o emmanuel

o come o come emmanuel, and ransom captive israel
that mourns in lowly exile here, until the son of god appear
rejoice rejoice emmanuel, shall come to thee o Israel

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o desire of nations

o come desire of nations bind, in one the hearts of all mankind
bid thou our sad divisions cease, and be thyself our king of peace
rejoice rejoice emmanuel, shall come to thee o Israel

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o dayspring

o come thou dayspring from on high, and cheer us by thy drawing nigh
disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death's dark shadows put to flight
rejoice rejoice emmanuel, shall come to thee o Israel

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o key of david

o come thou key of david come, and open wide our heavenly home
make safe the way that leads on high, and close the path to misery
rejoice rejoice emmanuel, shall come to thee o israel

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o root of jesse

o come thou branch of jesse's tree, free them from satan's tyranny
that trust thy mighty power to save, and give them victory o'er the grave
rejoice rejoice emmanuel, shall come to thee o Israel

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o adonai

o come o come thou lord of might, who to thy tribes on sinai's height
in ancient times did give the law, in cloud and majesty and awe
rejoice rejoice emmanuel, shall come to thee o israel

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o wisdom

o come, o wisdom from on high, who orders all things mightily,
to us the path of knowledge show, and teach us in her ways to go.
rejoice, rejoice, emmanuel, shall come to thee o israel.

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pilate ring

A ring found 50 years ago at an archaeological dig at the Herodian (site of King Herod's tomb) has recently been cleaned and deciphered. It appears to be one of the stamping rings of Pontius Pilate, Governor of Judea at the time of Christ. It has his seal and his name in Greek, Pilatos, surrounding it. This is a major find, the second time Pilate's name has been found inscribed in the Holy Land. The first was a stone of dedication found in Caesarea in 1961 (shown below).




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roman library in germany

The oldest library in Germany was recently unearthed in Cologne Germany. This 2nd Century Roman Library is said to have had 20, 000 scrolls. One archaeologist has called it "truly spectacular".

(ht - bbc)

return to eden

                                                        (photo cred - marlayna flores)
               
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entrance to paradise

(ht - respublica)

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may day

comfort dog

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hands of jesus

"And lifting up His hands ... He blessed them."

See His hands as Mary first held Him, and His tiny hand wrapped around a finger as He nursed in the warmth of her embrace.

See His hands as He reaches out to touch the grizzled beard of Simeon in the temple.

See His hands as He learns to plane the wood and help Joseph in the carpenter shop, hands growing calloused even as a youth.

See His hands as He opens the Torah and reads from it, a finger tracing along with the words.

See His hands as they fold when John baptizes Him in the Jordan River.

See His hands as they crack in the dryness of the wilderness, his whole self parched and weary.

See His hands as He touches the leper and the leprosy flees at His words: "Be clean!"

See His hands as He takes up the loaves and the fish and blesses His Father for His goodness.

See His hands as He touches the head of the woman He saved from stoning and says: "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."

See His hands as He pats the donkey's head, riding into his holy city.

See His hands as He takes a whip and turns it on those who would sell what God gives freely.

See His hands take a towel and basin as He stoops to wash dirty feet and dry them, one by one.

See His hands as He takes bread into them, blesses and breaks and gives his body.

See His hands as they enclose around the cup, and He offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving, His own blood.

See His hands, outstretched in the garden, and trembling in prayer.

See His hands as He touches Malchus and restores his severed ear.

See His hands at His side, not raised to defend Himself against the blows, the spit, the venom.

See His hands spread out against the wood, split open with the nails, determined to do this for you and for your forgiveness.

See His hands writhing in agony as the sky darkens and He is left alone abandoned, with the burden of the sins of all the world.

See His hands, lifeless and torn, touched by His mother as his lifeless body rests in her loving embrace.

See His hands, folded across his chest, laid in a tomb, and at rest.

See His hands, scars still there, yet alive, never to die again, reaching out to Thomas and the disciples, to give them hope and peace.

See His hands, broiling the fish for an early morning breakfast beside the Sea of Galilee.

See His hands, raised in blessing as He lifts our human nature to the very throne of heaven.

See His hands, wounded and yet living, and pleading for all ages for mercy, a sweet smelling sacrifice to the Father.

"I have inscribed you in the palm of My hands."

"And lifting up His hands, He blessed them."

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easter joy

celebration - john august swanson

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good friday

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holy thursday

The Last Supper - John August Swanson

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shadow of cross

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isaiah seal

An impression of a seal from the prophet Isaiah may have been found in Jerusalem. Archaeologists excavating the City of David area just below the Temple Mount found the seal mark in Iron Age remains just 10 feet from where the seal of King Hezekiah of Judah was found in 2015.

The object, estimated to be around 2,700 years old, was found by Dr. Eilat Mazar of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. “We appear to have discovered a seal impression, which may have belonged to the prophet Isaiah, in a scientific archaeological excavation.” 

The finders believe the seal was discovered "in situ" outside what had been the ancient kingdom’s royal bakery. Half an inch wide, the seal bears the name of Isaiah in ancient Hebrew script, followed by the three first letters of the word for prophet.

ht - haaretz

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lenten prayer

+ A Prayer For Lent +

Lord Jesus Christ, Eternal Word of the Father, have mercy on us.

Lord Jesus Christ, the Word through whom all things were made,
foretold by the prophets in signs and words,
conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
hymned by the angels, adored by the shepherds,
worshipped by the Magi, held by Simeon, praised by Anna,
obedient to your parents, submitting to a sinner's baptism,
fasting in the wilderness, driving out demons, cleansing lepers,
giving sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf,
teaching the mysteries of the kingdom, raising the dead,
walking on water and changing water into wine.

Lord Jesus Christ, praised by the little children,
riding into Your city as the sacrifice appointed,
giving your body and blood in the bread and wine,
praying in the garden, bound and mocked,
stripped and beaten, condemned to death,
opening Your hands upon the cross to embrace the world,
knowing the loneliness of our exile and our sin,
trampling down sin and death by death itself,
pouring forth water and blood to save the world,
sanctifying our graves by lying in a tomb,
descending to hell, declaring the devil's defeat,
rising in victory over death and decay,
appearing to the disciples in the broken bread,
ascending to sit on the right hand of the Father,
as High Priest who ever lives to intercede for us,
coming on the clouds of glory to renew all things,
as the Judge of all on the Last Day.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Son of Man, have mercy on us.

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ht - weedon

sunrise at the lake

ht - sherry farrell

christ in ot

Christ In The Old Testament

In Genesis He is the Seed of the Woman
In Exodus He is the Passover Lamb
In Leviticus He is our Great High Priest
In Numbers He is the Cloud by day and Fire by night
In Deuteronomy He is the Prophet like Moses
In Joshua He is the Captain of our Salvation
In Judges He is our Judge and Lawgiver
In Ruth He is our Kinsman Redeemer
In I and II Samuel He is our Trusted Prophet
In Kings and Chronicles He is our Reigning King
In Ezra He is our Faithful Scribe
In Nehemiah He is the Rebuilder of the Temple and Wall
In Esther He is our Mordecai
In Job He is our Living Redeemer
In Psalms He is the Lord our Shepherd
In Proverbs and Ecclesiastes He is our Wisdom
In the Song of Solomon He is our Lover and Bridegroom
In Isaiah He is the Prince of Peace
In Jeremiah He is the Righteous Branch
In Lamentations He is the Weeping Prophet
In Ezekiel He is the One whose Bones will come alive again
In Daniel He is the Fourth Man in the Fiery Furnace
In Hosea He is the Faithful Husband
In Joel He is the Baptizer with the Holy Spirit and Fire
In Amos He is our Burden-Bearer
In Obadiah He is Mighty to Save
In Jonah He is our Great Foreign Missionary
In Micah He is the Messenger of Beautiful Feet
In Nahum He is the Avenger of God’s Elect
In Habakkuk He is God’s Evangelist
In Zephaniah He is the Savior
In Haggai He is the Restorer of God’s Lost Heritage
In Zechariah He is the Fountain in the House of David
And in Malachi He is the Sun of Righteousness, with Healing in His wings.

Whether it's walking with Adam and Eve in the Garden, talking with Abraham and Sarah, or wrestling with Jacob ... whether it's the angel of the Lord, the burning bush, the rock in the wilderness, the pillar of fire, or the holy presence in the tabernacle, that's the pre-incarnate Christ before you in the Old Testament, the 2nd person of the Trinity, the Son of God.

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mars landscape

A great shot of Gale Crater's Ridge on Mars taken recently by NASA's Curiosity.

ht - engadget

early morning rainbow

god always keeps his promises  ;-)

(ht - virginia rice)

kairos - god's time

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earth and moon - from three million miles away

ht - nasa

new years eve in london