Morning Readings: Zechariah 2.10-13 NLT & Luke 1.26-33 NLT

Zechariah 2.10-13 NLT

Jerusalem-flareThe Lord says, “Shout and rejoice, O beautiful Jerusalem, for I am coming to live among you. Many nations will join themselves to the Lord on that day, and they, too, will be my people. I will live among you, and you will know that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies sent me to you. The land of Judah will be the Lord’s special possession in the holy land, and he will once again choose Jerusalem to be his own city. Be silent before the Lord, all humanity, for he is springing into action from his holy dwelling.”

Luke 1.26-33 NLT

La Anunciación - oil -Francisco Goya (17885)
La Anunciación – oil -Francisco Goya (17885)

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

Advent Hymn: “Comfort, comfort ye my people” – YouTube

“Comfort, comfort ye my people”

Jerusalem pic“Comfort, comfort ye My people,
Speak ye peace,” thus saith our God;
“Comfort those who sit in darkness,
Mourning ‘neath their sorrows’ load.
Speak ye to Jerusalem
Of the peace that waits for them;
Tell her that her sins I cover
And her warfare now is over.”

Christ the Lord’s the One that’s crying
In the desert far and near,
Leading all men to repentance,
Since the Kingdom now is here.
O that warning cry obey!
Now prepare your Lord a way;
Let the valley rise to meet Him
And the hills bow down to greet Him.

Make ye straight what long was crooked;
Make the rougher places plain.
Let your hearts be true and humble,
As befits His holy reign.
For the glory of the Lord
Now o’er earth is shed abroad,
And all flesh shall see the token
That His Word is never broken.

Morning Reading: Isaiah 40.1-2 NLT

jesus weptIsaiah 40.1-2 NLT

“Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God.

“Speak tenderly to Jerusalem. Tell her that her sad days are gone and her sins are pardoned. Yes, the Lord has punished her twice over for all her sins.”

Egyptian Army given police powers

Peanut Gallery: Does anyone doubt how this is going to end?

The same army that ran the show under Mubarak is now co-operating with Morsi. Since Nasser’s time, the military has been entwined in the economic/industrial complex of Egypt. There’s a lot of money, jobs and power at stake.

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Morsi has made an unholy alliance with the military that will carry through the referendum at least. Beyond that who knows? But keep in mind, the military has the guns.
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Mohamed Morsi gives Egypt’s army police powers ahead of referendum
Repost see – telegraph.co.uk

The decree, published in the government gazette, takes effect on the eve of mass rival protests on the referendum and follows street clashes that have left seven people dead and hundreds injured.

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It orders the military to fully co-operate with police “to preserve security and protect vital state institutions for a temporary period, up to the announcement of the results from the referendum,” according to a copy of the decree obtained by AFP.

The military, which ruled Egypt between the ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak in February 2011 and the election of Morsi in June this year, has sought to remain neutral in the political crisis.

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Army tanks and troops have since Thursday deployed around Morsi’s presidential palace but they have not confronted thousands of protesters who have gathered there every night.

The opposition, made up of secular, liberal, left wing and Christian groups, has said it will escalate its protests to scupper the referendum.

It views the draft constitution, largely drafted by Morsi’s Islamist allies, as undermining human rights, the rights of women, religious minorities, and curtailing the independence of the judiciary.

Continue reading “Egyptian Army given police powers” →

Advent Spiritual Song: “We’re Marching to Zion” – Amy Grant

“We’re Marching to Zion” – Isaac Watts

KIng David & Mt Zion
KIng David & Mt Zion

Come, we that love the Lord,
and let your joys be known;
join in a song with sweet accord,
join in a song with sweet accord
and thus surround the throne,
and thus surround the throne.

Refrain:
We’re marching to Zion,
beautiful, beautiful Zion;
we’re marching upward to Zion,
the beautiful city of God.
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Please click on audio link – Amy Grant – “We’re Marching to Zion” (Legacy)

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lone piper at sunsetThen let your songs abound,
and every tear be dry;
we’re marching through Emmanuel’s ground,
we’re marching through Emmanuel’s ground,
to fairer worlds on high,
to fairer worlds on high.
(Refrain)