by Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts
May you have a blessed Advent season! For more information This Advent Calendar |
|
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Psalm 80:1-7 |
|
May you have a blessed Advent season! For more information This Advent Calendar |
|
The people who walked in darkness Isaiah 9:2 |
|
May you have a blessed Advent season! For more information This Advent Calendar
|
|
Sudanese refugees from the region of Darfur, where over 1.5 million people have been forced to leave their homes, and countless others have been killed. An Advent Prayer Psalm 74:10-12 |
|
May you have a blessed Advent season! For more information This Advent Calendar
|
|
May you have a blessed Second Sunday of Advent! I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, |
|
May you have a blessed Advent season! For more information This Advent Calendar
|
|
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, Isaiah 35:1-10 |
|
May you have a blessed Advent season! For more information This Advent Calendar
|
|
A scene from the classic A Charlie Brown Christmas The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The LORD is our righteousness.” Jeremiah 23:5-6 |
|
May you have a blessed Advent season! For more information This Advent Calendar
|
|
The U.S.S. West Virginia and the U.S.S. Tennessee burn In days to come Isaiah 2:2-4 |
|
May you have a blessed Advent season! For more information This Advent Calendar
|
|
|
|
May you have a blessed Advent season! For more information This Advent Calendar
|
|
Today is the release of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the film version of C.S. Lewis's classic tale. For I am about to create new heavens |
|
May you have a blessed Advent season! For more information This Advent Calendar
|
|
Among my favorite Christmas ornaments, one of my daughter on her first Christmas (left), and my young son as an angel (center), and something one of my kids made in school (right). Christmas is for children in more ways than one. A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, Isaiah 11:1-2, 6-7 |
|
11
May you have a blessed Advent season! For more information This Advent Calendar |
|
Last night's celebration of a Festival of Carols at Irvine Presbyterian Church. Based on the Lessons and Carols of Kings College, Cambridge, in England, this service features Scripture readings and lots of singing. Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness, Isaiah 51:1-5, 9-11 |
|
12
May you have a blessed Advent season! For more information This Advent Calendar |
|
The Junior High group from my church wrapped presents as a service project last Saturday. They did it in a local shopping plaza. It was free, with no donations accepted. It was simply a way for our kids to care for people, with no strings attached (but maybe some ribbons and bows). [Jesus said,] "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back." Luke 6:38 |
|
13
May you have a blessed Advent season! For more information This Advent Calendar |
|
Even my dog enjoys watching A Charlie Brown Christmas with my son. Do not remember the former things, Isaiah 43:18-21 |
|
14
May you have a blessed Advent season! For more information This Advent Calendar |
|
The Ghost of Christmas Present, a colored version of the original illustration by John Leech (1843) Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8 |
|
15
May you have a blessed Advent season! For more information This Advent Calendar |
|
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14 |
|
16
May you have a blessed Advent season! For more information This Advent Calendar |
|
A scene from the 1954 Christmas classic, White Christmas, starring Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby. Ironically, the song "White Christmas" was first sung by Crosby, not in this movie, but in the 1942 film, Holiday Inn.
|
|
17
May you have a blessed Advent season! For more information This Advent Calendar |
|
Decorating our Christmas tree with the whole family. (There's nothing like a spontaneous, unposed picture!) Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it; Isaiah 44:23 |
|
18
May you have a blessed Advent season! For more information This Advent Calendar |
|
"Dream of St. Joseph" by Rembrandt, c. 1650 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: Matthew 1:18-25 |
|
19
May you have a blessed Advent season! For more information This Advent Calendar |
|
"Annunciation" by Fra Angelico, 1450 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. Luke 1:26-37 |
|
20
May you have a blessed Advent season! For more information This Advent Calendar |
|
My son, Nathan, and daughter, Kara, with their cousin, Declan, at the Newport Beach Boat Parade. Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures. James 1:17-18 |
|
21
May you have a blessed Advent season! For more information This Advent Calendar |
|
Today is my son's 13th birthday. Yikes! He came home from the hospital on Christmas Eve, 1992. The picture was taken moments after he arrived home. What a marvelous Christmas present he was (and is still)! For unto us a child is born; |
|
22
May you have a blessed Advent season! For more information This Advent Calendar |
|
On Christmas Eve my church now has two services for younger children and families. In years past we did one service that featured a living Nativity scene, using some family from the church that had a newborn infant. In 1994 we were chosen, since Kara was seven weeks old. We were pretty nervous about this, however, because Kara always got really cranky at just the time when the service was to be held. We feared that she would cry uncontrollably for the whole time. But, astoundingly, she not only didn't get cranky, but didn't make a peep! And from then on she was cured of evening crankiness. The little Lord Jesus, no crying she makes? Hmmm. “See, the home of God is among mortals. |
|
23
May you have a blessed Advent season! For more information This Advent Calendar |
|
" Legend of St Francis: 13. Institution of the Crib at Greccio" by Giotto (1297-1300). This fresco commemorates one of the oldest living nativity scenes organized by St. Francis. I love the pictures of the folks singing carols. Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; Isaiah 49:13-18 |
|
24
May you have a blessed Advent season! For more information This Advent Calendar |
|
An actual manger (feed and water trough) found in an archeological site in Israel (Megiddo). This could well be the sort of "bed" that cradled the infant Jesus. Image courtesy of www.HolyLandPhotos.org. A great website! And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. |
|
25
May you have a blessed Advent season! For more information This Advent Calendar |
|
The Nativity scene on my roof. About one-half of life-sized. O sing to the LORD a new song, Psalm 98 |