Merry Christmas and The Ninth Lesson

Merry Christmas to everyone~

Here at Willow's Cottage in California, near the Pacific Ocean, it is a cold and windy Christmas night. The stockings have been emptied, the meals (Christmas Eve Indonesian meal, Christmas morning breakfast and Christmas dinner) have been consumed, all the presents opened, loved and admired, and some family members have already departed.

What a wonderful day! We watched The New Boy celebrate his first Christmas! What joy!

And so I give you the last lesson and carol! Merry Christmas!

Lesson Nine
St. John unfolds the great mystery of the Incarnation

Text: John 1:1-14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

The true light, which enlightens everyone,, was coming in to the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Song of Praise
Joy to the World

Joy to the world! The Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King.
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heav'n and nature sing,
And heav'n and nature sing,
And heav'n, and heav'n and nature sing.

Joy to the world! The Savior reigns;
Let men their songs employ,
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sin and sorrow grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground.
He comes to make his blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness,
And wonders of his love,And wonders of his love,
And wonders, wonders of his love.

Isaac Watts and G.F. Handel