He is the Messiah

Luke 2:11-14 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

The words in today’s scripture are powerful and world changing! In my mind’s eye I try to picture what ‘a great company of the heavenly host’ would look like but it is beyond my comprehension. All I know is that I want to be counted among those praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth, peace to those on whom His favor rests!”

Merry Christmas, Friends. May your time be filled with thoughts of Jesus and warm, loving time with family and friends. See you here next week. Until then, know you are loved.

Not a Walk in the Park

Luke 2:6-7 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

How far would you be willing to walk to hear the gospel being taught? Could you just throw a few cold biscuits and some jerky into a knapsack, water the dog and take off walking away from home and all that is familiar with just the few bucks in your pocket regardless of weather conditions if something in your gut told you to follow the stranger in town? Could you walk into a mob of angry people who thought you were spitting in the face of everything they ever believed about God? Would you willingly sleep alongside the road in the middle of nowhere if it would lead you into the next town to face the next mob of skeptics?

Chances are you wouldn’t do any of those things. We ‘Believers’ are willing to pray for people from the comfort of our padded seats in our air conditioned churches as long as the music is inspiring enough and the sermon doesn’t last too long so we can get into our air conditioned cars and drive to our favorite Sunday restaurant before the crowds hit. We’ll bow our heads and give thanks for the food publically as a witness of our faith…if it doesn’t embarrass us or anyone at our table…or not.

When we say we ‘follow Christ’, where exactly are we going in all that ‘following’?

Jesus laid His royal heavenly robe down on His seat at the right hand of God and exchanged it for some scrapes of fabric He was swaddled in to ward off the bitter cold in the dead of winter. He endured the labor of childbirth to come into our world as an infant so He could know and experience everything we go through. This was the least of the physical pain He bore. That less than remarkable manger was a far cry from His throne in Heaven. Shortly after His birth, he began the discomfort of a long journey to Egypt with His earthly parents in their efforts to keep the child out of harm’s way. Taking a baby to the grocery store is an event today; can you even begin to comprehend throwing your diaper bag across the back of a donkey and heading out walking to another country? This was the first of many trips Jesus made on foot.

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus this Christmas, let’s not glamorize the event to make it all sweet and cutesy. It was an arduous journey from the throne to the manger. The first step of many, many more He would make on our behalf. It was the man Jesus making those steps, a rock in His sandal felt like a rock would to you or me in ours. Yet the same Jesus knew every step He would take on His way to the cross and still chose to take them for you and me.

So I leave you with this question, how far would you be willing to walk for Him?

Christmas Pondering

I was reading a Christian blog this morning and the author was talking about how quickly time flies by between Christmases each year. She went on to say how cold and empty her house felt after the tree was stripped and decorations were packed away. I have to say I have a totally different take on that. I love the tree and decorations, too, but come the day after Christmas and I want all that stuff packed away. I want my house back. It’s not cold and empty to me; it’s more a fresh start, a clean pallet, if you will.

Yesterday I was blessed to have family gathering with my kids and grandchildren. As I sat rocking my 3 month old granddaughter, Lily, holding her close to me I could not help but think of Mary holding Baby Jesus. I imagine she rocked Him, too. That, my Friends, is Christmas, celebrating the birth of Jesus.

Looking out at my family gathering in a large circle as parents collected their little ones by their sides so gifts could be passed out to the children, I was overcome with emotion. Our circle is larger these days and I love it! Little Isaiah helped Uncle Daniel pass out gifts and he loved taking them to the recipient. He wasn’t asking for a gift for himself, just delighted in passing them out. Little Jacob opened a gift and his face was enchanting as he held it up saying, “It’s for me, it’s for me!” That’s how I felt, too. “It’s for me, Lord. It’s for me! You sent Your Son as a babe to live and die for me.” The greatest gift of all time was born on a cold night long ago for me and for you. A Father and Son, the first family, gave all for all and it happened the first Christmas.

As a grandparent I am doubly blessed because I have the pleasure of watching my babies bask in the glow of the faces of their babies. All the decorations transform our rooms into colorful, almost magical places for a short time. It’s part of the celebration. But let’s not lose sight of the fact Baby Jesus grew up. The Gift of His life and death is the original gift that keeps on giving. It is the only gift of lasting value, one to share and pass down from generation to generation.

It’s the part of Christmas that isn’t packed away. It’s the part of Christmas that isn’t tied to how much money is spent, or where you are or who you’re with or what the menu includes. It’s what makes Christmas…Christmas!

12 Days of Christmas

Read this story this morning. I cannot validate the authenticity of the information but thought I'd share. For Christians, any avenue to reenforce the basic tenets of our faith in a way our children could remember is good. Who doesn't recognize this song and sing along? The symbolism is beautiful regardless of where or why it originated.

From 1558 to 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly.  Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.  It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church.  Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality, which the children could remember.
  -       The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
-         Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.
-         Three French hens stood for Faith, Hope and Love.
-         The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
-         The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.
-         The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
-         Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit: Prophesy,  Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership and Mercy.
-         The eight maids a-milking were the eight Beatitudes.
-         Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit:  Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control.
-         The ten Lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments.
-         The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful Disciples.
-         The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles’ Creed.

MERRY (Twelve Days of) CHRISTMAS!

Who Can be Against Us?

Romans 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

I recently read a story a woman told of when she moved to Israel some years ago for ministry. I have a special heart for doing ministry there myself one day, so this was poignant stuff to me. It also touched on some points and issues in my life. That God!!! He just keeps placing the right things in front of us at the right time, doesn’t He?

"Times were tough in Israel at the time and I lived in an area of Jerusalem where bomb threats, bomb squads and bus bombings were commonplace. I found myself constantly looking around, imagining that this person or that person was carrying a bomb and envisioning all the terrible things that could happen to me if they were. The fear was consuming and paralyzing".

This, Friends, is a tactic the enemy just loves to use on those who are called according to God's purposes. For the simple reason when we are afraid, we are distracted from the calling God has on our lives. Though she had a heart to share the good news of Messiah with her people, she was not available to be a blessing to the people around her because she was too busy worrying for her life.

She went on to say, "One day, I had a revelation about this fear. The Lord showed me that I was His child and that if I know He has called me to Israel to accomplish His purposes and I am actively seeking opportunities to accomplish them, even my death would be to His glory. I needed to fear for my physical well being no longer, I was in His hands. Instead, I needed to be concerned with the spiritual well being of the people God put in my path."

God has called us of each to do great things for Him. Let's not be distracted by lies of the enemy saying we are not gifted enough, not able enough, not strong enough, not financially stable enough to go forth and do bold works for the Lord. Let's not let fear be the stumbling block to our serving Him.

Let's ask God for wisdom, the grace and the freedom to be in the right places at the right times and the boldness to speak up for Him! There is no more fulfilling place we can be than this.

May the Lord fill you with the Spirit of God – with skill, ability and knowledge concerning everything He has called you to do (Exod. 31:3, NIV).