The Praise Candle
A Time to Celebrate…
(Before you continue to the third candle, be sure to light the previous two candles and take some time to reflect on what each candle represents. Light the first, second, and now the third- the lighter colored candle. Remember to go through both the introduction for the week and Devotion One on the first day of a this new week.)
WEEK 3 INTRODUCTION
As you light the third candle, the Praise Candle, you will notice it is a lighter color than the two previous candles. The difference in color symbolizes the “lighter” side of life, the element of joy that Christ brings into our lives. What better way to celebrate the Christmas season than to spend time praising our Lord! In Bible times, the Jews took celebrating very seriously. They saw celebrations as opportunities to deepen their faith and recommit their lives to their God. Often times a wedding, for instance, would turn into a week long celebration focusing not only on the covenant made between a man and a woman, but also focusing on the covenant made between their forefather Abraham and their Jehovah God. So it can be with the Advent season for you and me. Not only can we celebrate the fulfilled promise of a Savior on Christmas Day, but we can also extend our Christmas day into a season of reflection, reminders, and rejoicing in all that we have in Him today and all that is still to come!
DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR WEEK THREE
(Continue your sequence of having your personal and daily devotions by candle-light.)
DEVOTION 1
PSALM 100
Psalm 100 is just one of many psalms that gives praises to our Lord Jesus who is one with God. As we do much thinking this Christmas Season about Jesus coming as a baby over 2000 years ago, let us also praise Him as our living Lord today. In this Psalm, we are instructed to thank Him, praise Him, and bless His name—if we consider ourselves the sheep of His pasture. He tells us here to enjoy our worship, let it be full of sincere joy, gladness, and thanksgiving! So lift up your voices this Christmas Season and sing those same old songs from your renewed heart; let each word be a gift to Him this
Christmas Season.
Now is a good time to sing, or at least read the words, to one of everyone’s favorite Christmas carols, Joy To the World!
“Joy to the World, The Lord has come! Let earth receive its King!
Let ev-‘ry heart pre-pare Him room, and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and
nature sing, And heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.
Joy to the earth, The Savior reigns; let men their songs em-ploy,
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains,
Repeat the sound-ing joy, re-peat the sound-ing joy. Re-peat , re-peat the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sor-rows grow, nor thorns infest the ground. He comes to make His bless-ings flow far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found, far as, far as, the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the na-tions prove
The glo-ries of His right-eous-ness, and wonders of His love, and wonders of His love, and won-ders, and won-ders of His love.”
- -Marilyn Williams
© Safe Harbor Ministries, Inc.
December 13, 2009
Marilyn Williams
Ministry of the Word
www.marilynwilliams.com
A Time to Celebrate…
(Before you continue to the third candle, be sure to light the previous two candles and take some time to reflect on what each candle represents. Light the first, second, and now the third- the lighter colored candle. Remember to go through both the introduction for the week and Devotion One on the first day of a this new week.)
WEEK 3 INTRODUCTION
As you light the third candle, the Praise Candle, you will notice it is a lighter color than the two previous candles. The difference in color symbolizes the “lighter” side of life, the element of joy that Christ brings into our lives. What better way to celebrate the Christmas season than to spend time praising our Lord! In Bible times, the Jews took celebrating very seriously. They saw celebrations as opportunities to deepen their faith and recommit their lives to their God. Often times a wedding, for instance, would turn into a week long celebration focusing not only on the covenant made between a man and a woman, but also focusing on the covenant made between their forefather Abraham and their Jehovah God. So it can be with the Advent season for you and me. Not only can we celebrate the fulfilled promise of a Savior on Christmas Day, but we can also extend our Christmas day into a season of reflection, reminders, and rejoicing in all that we have in Him today and all that is still to come!
DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR WEEK THREE
(Continue your sequence of having your personal and daily devotions by candle-light.)
DEVOTION 1
PSALM 100
Psalm 100 is just one of many psalms that gives praises to our Lord Jesus who is one with God. As we do much thinking this Christmas Season about Jesus coming as a baby over 2000 years ago, let us also praise Him as our living Lord today. In this Psalm, we are instructed to thank Him, praise Him, and bless His name—if we consider ourselves the sheep of His pasture. He tells us here to enjoy our worship, let it be full of sincere joy, gladness, and thanksgiving! So lift up your voices this Christmas Season and sing those same old songs from your renewed heart; let each word be a gift to Him this
Christmas Season.
Now is a good time to sing, or at least read the words, to one of everyone’s favorite Christmas carols, Joy To the World!
“Joy to the World, The Lord has come! Let earth receive its King!
Let ev-‘ry heart pre-pare Him room, and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and
nature sing, And heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.
Joy to the earth, The Savior reigns; let men their songs em-ploy,
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains,
Repeat the sound-ing joy, re-peat the sound-ing joy. Re-peat , re-peat the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sor-rows grow, nor thorns infest the ground. He comes to make His bless-ings flow far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found, far as, far as, the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the na-tions prove
The glo-ries of His right-eous-ness, and wonders of His love, and wonders of His love, and won-ders, and won-ders of His love.”
- -Marilyn Williams
© Safe Harbor Ministries, Inc.
December 13, 2009
Marilyn Williams
Ministry of the Word
www.marilynwilliams.com
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