"I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,
'make straight the way of the Lord,'
Let us make straight the way for the one who is coming. He is the one upon whom the Spirit rests when he himself is baptized.
The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor,
to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners,
to announce a year of favor from the LORD
and a day of vindication by our God.
He is the one who baptizes with fire and with that same Spirit. The Spirit with us makes it possible for us to rejoice always. Joy is the a fruit of the Holy Spirit. It has a supernatural origin. All other happiness comes and goes based on circumstance. The joy of the Holy Spirit can fill us no matter what is going on in our hearts and in the world. We are able to give thanks in all circumstances. That doesn't make a lot of sense from a human perspective. It doesn't make sense when one considers what some of those circumstances actually are. But when we are filled with the Holy Spirit it makes perfect sense.
Do not quench the Spirit.
Do not despise prophetic utterances.
Let us follow the example of Mary who is covered with and overshadowed by the Holy Spirit. Let us imitate her joy and praise.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked upon his lowly servant.
It is God himself who wraps us in his Spirit as a robe of salvation and a mantle of justice. It is he himself who makes the garden of the fruits of the Holy Spirit spring up in our hearts.
This means that no matter what is happening this morning and no matter how we feel at this moment we have the supernatural power, given to us by God, to rejoice. Let us use it!
The one who calls you is faithful,
and he will also accomplish it.
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