MAC KIRK

 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