messiah

Prince of Peace

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” – Isaiah 9:6,7 Since the holidays are still fresh in our minds, I want to share a thought with you based on Isaiah 9, the famous chapter that lists all the titles that the future Messiah will be known by. You know, there’s a whole list… Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace (my personal favorite). I want you to think on the latter today: as

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The One Who Changed it All

“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord– and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.” – Isaiah 11:1-3 The Jewish people awaited the arrival of their Messiah with bated breath. They knew that when He came, He would save the world and alter the flow of history, even though they were living in the midst of persecution and constant battle. “God, have you forgotten us?” and “God, why all this suffering and evil?” were some of the cries, but there was a prophetic voice declaring that one day He will come and make things right! Perhaps no book did a better job of portraying this

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Divine Mysteries

“She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.” – Luke 2:38,39 Yesterday, we learned about Anna the prophetess and how she devoted herself to a life of service to God after she was widowed at a young age. Interestingly, because she was such a passionate seeker of the Lord’s heart, and since she walked so closely with the Holy Spirit, as soon as she saw Jesus at the temple, she began to worship. And while there were thousands of people present there on the day He was dedicated, she knew there was something special about this child. Though to most onlookers He appeared to be just another baby, she recognized Him for who He was, and her excitement bubbled over as she began sharing

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Jesus is True Fulfillment

“Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God.” – Luke 2:27,28 Yesterday, we learned about Simeon and how he received a promise from God that he would see the Messiah in the flesh before he died. After waiting for decades to behold his Savior, the Holy Spirit spoke to him and told him to go to the temple, because his Redeemer had finally come. When he arrived, he set out looking for a kingly young man, which would have been like trying to find “a needle in a haystack,” since there could be as many as 200,000 people at the temple on any given day. Nevertheless, the Lord guided him, and a path was cleared that led him straight to

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A Shoot From a Stump

“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.” – Isaiah 11:1-3 Isaiah is an Old Testament prophecy about the destruction of Israel. Even though God took His people out of darkness and set them apart to be an oasis of truth in a brutal and harsh world, they were often too weak to stand alone. As is common for humans, they were influenced by the secular culture around them and succumbed again and again to its idolatry and paganism. Though the Lord was repeatedly merciful to His people, His anger burned, and He ultimately allowed them to be

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God Will Get You There

“Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.” – Matthew 2:22,23 When we read the story of Jesus’ birth, there’s a part we sometimes overlook because we fail to see its significance. However, in this crazy season, when many of us seem to be facing detour after detour, it’s an encouraging thing to understand. Though our Lord was born in Bethlehem so that prophecy would be fulfilled, his parents took Him and fled to Egypt because they feared evil King Herod, who was trying to kill Him. It was years before He returned to Israel, and when He did, He didn’t go back to the area in which He was born, because there was another wicked king reigning there

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Holy Week at Shepherd’s Grove

At Shepherd’s Grove, we were blessed with an outstanding Holy Week this Easter thanks to the tireless work of our staff and congregation. Beginning on Palm Sunday and ending with Easter Sunday, the time was filled with anticipation and excitement, to reflect upon the most important week of the year. The celebration began when our own Voices of Hope Children’s Choir graced the stage on Palm Sunday, waving palm branches over the procession, followed by a dynamic flow of vocal arrangements. Added to our already robust musical offerings was the powerful sound of bagpipes. What an amazing gift! Good Friday at Shepherd’s Grove was interwoven with moving words of Scripture during our Modern service, followed by the gift of Handel’s Messiah, performed by the Hour of Power Choir and conducted by our very own Don Neuen. Both services were well attended by our congregants and supporters of Don’s recent retirement.

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