Happy (Church) New Year!

[msethsmile]

Its the start of a new church year with Advent (Coming).
Advent season: Coming of Christ into our world in a manger, Coming of Christ into our hearts, Coming of Christ on the Last Day to gather His elect.

We start the new year with a new series of texts--this year its the Psalms--uh oh.
Psalm 24:1-5 Revised Standard Version (RSV)

Entrance into the Temple

A Psalm of David.

24 The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein;
² for he has founded it upon the seas,
and established it upon the rivers.

³ Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
⁴ He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false,
and does not swear deceitfully.
⁵ He will receive blessing from the Lord,
and vindication from the God of his salvation.


1. v1&2--God's credentials. The foundation to the Bible and our salvation, God--the creator.
2. There is a war on truth. Truth is, we deserve God's wrath. None among us is pictured in v3&4. We can't earn forgiveness which leads to despair/denial.
3. v3&4--Christ earns our forgiveness. His clean hands and pure heart become ours (alien righteousness). Christ earned our righteousness by leading a perfect life and dying as a perfect sacrifice on the cross. This was validated in His resurrection (acceptable to God as payment/proper sacrifice).

The world denies creation which denies accountability. Christ was held accountable for our sins. God will not sweep sin under the rug or be a good ol' boy and blow it off. Someone has to pay--Christ became sin and suffered hell for us.

Please read Acts 17:24ff.
Where are you from? You were created by a loving decision in the fatherheart of God. Why are you here? To praise God and proclaim His truth. Where are you going? You are going home, to reside with God forever. Thanks be to Christ.

[sdbrison]

Matthew 21 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Triumphal Entry

21 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5 “Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt,[a] the foal of a beast of burden.’”

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

[msethsmile]

Ya, ya--the Gospel text for 1st Sunday of Advent, (1st of new year, 1st of festival half of year, 1st of Christmas season) is Matt 21. A Palm Sunday text. Huh? The earth receives her King. This is a bridge from the last Sunday of the year (last week)--King of Kings Sunday.

For those dying to know; Epistle lesson is Rom 13:11-14 about being clothed in Christ, repentance. OT lesson Jer 33:14-18; about God raising from David's line a righteous branch. This is the name He will be called: "The LORD Our Righteousness." (see #3 on my post)

Jeremiah was 600 years before Christ. Yet, he saw clearly what Christ meant to Israel, to Judah, to him, and to us. Christ fulfilled this prophecy and many others. What are the odds that only the tribe of Judah would be intact and more specifically David's line at the time of Christ? All the other 11 tribes were absorbed, carried off, or destroyed (plague, starvation, sword). The other tribes failed to remain in God's word. They worshiped man made idols--just like us sometimes. God remains true to His promises in spite of their/our sinfulness. Good news. Where there is forgiveness of sins there is eternal life.

BTW, Judah wasn't any better than the northern tribes--but God promised Christ would come from Judah. God picked Judah out of grace. Sounds familiar, anytime we look in the mirror.

[digthemup]

Ya, ya--the Gospel text for 1st Sunday of Advent, (1st of new year, 1st of festival half of year, 1st of Christmas season) is Matt 21. A Palm Sunday text. Huh? The earth receives her King. This is a bridge from the last Sunday of the year (last week)--King of Kings Sunday.

For those dying to know; Epistle lesson is Rom 13:11-14 about being clothed in Christ, repentance. OT lesson Jer 33:14-18; about God raising from David's line a righteous branch. This is the name He will be called: "The LORD Our Righteousness." (see #3 on my post)

Jeremiah was 600 years before Christ. Yet, he saw clearly what Christ meant to Israel, to him, and to us. Christ fulfilled this prophecy and many others. What are the odds that only the tribe of Judah would be intact and more specifically David's line at the time of Christ? All the other 11 tribes were absorbed, carried off, or destroyed (plague, starvation, sword). The other tribes failed to remain in God's word. They worshiped man made idols--just like us sometimes. God remains true to His promises in spite of their/our sinfulness. Good news. Where there is forgiveness of sins there is eternal life.

BTW, Judah wasn't any better than the northern tribes--but God promised Christ would come from Judah. God picked Judah out of grace. Sounds familiar, anytime we look in the mirror.

GOD picked Judah out of the promise He first made to Abraham and second onto David, so GOD's word was steadfast. Judah was carried off and much of it was destroyed by plague, famine and sword, with a residue left mostly in Jerusalem, which is where Nehemiah started rebuilding under Artaxerxes,which had started under Cyrus the great, deliverer of the Jews and Darius (Ezra 3-4).

[msethsmile]

"Great is your faithfulness." Lam 3:23b