This has become an occasional blog, rather than a daily blog. Part of the reason is that I am now busier that when we were in Ho Chi Minh. However it is also because sometimes, such as the past couple of days, I just cannot get onto blogger.com - even though I get onto other websites. Anyway here I am today, on November 25th. Jan and I, before breakfast wished our children and grandchildren a Happy Thanksgiving (using skype). They (12 hours behind us) were just concluding their Thursday American Thanksgiving celebration.
My reading this morning was in Philippians 2, the wonderful passage about our Lord's humility, sacrifice and glorification. The first few verses of the chapter remind me of my decades long struggle to harness my "selfish ambition or vain conceit" and "in humility consider others better than myself." What a challenging passage; what an amazing model we are given.
Thinking of the Lord's humility, and preparing for the first Sunday of Advent; and since today marks just one month until Christmas, I turned to a couple of Christmas carols as part of my devotional time. I dialled up YouTube and enjoyed hearing "O Come, O Come Emmanuel". We do rejoice that He came to "ransom captive Israel" - and to be a "Light to the Nations".
We also are moved to pray "maranatha", "O Lord come" - again. Our world seems so helplessly out of control - witness the European financial mess; the apparently hopeless US Congress stalemate; the turbulence in Middle East countries; etc. Only one form of government, only one Ruler can ever "put things right." So we are moved to pray again: "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."
So we move into the Season of Advent, filled with joy and hope. We know the Saviour has come, and we know He will come again. Praise God.
My reading this morning was in Philippians 2, the wonderful passage about our Lord's humility, sacrifice and glorification. The first few verses of the chapter remind me of my decades long struggle to harness my "selfish ambition or vain conceit" and "in humility consider others better than myself." What a challenging passage; what an amazing model we are given.
Thinking of the Lord's humility, and preparing for the first Sunday of Advent; and since today marks just one month until Christmas, I turned to a couple of Christmas carols as part of my devotional time. I dialled up YouTube and enjoyed hearing "O Come, O Come Emmanuel". We do rejoice that He came to "ransom captive Israel" - and to be a "Light to the Nations".
We also are moved to pray "maranatha", "O Lord come" - again. Our world seems so helplessly out of control - witness the European financial mess; the apparently hopeless US Congress stalemate; the turbulence in Middle East countries; etc. Only one form of government, only one Ruler can ever "put things right." So we are moved to pray again: "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."
So we move into the Season of Advent, filled with joy and hope. We know the Saviour has come, and we know He will come again. Praise God.
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