<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/304224412?app_id=122963&wmode=opaque" width="480" frameborder="0" title="Advent - Joy" height="360"></iframe><p><strong>Advent - Joy</strong><br>Season of Advent</p><p><strong>Joy To The World</strong></p><p>But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” <em>Luke 2:10-11</em></p><p><strong><em>Psalm 98</em></strong></p><ul data-rte-list="default"><li><p>This Christmas carol is Isaac Watts “imitation” of the last half of <em>Psalm 98</em></p></li><li><p>This Psalm is a call to Praise the Lord for His Righteousness</p></li><li><p>The music is from George Fredrick Handel</p></li></ul><p>Joy To The World, the Lord is come!<br> Let earth receive her King;<br> Let every heart prepare Him room,<br> And Heaven and nature sing,<br> And Heaven and nature sing,<br> And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.</p><p>Joy To The World, the Savior reigns!<br> Let men their songs employ;<br> While fields and floods,<br> rocks, hills and plains<br> Repeat the sounding joy,<br> Repeat the sounding joy,<br> Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.</p><p>No more let sins and sorrows grow,<br> Nor thorns infest the ground;<br> He comes to make His blessings flow<br> Far as the curse is found,<br> Far as the curse is found,<br> Far as, far as, the curse is found.</p><p>He rules the world with truth and grace,<br> And makes the nations prove<br> The glories of His righteousness,<br> And wonders of His love, <br> And wonders of His love,<br> And wonders, wonders, of His love.</p><p><strong>Mary’s Joy</strong></p><p>And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. <em>Luke 1:38</em></p><ul data-rte-list="default"><li><p>Mary’s Joy = “may it be done to me according to your word.”</p></li><li><p>This is called a “fiat” from <Latin> = “let it be done”</p></li><li><p>A fiat is an arbitrary/uncertain or authoritative command or order to do something; an effectual decree. (i.e. A royal fiat or a presidential fiat)</p></li><li><p>It is an authorization, permission or (official) sanction. (i.e. A government fiat or to rule by fiat.)</p></li></ul><p><strong><em>Luke 1:35</em></strong></p><ul data-rte-list="default"><li><p>“The angel’s fiat – “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.”</p></li><li><p>Blaise Pascal “Not only do we only know God through Jesus Christ, we only know ourselves through Jesus Christ; we only know life and death through Jesus Christ. Apart from Jesus Christ we cannot know the meaning of our life or death, of God or ourselves.”</p></li></ul><p data-rte-preserve-empty="true"></p><p data-rte-preserve-empty="true"></p>
