{"id":2173,"date":"2011-11-29T09:39:49","date_gmt":"2011-11-29T13:39:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/shieldsgroup.com\/?p=2173"},"modified":"2011-11-29T09:39:49","modified_gmt":"2011-11-29T13:39:49","slug":"finding-meaning-at-christmas-mercy-purpose-and-redemption","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shieldsgroup.com\/blog\/2011\/11\/29\/finding-meaning-at-christmas-mercy-purpose-and-redemption\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding Meaning at Christmas — Mercy, Purpose, and Redemption"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s Advent<\/strong> \u2014 the time of year when we remember the birth of Christ.\u00a0We kind of look back in time through the lens of faith and remember some things.\u00a0We remember the Baby, born in a stable,\u00a0the angels singing,\u00a0shepherds, magi \u2014 wise men.\u00a0And that which we look back upon is what people hundreds, even thousands of years earlier, looked forward to, through the lens of faith.<\/p>\n

One of the passages that helped them do this is Isaiah 40.<\/p>\n

Isaiah 40:1-5 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>1<\/sup>Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.\u00a02<\/sup>Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD\u2019S hand double for all her sins.\u00a03<\/sup>A voice of one calling: \u201cIn the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.\u00a04<\/sup>Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.\u00a05<\/sup>And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

From the time Isaiah wrote those words until over 700 years later, when Jesus was born, people had to see this through the lens of faith.\u00a0Those living in Jesus\u2019 day \u2014 blessed are they \u2014 saw this come to pass.\u00a0When John the Baptist showed up, Matthew said\u2026<\/p>\n

Matthew 3:3 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>3<\/sup>This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: \u201cA voice of one calling in the desert, \u2018Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.\u2019\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You and I, however, look back in time and see the same things. We do this through the lens of faith.\u00a0This\u00a0podcast teaches us what to look for at Christmas.\u00a0More importantly, this podcast tells you how to find Mercy, Purpose, and Redemption in the Christmas Season.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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