Category Archives: Advent

>Celebrating the Incarnation of our Lord – Quotes that Nourish-

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The Nativity; Camillo Boccaccino. 16th Century

I read last week while on our vacation to the beach two little books, one is Martin Luther’s Christmas Book; the other by Augustine of Hippo, Sermons to the People: Advent, Christmas, New Year Epiphany.  I enjoyed them both, but I certainly enjoyed more Martin Luther’s book. (Augustine, talks about his belief of Mary being always virgin, something the Bible doesn’t say)

So I have chosen from these two books my quotes for today. Hope you enjoy reading them and find some nourishment for your soul.

“It was for you, my dear Brothers and Sisters, that God was made man. If He hadn’t been born in our time, you’d still be sleeping the sleep of death. If He hadn’t donned the same fatal flesh that Adam had, you’d never have been liberated from the sin of the flesh. If this Mercy hadn’t happened to you, Perpetual Misery would possess you whole and entire. If He hadn’t come to die the death for you, you wouldn’t have been born again. If He hadn’t propped you up, you’d have flopped yourselves down. Quite simply put, if He hadn’t come, you’d be dead as a doornail.” St Augustine.

“Is there no hope at all? “Not really” would seem to be the answer, except perhaps for the grace of the Incarnation.” St. Augustine
“Christian teaching is that in Christ God became flesh. Compared with that, no particular miracle matters much. If one could but believe that God lay in the manger, one could let go the star and the angel’s song and yet keep the faith.” From the Introduction to Luther’s Book.

“‘If only I had been there! How quick I would have been to help the Baby! I would have washed his linen. How happy I would have been to go with the shepherds to see the Lord lying in the manger!’ Yes, you would” You say that because you know how great Christ is, but if you had been there at that time you would have done no better than the people of Bethlehem. Childish and silly thoughts are these! Why don’t you do it now? You have Christ in your neighbor. You ought to serve him, for what you do to your neighbor in need you do to the Lord Christ himself.” Martin Luther

“Next to faith this is the highest art- to be content with the calling in which God has placed you. I have not learned it yet.” Martin Luther

“This is the way to observe this feast -that Christ may be formed in us. It is not enough that we should hear his story if the heart be closed. I must listen, not only to a history, but to a gift.” Martin Luther

“{H}e is called Jesus, meaning a Saviour who helps his people to turn and be saved. we have often explained and explain again, how to understand the Kingdom of our Lord; how to distinguish the spiritual and the temporal realms; that this Lord Christ does not build castles, towns, and villages like an emperor, king, or elector of Saxony, or even like me in my own household, but he saves his people from their sins. This is a fair, dear, and precious assurance to troubled and tormented consciences laden with sins, that to them and to us all a Child is born who will rule and vindicate, who will help and not destroy, murder, strangle, or kill” Luther


“The sum of it is  all here: ‘Unto you is born this day… a Saviour” Luther





Under His Sovereign Hand,

>Celebrating the Incarnation of our Lord III – for little souls-

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Today I am writing for the little souls in your home; this post is for them.

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This story my little one, is true, so pay attention to what I have to say.

Remember the garden your mom has told you about, the most glorious garden that has ever existed? Yes, the Garden of Eden, the beautiful garden where God used to walked with Adam and Eve. It all started in that beautiful place. The serpent came, with lies that Eve believed and they, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God by eating from the only tree God had forbidden them to eat. You know what was the big lie they believed? The serpent told them that they were going to be like God if they took a bite of that forbidden fruit which, of course, looked delicious and pleasant to the eyes. Maybe you say that if you were there you would have never done that; but that is not possible. We all like to believe that same lie; we all like to be our own god. We want to do things our own way, we don’t like to hear precepts and commands, and we don’t like to obey dad or mom. We love our sin; we don’t want God to rule our lives.

Do you know what happened next? Adam and Eve died. First they died spiritually, they were not longer happy in God’s presence; instead, they wanted to run away from Him; they became fugitives. They did not want to seek God. They were, instead, always looking for darker places to hide from Him. Years later they also died physically. And so it is today, sinners are running away from God they are dead, even when we see them walking and shopping. They are fugitives; they do not look for God, they are hiding from Him. All sinners from Adam to the last baby who was born this past second deserve the penalty of death; we all deserve to live far from God, in darkness, in our sin. We all are fugitives.

But God had a plan. He had a plan even before He created Adam and Eve. He had a plan to rescue men and women whose names He had already written even before they were created in a beautiful book which is in Heaven called the Book of Life. The plan was amazing, listen to this:  God, the Son, would become flesh to pay the penalty of those whose names were written in the Book of Life. Who could have imagined such a thing? Yes! He, God-the Son would have to come to this ugly world full of sinful people, in the form of a man; He was going to come, not as a king or an important person, but as a servant. He was going to come to the world He had created; and walked under the sun He had created and eat the fish He had created. He had to come and no one would recognize Him. Isn’t that incredible? Yes, it amazes me too, to think that He left all His glory in Heaven to come as a man so every one who saw Him did not recognize Him as God, as the Creator of all.

This is what Christmas is all about, my little one; it is about the coming of God to this world as a Baby in a manger, who was born with no sin and who never sinned. It is about God taking the form of a man and laying His perfect life on the cross to pay the penalty of death which we deserved and could not pay with our own lives. It is about Jesus’ coming to defeat death; It is about Jesus, the Light of The World who shines with such a splendor that darkness flees from Him. It is about Jesus, the Author of Life conquering death; defeating it when He rose from the death.

This story is about you and I, too. It is the story of our redemption. Now we can walk again with God, not fleeing from Him; we are no longer fugitives, trying to hide in the darkest place, not to be found by God. He came to rescue us. We didn’t do anything! We did not choose to be rescued; we did not write the plan; we were death in our sins; we wanted to be our own gods. But He had a plan, He made a promise and He fulfilled His promise.

He came to us, now we can come to Him.

Peace and Joy be to you, little one.

Related posts in this series:

Celebrating the Incarnation of our Lord -This is what Christmas is all about-
Celebrating the Incarnation of our Lord – Gifts we Bring, by Elizabeth DeBarros-
Celebrating the Incarnation of our Lord – A read aloud for little souls-

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>Even Greater…

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May you, find in His Word during this Advent season, the beauty of the greatest miracles of all.

Even greater than carrying Jesus in the womb as Mary did, is the mystery of carrying Jesus in our hearts.

Even greater than holding Jesus in the arms as Mary did, is the mystery of knowing that He is carrying us in His arms.

Even greater than feeding Jesus, as Mary did, is the mystery of being fed by His Word day by day.

Have you seen my photography journal?

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>I am Grateful for All the Advent Blessings -Borrowed Words-

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> I have been reading Scotty Smith’s prayers this Advent; they have been my companions when I come to the Father; they have opened my eyes to be grateful for so many Advent blessings that I did not count. Today I borrow his words and make them mine.

992. I am grateful for the one who prepared the way, John the Baptist, who was the voice of the desert; who proclaimed your coming and the repentance of sins.

993. Thank you for becoming flesh and taberanacling among us.

“Jesus, I praise you for becoming “flesh” and “tabernacling” among us for just the right amount of time. Though equal to, yet distinct from the Father, you didn’t consider your glory something to be tightly grasped or held onto selfishly. Rather, you emptied yourself by becoming a man—but not just any ordinary man, a servant-man, the Servant of the Lord… the second Adam, our Savior… my Savior”(1)

994.  Thank you because you accomplished everything necessary for he redemption of your people.

“In your thirty-three years of incarnate life, you accomplished everything necessary for the redemption of the people for whom you lived and died… but also for the restoration of the world you created and love. Be magnified, adored, regaled, worshiped and loved, Lord Jesus. What a wonderful merciful Savior you are! What a God who is so mighty to save!”(1)

995. Thank you because you reign with grace and truth.

  “I cannot sing Isaac Watt’s great Advent hymn, “Joy to the Word,” without thinking of John’s telling of your birth narrative. For you are presently ruling the world with your grace and truth—the grace and truth with which you are full. You’re making the nations prove the wonders of your love… as the gospel runs from heart to heart, and nation to nation.” (1)



996- 1002.

“From the fullness of your grace we keep receiving one blessing after another—one blessing on top of another. The blessings of your imputed righteousness… the blessings of perpetual favor with God… the blessings your intercession and advocacy… the blessings of your Spirit’s work in our lives… the blessings citizenship in heaven… the blessing of knowing the good work you have begun in us, and in the cosmos, will be brought to completion! Hail the incarnate deity!” (1)

1003- 1006. O, Your Word, Lord, your Word, I am grateful for it!

“Jesus, I’m thankful to know that every word of the Word, in one way or another, is ultimately about you. Every command drives me to you. Every promise is fulfilled in you. Every story whispers your name… points to your glory… and proffers your grace. This is why I love the Bible, all of the Bible, more than ever.”(2)

1007-1008

“Jesus, I praise you for being Immanuel—God with us and God for us. Your presence and your presents are all that we need… much more than we realize… and way beyond all we could have ever hoped for or imagined.”(2)

1009. I am grateful that You reign sovereignly over all circumstances.

“You’re at work in all things for your glory and for our good… in the obvious and in the not-so-obvious… in our gains and in our pains… in what we “get” and in the things which seem to contradict Who we know… when we’re “feeling the love” and when we’re feeling very lonely… when the gospel makes all the sense in the world to us and when we’re tempted to say with John the Baptist, “Are you the Messiah, or should we be looking for another?” (2)

1010. I am grateful that YOU  are the Messiah, the One Way, the One Truth , the One Life. (2)

1011. I thank you, O Lord, that you have not finished with me; that nothing can separate me from you.

“Absolutely nothing can separate us from your love, for we’re been called according to the Father’s purpose, which will never fail nor falter. He “knew” us—he set his affection upon us before the world began, and he will continue to provide everything necessary to complete the work of the gospel in our lives. We cannot not be more justified than we already are and we’ll be as glorified as any mortal man ever will be. Joy to the world indeed. Joy to us.” (2)

1012. Thank you for being the Shepherd-Savior that You are.

“Having laid down your life as the Lamb of God, you have risen and are now the standing shepherd promised by Micah—relentlessly caring… vigilantly protecting… faithfully providing for us. You never slouch, sleep nor slumber. You’re constantly cherishing and caring for us. You know us by our names and needs. Be praised and worshiped, O good and engaged Shepherd.”(3)

1013. Thank you because we lack nothing we need.

“Jesus, because of your great love for us in the gospel, we lack nothing we need. Though we don’t get everything we want, we do have everything we need for life and godliness… and a whole lot more. We praise you it’s green pastures and quiet waters to which you lead us—all for the restoring of our tired, weary, broken, rebellious souls. Your kindness is without equivalent.” (3)

1014. Thank you because you nourish us all the time.

” Jesus, you nourish us all the time, even when enemies are close by and threatening. Your generous anointing overflows us for the blessing of others. To follow you is to be followed by the fragrance of your goodness and love.” (3)

Open my eyes to see you this Advent season, open my eyes that I may not miss what does it mean in my daily life that You became Man.

(1) source
(2) source
(3) source

Related Posts:

Joining the Creation in Praise
Celebrating the Incarnation of Our Lord- Quotes that Nourish-
Gifts we Bring -a Guest Post by Elizabeth DeBarros-
Celebrating the Incarnation of our Lord -Part One-

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>Celebrating the Incarnation of our Lord – Quotes that Nourish-

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Adoration of the Shepherds; Honthorst, Gerard van, 1622.

These are excerpts from a Sermon on the Nativity of Jesus Christ preached by John Calvin.

“…in the history which St. Luke here recites, on the one hand we learn how the Son of God emptied Himself of everything for our salvation, nevertheless, on the other hand He did not fail to leave certain and infallible testimony that He was the Redeemer of the world promised from all time. Even though He took our condition, He was able to maintain His heavenly majesty. Both sides are here shown to us. For our Lord Jesus Christ is here in a manger and He is, as it were, rejected by the world. He is in extreme poverty without any honor, without any reputation, as it were, subject to servitude. Yet He is magnified by Angels from Paradise, who do Him homage.”

“Now we see the summary of this history. That is, in the first place, we know that the Son of God, even our Mediator, has united Himself to us in such a way that we must never doubt that we are sharers both of His life and of all His riches. Let us know also that He brought with Himself to us everything that was required for our salvation. For (as I have already said) He was not thus emptied without always retaining His Divine majesty. Although before men He was made of no reputation, yet He always remained not only heir of this world (since He is the Head of the Church), but also always true God. “

 “Let us bethink ourselves to profit from this history, so that we may be able to be in tune with the song of the Angels in glorifying God, and to so receive what He here gives us for the rejoicing of our souls. In the first place the Angel says (that is the one who bears the message of the shepherds), “Fear not. I announce to you a great joy.” Then there is this testimony in common from all the army that God sends, “Peace on earth to men.” This, then, is what we have to remember first of all: that we seek our joy in Jesus Christ. For, in fact, even though we had all kinds of delights and luxuries, it would only be a matter of drowning ourselves in our pleasures. Yet even if we are too sleepy, even entirely stupid, our conscience will never have rest. We shall be tormented without end and without ceasing. This worm (of which the Scripture speaks) will eat us away, we shall be condemned by our sins, and we shall feel that with perfect right God is opposed to us and is our enemy. So, there will be a curse upon all the enjoyments of the world, since they will be changed into gnashing of teeth, until men are right with God.”

“But as we cannot praise God until He has declared to us His goodness, let us also learn not to have a faith dead or idle, but may we be incited to bless the Name of God, when we see that He has so displayed the great treasures of His loving-kindness toward us. May our mouth, on the one hand, perform its function, and then may all our life correspond to it. For this is the true song, that each one dedicates himself to the service of God, knowing that, since He has bought us at such a price, it is reasonable enough that all our thoughts and our works be applied to this use, that His Name be blessed.”

“This is also why the holy table is made ready for us, so that we may know that our Lord Jesus, having descended here below and having emptied Himself of everything, was not, however, separated from us when He ascended into His glory in heaven. But rather it is on this condition that we are sharers of His body and His blood. And why so? For we know that His righteousness and His obedience is the satisfaction for our sins and that He appeased the wrath of God by the sacrifice of His body and of His blood which He offered in this humanity which He took from us. “

May His grace abound in us as we meditate on these words today.

Read the whole sermon here.

>Celebrating the Incarnation of our Lord II -Guest Post by Elizabeth DeBarros-

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Christmas time is a season in which you invite friends into your home to celebrate with you the greatest miracles of all, the Incarnation of our Lord! This blog is not my home, but it is, in a sense, a cozy room with a coffee table where I share with you, my friend, my journey. Today a special friend of mine, Elizabeth DeBarros, is sitting at this coffee table, would you like to grab a cup of coffee and join us?

Gifts We Bring

I stall. I look out of the window. Sometimes, wandering around the house affords me a glimpse beyond the horizon. I wait.

To distill into words the Incarnation of Christ does two things: Brings me to my knees and causes me to question whether I have what it takes to approach such mystery. Is this something of what it means to tremble? It’s no light matter to discuss the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Who is worthy of such a task? To pontificate over Deity come down is to tread upon holy ground, a place where even angels fear to go.

Great indeed, we confess,  is the mystery of godliness:
He was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated by the Spirit,
seen by angels, 
proclaimed among nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.

I Timothy 3:16 (ESV)


Indeed, He has come. The Promised One, in the form of a helpless baby, appeared before men, kings and angels under a Sovereign sky. Heaven and Earth rejoiced. Immanuel, God with us. The One who, for our sakes, descended among the ranks of flesh and blood and by whose account we may now approach.

But how? How do we approach?

We’re all little drummers boy at heart, eager to bring our finest gifts to lay before Him something worth. Even if it’s just a rum pum pum pum on our lowly drum, we long to give something that will please Him.

But if we examine ourselves aright, we have nothing to bring, in and of ourselves. We are all weak, vile creatures before this Holy One, this God who need. As it says,

“Who has ever given a gift to Him that he might be repaid?”
Romans 11: 35 (ESV) 

He bids us to come, nonetheless. So we offer Him our yearnings and flailings of heart, reveailing our frail estate. We acquiesce to the fact that we are but dust. Our souls heave a sigh. Do we dare allow God to be God?- the One who renders a righteous judgment by convicting us of our need of Him, but here is where we must break: under the fragile yet unbending beauty that he doesn’t condemn us for our humanity, for He made us in His image.

“What is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?”
Psalm 8:4 (ESV)

This is where God brings us face to face with our plight, our utter need for Him. And He spreads a table before us in the midnight fields of our desiring and feeds us with Himself.

This Advent season, there is something far more glorious to consider than how we might approach Him. Let us acknowledge that it is He Who first approached us. Then we may come, humble in spirit, bowing before Him in truth with gifts to bring.

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O might divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O holy Night, O night divine!
O night, O Holy Night, O night divine!


By Elizabeth DeBarros
December 2010

Historical background on O Holy Night:

The words and lyrics of the carol ‘O Holy Night’ were written by Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure in 1847. Cappeau was a wine seller by trade but was asked by the parish priest to write a poem for Christmas. He obliged and wrote the beautiful words of the hymn. He then realized that it should have music to accompany the words and he approached his friend Adolphe Charles Adams (1803-1856). He agreed and the music for the poem was therefore composed by Adolphe Charles Adams. Adolphe had attended the Paris conservatoire and forged a brilliant career as a composer. It was translated into English by John Sullivan Dwight (1812-1893).

Text and image of a Glorious Sky are property of © Elizabeth DeBarros. 
Used with permission.

If you know of another post worth visiting to Celebrate the Incarnation of the Lord, please, feel free to add the link into the comment box. 
Related Posts:


Quotes that Nourish
Celebrating the Incarnation- Part I-
On the Incarnation