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First Day of Advent

 I typically observe Lent and Advent with daily (mostly) posts. Today is the first day of Advent, which conveniently starts after Thanksgiving. Was that part of the reason the last Thursday in November was chosen for Thanksgiving?

Side note: For years I've had a brass candle holder with places for five candles. This year I realized it was for advent calendars, which I forgot to be sure to have. I can still light them as prescribed. The ones I have are white and red. The three red ones can take the place of the purple, and the white ones the other two Sundays. 

At my age, where I will go into my eighth decade of life soon, buying more Christmas ornaments and decorations has no appeal. I have plenty of them, and many are up now. I got an early start for once. This cold has laid me low, even making this typing difficult. 

The first candle is for HOPE and is called the Prophet's candle. That is comforting. From Genesis 3 we are promised the Messiah; HOPE and PROMISE are words that embrace one another. A promise gives hope; hope enlivens and remembers a promise. God in the pre-New Testament era gave many many promises about the Messiah, the anointed one, the royal one who would come to earth and be accepted by many and later would return to be accepted by all. Or at least, recognized. 

Recognizing Jesus is the theme here, today. Do we recognize Him, see Him, stop ourselves and worship, when HE appears? 

That is what I want, to see Him when He is beside me, as He promised and gave us HOPE.

I am not a mystic. I was reading about something called hechyasm, see below and thought, "That's spooky" and "why do I have no need or attraction to his kind  of practice? 

In low times, or high times, remember and see Jesus beside you. Recognize and welcome. 

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