Big Sky Buckeye

A writer's journey continues

Seeds of Hope (First Sunday of Advent)

Posted on December 1, 2024 by bigskybuckeye

From Isaiah 9:2: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined.”

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Chained without freedom’s hope

Slaves to enemy’s grip

Bound in his deception

Lost in darkness, faith’s flagship

God sows fresh seeds of hope

Promised redemption’s road

Light upon wilderness

Blessed revelation’s code

Prayer seeks divine hope

Messenger prepares way

Foretold in prophet’s words

Endless night searches for day

God’s narrative shares hope

His Word shall become flesh

Faith’s promises fulfilled

Harvest’s righteous grain to thresh

New birth of living hope

Forgiveness leads outcome

Salvation shall rescue

Waiting for who is to come

**Photo by Craig Adderley on Pexels.com**

Advent Prayer: Heavenly Father, as we remember and reflect upon this Advent season, assist us in turning our hearts toward You as we approach the birth of Your blessed Son. Encourage us to celebrate the gifts received from that very first Christmas: hope, peace, joy, and love. Amen.

One of Advent’s most enduring hymns is “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” The original text was composed in Latin during the 12th century. In 1861, English priest and scholar John Mason Neale translated the lyrics into what many Christians recognize and sing today.

Louie Giglio Quote

Posted on December 1, 2024 by bigskybuckeye

**Photo by Denis Gvozdov on Pexels.com**

The word Advent means “expectation.” What Advent can do for us is create a sense of hope.

From Luke 3:4: “As it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.'”

Louie Giglio (born 1958) is an American pastor and Christian author.

Love’s Assurance (Fourth Sunday of Advent)

Posted on December 24, 2023 by bigskybuckeye

From Luke 2:15-16: “When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger.”

Love breathes at creation

Stirring throughout darkest void

Goodness pouring from light

Father’s plans fully deployed

Love’s promises share hope

Flowing with peace, yet to come

From depths of Father’s Word

Mercy’s steady, beating drum

Love fulfills prophecy

Abounding in Father’s grace

No longer in darkness

Joy framing faith’s new embrace

Love’s assurance descends

Flowing from Father’s goodwill

Bethlehem’s stirring peace

Silent night, shepherds stand still

Love pours into each heart

Enduring Father sows seeds

Messiah fulfills hope

Light releasing joy’s proceeds

Advent Prayer: Heavenly Father, as we remember and reflect upon this Advent season, assist us in turning our hearts toward You as we approach the birth of Your blessed Son. Encourage us to celebrate the gifts received from that very first Christmas: hope, peace, joy, and love. Amen.

English pastor and hymn writer, Isaac Watts, wrote the lyrics for “Joy to the World” in 1719. These verses embrace his interpretation of Psalm 98, which serves as a blessed completion of this Advent series of poems.

Bethlehem’s Joy (Third Sunday of Advent)

Posted on December 17, 2023 by bigskybuckeye

From Philippians 4:4-6: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Offering God’s promises

Distant joy asking, who’s yet to come?

Echoing in wilderness

Voices no longer numb

Faithful witnesses of peace

Salvation’s Messiah now descends

Mercy’s joy-filled tenderness

Lasting goodness shall extend

Holy Spirit rejoices

Promised deliverance emerges

Virgin’s heart flowing with love

Angels praise as joy surges

Rejoice always, now rejoice

Eternity’s spring of love endures

Mankind’s hope shall be transformed

Filling joy from grace, so pure

Each believer investing

Ripples of God’s blessed love invite

Messiah opening gates

Outlook’s joy forever bright

Bethlehem’s joy in shining star

Gentleness in spirit, blessings come

Long-awaited Prince of Peace

Each knee bends, to heaven’s drum

Advent Prayer: Heavenly Father, as we remember and reflect upon this Advent season, assist us in turning our hearts toward You as we approach the birth of Your blessed Son. Encourage us to celebrate the gifts received from that very first Christmas: hope, peace, joy, and love. Amen.

German hymnwriter, Laurentius Laurenti (1660-1722), wrote a reverent hymn which works well with the expectations of the Advent season, but it also looks ahead to the return of Jesus Christ. Here is “Rejoice! Rejoice Believers.”

Peace Transcending (Second Sunday of Advent)

Posted on December 10, 2023 by bigskybuckeye

From Luke 2:13-14: “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom He favors!'”

Appearing to shepherds

Waiting near Bethlehem

Angels rekindle hope

Peace transforms world’s mayhem

Fulfilling promises

Trusting heavenly light

Hope overflows from grace

Peace shall be born this night

Vanquishing world’s darkness

Opening mankind’s eyes

Faith nurtured with new hope

Peace becoming lie-size

Favoring with goodness

Leveling each mountain

Hope sharing blessed gift

Peace fills mercy’s fountain

Blessing with grateful joy

Praising from high above

Savior’s birth bearing hope

Peace transcending with love

Advent Prayer: Heavenly Father, as we remember and reflect upon this Advent season, assist us in turning our hearts toward You as we approach the birth of Your blessed Son. Encourage us to celebrate the gifts received from that very first Christmas: hope, peace, joy, and love. Amen.

As we leave to go on with the rest of our day or night, here is an Advent hymn to send us out with reverent hearts filled with hopeful peace, “Watchman, Tell Us of the Night.”

Hope’s Fulfilling Night (First Sunday of Advent)

Posted on December 3, 2023 by bigskybuckeye

From Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name Him Immanuel.”

Leading from Zion

Mercy taking flight

God shall be with us

Hope’s ember of light

Sprouting from his roots

Jesse’s stump alive

Faithful branches breathe

Hope’s spirit survives

Waiting in prayer

Prophesied birthplace

Prince shall bring His peace

Hope’s beacon of grace

Sheltering man’s faith

Bethlehem sleeping

Flock’s promised Shepherd

Hope’s heart now leaping

Believing in God

Life’s harshness turns bright

Virgin bears His Son

Hope’s fulfilling night

Advent Prayer: Heavenly Father, as we remember and reflect upon this Advent season, assist us in turning our hearts toward You as we approach the birth of Your blessed Son. Encourage us to celebrate the gifts received from that very first Christmas: hope, peace, joy, and love. Amen.

Henri Nouwen Quote

Posted on December 3, 2023 by bigskybuckeye

The Lord is coming, always coming. When you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will recognize Him at any moment of your life. Life is Advent; life is recognizing the coming of the Lord.

From Isaiah 9:6: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep deep darkness—on them light has shined.”

Henri Nouwen (1932-1996) was a Dutch priest, professor, writer, and theologian.

Love’s Promised Peace (Fourth Sunday of Advent)

Posted on December 18, 2022 by bigskybuckeye

From Isaiah 7:13-14: “Then Isaiah said, ‘Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name Him Immanuel.'”

**Photo by Susanne Jutzeler, suju-foto on Pexels.com**

Seeing life’s uncertainty

Searching heavens far beyond

God’s love offers gift of peace

Sending to earth, Savior’s bond

Tracing roots of future Prince

Sensing blessed hope through time

Bethlehem stable breathes love

Transforming man’s paradigm

Bearing His Son, born this day

Filling Mary with God’s love

Angelic voices praising

Singing with joy high above

Lasting, grace-filled love shall save

Bringing wayward sheep back home

Good Shepherd walking this land

Gifting peace to always roam

Declaring new covenant

Shining with love’s promised peace

Joyous light born in manger

Blessing hope’s faithful, new lease

**Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com**

A contemporary Christian song, “When Love Crossed Over,” shares powerful and inspiring images during this Advent season.

Advent’s Journey (Elfchen Series #131)

Posted on December 16, 2022 by bigskybuckeye

Prophetic

Trust

God’s promises

His actions awaken

Life’s wilderness shall blossom

Hope

Witness

Hope

For Savior

God’s desires fulfilled

Bethlehem stable’s Holy ground

Peace

Receive

Peace

Father’s gift

Lying in manger

Emmanuel, God with us

Joy

Illuminating

Joy

Angels proclaim

Humble shepherds attest

Christ comes to save

Love

**Photo by ONYEKACHI IBEKWE on Pexels.com**

Joy’s Game Changer (Third Sunday of Advent)

Posted on December 11, 2022 by bigskybuckeye

From Isaiah 35:10: “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”

Facing constant waves

Overwhelming despair

Father seeking to save

Eternal grace cares

Bethlehem manger

Looking beyond today

Savior, joy’s game changer

Mercy’s light conveys

Hope breathes, Son of Man

King of Kings, Prince of Peace

God opens His divine plan

Joy’s new centerpiece

Angels’ choir deploys

Always singing above

Reflections full of joy

Peace filling with love

Scaling highest slopes

Locating lasting peace

Rebuilding life’s new hope

Joy shall never cease

Peace restored, anew

Joy’s steady, beating drum

Tomorrow’s hope accrues

Salvation to come

With lyrics composed by renowned English hymn writer, Issac Watts, “Joy to the World” has become the most published Christmas hymn in North America. These verses were penned in 1719, and they share an interpretation from Psalm 98. In this Advent season, the hymn holds a special place with its emphasis on the joy we have been patiently waiting for.

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Prophetic

Witness

Receive

Illuminating

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