{"id":3514,"date":"2017-12-19T00:13:36","date_gmt":"2017-12-18T23:13:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/?p=3514"},"modified":"2017-12-19T00:26:44","modified_gmt":"2017-12-18T23:26:44","slug":"2017-advent-joy-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2017\/12\/19\/2017-advent-joy-3\/","title":{"rendered":"2017: Advent Joy #3"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\n(Photo: Lindy Twaddle)
\n <\/p>\n

JOY TO THE WORLD<\/em><\/p>\n

Luke 2:8-12<\/a>  (The Voice)<\/span><\/h3>\n

8<\/sup> Nearby, in the fields outside of Bethlehem, a group of shepherds were guarding their flocks from predators in the darkness of night. 9<\/sup> Suddenly a messenger of the Lord stood in front of them, and the darkness was replaced by a glorious light \u2014 the shining light of God\u2019s glory. They were terrified!<\/p>\n

Messenger: <\/strong> 10<\/sup> Don\u2019t be afraid! Listen! I bring good news, news of great joy, news that will affect all people everywhere. 11<\/sup> Today, in the city of David, a Liberator has been born for you! He is the promised Anointed One, the Supreme Authority! 12<\/sup> You will know you have found Him when you see a baby, wrapped in a blanket, lying in a feeding trough.<\/p>\n

Reflection<\/h3>\n

On Christmas Day we often sing the Christmas Hymn, Joy to the world, the Lord has come<\/em>. What is it that we are celebrating on Christmas morning? <\/p>\n

Firstly, we celebrate God’s faithfulness<\/em>; the Messiah is promised through all of the Old Testament from the book of Genesis to the words of the prophet Malachi. It is a great testament to God’s faithfulness that he fulfilled his long-term promise of sending the Messiah, by giving us his only eternal Son, incarnate in Jesus of Nazareth. <\/p>\n

Next we remember God’s perfect thoughtfulness<\/em>. When you seek out a Christmas gift for someone, it can take a lot of thought and effort to find the appropriate item. God is thoughtful and kind to humanity by choosing the most appropriate gift of all. He chooses his precious Son to be our perfect Saviour, the only one who can forgive our sins and give us the hope of resurrection life. No other being could do that for us; only God the Son Incarnate in Christ was equipped to fulfil this task for us. We rejoice in God’s perfect thoughtfulness. <\/p>\n

Next, God is persistent<\/em> in his love for us. When we reject that love and go our own way or cave into temptation, he seeks us out again and again until we turn towards him and seek the restored relationship with him that deep down we crave.<\/p>\n

Lastly, God is generous in his grace<\/em> for us. So often we think of Christ\u2019s sacrificial death on the Cross as the ultimate expression of God’s grace towards us. Yet if God had not given us the gift of his incarnate Son, there would have been no Cross.<\/p>\n

Praying the psalms<\/h3>\n

2<\/sup> Our mouths were filled with laughter;
\n our tongues were spilling over into song.
\nThe word went out across the prairies and deserts,
\n across the hills, over the oceans wide, from nation to nation:
\n\u201cThe Eternal has done remarkable things for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

3<\/sup> We shook our heads. All of us were stunned \u2014
\nthe Eternal has done remarkable things for us.
\n We were beyond happy, beyond joyful.<\/p>\n

4<\/sup> And now, Eternal One, some are held captive and poor.
\n Release them, and restore our fortunes
\n as the dry riverbeds of the South spring to life
\nwhen the rains come at last.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Psalm 126:2-4<\/a> (The Voice)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nXTRA XTRA XTRA<\/em>
\nChurch of Scotland Advent Calendar<\/strong><\/a>
\nJourney daily with characters in the Nativity through video, reflection and prayer\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Photo: Lindy Twaddle)   JOY TO THE WORLD Luke 2:8-12  (The Voice) 8 Nearby, in the fields outside of Bethlehem, a group of shepherds were guarding their flocks from predators in the darkness of night. 9 Suddenly a messenger of the Lord stood in front of them, and the darkness was replaced by a glorious … Continue reading “2017: Advent Joy #3”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[13,14,99],"tags":[96,100],"class_list":["post-3514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible","category-meditation","category-psalms","tag-advent-2017","tag-joy"],"yoast_head":"\n2017: Advent Joy #3 - Prayer matters<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"On Christmas Day we often sing the Christmas Hymn, 'Joy to the world, the Lord has come'. 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Reflection The gospel of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "bible"","block_context":{"text":"bible","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/bible\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/leaf_with_holes.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/leaf_with_holes.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/leaf_with_holes.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/leaf_with_holes.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3104,"url":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2017\/12\/02\/2017-advent-faith-1\/","url_meta":{"origin":3514,"position":1},"title":"2017: Advent Faith #1","author":"Irene Bom","date":"December 2, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Medina\/Rabat, Malta (Photo: Irene Bom) During our Presbytery meeting in Malta a few months ago I recruited three of my colleagues (and one spouse) to join me in putting together a series of daily posts for Advent 2017 (December 3 to 24). Rev. Laurence Twaddle, minister in Geneva, will kick\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "bible"","block_context":{"text":"bible","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/bible\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/medina_malta.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/medina_malta.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/medina_malta.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/medina_malta.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16815,"url":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2025\/12\/02\/joy-despite-everything\/","url_meta":{"origin":3514,"position":2},"title":"Joy, despite everything","author":"Irene Bom","date":"December 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. Isaiah 35:10 \u00a0 \u00a0 source: BBC news \u00a0 News from St Andrew's Scots Kirk, Columbo Lakshmi writes, On the church property a small tree had fallen. Except for two people in our congregation who had water\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "on the news"","block_context":{"text":"on the news","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/on-the-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/sri_lanka_emergency_800.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/sri_lanka_emergency_800.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/sri_lanka_emergency_800.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/sri_lanka_emergency_800.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3499,"url":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2017\/12\/17\/2017-advent-joy-1\/","url_meta":{"origin":3514,"position":3},"title":"2017: Advent Joy #1","author":"Andrew Gardner","date":"December 17, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"(Photo: Lindy Twaddle) On this third Sunday of Advent, we begin a new mini-series, this time on Advent Joy, featuring reflections by Rev. Andrew Gardner of the Scots Kirk in Brussels. YOU SHALL GO OUT WITH JOY Isaiah 55:12-13 \u00a0(The Voice) 12 For you will go out in joy, be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "bible"","block_context":{"text":"bible","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/bible\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/tree_house_cows.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/tree_house_cows.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/tree_house_cows.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/tree_house_cows.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3506,"url":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2017\/12\/18\/2017-advent-joy-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":3514,"position":4},"title":"2017: Advent Joy #2","author":"Andrew Gardner","date":"December 18, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"(Photo: Lindy Twaddle) \u00a0 SURPRISED BY JOY 1 Peter 1:8-9 \u00a0(The Voice) 8 Although you haven\u2019t seen Jesus, you still love Him. Although you don\u2019t yet see Him, you do believe in Him and celebrate with a joy that is glorious and beyond words. 9 You are receiving the salvation\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "bible"","block_context":{"text":"bible","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/bible\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/flowers_and_fountain.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/flowers_and_fountain.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/flowers_and_fountain.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/flowers_and_fountain.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13598,"url":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2022\/12\/17\/in-the-school-of-prayer-with-the-seven-great-os-of-advent\/","url_meta":{"origin":3514,"position":5},"title":"In the school of prayer with the Seven Great ‘O’s of Advent","author":"Irene Bom","date":"December 17, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 My local church - Scots International Church Rotterdam - organised a series of evening services during the season of Advent this year to further explore our theme of \"Light in the Darkness\" through music, prayer and candle light. On 11 December I incorporated a special focus on a liturgical\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "prayer"","block_context":{"text":"prayer","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/prayer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/I-am-coming-soon.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/I-am-coming-soon.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/I-am-coming-soon.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Andrew Gardner","author_link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/author\/andrew-gardner\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/bible\/\" rel=\"category tag\">bible<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/meditation\/\" rel=\"category tag\">meditation<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/psalms\/\" rel=\"category tag\">psalms<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"(Photo: Lindy Twaddle)   JOY TO THE WORLD Luke 2:8-12  (The Voice) 8 Nearby, in the fields outside of Bethlehem, a group of shepherds were guarding their flocks from predators in the darkness of night. 9 Suddenly a messenger of the Lord stood in front of them, and the darkness was replaced by a glorious…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3514"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3514\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}