Feast of Tabernacles Feast of booths was the Harvest holiday during The Fall season. Here is also saw themselves as the Israelites today. The author says, we would say they identified as Israelites. They compare the voyage across the Atlantic to the children of Israel crossing the Red Sea. They viewed the tribulations and hardships of their first years in the new land as a land as a Time. The Israelites been wandering through the desert. These are online. If you want to see them under, this is all recorded on the website and also elsewhere. And these are the slides are all online, so you don't need to take profuse notes. If you don't want to do you want to, you're welcome to. So this is not the only Jew who knows that the Puritans knew about Sukkot. and, Met with and possibly studied with Sephardic Jews, fleeing the Spanish Inquisition and who value the independence and Freedom. The Dutch colony was excetera that could have Dutch. The Dutch nation was providing, so it it's definitely that the pilgrims knew Thanksgiving was at like Sukkot. Much in the way that The Maccabees knew their celebration to read it a keishin with like a coat. This is a celebration like Sukkot Now, we're going to transition to Advent. Why did I do all that I did all of that, because

That's not what I want to do.

Where is it?

Sorry. If anything had been different, nothing would be the same.

Many unusual circumstances brought things together. Now, who could have stacked, all these circumstances together to cause the pilgrims to meet the Sephardic, Jews to celebrate a feast like Sukkot in the New World. And identify with the Israelites.

Only God can set that up. I can't set it up.

So now we're onto Advent. Advent is a Latin word. We do a lot of Greek and Hebrew in here and because we do a lot of Greek and Hebrew in here. I decided I'd try to find in the Vulgate in the Latin Vulgate version of the Bible. Does anyone know what was good about the Vulgate?

Yeah, we normally read it. Like it was one of those things that they wrote in a language that no one understood so that no one could understand the Bible know. It was written in the common tongue Vulgate common. So that everyone could read it when it was written and it was written in a language that people could read. Over time, it became slightly different, but at the time it was, something people could read this word Advent or the route. They're of a verb etcetera is in the Vulgate 49 times. And when you look at how that lines up with Hebrew and English words are Greek words. These are some of the Hebrew words that advent lines up with like that. These are words that when they're translated from the Latin into the Hebrew, you get Bo, renter buttock, trust, or have Reliance on kavod God got his Waydi God is significant. God is covered.

All kinds of songs come to mind panov. If, if you're speaking to God you want to see his face is panov. And in order to come to God, you have to turn back to shoes to Suva. So these are these are all very rich words that are hooked to the word Advent in the Latin. Similarly, Cesar Awards and the Greek, the one that nail, jumps out at me right now is paresthesia a lord. How will we know the day of your coming? Your parasia. The piracy in the ancient world was when the when the ruler went into the city, they would prepare the city for him so he would have a grand Perugia they clean up the city. Get everything going for. They wanted the emperor's. Praise. So Jesus coming is looking forward to his coming is coming like a like a king. So here are the two most famous. Perhaps Transit extant Vulgate, editions ones from 716 and ones from 1590. They're both beautiful. The Codex is unbelievably beautiful and took over 1,000 animal skins, much of its online. Unbelievably beautiful Advent.

Three places. The word Advent is used from The Vulgate and the Lord said to him but I will be with you and you shall strike the midianites as one man and he said to him, if now I have found favor in your eyes and show me a sign that it is, you who speak with me. This is Gideon, asking God to prove that it's him.

Please don't depart from this place. Until I come adventum to you and bring out my presence and set it before you. And God said, I'll stay here till you come back. Incredible. Incredible. Why did I use this first? Because this is a place where the Lord is speaking. And the word Advent is used

And has to do with. Sing. Revealing. Knowing and God is interacting with man, huge but who can endure the day of his coming Adventist and who can stand when he appears for. He is like a Refiner's Fire. And like Fuller's Soap, Malachi 3 to the day of the Lord. For his lightning comes from the East and shines as far as the West. So be the coming at Ventus, parousia of the son of man. Jesus said In the fullness of time. If anything has been different, nothing would be the same many and usual circumstances brought things together. every time this time of year, every year, I think what, what had to happen for Jesus to come They had to be in the garden. They had to be thrown out of the garden.

They had to become slaves in Egypt, they had to be redeemed from slavery in Egypt, they had to go into the Babylonian. Captivity is Syrian dispersion had to take place, they had to be brought out of the Babylonian captivity. The Maccabees had to be their hair. It had to be there. I mean, when you look at all the things that stack up to make Jesus coming happen, There's only one way they could all get stacked up the Lord.

Advent. Expecting is coming. God Was preparing his shoes first coming in the fullness of time. In him, we have Redemption through his blood, the Forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished Upon Us in all wisdom and insight making known to us, the mystery of his will according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ, as a plan, for the fullness of time, it had to happen at the right time. It couldn't happen any other time. The fullness of time.

All things in heaven and earth. Amen. If anything has been different, nothing would be the same but when the fullness of time and come God sent forth his son, born a woman, boarded the law to redeem those under the law. So we can be receive adoption.

Yes, Galatians 4437.

Advent. So when I was a kid, my mom made Advent calendars, or she bought Advent calendars, and we went through Advent calendars. And she say, do you know what this picture is? And I go out David. The garden. Moses. Years later shortly after we got married, we were asked to create these things.

Funny little things.

A beautiful angel. Star of Bethlehem.

Jacob's Ladder. Without Jacob's Ladder Jesus couldn't come. These are all four Shadows. Kind of get it. So we've kept these for how many years would be.

Almost 48 years.

I drew them. Yeah, I came up with the patterns. We're asked to make him. There were other models, the church. We might be doing these things. These are kind of also called sosten Advent, calendar with type. These are also called the Jesse tree. So here's a, here's a couple of a church Windows. Anyone ever look at a church window when you're, when you were a kid. And your mom, says, what do you think that is? Anyone.

Yeah, it's fun in it.

If you've never done it, it's fun. Walk into a church and say that represents Ancient tradition was the out of the stump of Jesse Messiah will come. So this is a classic images of both, stump of Jesse images, actually. But there you can see Jesse laying down and the stump coming out of them. Here's to more stump of Jesse, see Jesse on the bottom and all of church history. Proceeding forth. And Christ being the ultimate. The season, we find ourselves in, like I said, repentance atonement, you. Dave of his dwelling with us for Joy, singing God's word celebrating his Wes and prayer and Thanksgiving there, never over. Where in where in the middle of all of these Seasons, everything celebrates his coming and his presents celebration of Advent, the earliest add event formal church celebration, apparently happened in northern England. Northern Italy, rather around 380. There was a dualistic heresy going on life vs. Darkness human vs. Divine. And in order to counteract this heresy, it's believed the celebration of Christ's Incarnation with celebrated. This idea that Christ is fully man and fully human. The idea, the formalization of this idea had not taken place yet, but it was happening. It was it was an idea. That was developing In opposition to the idea that know, Christ wasn't God. He was a man. No Christ wasn't a man. He was God pretending to be a man. These are terrible heresies, do you agree? Turbo heresies to counteract this heresy, they began celebrating Advent, when Christ became a man he existed before time. He became born a man and he exists continuously outside of time with God in his kingdom.

Fully God and fully man. So it's believed that the celebration of Advent kind of begins with this opposition to a heresy.

It was developing as a people of God, we celebrate God's presence and instruction before Jesus came. All Through the Bible, Old Testament, Jesus, coming and his life with us here on Earth represented in the gospels etcetera, Jesus, coming at Glen again and Glory as Savior, Lord, and King, we celebrate Advent. And it's happening all the time. He's coming. He's come He's here. He's coming more.

Thank you, God.

I've been applications. All right, I've often said that, the Bible is the greatest picture book ever written. He just need to see the pictures in your head. That's where they need to be your playing the movie in your head. You're putting yourself in the story. That's a great picture book but it takes, it takes It takes concentration and study and love for God. Great picture book.

This year, I did not this year as the first time, but this year, I'm pointing out that the entire Bible is the Advent. The entire Bible as an advent calendar,

Crazy. Let's start the beginning. I'll put in the tea between you and the woman and he'll hand between your Offspring and her Offspring heel bruise, your head, serpent, But you'll bruise his heel. This is God speaking to this serpent. Is this anticipation of Christ's coming?

Heel bruise, your head will crush your head. You'll hurt him but you'll cry. He'll crush your head. Is that a Messianic expectation?

And then they will see the son of man coming in a cloud with power and great Glory. Now when these things begin to take play straighten up and raise your hands because your Redemption is Drawing Near Is that Messianic? When you see these things coming, these Hard Times, these difficult challenges. Praise God. Your Redemption is coming. Messianic Shirley, I'm coming soon.

The end of the book. Surely I am coming soon. Almost the last sentence. Advent. I'm coming.

What?

Maranatha, Maranatha, Maranatha Maranatha. One of them means he's come the other means, he's coming the same word just a slightly different pronunciation. Come Lord Jesus. You come Lord Jesus. We both part of Maranatha. Has a very popular word back in the 60s and 70s. Surely. I am coming soon so we cry out. Amen. Come Lord. Jesus, Miranda. It's not that weird here, but that's what we like to remember. That has the grace of the Lord be with us all. Amen. Amen Advan applications in this season. Meditate on the mysteries of Jesus. Incarnation is Nativity is Ministry on Earth, his death is resurrection, his Ascension, the sending of his holy spirit, that's a lot to meditate on. But this is a good season to think about it. Consider, what was in place before his coming as a human being prophecies, etcetera. I've given you $50 40 of giving you 40. I think it's 40.

49. Lock 50. Sporting. I get, I've giving you 40 prophecies from the Jews for Jesus. Is that a complete list? No one Scholars, create a list over 500? Another scholar says, no, it's not 500/400. So, there's lots of different, lots of different prophecies. You can read almost any verse in the Bible and come up with it, necessary for this to have happened in order for Jesus to come. It's beautiful. Think about these things in this season, how many births you come up with, think about it? Was this a verse that needed to be in place before Jesus came Maybe. If it's just maybe that's fine, consider everything must be in place before. His second coming is privacy of reflect on and take active steps toward improving relations with one another. This is the most important thing in this season. We can become very adversarial about opinions and positions and politics and all kinds of things don't do that in this season. This is a season God's trying to help you to learn to be in. Good relationship with one another with your family members and with each other and with even those who don't know the Lord, this is a good season to do that. If you don't focus on that and any other season, this is a good season to do it. The Lord. We ask your blessing on us as we depart from this place. We thank you for these ideas and we are. Thank you for helping me to get through this. And I pray that it is a blessing to some ask this in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.