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Episodes
Sunday Dec 19, 2021
Sunday Dec 19, 2021
Partakers Christmas Thought
19 December 2021
Mary
Part 1: An Angelic Visitor
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants for ever; his kingdom will never end.’
34 ‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’
35 The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.’
38 ‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May your word to me be fulfilled.’ Then the angel left her.
(Luke 1:26-38)
There is much to be said about this time of year we call Christmas. Worldwide there are about 250 babies born every minute. Yet, the birth we celebrate at Christmas, is like no other birth of a human. That birth of the man Jesus Christ, 2000 years ago, caused the world to change. The birth of Jesus Christ causes more of the world today to pause amidst the busy-ness of life, take a breath amidst the noise of daily life and celebrate in many different ways and fashions.
As we continue to look at the event in the Christian calendar of Christmas, over the next few podcasts, we will look at one of the very central figures, Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary, although a teenager at the time, was given the great privilege and awesome responsibility of carrying and giving birth to God’s Son, the Messiah.
In the Podcast today, in the lead up to Christmas, we start a series of Podcasts looking at Mary, the mother of Jesus. Listen to or download the mp3 to hear more about this most extraordinary yet ordinary woman.
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You can now purchase our book about the story of Christmas by clicking or tapping on this link here which will take you to Amazon!
Saturday Dec 18, 2021
Saturday Dec 18, 2021
Partakers Christmas Thought
18 December 2021
A Christmas Thought
of John Chrysostom
In the Podcast today we are listening to the thoughts and wisdom of John Chrysostom of the 4th century, concerning the events of Christmas.
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You can now purchase our book about the story of Christmas by clicking or tapping on this link here which will take you to Amazon!
Friday Dec 17, 2021
Friday Dec 17, 2021
Partakers Christmas Thought
17 December 2021
A Christmas Thought
of Gregory of Nazianzus
In the Podcast today we are listening to the thoughts and wisdom of Gregory of Nazianzus of the 4th century, concerning the events of Christmas.
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You can now purchase our book about the story of Christmas by clicking or tapping on this link here which will take you to Amazon!
Thursday Dec 16, 2021
Thursday Dec 16, 2021
Partakers Christmas Thought
16 December 2021
The Spirit of Christmas
by Henry van Dyke – Chapters 5 & 6
In the podcast today we conclude listening to the short story “The Spirit of Christmas” by Henry van Dyke, with Chapters 5 and 6. The book is in the Public Domain.
You can download the text of the story by clicking or tapping here
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You can now purchase our book about the story of Christmas by clicking or tapping on this link here which will take you to Amazon!
Tuesday Dec 14, 2021
Tuesday Dec 14, 2021
Partakers Christmas Thought
14 December 2021
The Spirit of Christmas
by Henry van Dyke – Chapters 1 & 2
In the podcast today we start a short story over the next 3 podcasts, “The Spirit of Christmas” by Henry van Dyke. We commence with Chapters 1 and 2. It is in the Public Domain.
You can download the text of the story by clicking or tapping here
Click or Tap here to listen to or save Chapters 1 and 2 as an audio mp3 file
You can now purchase our book about the story of Christmas by clicking or tapping on this link here which will take you to Amazon!
Monday Dec 13, 2021
Monday Dec 13, 2021
Partakers Christmas Thought
13 December 2021
Looking Ahead to Christmas – Part 16
6 On that day there will be neither sunlight nor cold, frosty darkness. 7 It will be a unique day – a day known only to the LORD – with no distinction between day and night. When evening comes, there will be light.
8 On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter.
9 The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name.(Zechariah 14:6-9)
“He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” He said, “Write, for these words of God are faithful and true.” He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give freely to him who is thirsty from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes, I will give him these things. I will be his God, and he will be my son.”(Revelation 21:5-7)
As we saw in Isaiah 61 to 63, God has commenced doing a good thing through the Servant Messiah. At His first coming as a baby, this Servant Messiah ushered in the Year of the Lord’s favour. We live in that period of time now, and it will continue until the Servant Messiah, Jesus Christ, comes again in glory and majesty. He will take those obedient followers to the City of God. For those who reject Him and the free offer of God’s grace, there is the Day of Vengeance. Now in Zechariah 14, we get a different perspective. We get a vision of the Kingdom of God at that tie in the future. So let us take a flight with Zechariah, into the future to see what this Messiah’s Kingdom is like, where Jerusalem where mentioned, is in fact the New Jerusalem, the City of God!
God will be king and lead the battle (Zechariah 14:3)! The original hearers and readers of this letter would recall how in times past, God has done mighty things for them! Things such as the parting of the Red Sea in order to escape the rampaging Egyptians. Just as God caused the Red Sea to split in two, so says Zechariah, God will split a mountain in two, and leave a valley in the middle to escape their enemies! The Almighty and Living God is coming with His legions of angels and the saints! You can almost feel Zechariah getting caught up in the ecstatic vision! That day, as described in Zechariah 14:6-7, will be unique and special. That day is only known to Yahweh! There will be a special and unusual light! Zechariah 14:8 shows that there will be living water permanently. The old Jerusalem had poor water supply, but the New Jerusalem will have a permanent supply of Living Water! This day sees the end of the “Year of the Lord’s Favour” and leads in the new heavens and new earth we discussed a couple of days ago.
In the podcast today we continue looking ahead to Christmas and its consequences, by seeing what the prophet Zechariah had to say concerning the Kingdom of the coming Messiah Saviour. What will Kingdom be like? What will happen to the enemies of this Messiah Saviour? What will happen to the followers of this Messiah Saviour? What relevancy does this have with Jesus Christ?
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You can now purchase our book about the story of Christmas by clicking or tapping on this link here which will take you to Amazon!
Thursday Dec 09, 2021
Thursday Dec 09, 2021
Partakers Christmas Thought
9 December 2021
Looking Ahead to Christmas – Part 12
1 ‘Sing, barren woman, you who never bore a child;
burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labour;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
than of her who has a husband,’ says the LORD.
2 ‘Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide,
do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.
3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
your descendants will dispossess nations
and settle in their desolate cities.(Isaiah 54:1-3)
You may recall back in Isaiah 52, Isaiah started talking about a great homecoming for all those who believed. Then Isaiah gave a picture regarding the sacrificial suffering of the Messiah Servant. Now in Isaiah 54, we see the reason for the suffering. We see that because of this coming Messiah’s suffering and subsequent exultation and vindication, that God will make a New Covenant with all the peoples of the world!
God has always kept the promises He made with people! Promises to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and David were also kept by God! God is ever faithful and always true to His word! And here God reminds them through Isaiah of three promises or covenants He has made: Abraham, Moses and Noah.
Then Isaiah goes on to link those promises to the coming Messiah who is promised! God is going to make a new Covenant with people, through this coming promised Messiah – and God can be trusted to keep His promises!
In the podcast today, we continue looking ahead to Christmas and its consequences, by seeing what the prophet Isaiah had to say concerning the Messiah being God’s Promise – not just to Israel but to the world! How does Isaiah talk of Noah, Abraham and Moses? How does this relate to the future promises of God? How does How does any of this have relevancy for Jesus Christ?
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You can now purchase our book about the story of Christmas by clicking or tapping on this link here which will take you to Amazon!
Tuesday Dec 07, 2021
Tuesday Dec 07, 2021
Partakers Christmas Thought
7 December 2021
Looking Ahead to Christmas – Part 10
9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious,
lowly 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 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, you prisoners of hope;
even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.(Zechariah 9:9-12)
We have seen in Isaiah that the coming Messiah was a Servant Prophet, a Servant Disciple and a Servant King. We see this as we switch over to the Book of Zechariah to look at in more detail about this Servant King Messiah. Zechariah gives us a picture of how the Messiah will announce His arrival and what sort of qualities that this Servant King will have. He comes into Jerusalem on a donkey! The phrases ‘Daughter of Zion’ and ‘Daughter of Jerusalem’ are terms symbolizing God’s people who believe. It is a scene of exultation, excitement and emotion. The people recognize this man as their Messiah: their Servant-King.
In the podcast today we continue looking ahead to Christmas and its consequences, by seeing what the prophet Zechariah had to say concerning the coming Messiah’s arrival as King. How does Zechariah describe the coming King? How does Zechariah foresee some the consequences of the coming of this King Messiah? How does any of this have relevancy for Jesus Christ?
Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file
You can now purchase our book about the story of Christmas by clicking or tapping on this link here which will take you to Amazon!
Saturday Dec 04, 2021
Saturday Dec 04, 2021
Partakers Christmas Thought
4 December 2021
Looking Ahead to Christmas – Part 7
4 The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue,
to know the word that sustains the weary.
He wakens me morning by morning,
wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.
5 The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears;
I have not been rebellious, I have not turned away.
6 I offered my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;
I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.
7 Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,
and I know I will not be put to shame.
8 He who vindicates me is near.
Who then will bring charges against me?
Let us face each other!
Who is my accuser? Let him confront me!
9 It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me.
Who will condemn me?
They will all wear out like a garment; the moths will eat them up.
10 Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant?
Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light,
trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their God.
11 But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches,
go, walk in the light of your fires
and of the torches you have set ablaze.
This is what you shall receive from my hand:
you will lie down in torment.( Isaiah 50:4-11)
In this the third Servant song, we see now the obedience of the Servant. This coming Servant will exhibit obedience to God, of God and trust in God. This obedience is regardless of all manner of spite, evil, malice and bitterness which confronts the Servant. Part of obedience is that we the Servant is willing to learn. This willingness to learn is a lifelong learning as indicated in the phrase “morning by morning”.
What is His name? We find His name is Israel! Not the nation of Israel itself, but as a person who embodies all that Israel was meant to be and do. This Servant would glorify God in all His ways. This servant is a Prophet who is also a King. This Servant is a perfect incarnation of God’s light, covenant and salvation.
In the podcast today we continue looking ahead to Christmas and its consequences, by seeing what the prophet Isaiah had to say in Isaiah 50:4-11 about the obedience of the coming Messiah. How does this obedience give the Servant confidence, humility as well as determination? We discover how the obedience of the coming Servant relates to the man of history we know as Jesus Christ.
Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file
You can now purchase our book about the story of Christmas by clicking or tapping on this link here which will take you to Amazon!
Friday Dec 03, 2021
Friday Dec 03, 2021
Partakers Christmas Thought
3 December 2021
Looking Ahead to Christmas – Part 3
1 Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations:
before I was born the LORD called me;
from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name.
2 He made my mouth like a sharpened sword,
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver.
3 He said to me, ‘You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will display my splendour.’
4 But I said, ‘I have laboured in vain;
I have spent my strength for nothing at all.
Yet what is due to me is in the LORD’s hand,
and my reward is with my God.’(Isaiah 49:1-4)
We are now in what is called "the second Servant song!" We discover in here the Servant Himself is speaking! We have no idea of his actual name, but He does have a name (Isaiah 49:1)! In the first Servant song, with the dispensing of justice as part of His identity, the Servant is a King! But not just a King, something more as well! In this song, the Servant appears as if He is a prophet by the things He is saying. He was called Isaiah 49:1) just as Jeremiah was. The words He speaks are as if a double-edged sword (Isaiah 49:2). Despite the opposition (Isaiah 49:4), He perseveres to gain the reward and to glorify God (Isaiah 49:3).
What is His name? We find His name is Israel! Not as in the nation of Israel itself, but as a person who embodies all that Israel was meant to be and do. This Servant would glorify God in all His ways. This servant is a Prophet who is also a King. This Servant is a perfect incarnation of God’s light, covenant and salvation.
In the podcast today we continue looking ahead to Christmas and its consequences, by seeing what the prophet Isaiah had to say in Isaiah 49:1-13 about the Mission of the coming Messiah, why He is coming and how that relates to the man of history we know as Jesus Christ.
Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file
You can now purchase our book about the story of Christmas by clicking or tapping on this link here which will take you to Amazon!