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Christmas With the Shepherds
Luke 2:8-20 The stories in the Bible of David defending his sheep against wild animals seemed cool. It becomes real when a shepherd knocks on your door with an inch long thorn stuck in his heal. He was camped on a hillside for the night, with thorny branches surrounding the sheep and goats. All of…
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Inadvertently omitted
My deepest apologies – on the most recent article for the Advent Journal, I omitted the author of that submission. “A Christ-less Christmas” was submitted by Joe and Denise Goossen, retired global partners with Avant serving close to 40 years in various places including Brazil and a number of former Soviet bloc countries. We appreciate…
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A Christ-less Christmas
Living in several countries of the former Soviet Union for many years, we could see how thecommunist Soviet system tried to erase Christmas for 70 years. There was no God so there wasno birth of Jesus. New Year’s Eve was the huge celebration. Father Frost and the Snow Maiden were the prominent figures who brought…
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Christ in You, the Hope of Glory
As we journey through Advent, we are reminded of the mystery now revealed:Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). This profound truth assures us that Christ dwells within all believers, transformingus and giving us confidence in the promise of eternal life. Our sufferings are not meaningless. They shape us into the image of…
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THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER …
“Jesus is the Reason for the Season” has long been a familiar Christmas phrase. I’d like to share a short personal story from before I knew Jesus, showing how that statement became meaningful in my life. For many years, Christmas was simply a time to eat, drink, and be merry—a reason to party. I celebrated…







