Click the picture or the link or
Copy and paste the link into your browser
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9VyT9sY_Dc
or search YouTube for Birth of Christ by Ignatius Press
“Now it came about in those days that a decree went out
from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while
Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all
were proceeding to register for the census, everyone to his own city.
“ And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of
Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he
was of the house and family of David, in order to register, along with Mary,
who was engaged to him, and was with child.
“And it came about that while they were there, the days
were completed for her to give birth.
And she gave birth to her first-born son; and she wrapped Him in cloths,
and laid Him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.”
Luke 2:1-7
Frederick Buechner wrote in The Hungering Dark (pp
13-14): The child born in the night
among beasts. The sweet breath and
steaming dung of beasts. And nothing is
ever the same again.
“Those who believe in God can never in a way be sure of Him
again. Once they have seen Him in a
stable, they can never be sure where He will appear or to what lengths He will
go or to what ludicrous depts of self-humiliation He will descend in His wild
pursuit of man …
“For those who believe in God, it means -- this birth -- that
God Himself is never safe from us, and maybe that is the dark side of
Christmas, the terror of the silence, He comes in such a way that we can always
turn Him down, as we could crack the baby’s skull like an eggshell or nail Him
up when He gets too big for that.”
Take care, your servant and friend in Christ, Darlene (who
prays for you each morning).
PPS: My statement of
faith: https://especiallyhislove.blogspot.com (also you will find a series of beginner
Bible studies there.). Also, you can find the WeakDay Devotion online by doing
a Google search for ‘WeakDay Devotion’.
(Also, there is an android ‘Goggle Blogger’ app you can download to read
them on your phone.)
COVID-19
Please pray for those dealing with and working to combat
this virus. Latest statistics:
·
33,766,126 reported cases
·
65,482 in serious condition
·
1,010,246 reported deaths (94% related to
pre-existing conditions)
NEW PRAYER REQUESTS
·
USA –
Pray the Lord will demonstrate His power in unexpected and uniting ways during
these times of unrest and confusion.
Help hearts settle and rest in Him alone. Let the truth of God’s Word and ways overcome
the drive to destroy our founding, Bible-based values. For Christ-centre, Bible-based revival in the
USA and religious freedom for Christians wherever they may be.
·
John McArthur –
has taken a stand to open his Bible-based church in California amid the
Covid-19 virus lock down. God seems to
be using this crisis to focus on His Truth in an unexpected way. Please pray for Pastor McArthur and those who
support him through this world and pray protection from all who would do him
harm.
·
Bun – thanksgiving
prayers as he began a new job yesterday.
Continue to pray to support him in this new position, for confidence and
peace to know God has placed him there.
Continue to pray he finds a patient and compassionate discipler , some faithful
Christian friends and a Bible-based, Christian counsellor to help him move on
from his past.
·
Bob –a
friend of my brother and sister-in-law who has just had a tragedy in his life,
that the Lord would use these recent experiences to help him realise his need
for the Lord Jesus Christ.
·
Peyton
- eldest granddaughter of Jeff and Rachael.
Pray for this lovely woman of God as she goes off to college, that she
remains safe and strong in her beliefs and convictions and continues to
encourage many with her loving faithfulness to the Lord.
·
Tracey’s Mom –
home now. Her ability to think clearly
and care for herself is weakening. Pray
for a home health carer to be found and that her loved ones will make time to
help her through this time.
·
Tracey –
as she deals with the difficulties of her Mom growing less able to care for
herself. Pray Tracey will pace herself
and cherish every moment with her Mom.
·
Hans –
a dear friend in Germany, responding well to immunotherapy for lung
cancer. Thank you for continuing to pray
for his healthcare providers, his patience and wisdom. Pray he is surrounded by faithful and
compassionate Christian friends who will support him through this journey. Pray for his Mom (age 83) is unwell herself,
that their time together will be filled with extraordinary good memories and lots
of love.
·
USA President
Donald Trump – As Christians it
is our responsibility to pray for our leaders and trust that God has a plan for
the USA through this man. If you doubt
the importance of his appointment, just look at the baseless antagonism against
him. Surely Satan is NOT happy and means to thwart God’s plan. Pray someone helps President Trump and Melania understand the true meaning of a
personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Pray they will both have an insatiable hunger to read God’s Word for
themselves. Pray God sends a
Bible-Believing Christian to regularly disciple them in the Truth. Pray God shuts the mouths of the false
prophets who regularly circle around them.
Pray for those in full-time service
During this time, when the entire world is struggling to understand this new ‘plague’, it is critical for us to uphold our Christian leaders. They will be needed everywhere. Pray for their wisdom, safety, ingenuity, strength and for their families.
Pray for those with ongoing health concerns
Many of us have family, friends and loved ones who are fragile health wise. It is important to protect them in practical ways and most important we must pray even more for them that the Lord will have mercy on them during this challenging time.
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