A Child is Born!...Continued from page 4

That’s why I’m glad there is an Everlasting Father who listens to us and provides for us. He grants to us what we need. And He knows what we need better than we know what we need. To borrow from a sitcom of the 1950s, “the Everlast­ing Father Knows Best!”  So when you are tempted in these days to rely upon the provision of the world, I invite you to remember the provision that comes from Jesus Christ. A Child.

A Child, a Child is born for us;
A Son is given unto you and me.
He is the Gladness of eternity;
for He was born to set all people free.
Everlasting Father is His name;
Forever caring for His children’s pain.
Creator and Sustainer of our lives;
Protecting us throughout these days of strife.
A Child! A Child is born for us, and Everlasting Father is His name.

Pastoral Blessing

Depart, now, into this Advent Day, under the mercy of God, your Heavenly Father.

And as you go, remember:

 Through the Generosity of God, you have been granted all that is 
 necessary for the journey by a Benevolent Father;
In the Kindness of God, you have been forgiven your sins and restored
to the joy of your salvation through the tenderness of a Good Son; and
In the Love of God, you are being renewed and sealed for the Day of the
Lord by a Providential Spirit.

Glory be to the Lord God – now and for all time to come. Through Jesus Christ.
Bethlehem’s Child. The Everlasting Father. Amen and Amen.

--Jimmy Gentry is Pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Carrollton, Ga.

Scripture references within the text are from the Contemporary English Version, 1995, unless otherwise noted.