Incarnation: Glorious Manifestation (Christmas 2022)

Oh think of the blessed Incarnation;

Ponder the great majesty of Christ’s birth,

Oh that glorious Manifestation,

God’s love in human form brought down to earth.

The Prophecies told how Jesus would come.

The shadows and pictures were drawn of Him,

On David’s throne and over his kingdom

The Lord of hosts, glorious diadem.

But humbly He came as a baby boy,

And meekly that child grew into a man.

That man laid down His life for the joy

Set before Him and according to plan.

The sovereign King died that we would receive

Eternal life and calls us to believe.

He Came to Save (Christmas 2021)

Our Sovereign Savior came to earth.

Glorious ones announced His birth.

They came to shepherds keeping sheep.

The message made them run and leap

To see the Babe, to see the King,

The One Who came to save.

They beheld the Lamb of God.

These lowly shepherds gave Him laud.

He came to do what man could not,

To walk our road, to take our lot.

To keep the law, to die our death,

The One Who came to save.

The invitation: come believe,

Come by faith and come receive

Salvation from Christ our Lord

Jesus the One by shepherds adored.

Because He loved, because He paid,

Because He came to save.

Christmas 2020

 I AM: Before time began He was.

CREATOR: Without Him nothing was made that was made.

IMMANUEL: God with Us is His name.

SON OF DAVID: Prophecy fulfilled, He’s King of Kings.

FRIEND OF SINNERS: Praise God for His mercy to us.

SAVIOR OF MAN: He came that we might live.

SACRIFICE: His love held Him on that cross bearing our sin.

RISEN: Sin’s price has been paid, and He lives. 

LORD: Every knee will bow and declare that it’s true.

JESUS: He came to deliver His own.

CHRIST: He’s Messiah, Jesus Christ. Praise His name! 

Oh praise to the Father, the Spirit, the Son!

2019 Comes to an End with Deliberate

        At the beginning of 2019, I decided to walk through the year with the word deliberate.  I had successes and failures throughout the year, but the goal was to walk out the year deliberately walking out the good works God has so mercifully prepared for me as Ephesians 2:10 says,

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good 

works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should 

walk in them.

And God is so good. The failures are not for nothing. The hurts are not for nothing. The good, the bad, it’s all for His glory. It’s for our good. It’s all filtered through His great love for His people.

               I was driving a few days ago and thinking about this year, about how I walked out the year with deliberate. I was thinking about how I didn’t really think about the word a lot during the year. I just wanted to live the life God has for me and to live it for His glory. I fail daily, but I know that I must keeping walking forward in faith, knowing one day He will make all things right, knowing He is still working in me. I thought about past years and the words I have chosen and how this is not about me; it’s always about learning more about God, more about His great mercy, his faithfulness, etc. And this year was no different. It hit me: God is always deliberate. Through sermons from Judges, Ruth, and a series on evil and suffering, the truth is there that God is deliberate. He is sovereign over all of His creation.  His purposes are good. It can be an incredibly hard truth to wrestle with, but in it is found great peace. It was His deliberate plan and by His foreknowledge that Jesus Christ was handed over to be crucified (Acts 2:23). It is for great good that Christ came into this world to save sinners. It is for great good that through suffering and evil, we see God’s great goodness, mercy, and grace.

               2019 was a good year. God is growing our family in knowledge of Him in our new home. I look forward to what God has planned for 2020. May we walk it out for His glory.

Advent - Remember (Merry Christmas 2019)

Advent- “the Coming”

We know that He came.

So what are we counting?

The work has been done.

We count to remember

The work of the Son

And the Father and Spirit

When He stepped down from His throne.

He came to save sinners,

Of which I am one.

He’s always been and will be,

But He came down for His own,

So let’s remember.

Remember why He came.

Remember the pictures and shadows.

Remember the prophecies.

Remember how it all pointed to Him.

It’s all written in The Book.

Remember how He came. 

Remember the baby and shepherds.

Remember the special gifts.

Remember the sinless man,

Fully God and fully man.

Remember the miracles.

Remember the curses He took.

Remember the cross where He hung.

Remember He said, “It is finished.”

All that was written came to pass.

Remember the empty grave.

Remember the ascension.

Remember He’s coming again.

Remember and praise Jesus Christ!

Our Savior, Immanuel.

Merry Christmas from the McLennans 2019!

King of Kings and What a Savior

Life is a battle.

I’m my worst enemy.

I try and try again

To be in charge of me.

But what I want to do,

I don’t even do,

And what I don’t want to do

Is what I do again.

Oh who will save me,

My wretched soul?

Praise be to God!

Jesus Christ is my Savior!

You stepped in and died,

And then You rose again.

Praise be to God,

What a Savior!

Jesus, You are King,

King of Kings,

Lord of Lords.

Jesus, You are King,

And what a Savior!

And as for me and my house,

We will serve the Lord.

As for me and my house,

We will serve You.

And when we don’t,

Because we can’t,

You step in 

And show us grace upon grace.

Jesus Christ, what a Savior!

Jesus, You are King,

King of Kings,

Lord of Lords.

Jesus, You are King,

And what a Savior!

Memorial Day

Freedom has never been free.

It always comes at cost.

We often take for granted

All that freedom costs.

If we start to feel perhaps

Our freedom slipping away,

We do not take it lightly.

We want our liberty.

But are we truly thankful

For those who walked before us,

For those who walk beside us,

Ensuring we stay free?

All those gravestones line the ground.

All those flags wave freely.

All those soldiers say goodbye

And leave someone behind weeping.

No, freedom never has been free.

How thankful that I am 

That death is not the end,

That by the death of our dear Lord

We’re free from death and sin.

Today I’m truly thankful

For freedom in this life 

And for those who bought that freedom.

Praise Jesus, praise the Son!