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[Hazybear]

I think this is one of my favourite OT descriptions of Jesus and his mission on earth

Isaiah 53
 1 Who has believed our message
       and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
       and like a root out of dry ground.
       He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
       nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

 3 He was despised and rejected by men,
       a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
       Like one from whom men hide their faces
       he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

 4 Surely he took up our infirmities
       and carried our sorrows,
       yet we considered him stricken by God,
       smitten by him, and afflicted.

 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
       he was crushed for our iniquities;
       the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
       and by his wounds we are healed.

 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
       each of us has turned to his own way;
       and the LORD has laid on him
       the iniquity of us all.

[Elly]

^ How does it all make any sense? 

[Elly]

In what way? In how it all relates to Jesus? I'll try and answer if you give me a question

I guess you'd have to know the background for it to mean something.  It's awfully wordy, though, and hard to follow. 

[Hazybear]

Todays passage is Zechariah 9:9-13 (Zechariah was a prophet from 520 BC)
He writes to give hope to God's people by revealing his plan for delieverance through the future messiah.

Zechariah 9:9-13 (New International Version)

The Coming of Zion's King
 9 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!
       Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!
       See, your king comes to you,
       righteous and having salvation,
       gentle and riding on a donkey,
       on a colt, the foal of a donkey.  
10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
       and the war-horses from Jerusalem,
       and the battle bow will be broken.
       He will proclaim peace to the nations.
       His rule will extend from sea to sea
       and from the River (Euphrates) to the ends of the earth.

 11 As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
       I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit.

 12 Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope;
       even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.

 13 I will bend Judah as I bend my bow
       and fill it with Ephraim.
       I will rouse your sons, O Zion,
       against your sons, O Greece,
       and make you like a warrior's sword.

This foretells Jesus as king over all of God's people. Also if you read the accounts of the week leading up to Easter then you see that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a young donkey, humble and not on a horse or camel or in a grand way.

[Hazybear]

^ It does, thank you.

I have two Bibles (never read) - both given to me 20 years ago by a friend who was a devout Christian, like yourself.  You remind me of her loads....   

I remember a lot of Gideon bibles in halls being used to hold windows open:)
The problem is that is trying not to water down or change the message and meaning of the bible while trying to explain what was happening in a way that people understand.
I sometimes forget that so many of the words and phrases I use almost everyday are like another language to a lot of people now

I will try and summarise and explain what I post for the rest of advent

[Tommy]

As a Christian, I would like to say think you to Hazel for posting these.

God Bless you all during this Christmas season.

[Hazybear]

As a Christian, I would like to say think you to Hazel for posting these.

God Bless you all during this Christmas season.

Your welcome

As much as I'm not particularly religious, I do like the idea of there being a deeper meaning behind all the Commercialism that is Christmas, these days.  It's kind of soothing. 

I'm sure a church near you would have a carol service that you could go to Very soothing and deeper meaning COuld recommend plenty in the city! (Pushing it but I might as well try )