Be Still...{Part 7 - Deepest Joy}

Does it seem strange that I am still living out my Advent (ure) leadings?  The ones that started with Joy to the World and this verse:

 

I'm sure the world has moved on at a much faster pace than I...on to New Year's resolutions and maybe even having fallen from them already!  I even have 4 of them myself - 4 that I was going to share, right after Advent...and still will...in this final week of January...

I think I have been living them, and they are resolves that are sticking - forming and transforming - 

I wonder at what may have seemed a failure to my perfectionistic bent in years gone by...last year my One Word was "contemplate".  A character trait He is still weaving deep within...perhaps that is why I continue on with the Advent(ure)?  Because the point is that His Presence has come - to remain, to abide...to "be still" and KNOW that He IS God.

I kept this quote from the December meanderings:

“Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee O Israel“.The miracle of Christmas is more than proof of God’s existence.It’s the miracle we need: the experience of God’s presence. 

“…no good thing does He withhold…” Ps. 84:11
And the good things in life are not health but holiness, not the riches of this world but relationship with God, not our plans but His presence —

He doesn’t withhold Jesus from us. And no matter where we are, we can always have as much of Jesus as we want.

We can always have as much of God as we want.

 Ann Voskamp

The definition of joy is immense...it was a question that began when I discovered that this use of joy is only in three verses of Scripture - Nehemiah 8:10, I Chronicles 16:27 and Ezra 6:16.  Each of these passages has to do with a dedication of the house of God.

Joy.

 chedvah: spelled in Hebrew (with very brief definitions):

 cheit - a (protecting) fence, an inner room

dalet - door

vav - a nail, peg (that holds or anchors)

hey - behold, breath of God

  And so I now have my own definition of joy:

So, simply said, true joy comes by first, life, new life, God's life (cheit), protected by God's presence... then comes the door (dalet), the entrance to that life, through Jesus... And it is when our earthly life is "hooked" or nailed together with God (vav), that our lives are made solid and secure... and our lives are infused with His breath (hey), His Presence within our hearts, my heart and my life can become the fragrance of His breath to others. 

True joy is when I become the temple of God.  The joy of the Lord is when I become His temple, His Spirit residing within...and that is the source of my strength as well...His Presence in me...

The pessimists say life is hard and won’t get better. The optimists say life is good or will be soon. But the believers say our hope is in Jesus whether life is hard or life is good, releasing the right to predict the future, holding on to God who comes to be with us now.                                                       A Thought about Pessimism and Optimism - by Emily at Chatting at the Sky 

Be Still... series:
Part 1 - Be Still
Part 2 - The Catalyst
Part 3 - Rumblings of the Silence Begin
Part 4 - Revelation Continues
Part 5 - A Nail that Holds and Anchors
Part 6 - Take a Breath, Breathe in God
Part 7 - Deepest Joy

Be still...{Part 6 - take a breath, breathe in God}

Joy.

 chedvah: spelled in Hebrew:

 cheit - a (protecting) fence, an inner room

dalet - door

vav - a nail, peg (that holds or anchors)

hey - behold, breath of God

Hey (prounounced "hay") is the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Its meaning is "look" or "behold", and there is a lot to look at and behold in this letter!

Hey:
- represents the divine breath, revelation, and light (which is said to correspond to this letter).  It represents the five senses and the "5 levels of the soul" in Hebrew tradition.

- represents God's Creative Power - "By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth" (Psalm 33:6). It is said that the "breath of His mouth" refers to the sound of the letter Hey - the outbreathing of Spirit.

- is a picture of the presence of God within the human heart. (See item 4 below).

- is also be a picture of returning to God by means of the transforming power of the Spirit.  (See 7 below)

All of this says to me, simply the mystery of "Christ in me", God living in me, His nature and divine power dwelling in my heart - proven by the very letters of God's chosen people's language!  He created the world, created man, and re-created our hearts when we turned to Him...breathing His life into mine.  Like Adam, He breathed new life into me...His breath in mine, every time I breathe, it is as if His breath is being inhaled, exhaled...truly:

'For in him we live and move and have our being.' Act 17:28

Be Still... series:
Part 1 - Be Still
Part 2 - The Catalyst
Part 3 - Rumblings of the Silence Begin
Part 4 - Revelation Continues
Part 5 - A Nail that Holds and Anchors
Part 6 - Take a Breath, Breathe in God
Part 7 - Deepest Joy

You can stop reading now or continue down to get more research below...
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From the site "Hebrew for Christians" - click here

 1. The Mystery of Hey - According to the Jewish mystics, Hey represents the divine breath, revelation, and light (the word "light" is mentioned five times on the first day of creation (Gen. 1:3-4), which is said to correspond to the letter Hey). Since the numerical value of Hey is five, this corresponds on a physical level to the five fingers, the five senses, and the five dimensions. On a spiritual level it corresponds to the five levels of soul: 

• Nefesh - instincts
• Ruach - emotions
• Neshamah - mind
• Chayah - bridge to transcendence
• Yechidah - oneness

2.  Hey represents God's Creative Power
"By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth" (Psalm 33:6). In the Talmud (Menachot 29b) it is said that the "breath of His mouth" refers to the sound of the letter Hey - the outbreathing of Spirit.  (More at the website).
  
3. Hey and the Divine Name
The Sacred Name, , includes two instances of the letter Hey.  

4. Hey and the Divine Presence
According to one midrash, Yod left Aleph to become part of Dalet, thus forming Hey. Since Aleph represents God and Dalet represents broken humanity, Hey is a picture of the presence of God within the human heart. This function of Hey can be seen when (Abram) was renamed to (Abraham) and (Sarai) was renamed to (Sarah).   

5.  Prefixive Hey
Hey functions as the definite article in Hebrew, a sort of demonstrative that points to the object and makes it concrete and definite. Thus (ish), a man, becomes (ha-ish), the man.  

6.  Suffixive Hey
Adding a Hey at the end of a noun "feminizes" it or allows it to be "fruitful" and reproductive.
  
7.  Hey and Teshuvah
Since Hey is formed from Dalet and Yod, it can also be a picture of returning to God by means of the transforming power of the Spirit. Dalet stands for brokenness, and Yod stands for a hand. Opening the door of the heart then is a picture of the Spirit of God indwelling the believer, and this image also coheres with the idea that part of Aleph (God) is joined with Dalet to form the Hey.

Be Still...{Part 5 - a nail that holds and anchors}

Joy.

 chedvah: spelled in Hebrew:

 cheit

dalet

vav - a nail, peg (that holds or anchors)

Vav (pronounced "vahv") looks like a tent peg and actually means hook, as a connecting hook used when the tabernacle was assembled.  The very first appearance of an idea, a principle, a word or even a letter holds significance in the original Biblical languages.  In the case of "vav" its first appearance in scripture is in Genesis 1:1 - its placement implying the connection between spiritual and earthly matters and as such, the vav represents the connecting force of God, the divine "hook" that binds together heaven and earth.

And it is when our earthly life is "hooked" or nailed together with God, that our lives are made solid and secure...

That hook?  How are we nailed together with God?  Through nails that held heaven to an earthly cross - the physical embodiment of "vav" in the person of Jesus!


Be Still... series:
Part 1 - Be Still
Part 2 - The Catalyst
Part 3 - Rumblings of the Silence Begin
Part 4 - Revelation Continues
Part 5 - A Nail that Holds and Anchors
Part 6 - Take a Breath, Breathe in God
Part 7 - Deepest Joy

You can stop reading now or continue down to get more research...it is really worth reading section "6 - The Vav, Messiah, and New Creation!
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Below is sections 4 and 6 of 'advanced information' about the letter "Vav" from the Hebrew for Christians website...click here to be taken to the site. 

4.  Vav is a picture of Man

Since Vav represents the number six, it has long been associated as the number of man in the Jewish tradition:

• Man was created on the sixth day
• Man works for six days - the realm of the chol and the mundane
• There are six millennia before the coming of the Mashiach
• The "beast" is identified as the "number of a man" - 666 (Rev 13:18)

6.  The Vav, Messiah, and New Creation
When God first created the "generations" of the heavens and the earth, the word toldot (תולדות) is used (Gen. 2:4).  This refers to created order before the sin and fall of Adam and Eve. After the fall of Adam, however, the word is spelled differently in the Hebrew text, with a missing letter Vav (i.e., as תלדות). Thereafter, each time the phrase, "these are the generations of" occurs in the Scriptures (a formulaic way of enumerating the generations of the heads of families), the word is spelled "defectively," with the missing Vav (ו). The Vav was "lost."  However, when we come to Ruth 4:18 the phrase: 'These are the generations of Perez' is spelled with the missing Vav restored (i.e., as  תולדות). In all of Scripture, the only two places where we see the restored spelling is in Genesis 2:4 and Ruth 4:18, which leads to the question as to what connection there might be between the creation of the heavens and the earth, the fall of mankind, and the creation of the family line of Perez? 

The name "Perez" (פרץ) means "breach" (from paratz, meaning "to break through").  God was going to "break through" the families of mankind in order to restore creation back to its original intent. The letter Vav represents man, and the very first Vav in the Torah is associated with the "first and last man" as seen in Genesis 1:1:



The Restored Vav is a picture of the Mashiach who would descend from the "generations" of Perez.  He would be the one to breach the gates of death on our behalf. Just as the original Vav was lost through the first Adam and his sin, so the Vav is restored the obedience of the "Second Adam," the Mashiach Yeshua.

Be still...{part 4 - revelation continues}

Joy. 
 chedvah: spelled in Hebrew: 
 chedvah

The second letter, dalet...
dalet - door, pathway

The pictograph for Dalet looks something like a closed (hanging) tent door, whereas the classical Hebrew script (ketav Ashurit) is constructed of two lines and a corner point (or overhang) called an "ear." The bent shape of the dalet symbolizes a needy person who is bent over.

Dalet (pronounced "Dah-let") - It is the fourth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, a sort of doorway to the first three letters, which represent The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit respectively.  Dalet represents lowliness and the consciousness of possessing nothing of one's own.  I cannot help but think of the description of Jesus in Philippians 2:6-8 as I consider this letter!

Who, being in very nature^a God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

7but made himself nothing,

taking the very nature^b of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

8And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

and became obedient to death—

even death on a cross!

One of the names Jesus calls Himself is "The Door" (John 10:7; 9)

From another viewpoint, Dalet as a door, also symbolically represents the choice to open ourselves to the hope of our dreams or to remain closed off and alienated.

So, simply said, true joy comes by first, life, God's life (cheit), then comes the door, the entrance to that life, through Jesus...

and this is just the first two letters!!!

Be Still... series:
Part 1 - Be Still
Part 2 - The Catalyst
Part 3 - Rumblings of the Silence Begin
Part 4 - Revelation Continues
Part 5 - A Nail that Holds and Anchors
Part 6 - Take a Breath, Breathe in God
Part 7 - Deepest Joy

You can stop reading now or continue down to get more research...

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The above definition is the highlights of the letter as I researched it.  What follows is the complete set of notes about the letter dalet from this website:  hebrew4christians.com...because, I rarely click over on links, and if you have the inkling to read the rest of the material, it will do for you what it did for me!

Dalet wasn't AS powerful as cheit for me, but the idea of the "door" and how that relates to Jesus has totally consumed me!

1.  Mysteries of Dalet
Dalet represents lowliness and the consciousness of possessing nothing of one's own. As a door Dalet also symbolically represents the choice to open ourselves to the hope of our dreams or to remain closed off and alienated.

The corner point represents the concept of bitul or spiritual self-nullification. Practice of bitul leads to humility, the doorway to God's house, which is attained by the technique known as devekut, cleaving or clinging to God.

 2.  Dalet and the Pardes
Traditional Jewish sages identify four levels of interpretation of the Scriptures, called  (pardes), an acronym formed from:

•  - P'shat (literal meaning based on historical intent of author)
• - Remez (hint, allusion, analogy, allegory)
• - D'rash (application, exposition)
• - Sod (mystery, "deep" meaning)

Indeed the word for knowledge, (da'at), means the "door on the eye" using the ancient pictographs.
  
3.  Dalet and the Torah
There are four letters to the Name of the LORD , just as there are four components of the text of Torah, including:

•  - Otiyot (letters). The 22 medial and 5 final forms of the Hebrew consonants.
• - Nikudot (vowel marks). The vowel marks added to the text.
• - Tagin (crowns). The crowned letters for the so-called Sha'atnezgets letters: Shin, 'Ayin, Tet, Nun, Zayin, Gimmel and Tzade.
• - Ta'amim. Cantillation (or trope) marks used for chanting the Torah.

 4.  Dalet and the Names and Titles of God

God is called dayan ha'emet, the True Judge.

Yeshua the Mashiach is indeed the True Judge whom the Father has given all authority over the destinies of mankind. 

5.  Dalet and the Doorway from Judah

Yeshua the Mashiach, of course, was of the tribe of Judah. Interestingly, the name for the tribe (yehudah) contains every letter of the Sacred Name except for the letter Dalet, suggesting that the door to the LORD would come through Judah.    

6. Dalet is a Picture of Humanity in need of Yeshua

The word for religion is (dat), which means the "door of the cross" using the ancient pictographs. The Father (Aleph) sent His Son (Bet) and by means of the Holy Spirit (Gimmel) who makes appeal to the poor and needy to receive the grace of the LORD God of Israel. As Yeshua said, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20).

Be still....{part 3 - rumblings of the silence begin}

Here, in the first letter, is when words and creativity begin to fail in conveying the kernel of eternity contained in these simple strokes...

I am acutely aware that anything my spirit infused flesh can create is only a whisper, a shadow, of what the reality is...

A pause, a cessation of human effort in astonished wonder, is not just the only response that feels right; it is the only response possible...

Now I am beginning to grasp the magnitude of the pause written in Hebrew poetry; the Selah that used to mystify me in the Psalms...now I know/understand/comprehend/and have apprehended why the Spirit-inspired writers and to insert the word, which to some extent means "let's pause, and think about what was just said".

Joy. 

 chedvah: spelled in Hebrew: 

 cheit - a (protecting) fence, an inner room

Cheit  (The "ch" has the light scraping sound as the "ch" in bach.  The "eit" rhymes with "mate")  Chet is sometimes transliterated as “h” which is why you sometimes see the word "Chanukah" spelled as "Hanukkah" in English.

Cheit is considered the letter of life.  It also is symbolic of grace and wisdom and new beginnings.  Its ancient pictograph resembles a fence, and can be thought of a fence that protects that which is within it...a fence that protects the life within...

So, the word "joy" begins with life, a new life  - given by God, complete and whole, full  of grace and wisdom.  And not only is there life, but that life is "fenced in", protected...by implication, it is God's Presence that protects and sustains that life...



Be Still... series:
Part 1 - Be Still
Part 2 - The Catalyst
Part 3 - Rumblings of the Silence Begin
Part 4 - Revelation Continues
Part 5 - A Nail that Holds and Anchors
Part 6 - Take a Breath, Breathe in God
Part 7 - Deepest Joy

 You can stop reading now or continue down to get more research...

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The above definition is the highlights of the letter as I researched it.  What follows is the complete set of notes about the letter chevdah from this website:  hebrew4christians.com...because, I rarely click over on links, and if you have the inkling to read the rest of the material, it will do for you what it did for me!

1.  The Mystery of Chet
According to the Jewish mystics, Chet is the letter of life, since (chayim - life) and (chayah - living) both begin with this letter. True life comes from (chasidut - devotion). Chet (8) is also the number of grace, (chen) and the number of wisdom (chokhmah). 

The letter Chet is the eighth letter of the Aleph-Bet, having the numeric value of eight. The pictograph for Chet looks like a wall or fence, whereas the classical Hebrew script is constructed of the preceding two letters, Vav and Zayin joined at the top with a thin connecting line.

Since Vav represents people or others, and Zayin represents time, Chet is a picture of spending time in community, (chavurah).

Chet also is the letter of light, since the Vav represents the yashar light that descends from God and Zayin represents the chozer light that ascends or returns to God. Therefore, some of the Jewish mystics consider Chet to be the doorway of light from heaven.


2.  The Gematria of Chet
Since Chet is formed from Vav (6) and Zayin (7), one gematria value would be thirteen, the same value as (ahavah - love). It is also the value for (echad - one). Putting these ideas together, we can see that love unifies us in true fellowship, just as the Mashiach Yeshua taught us:

“...that they may be one, even as we are one: in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one...” (John 17:22-23)

3. Chet and the Doorway of Life
The word (chai) is short for chayim (life), and the letter Chet can be seen to resemble a doorway where the blood of the lamb was daubed during the first Passover (Exodus 12:7):



There are many necklaces that spell the Hebrew word (chai). In fact, the word  itself somewhat resembles a lamb, and from this we can say that the “Lamb gives life” when applied to the “doorway of our heart.” 

So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.  Proverbs 3:22

4.  Chet is the Number of New Beginnings 

Since Chet represents the number 8, we can see how it represents grace, (chen) and the concept of new beginnings:  

•  There were 8 souls saved during the great flood of Noah
• The covenant of circumcision, occurs on the 8th day of a boy’s life, marking the beginning of of his life
• The LORD reaffirmed His covenant to Abraham 8 times
• David was the 8th son of Jesse
• Sukkot is an 8 day festival that anticipate the Olam Habah - the world to come
• Jesus was resurrected on the 1st day of the week, which if we understand the preceding seven days to constitute a complete cycle, is the eighth day.   

5.  Chet is the Letter of Discipleship to Jesus 

Since we learned that Vav (6) represents man and Zayin (7) represents the Crowned Man who wields the sword of the Holy Spirit (i.e., Jesus the King of the Jews), we can see that Chet is a picture of discipleship to Jesus:

Since Chet is formed from the Vav and Zayin connected by a “yoke,” we can see that this letter pictures our relationship to the Lord Jesus as He leads and teaches us on the pathway of life.

A yoke is a connection between two things so that they move and work together. Since the sum of the letters Vav and Zayin equals the value for love (), we can see that the essential nature of this “moving and working together” is that of loving the LORD and one another, just as our Mashiach teaches us.

Be still....{part 2 - the catalyst}

I had been writing the "Advent(ure)" series before Christmas, using the lyrics of the Christmas carol "Joy to the World" as inspiration.   The idea was to use each line of the first verse and chorus as prompts...

Looking back, I think that maybe the Lord was planning this little advent(ure) just for me?  I can sense His knowing smile at this very moment (!)...if you and I could literally see His eyes, they would be twinkling...

Well - back to the month of December...
I love word studies and delving into the original languages, so I THOUGHT I would research the fullness of the word "joy" in this verse:

...the joy of the LORD is your strength...

Nehemiah 8:10

In the King James Version, this exact word translated "joy" is found in only two other places, I Chronicles 16:27 and Ezra 6:16.  Each of these passages has to do with a dedication of the house of God.  In Chronicles, it is embedded in the midst of David's prophetic worship as he brings the Ark of the Lord into the city of Zion once and for all.  In Ezra, the people are celebrating the dedication of the rebuilt temple, and finally, in Nehemiah - the people are celebrating the feast of Passover in their rebuilt city for the first time in over 70 years.

Are you getting the idea there is something special about this word?

I know now that He was nudging me along, keeping this pouring out of revelation a surprise for me...

If you go to the online dictionary at Mirriam Webster, you will find this definition of joy:

1 : a feeling of great pleasure or happiness that comes from success, good fortune, or a sense of well-being : GLADNESS
2 : something that gives joy joy

to behold>

and this is a good definition, but is it God's?  Hebrew is a language of pictures, sometimes difficult to translate into English in a succinct way...and each letter in the Hebrew alphabet carries a meaning all its own, and when the letters come together to form words, each of those individual meanings weave together in a unique and incredible blend...and such is the word translated "joy":

Joy.

 "chedvah."
spelled in Hebrew:

 cheit

dalet

vav

hey

...Our family has been watching Star Trek:  The Next Generation series on DVD recently (all the way through mind you, but I wouldn't categorize us as "Trekkies" ♥).  In one episode, Data has been listening to poetry from a certain race of beings in which long periods of "stillness", sometimes days, are woven in as part of the poem.  The time, empty of any words at all, is included to give the hearer an opportunity to reflect upon and contemplate the meaning of the words just read AND the period of time that is empty of words.  Data invites his friend, Geordi, to contemplate "the emptiness" with him...

in the next few days I will be attempting to share - the largeness of what this Hebrew word holds....

...and so I invite you into these moments of stillness that I have found myself in; stillness fashioned by God in His poemia - the poem He is writing in me and that I am becoming (Ephesians 2:10) - just as you are, too...


Be Still... series:
Part 1 - Be Still
Part 2 - The Catalyst
Part 3 - Rumblings of the Silence Begin
Part 4 - Revelation Continues
Part 5 - A Nail that Holds and Anchors
Part 6 - Take a Breath, Breathe in God
Part 7 - Deepest Joy

Be still...{part 1}

photo credit - I ♥ tumblr

I know I have been quiet.
I knew each day that I needed to work on posting -
every time I moved to do so, I just...
didn't.
Couldn't?
I have/had words/thoughts/ideas - to share -
in my heart...
but I couldn't get them to move through my being onto paper - virtual or otherwise!

1. Was I experiencing a creative block?  Perhaps...
2. Was life full?  y.e.s.  ...
3. Was I immersed in family?  Absolutely wonderfully! 
4. Was I distracted?  Only as much as I wanted to be...perhaps call it "focused inattention..."?
5. Were there family hardships?  Ahhh, yes, but only those that are a natural part of any life - as we said "good-bye" to a favorite uncle...

But it was much more than all this, I have come to realize ~

I was absolutely.stunningly.irrevocably.deeply.completely - arrested by God.

Life continues to move along, even as my inward being has come to a full s.t.o.p.  Oh, there are still ideas/thoughts/words; plans for 2013...the days are still being ordered so that we can make the most of them {Ephesians 5:16}...

and all are fading and faint clamorings behind me -

before me:  new depths of His wonder.

There are places in Scripture that a person can read and understand, can comprehend...

yet are only apprehended once that truth has been experienced...

I pray that out of his glorious riches 

he may strengthen you with power 

through his Spirit 

in your inner being...

Ephesians 3:16

Have you had such an experience?

Be Still... series:

Part 1 - Be Still

Part 2 - The Catalyst

Part 3 - Rumblings of the Silence Begin

Part 4 - Revelation Continues

Part 5 - A Nail that Holds and Anchors

Part 6 - Take a Breath, Breathe in God

Part 7 - Deepest Joy

The Friendly Beasts

Advent(ures) - {No. 5.5} What the Christmas Star Can Teach Us About Darkness...

On the first day of this advent-ure, we had read this:

In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  

The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

John 1:4-5 

The Christmas Star teaches us about contrasts:

 - moments of sparkling joy excavated from under blankets of black suffering

 - smiles in the midst of tears

 - the riches of kings laid at the feet of an infant

 - death and life, life and death

 - journeys and arrivals

 - mysteries and revelations

 - prophecies and promises fulfilled

 - hardships and abundance
 - light penetrating darkness

 - heaven invading earth 

 - the Creator becoming one with creation

A little later, still in the book of John, we read this:

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12 

And though we have the light of life, and therefore we are never in total darkness, there are times when:

For now we see through a glass, darkly; 

but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.  

1 Corinthians 13:12 

The Christmas Star teaches us that Light will always overwhelm the darkness,
                                                    that Light will illuminate and lead to the path of life,
                                                    that Light will reveal that which is presently not understood,
                                                    that the Light will always shine, even when a heart may remain closed to it,
                                                                 patiently, gently warming it with Its eternal fire...            
                                                     that Light came to be present with us, in all of life's darkness...

John Piper shared great wisdom today, beginning with these words: 

We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize . . . 

but one who in every respect has been tested as we are.
(Hebrews 4:15)

Read the rest of his insightful thoughts here... Desiring God

And consider listening to this account of hope seeking pain and brokenness in order to heal... 

Ann Voskamp wrote about the broken hearts here - and it is so timely... Where Is God in the Dark of This Weekend? and When You'd Like a Relationship Miracle This Christmas.

Just as the Wise Men from the East had to journey a great distance over much time, following the beaconing star, and finally finding the object of their worship, so also those who face pain and brokenness this holiday season will have a long journey over time - and as they follow the Light that shines into their darkness, they will come to their own personal place of worshipping the One whose Light will ultimately engulf all this darkness...

Let us lift up our prayers and keep watch with all those who are hurting...

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And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, 

keeping watch over their flock by night.  

...And the angel said unto them, Fear not:

 for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

Luke 2:8-10

The Daily Reading -

Day 16: Luke 2:13-14

Advent(ures) - {No. 5} Joy and Good Tidings...part 1

The Readings:

Day 12: Luke 1:46-56

Day 13: Luke 2:1-5

Day 14: Luke 2:6-7

Day 15: Luke 2:8-12

Does it ever happen to you, that when a thought, or whisper, starts to take root in your mind, that you see that very sentiment everywhere?  It almost becomes a filter through which all of life is viewed...

My thought threads, as I considered an Advent series, went something like this:

Joy -  

{and then I was led to the Joy of the World vintage image}

Emmanuel - God with us, God coming to us, 

God coming right to where I am - 

in the midst of the going through the going {growing?} through...

Born in a stable -

born in the midst of a busy, messy, noisy, lively stable...

{and so I can be comfortable with His Presence in my own busy, messy, noisy, lively life!}

My sweet friend Jennifer from Studio JRU offered this beautiful print for all for this season:

Go to her post at {in}courage here and follow the instructions to get your beautiful download...

I so love when God is speaking His message all over my wanderings...

The definitions for joy that the world offers are very shallow, and I propose do NOT even define joy, but just another facet of happiness.  Joy is presented as an emotion - fleeting, depending on outer circumstances, unstable.  But joy is not an emotion, it is a character trait...and this difference is quickly found when one wants to make the idea of joy a metaphor for the way they approach life...to find a definition of joy that can be woven into the very fabric of their being...

I wanted to define "joy" the way the Lord does.  And questions and scriptures about joy were floating around my mind - not knowing whether they were my thoughts or the Spirit's leadings, so gentle and soft they were...for instance, the following:

The joy of the Lord is my strength...Nehemiah 8:10

The chewing, the meditating on this verse, it isn't new...our strength comes from the Lord's joy, not my joy in the Lord's ways...I have known that, have heard sermons on it.  But just what is that joy?  The word translated "joy" in this verse is chedvah.  It occurs only twice in the Scripture:  here in Nehemiah as the people celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles for the first time in over 70 years and in 1 Chronicles 16:27...

 "Splendor and majesty are before Him, Strength and joy are in His place," 

said David as he brought the ark of the Lord's Presence into Zion, 
to the resting place he had prepared for it...

Both places that this word occurs, a celebration of the Lord's Presence with His people...

That is where our joy comes from, from His Presence with us...God is the source of Joy - He IS joy. 

And a little "Joy Treat" from my Beyond Layers class this week....

Click here to download your own copy of these tags in high resolution

Free E-book for Advent from John Piper - Good Tidings of Great Joy

Advent(ures)...{No. 4}

You can download this image here...right click and choose "save as"...

We've been just a little under the weather here...so the blog has been neglected, but if you are keeping up, here are the Advent readings to date:

Day 7: Luke 1:18-25

Day 8: Luke 1:26-38

Day 9: Matthew 1:18-21

Day 10: Matthew 1:22-26

Day 11: Luke 1:39-45

Blessings to you today!