HE+ Came to BE PROCLAIMED... By a MIGHTY ONE... Advent Meditations 2015... for the Monastic-At-Heart

Who was the first to PROCLAIM The LORD'S Coming ?

Luke 1:19

And the angel answering said

unto [ John the baptist],  him

I am Gabriel,

that stand in

the Presence of GOD;

and am sent to speak unto thee,

and to shew

thee these glad tidings.

An angel ! A "MIGHTY ONE OF GOD" was sent to proclaim the Coming of the MESSIAH+ !  Angel-to-man, face to face, Gabriel --- whose very name means "Mighty one of GOD" --- proclaimed these glad tidings to an astonished priest in the Temple at Jerusalem.

Gabriel, who IS    STILL   STANDING in the Presence of GOD, was specifically sent to announce this GOOD news:

NOW the appointed time had arrived for the advent of the Jewish MESSIAH+ Who+ was to Redeem Israel.

This news was the "GLAD TIDINGS" this Divine Messenger, Gabriel, was sent from before the Presence of GOD to bring to this earthly priest of the lineage of Aaron and Levi. 

Gabriel appeared to Zachariah (KJV: Zacharias), this humble and righteous priest as Zachariah performed his role in the Temple at Jerusalem to burn incense.

This Divine Messenger sent directly from the Throne Room of The LORD spoke to Zachariah about the role he, Zachariah, would perform in the Coming of the MESSIAH+,  our LORD JESUS.

 

Luke 1: 13-16

But the Angel said unto him,

Fear not, Zacharias: 

for thy prayer is heard; 

and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, 

and thou shalt call his name John.

And thou shalt have joy and gladness; 

and many shall rejoice at his birth.

For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, 

and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; 

and he shall be filled with the HOLY SPIRIT, 

even from his mother’s womb.

And many of the children of Israel 

shall he turn to the LORD their GOD.

Luke 1:17

And he [ John the Baptist, the son of Zacahriah ] shall go before HIM+

in the spirit and power of Elijah,

to turn the hearts

of the fathers to the children,

and the disobedient

to the wisdom of the just;

to make ready

a people prepared for the LORD.

Gabriel faithfully performed the proclamation to Zachariah the priest of his role to prepare a People for The LORD, the Coming MESSIAH+. 

Zachariah, humble and righteous as he was (Luke 1:6) , met the Angel's  announcement with unbelief, which only lasted a few seconds until he was struck dumb and judgment was pronounced upon him for his lack of faith.

Now, we KNOW our Righteous and Holy LORD is totally all-knowing and totally fair in all His Ways. The LORD knew Zachariah was troubled and feared ( Luke 1:12) at Gabriel's announcement.

The LORD graciously allowed Gabriel to address those fears, showing Zachariah that his prayers had been heard and answered. 

Obviously, only The LORD could hear prayers of the heart; only The LORD could address them. 

Zachariah would also know full well the account of Abraham and Sarah having a child of the Promise when they were past the years of child-bearing.

Thus, our All-knowing and Always Fair LORD knew Zachariah  COULD HAVE CHOSEN TO BELIEVE  the Angel sent to him.   Zachariah had enough witness and comforting words to know this angelic being was Divinely sent by The LORD.

Zacharias CHOSE

NOT to believe.

The LORD knew what Zacharias chose.

HE+ knows 

what we choose, too.

Daily. Hourly. In every instance. With every thought.  In every conversation, HE+ knows our choice: The LORD... or ... Self,  faith ... or ... unbelief,  Righteousness ... or ... sin.   

Let us Pray:

O LORD  GOD, Ruler of the Universe, forgive me for my deliberate choices made apart from Thy+ Will.  I know better.

Thy+ Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. I have no excuse for choosing Self, Sin, Un-righteousness in any form.

Cleanse me of my self-will; I do not demand more proof of Thy+ Love and Thy+ Care for me. I can walk rightly before THEE+, O  GOD,  with what I have at my fingertips: Thy+ Holy Word. 

In Thy+ Light, can I see LIGHT+. 

Help my eye to be single, that my being may be full of Light,  O LIGHT+ of the World, CHRIST JESUS.

In Whose+ Name and by Whose+ Grace I even exist.

Amen. 

  

Advent Meditation #22

To this end was I+ born

and for this cause came I+

into the world...

...that I +  should bear witness
unto The Truth.
Every one that is of
 the Truth heareth My+ Voice.



HE hath shown strength with HIS arm;

HE hath scattered the proud

in the imagination of their hearts.

HE has put down

the mighty from their seats,

and exalted them of low degree.

Luke 1: 51, 52

Amen and Amen !

Listen to the Word of The LORD, from the Prophet Obadiah, chapter 1:3,4 ...

The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou, who dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high, who saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground ?

Though thou exalt thyself like the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, from there will I+ bring thee down, saith The LORD.

And from the Prophet Joel, chapter 3: 

Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision; for the Day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. 

The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. 

The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter His Voice from Jerusalem, and the Heavens and the earth shall shake; but The LORD will be the hope of His people, and the strength of the children of Israel. 

And from the Prophet Zachariah, chapter 12... 

And in that day will I+ make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all peoples; all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the nations of the earth be gathered together against it. 

And it shall come to pass,in that day, that I+ will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 

And from the Prophet Malachi, chapter 3...

But who may abide the day of His+ Coming? And who shall stand when HE+ appeareth?  For HE+ is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap. 

MEDITATION

Come, O  come, and fill this temple with the Glory of The LORD!

We are hungry for Your+ Touch; we love YOU+ very much. We delight to proclaim the Name of JESUS.

 Forgive us, LORD,  for grieving YOU+ and make our hearts anew with the fire and power of Pentecost.

Come, YES, COME... and fill this temple with the Glory of YOU+ , LORD !  

Advent Meditations 2012

Whom are they seeking?

ADVENT MEDITATIONS 2012

~ ~ ~ The All-Encompassing GOD ~ ~ ~

Luke 1:26-55

Meditation 3

28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

The Hebrew virgin Mariam ~ Bitterness and Grief ~ was visited by the Angel Gabriel, a mighty warrior angel.  Mariam was peculiarly greeted as an honored person.

Not even Daniel was greeted like this when Gabriel visited him, twice! Neither was Zachariah so greeted.

Indeed, this was VERY strange that a simple, "rustic" Galilean young virgin would be addressed so honorably.

"Hail" is used in place of an honorable greeting like, "Cheer!"  or "Health!" or "Be Well!" 

Good news it is indeed when a great and mighty warrior who stands in the Presence of GOD  ( Luke 1:19) greets a little human being like that ! 

It is the ONLY place in Scripture that an Angel so addresses a human being in those terms. The young Hebrew virgin Mariam had HIS divine approval ! 

Meditation:

O GOD Who is the LORD of the most powerful, most divine armies in the Universe, be pleased to look upon this little human being... me.

Gracious ONE Who sent forth Thy mighty Angel to little Mariam, send, I beseech THEE, Thy ministering spirit to encamp round about little me, also.

Return to me an innocent trust, a pure faith,  like Thy chosen Hebrew virgin had, which won Thy approval to bear the CHRIST CHILD...  that approval which was so strongly placed upon this young Hebrew virgin that even the Angels knew it.

Help me with purity, O LORD. Purity of thought, purity of motive, purity of love.

With thankfulness unending, for receiving me, O LORD, I pray this in the Name of JESUS, Thy HOLY SON+, Our LORD.

+  +  +