CCC Gainesville | Blog
Monday Isaiah 40:9-11
Theme: The Lord Himself Will Come with Power
Did you ever try to talk about happy things when people around you are sad or grumpy? That’s what happened to Isaiah. Things were looking very bad for the people of Judah; they were go- ing to be carried away from their homes by their enemies to live in another land. This made them very sad. But at this low point, Isaiah told them “glad tidings.” He said, “shout from the mountaintops that God is going to gather all his people together someday. He is going to be our shepherd, come to us, and gather us into his arms.” This tells us that when Jesus came, he came to draw us close to his heart, to care for us and take care of us forever. Thank God for sending Jesus as our good shepherd, and for all the ways he takes care of you.
Lord Jesus, help me to believe in your Kingdom, where healing and freedom are a reality. Let me not succumb to cynicism, and give me a sense of hope in what you can do in my life and the world.
Sunday Isaiah 9:6-7 Theme: A Son is Given
These verses help us understand just how glorious Jesus is. He is a “Wonderful-Counselor.” People who heard Jesus teach often marveled because he was so wise and understood every- thing. He is also called “Mighty God” – even though Jesus was fully human, was born and grew up just like you and me, he was also fully God! So Jesus is greater than we can ever even imagine! He is also called the “Prince of Peace.” Peace is a word in the Bible that refers to everything being the way it is supposed to be. Jesus makes things right between God and us by dying for our sins and rising again from the dead, and he promises to make everything right when he comes again a second time – to bring peace. Can you think of some things that are not good in the world, or in your life, or in the lives of people you know (e.g. people who are suffering, grieving, sick, or who do not believe in Jesus)? Pray to Jesus and ask him to work to change those things, and remember: he is the Wonderful-Counselor, Mighty God, Ev- erlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.
Theme: God Keeps His Promises to Deliver Us
God promised his people a special land to live in, and promised to deliver them from sin. But their sin led them into being taken captive as slaves in Egypt. However, God was faithful, and when they were cornered against the sea, he simply parted the sea so they could escape! Then he brought the sea down on top of the evil people who wanted to hurt God’s people. This shows us that God keeps his promises to deliver us. And as wonderful as this story is, it is even more wonderful to think of all the people Jesus saved when he passed through death and rose again to save us all! Do you think that we can trust Jesus to come back and deliver us from sin once and for all? Thank him for his promise to bring us safely to the promised new world he is making for us.
Sunday, we’ll celebrate Holy Communion together and continue our meditation upon Mary’s song as it comes to us in the gospel of Luke. “Mary is all heart! Evidently her soul is on fire! While she muses, the fire burns. Then she speaks with her tongue. May we, too, call home our wandering thoughts and wake up our slumbering powers to praise redeeming love. It is a noble word that she uses here—”My soul does magnify the Lord.” I suppose it means, “My soul does endeavor to make God great by praising Him.” He is as great as He can be in His Being—my goodness cannot extend to Him. But yet my soul would make God greater in the thoughts of others and greater in my own heart.” –Charles Spurgeon
