The Season of Advent: What Is It?

Advent: (Latin adventus, “coming”)

In Western Christianity it spans four Sundays starting with the closest Sunday to November 30th concluding on Christmas Eve.

It begins around November 15th in Eastern Orthodox Churches.
It is a period of repentance, fasting and the preparing the believer for the Second Coming of Christ, aka the Day of Judgment.

Today, fasting is not followed however it still is in some of the Eastern Orthodox Churches.

The Royal colors of blue and purple are integrated into the bulk of Advent Services.

In a lot of countries it is apparent by a variety of popular acknowledgments. On each of the four Sundays before Christmas, Advent Candles are lit.

References:

“Advent.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2003. Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service.

http://www.cresourcei.org/cyadvent.html

http://www.mcmaster.ca/mjtm/volume3.htm

God Bless

Brian Mason

The Trinity: Who Should We as Christians Pray To?

Jesus said in his words read Matthew 6: 9-13,

“This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. …

This prayer was a direct answer from Jesus to his disciples.

We can also thank the Holy Spirit for the counsel and peace given and asked for through prayer (although there is no actual scripture of prayer to the Spirit as the Holy Spirit does not bear witness of himself). Although he bears witness of the Son; Read John 15: 26-27,

26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

So in a brief conclusion we can pray to the individual persons of the Godhead. All is scripturally based and is without a doubt confusing for the believer and unbeliever. The Trinity is ONE GOD, in THREE DISTINCT PERSONS. ONE GOD not THREE!

There also appears to be distinct separation of functions of the three persons in the Godhead;

1.The Father (YHWH) who chooses who will be saved Eph 1:3-5

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-

2.The Son (Jesus) who redeems them EPH 1: 7-9,

7 In him we have redemption through his blood,the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he[d] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,

3. The Holy Spirit seals them Eph 1: 13-14
,
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

As I have written above, it can be confusing to the unbeliever and believer alike. We must put our trust in the Trinity and also we can pray for understanding and revelation of the Holy Trinity. We can simply pray to God…it will address all the members of the Trinity.

God Bless,

Brian Mason

Has the World Gone Mad?

Where has honor gone? Where has common decency gone?

I caught the news and surprised myself that it took me so long to start feeling ill. But that didn’t last very long. A news report came on about a human male (not calling him a man), was caught on video giving a woman an upper cut, knocking her clean off her feet and then physically tossing her onto the street! The woman was definitely yelling in his face and spewing up a lot of profanities directed at him, but seriously now, where is the justification of this atrocity?

Proverbs 13: 17-19
17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
but a trustworthy envoy brings healing.
18 Whoever disregards discipline comes to poverty and shame,
but whoever heeds correction is honored.
19 A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul,
but fools detest turning from evil.

I am equally sickened by the fact that a few spectators were videotaping on their cell phones and not trying help and be a peacemaker? I see that more and more lately and ask myself “why are people more willing to tape something and (of course) upload it onto Youtube and not do the honorable thing?”

James 3: 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

We must remember to defend the defenseless and protect the vulnerable. I was saddened also watching that little news piece of pure evil that it is happening daily. It comes in all forms of abuse to both sexes as well. The forms of abuse may be hidden from the camera lens in the form of verbal, mental and physical abuse.

Matthew 5: 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Have the men of modern societal morality changed to be so effeminate that they won’t step up and act like men? What has caused this downturn? I am calling out Christian men here, step up to the plate and act like Godly men.

Psalm 62: 6-8
6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.

God Bless
Brian Mason

Terminology Tuesday

I know that I have neglected “Terminology Tuesday” for some time now, so I will bring it back to life and give you three fast definitions.

Hermeneutics: the science of interpretation and explanation, especially the branch of theology that deals with the general principles of Biblical interpretation.

Biblioclasm: the destruction of books, especially the Bible.

Fundamentalism: the rationale of conservative American Protestants who regard the Bible as free of errors or contradictions and emphasize its literal interpretation, usually without reference to modern scholarship.

Thank you and God Bless!

Brian Mason