MAC KIRK

 Jan 1. Holy Name of Jesus Numbers 6:22-27  2nd Sunday After Christmas Galatians 4:4-7 or Philippians 2:5-11/ Philippian 2: 9-13 Luke 2:15-21 Psalm 8 Names are important, and titles as well. They have meaning and significance. Luke records that the child born to Mary would be called, “Jesus” which means literally savior (1:31). Of course during Advent and Christmas Eve we heard the reading from Isaiah 7 . “ the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Vs 14 ---literally “ God with us.” Today we read from Luke 2 paying special attention to vs. 21, “ on the 8th day , when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.” Genesis 17 says this was an obligation of covenantal that is believing families, “ every male among you shall be circumcised.” 17:10 We remember from last week’s meditation that Jesus was born in a manger for there was no room in the house /inn. His mother put swa

 Christmas ---" What I Wish You Knew" I wonder if we can relate to the real Christmas story. Somehow it becomes a far off event with a Star, a Manger, an Inn, a baby ( the Christ child) , Mary, Joseph, ( even though we try with the Mangers and the real animals and all the celebrations..) etc... our world does not seem any different at all. We have the same things happening, crisis at the border; crisis in our lives with ill health; people who are lonely ( loss of loved ones due to something even separation or death). We see the manger from afar . Christmas is to us somewhat of a story that does not come down to our daily struggles. There are angels. They are saying," Glory to God to in the highest and peace on earth to men. "This is a rare event in our world ---such a wonderful event. People have problems today. They have always had them, haven't they? A casual friend of mine who took a church I did not retired recently. His wife for some reason ( which he never

  1928 Prayer Book Alliance ADVENT SEASON   The Fourth Sunday in Advent December 19, 2021 Advent -- Joyous Anticipation, Self-Renewal The Fourth Sunday in Advent. The Collect. O LORD, raise up, we pray thee, thy power, and come among us, and with great might succour us; that whereas, through our sins and wickedness, we are sore let and hindered in running the race that is set before us, thy bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be honour and glory, world without end.  Amen -- page 95, The 1928 Book of Common Prayer With the Fourth Sunday in Advent, we draw closer to the day of his coming, the day foretold approximately 7 centuries earlier by the prophet Esaias. John the Baptist spoke of this prophecy, made an astonishing length of time before it was to come true. The Baptist's words are recounted by St. John in The Gospel reading for Advent IV: ". . . I am the voice of one crying in the

  Stress for " 4th Sunday in Advent"   Stress     Who was one of the best generals of the Civil war?   Without a doubt it was Stonewall Jackson of the Confederacy.   One time though even he did not accomplish the mission in time.   When he was supposed to come to the aid of Lee in 1862 to defend Richmond   , he was oddly late.   " He did not try and fail.   He simply made no effort...He spent the 29th of June in camp in disregard of Lee's instructions, and he spent the 30th in equal idleness   at White Oak Swamp .   His 25,000 infantry practically did not fire a shot in the two days." Best little Stories from the Civil war. Kelly.   Apparently according to one civil war historian Jackson had was totally exhausted from the previous ten days of his "whirlwind Shenandoah Valley campaign."   Medical finding in 1960 said this was the effect of stress .      All of us are subject to this.   We can go along with what we think is the right action and t

 Rejoice “ Always rejoice” I Thess. 5:16 ---3rd Sunday of Advent O LORD Jesus Christ, who at thy first coming didst send thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee; Grant that the ministers and stewards of thy mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at thy second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in thy sight, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen.   The First Sunday in Advent (to be said throughout Advent) ALMIGHTY God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and

 God Speaks in our New Church Year Advent How Should We Begin a New Church Year of Advent? Luke 1:5-25 Today's Gospel that we will consider is about Zacharias , Elisabeth and the birth of a child, that was unexpected. (John the Baptist) " And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren." 1:7 Not only that but they were both quite old. " well stricken in years. This account today is for us as we contemplate the spiritual lives we sometimes feel that we are going through the motions. In the silence of our meditation, God does hear and know, and He acts. I Corinthians 2:9 came to my mind, " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." God wishes our silence and our trust. I like this:" We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars

  Freedom. One of the Six Marks of a Christian Today's Letter to the Romans describes freedom. Romans 8:2- "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." What a positive statement that should govern our lives and our conduct. We know that freedom is not free. How often we have heard that. Yet because of the freedom we have in Christ's fulfillment of the law of God for us, we are able to live new lives. Another Scripture that talks about what this means is from Galatians 6:17," From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of our Lord Jesus Christ." What does it mean for the Christian to bear the marks of Jesus Christ? That is what the Apostle said after his long letter to the Galatians to live in the freedom that Christ had ransomed them into. Freedom in Christ is not freedom to do what we want any longer only. We are bound to Him by our love and our conduct in relationship to others.

 4th Mark of the Christian- Humility " For Humility- ' O LORD GOD,  before whom the publican was justified, give unto thy servants humility of soul, and modesty of behaviour, that our looks be not proud, not our thoughts arrogant, but that being refrained from all vanity and pride, and our affections weaned from great opinions and love of ourselves, we may ever trust in thy mercy, and follow the example of our blessed Master, Jesus Christ our Lord. ' " Amen.  A Free Church Book of Common Prayer, 1929. " ..the most difficult of all the marks of a Christian, and yet one that is the most essential and characteristic.  It is humility." Shatford "Be humble or you'll stumble. " D.L. Moody. 1If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3Let nothing be done through stri

 Patience in the Six Marks of a Christian " Six Marks of a Christian"- Patience Gospel for today Matthew 13:24-30;34... gives us a parable about heaven. Wheat and tares look alike. They are so alike in the initial stages if you pluck you will take out wheat when you mean to take out the poisonous weeds, tares in KJV. The story goes we must not pluck out the weeds/tares because they grow along with the wheat and we may mistakenly take out wheat."Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn." Matthew 13:30 The harvest is the end of time when " The Son of Man shall send forth his angels..." Judgment will come. " There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth" V. 43 " Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." We should learn to be patient then as the account above see

  Take Courage Take Courage. BE not afraid. It is I. Matthew 14:27 WORDS OF WISDOM “Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.” GEORGE ADDAIR We are afraid. We look over the side of the bridge or the height and we feel as though we are going to fall. We have a sickening feeling in our stomach. The air is gone. There is no interest in continuing. We feel alone. What drives us into this feeling? How do we get there? What is missing ? Jesus would say we are missing courage. Courage is not the absence of fear but an emboldening from within. It is the warming of the heart..... Tharsos=Courage-tharséō (from the root thar-, "bolstered because warmed up," derived from /thársos, "emboldened from within") – properly, bolstered within which supports unflinching courage – literally, to radiate warm confidence (exude "social boldness") because warm-hearted. Biblehub " It is when we take our eyes off from Him and think of our own weakness, and worr

  Loyalty in Marks of the Christian Message for Sunday  Romans 8; Parable Matthew 13:44.. "Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you." — St. Augustine Today we continue thinking about the six marks of the Christian: " Loyalty, Courage, Patience, Humility, Freedom & Generosity" The quote above reminds us that being a Christian depends on God's call. Romans 8 says that in the Epistle lesson. God was loyal to us before we believed. We have been called to know Him. Salvation is of the LORD. God is loyal to us when we were in unbelief. Romans 4: 11 tells us that Abraham was reckoned as righteous when he was in uncircumcision. 4:10 Romans 8 talks about a calling through God's predestination. Whatever we think that says we know it is clearly teaching that God gives us eternal life. He foreknew that He would call us . We say this is God's work on our behalf even before we believed through the call of the Holy Spirit