https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHehvxVoCJE
Welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries and our combined written and live Sunday sermon, which is normally broadcast every Sunday. I am Rev. Laura A. Neff. Our ministry was built on the truth of God’s love, sharing the Word of God, the Spirit of Jesus Christ in a way that we believe embraces the ways Jesus taught us to manage. We bring His Word to the many as opposed to the few, in order to continue the legacy created by the ministry of Jesus Christ.
You will find us in the following location: http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
Rev. Laura’s other sites: Blogspot & Twitter & Linkedin & USAlife & YouTube & Twitch & TruthSocial & Instagram & Facebook
Wedding officiant page: Wedfolio & Wedding Chicks
Prayer List: We have many on our prayer list. Some wish to remain anonymous, and others only wish to have their first names mentioned. Our prayer list grows or changes every week. This is our current list.
- We continue to pray for JB & EB’s neighbor Jerry who is facing prostate cancer treatment.
- We bring JB’s sister Debbie back into prayer as she has now been diagnosed with Lymphoma after conquering two rounds of breast cancer.
- We continue our prayers for Evangelist Cal Jennings, that his health becomes steadier than it has been for far too long. We pray that his medical needs are fully met, and he has all that he requires for comfort and peace. He is still very, very weak, and has issues breathing and more.
- We continue to pray for my sister-in-law Fran who is fighting cancer and undergoing treatment.
- We continue our prayers for JB and EB as they navigate through the maze of medical tests and specialists to get all the answers that they need in both of their health issues. They are continually frustrated with the runaround they have been getting with the various referrals. JB has been especially sick, losing weight way too fast and no complete solution in sight at the moment. The doctor has started her on a ton of medication to see if that can assist, but it is slow going.
- We continue to pray for a friend of ours, Alexis, who is in desperate need to improve her current situation and is seeking to sell things she owns to help her with this. If you want more information, send me a private message and I’ll pass on the information.
- We continue with our prayers for my niece Autumn, who has been suffering seizures due to a head injury from a car crash, though, according to her mother she is doing better these days.
- We continue to pray for my Mama who has had a lot of anxiety issues lately after the loss of my sister two months ago. This on top of her still suffering from the loss of my father in 2021 due to COVID-19.
- We continue to pray for all sufferers and survivors of the various types of cancer, including several survivors of the disease, JB’s sister Debbie, our friend Alexis, my Aunt Donna, and my friend Kelly.
- We pray for my colleague and friend Pastor Waqas Gill who has been quite ill this past week. He is an outreach minister in Pakistan.
- We pray for the American National Guard members fighting for their lives right now after being critically injured in Washington D.C. earlier this week.
- We pray for those who are in the path of dangerous weather, and other dangerous conditions, including wildfires, storms, flooding, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, worldwide.
- We pray for the various outreach ministries we have joined with, with their leaders, Pastor Stephen Okoth, Pastor Simon Peter Javaji, Pastor Amir Aneel, Sister Santhi Swaroopa, Pastor Duke Moenga, and others in Kissee, Nairobi, and other places in Kenya, Pakistan, and India.
- We pray also for our American outreach ministries, including Rev. Lisa Tyler on the other side of Georgia from where I am and Rabbi Karen L. Hertzog with her ministry, Way Maker Messianic Jewish and Christian Center – USA as well.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we have so much and so many to pray for. We pray for all those who have been displaced due to war and destruction, natural disaster, and more. We pray for peace to fill this world at long last. We pray for those who have lost loved ones to violence, accidents, and more this week. We pray for safety of those who are returning home from the Thanksgiving holiday here in the U.S.A. We pray for those suffering illness, including Pastor Waqas Gill. We pray for those who have been sick with cancer, including Jerry, Fran, Debbie, and others. We pray for those who have survived cancer, like J.B., Alexis, Donna, and others we know. We pray in thanksgiving for those who have healed from sickness around this world. We pray for the orphans, refugees, and missionaries around this world. We pray for our outreach ministries that they continue through, even in the face of adversity in Your Holy and Blessed Name. We pray all this in the name of our Savior Yeshua, Jesus Christ, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, Amen and so it shall be.
* Happy Birthday to my son-in-law Douglas, who celebrates his birthday later this week.
Opening Song: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Sermon: Today we are beginning our celebration of the season of Advent. Now, this season wasn’t really recorded as an official celebration until mentioned in the fourth century, around AD 380, when written in the Council of Saragossa in ancient Spain and Europe, known at the time as Hispania and Gaul. This letter of celebration suggested people attend church daily between December 17 and 29. More firm dating occurred around three centuries later. There is a double meaning for Advent. It is defined through the Greek as the coming of Christ in the flesh, or His birth, and also as His Second Coming, which is what Christians are supposed to be preparing for.
Today, the Advent celebration is 40 days, much like Lent, which is before Easter. This celebrates the birth of Jesus and all the glory of God that results from it. Although this is only part of the celebration, the first twenty days celebrate the precursors to and the birth of Jesus. The second twenty days celebrate the Second Coming, which is yet to come. In truth, the dual celebration has been neglected within the more modern points of view. There is everything from the reenactment of the journey to Bethlehem for Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus, all the way to fireworks and piñatas in South America along with the celebration of midnight mass. The evergreen tree is a tradition from Germany.
Advent has four candles that are lit each week. The first is purple and represents HOPE, known as the Prophecy Candle. The second is also purple and known to represent PEACE, known as the Bethlehem Candle. The third candle is pink and represents JOY, known as the Shepherd’s Candle. The fourth candle is also Purple and represents LOVE, known as the Angel Candle. Then there is a candle for Christmas Eve which is white and known as Christ’s Candle. This specific candle represents the LIGHT OF THE WORLD, PURITY, RESTORATION, HOLINESS, and VICTORY.
Music, including songs like Silent Night, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Away in the Manger, Go Tell It on the Mountain, Angels We Have Heard on High, and so many others were developed specifically to align with the five Sundays of Advent. Included at the end of the written sermon is an Advent reading plan for those who want to truly study beyond each Sunday sermon.
Why did they start celebrating Christmas and Advent? Was it to stop a pagan holiday or replace it? No, in actuality it was to remind Christians of the origins of Jesus Christ. You see, if you count nine months, which is the typical length for most expectancies, with His conception occurring at, or near, Easter, the spring solstice, and birth occurring at, or near, the winter solstice, or Christmas as it is celebrated. Yes, there’s a reason to continue stating this length of time as well. Most theologians associate the spring solstice with the first day of Creation, which is the day where light and dark, day and night, were created as shared here.
Genesis 1:3-4 KJV – And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
NIV – And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.
Now we will get into some of the various prophetic views of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 7:10-13 KJV – Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying, 11 Ask
thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height
above.
12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the
Lord.
13 And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small
thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?
NIV
– Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, 11 “Ask
the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest
heights.”
12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to
the test.”
13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not
enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also?
Isaiah 9:2-7 KJV – The people that
walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the
shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
3 Thou hast multiplied the
nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in
harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
4 For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of
his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.
5 For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and
garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the
government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful,
Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no
end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to
establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The
zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
NIV
– The
people walking in darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.
3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they
rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when
dividing the plunder.
4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the
yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their
oppressor.
5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled
in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the
government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no
end.
He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and
upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The
zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
Isaiah
11:1-10 KJV – And there shall come forth a rod out
of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
2 And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of
wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of
knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;
3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the
Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after
the hearing of his ears:
4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove
with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the
rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and
faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard
shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling
together; and a little child shall lead them.
7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall
lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and
the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for
the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the
sea.
10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall
stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest
shall be glorious.
NIV
– A shoot will come up from the stump of
Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom
and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit
of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not
judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice
he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with
the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash
around his waist.
6 The wolf will live
with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion
and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down
together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young
child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for
the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the
sea.
10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the
peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.
Micah 5:2-3 KJV – But thou, Bethlehem
Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee
shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth
have been from of old, from everlasting.
3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which
travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return
unto the children of Israel.
NIV
– “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though
you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one
who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient
times.”
3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she
who is in labor bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the
Israelites.
Zechariah 6:12-13 KJV – And speak unto him,
saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is
The Branch; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the
temple of the Lord:
13 Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall
bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a
priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.
NIV – Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord. 13 It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.’
Prophecy and the fulfillment of prophecy is very, very important in Christianity, especially early Christianity. When Yeshua, Jesus, lived on this earth, He provided a unique understanding of God’s Word that people of that time had never recognized or realized. His origins are important to all Christians, just as the origins of traditions like Advent are. We don’t celebrate all the same traditions at this point in time because Christianity is always evolving in this world. Pursuing His Truth sometimes requires a different point of view, or perhaps a fresh perspective on Scripture that hasn’t been realized. This is why we must realize the bringer of Light, Peace, Hope, Truth, and Love has a name, and His name is Yeshua, known by most as Jesus Christ, who comes from the great Jehovah God Yahweh, our Heavenly Father. It is through the life death, and eternal legacy of Jesus Christ that we are here today. Now, let’s show each other how faith and belief in God go hand in hand, and all of us have the opportunity to walk in the faithful steps of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The ability to do this requires us to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. If you are willing to do so, please leave me a note in the comments and I’ll be in touch. Now, that’s something to think about as we pray in the prayer that Jesus taught us.
Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the
kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
(Matthew 6:9-13)
Closing Song: Silent Night
Advent Readings for 2025
The following chart includes links to all of the readings and prayers for the year 2025 from the Common Lectionary. While your particular church or denomination may follow a different standard, these are the verses that much of the global Christian church will be reading during Advent this year.
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Advent Year A |
First Reading |
Psalm |
Second Reading |
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First Sunday of Advent |
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Second Sunday of Advent |
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Third Sunday of Advent |
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Fourth Sunday of Advent |
Italicized readings, complementary to the
standard reading, may be used with, or in place of it.
Source: https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/calendar/2025-26/?season=advent
~ Shalom ~
Rev. Laura A. Neff
Blogspot & Twitter & Linkedin & Twitch & USAlife
Evangelist Calvin Jennings
Covenant of Hope Ministries Main Site: http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
Scripture Excerpts: The New Open Bible Study Edition: Copyright © 1990: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © 1982: E. E. Gaddy and Associates, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright ©circa 1890-1910: International Bible Press, The John C. Winston Co.; Philadelphia, PA, USA
Sermon or Study Copyright © 2025 http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
Our mission for Covenant of Hope Ministries is not to
exploit fear, but to conquer it, and overcome all that is
created through fear
together as the bringers of the
light of Jesus found in the midst of darkness.
