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Stop Being Afraid

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COVER STORY – CHRISTMAS

The sight, smell, and sounds of a little baby give no reason for fear. Quite the opposite; watching a sleeping baby can overwhelm one’s heart with comfort, contentment, and joy. The world’s noise, wickedness, and danger all fade away when one is gently rocking in a chair while cradling a baby.
Joseph and Mary experienced the love that saturates parents’ hearts, but God was giving even more. The difficulties of life in the world may very well have faded into the background while baby Jesus was cooing and Mary was swaddling Him, but Jesus was born for much more than baby-joy. Jesus was born to defeat sorrow and to conquer its source, sin.
The words most frequently repeated throughout the account of Jesus’ birth are, “fear not,” or more literally, “stop being afraid.”
These words always come from God, either directly or through His messenger—an angel. Every time these words are spoken, Jesus and His work are the antidote for fear.
When the angel Gabriel appeared to Zacharias, he said, “Stop being afraid.” Why? Because God would give Zacharias a son who would be the forerunner of the Savior. He would “. . . make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:17) Zacharias and Elizabeth had been praying and waiting for a child for decades, but Israel had been praying and waiting for the Messiah for millennia. The time was full, the Savior was coming—stop being afraid.
Gabriel appeared to Mary and said, “Stop being afraid.” Why? “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.” (Luke 1:31) Jesus means “Savior.” Stop being afraid, the long-promised Savior is coming to pay the ransom for your sins.

Watching Attentively for Christ’s Return

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DEVOTION – ADVENT

Do you ever read to the bottom of a page and then double back to the top after realizing you didn’t absorb any of it? Or have you ever been at the wheel of a car and encountered the unsettling realization that you’ve been rather inattentive while driving? If so, then you are familiar with the phenomenon known as “zoning out.” It’s a frequent occurrence for many of us. The trouble with zoning out is that you can easily miss important information.
We often think of Advent as the season of preparation for the Messiah’s birth, but adjacent to this is another important Advent theme: watching for Christ’s return. Jesus Himself describes this watching, “It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning.” (Mark 13:34-35) His point is obvious, isn’t it? Our Master, Jesus, is coming back. His return could easily come tomorrow, or even later today!

TLH Hymn 85 “From Heaven Above to Earth I Come”

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A HYMN OF GLORY LET US SING Can you guess what all the following products have in common? Victor Radio (early 1920’s), Hotpoint Appliances electric range (1928), DuMont Electronics television with AM/FM/Shortwave radios (1948), RCA… 

From Red as Blood to White as Snow

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GEMS FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT “‘Come, now, and let us reason together,’ says the Lord, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They… 

Count It All Joy!

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STUDIES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of… 

The 1955 Conventions of the WELS and ELS

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THE ORIGIN OF THE CLC One aspect of the discussion surrounding the “Joint Statement,” which will again be before us at our 2020 convention, is how much importance to give to the events that took… 

Gift of God Lutheran Church Fairfax, Virginia

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A SLICE OF LIFE IN THE CLC Snapshots of congregations from around the Church of the Lutheran Confession “…the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23b) Located just outside… 

Called by God—Not Recruited

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BEST. JOB. EVER! Are you a young person pondering a career? Have you considered becoming a pastor or a Christian day school teacher? This twelve-part series is meant to coincide with the work of the… 

Myanmar Children’s Assistance

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MISSION NEWSLETTER Every other month our CLC Board of Missions updates us with recent news from various mission fields. Formerly the capital of Myanmar, Yangon is the most populous city in the country. In a… 

Newborn Hope!

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FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT Who likes going to the hospital? It’s a place for the seriously ill or injured. It’s a place where invasive surgeries are performed and patients are closely monitored in…