For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross. Colossians 1:19-20

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

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He took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:4-5

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” John 7:37-38

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

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You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. Acts 10:36

Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Ephesians 2:12-22

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If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. John 15:10-12

This week we have focused on the JOY that comes from knowing the deep love of Christ. We have looked at Scripture passages that highlight this theme of JOY. Consider the idea of JOY as it relates to the Christmas story. How will you respond to this JOY, which comes from knowing we are loved unconditionally by God?

Tomorrow we begin the final week of Advent, which points to the PEACE that Christ brings.

Let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. Psalm 5:11

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

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You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalm 16:11

But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Galatians 4:4-5

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Give joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:12-14

And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” Matthew 2:12-15

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The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 14:17

When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Matthew 2:10-11

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We fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. Matthew 2:9

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… a gateway of hope.

Hope has been “my word” since my cancer diagnosis back in 2006. The word jumps off the page whenever I’m reading, and I’m fascinated by any articles or quotes or sayings focused on HOPE. So when I began considering putting my cancer journey thoughts and emails together in some sort of book, I knew that the title had to include the word, HOPE. My first choice, way back in the beginning, was “Hope for the Journey” since I had perceived my experience as a journey and had used that metaphor in my emails. But, alas, a friend who was also a breast cancer survivor, wrote her book first and snagged my title! That’s what happens when you stall out. Anyway, I’ve played around with a lot of different ideas, but none of them really clicked with me until one day last week when I was reading a passage in Hosea.

The book of Hosea in the Old Testament is one of the Minor Prophets. It’s not minor because it’s unimportant, but because it’s short. And although it’s short, it’s very powerful. God called Hosea to confront the Hebrews about their sin – he told them in no uncertain terms that they had sinned against God, and as a result God was going to bring judgement upon them. God had Hosea marry a prostitute and give their children strange names, among other things, as a way of illustrating how the Hebrews had turned from God, but also how He was going to redeem them and bring them back to Himself. Having warned them about their sin and coming judgement, in Hosea 2:15, he says: God will “transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope.” In other words, in spite of their sin and unfaithfulness, there was hope for a renewed relationship with God.

As I read Hosea 2:15, I realized that my own dark place of cancer was where I had renewed my relationship with God and that Valley of Trouble had become a gateway of hope for me. There isn’t anyone who hasn’t been to the Valley of Trouble. Some of you have experienced deeper, darker places than I could ever imagine. And yet, we all can trust God to turn our Valleys of Trouble into gateways of hope.

During the months of treatment and the years of recovery since, I’ve learned to lean on the promise of Romans 8:28, “And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.” (TLB) Trusting God’s promise has made it possible for me to follow the advice of Romans 12:12, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (NIV) My prayer is that by sharing what God has taught me, I will be able to give hope to others who find themselves in a Valley of Trouble, as well as give glory to Him who has turned my Valley into a gateway of hope.

So I have found my book title: “A Gateway of Hope.” Now to get rolling before someone else snags it!

Watch for an email announcing the availability of my ebook in January. The ebook will be like a first draft. Later I’ll be fine-tuning and adding more than just my journal emails in order to produce a “real” book. But for now, I’m pushing myself to produce the simple little ebook before the 10th anniversary of the beginning of my journey! Don’t hesitate to hold me accountable … hound me ‘til you see the ebook!

Thanks for joining me on this new leg of my journey! And remember to “Be very happy because you have a hope. Be strong when you have trouble. Keep on talking with God.” (Romans 12:12 from the Worldwide English New Testament)

We are in His Presence,
bb