Christmas Present

I love the holiday season. I love all the things about Christmas that many people consider a hassle. I love shopping for the perfect gift for my loved ones. I love to decorate my house. I love to bake, to entertain and to sit on the couch and admire my beautiful Christmas tree. 

We have a lot of traditions in our family that accompany the Christmas season.  We pick our Christmas tree on the weekend following Thanksgiving and have a tree decorating party with our family. With mom being gone this year, the tradition was carried on at my sister’s house.  We host a few annual parties, we celebrate Christmas Eve first at church, and then at dinner with friends. On Christmas Eve everyone gets to open one special present-always new pajamas- so that you look good in the pictures the next morning! We have Christmas day with family; this year at our house. We exchange Christmas presents; a show of our love for each other and joy of being together to celebrate Jesus’ birth. 

With all of these traditions, I sometimes have to remind myself, in the midst of all the fun and preparation, to remain Christmas Present.  I want my heart and mind to be focused on the real reason that we celebrate at Christmas.

I want to be Christmas present. I want to be present in this moment of celebrating Jesus’ birth. I want my traditions to be built around something with more foundation than boxes, bows and shining lights.

Luke 2:11  “For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior which is Christ the Lord.” 

We celebrate because He is Present.

Love Story

 

I was thinking about the plot of a basic love story: girl meets boy, relationship ensues, huge obstacle gets in the way of love, until finally, love triumphs in the end. 

The love story that is told in scripture about Jesus’ birth is not simply about a boy and a girl. It is a love story for every person, and every generation.  It is not just for a beautiful girl and a misguided man-it is for every girl and every boy-for the beautiful, and the not so beautiful. It is for those who are wayward, and those who are filled with integrity. It has made the cover of magazines, topped the best seller list and has been read at bedtime for countless generations. It never becomes dated or out of style. Why would this story live on in the hearts of mankind?

We have seen countless movies with the same story line, and we see it in the book of Matthew. Mary (nice girl) meets Joseph (man with integrity), and a betrothal is arranged.  Enter the huge obstacle:  Mary is pregnant, by the Holy Spirit. Joseph, while deciding what in the world to do, is greeted by an angel.  When writing down these events, Matthew gives very few details. However, he is big into labels as a way of identifying the major players in the story: An angel visits Joseph, but it isn’t just any angel, it is an “angel of the Lord”. There is no doubt that this meeting was God ordained. Joseph is addressed as “son of David”. There is no question of Joseph’s lineage. Mary is labeled as a virgin. There is no question of her sexual purity.  As readers of the story, we take these facts for granted.  As players in the story, these facts add up to fulfilled prophesy. Joseph and Mary would have known the story as it was passed down. They would have known that the Messiah was to be born of a virgin and come from the line of David.  They became part of the greatest love story of all time.

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means God with us.” Isaiah 7:14

The story lives on because God’s promises and plan never fail.  This love story is now a part of each of us who believe. It lives on because our very own Savior, Jesus Christ, lives on. Immanuel, God with us, is still with us today. It is a telling of God’s love for us. His love story for humanity is what we celebrate this Christmas.

Losing an "I"

One of my favorite phrases from childhood is, “Someone is going to lose an eye.” My husband is the perfect example of this phrase.  While playing soldiers with his brother, with the requisite long pointy sticks for guns, he was charging forward while Dave was turning to retreat, and Garth got poked in the eye.  It is all fun and games until someone loses an eye. While we shout that reminder to our kids, sometimes in truth and sometimes in jest, in the Christian walk we are not supposed to stop until someone does lose an ‘I”.  Do you put others first or do you need to stop and lose an “I”?

I confess I am very often selfish. I consider myself before others frequently.  Sometimes I am tired of doing good. Sometimes I want to think about me. Sometimes I get tired of being responsible.  When is it going to be my turn to stay home and huddle under the covers instead of being the one to keep things going?

The world tells us many things about ourselves, most of them having to do with putting ourselves first: “I’m worth it”, “Care begins with me”, “You deserve a break today” are just a few.

Philippians 2:3 tell us, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves”.

The truth is, I think about myself plenty.   But as a Christian I am called to “lose an I”. It’s just that the “I” is me, or my absorption with self.  When I strive to put others before myself there is a subtle shift in the way I look at the world. I begin to see the whole person standing in front of me, not just their exterior.  I begin to see their needs and their gifts. I begin to see that they are God’s beloved child, just as I am.  I begin to see their worth through my Fathers eyes, and hopefully, the way I view myself has changed as well.

Never Stop Praying

There is a book by Bill Hybels entitled, Too Busy Not to Pray.  I have not read it. If I am too busy to pray I am certainly too busy to read the book!  Sometimes it feels like I am too busy or too crabby or too worried to pray.  God knows I feel that way and He wants me to pray anyway. I get it. He wants to know about the sometimes meaningful and sometimes ridiculous things that consume my thoughts and therefore, my time and my life.  I wish that I could say I was one of those people who always immediately stop to pray when she is disgruntled, crabby or upset. Sometimes I see those things as the circumstances of life instead of as things that should be entrusted in prayer to the Lord.

There are a lot of tools that people use for prayer: journals in which they log every prayer concern and then pray over them daily, weekly, or monthly; or prayer photo albums in which loved ones are displayed and prayed over. Some people make lists and some pray while they drive.  Some people pray in bed, and some pray every morning before they start their day.  No matter where, when or how you like to pray, one thing is perfectly clear.  God wants us to pray.  He craves time with us in this way. 

Are you and I really too busy to pray? Maybe we should stop thinking of prayer as a set activity and think of it as a lifestyle. After all, it is what God tells us in 2 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 

This scripture is a “sandwich cookie” communication: the cream in the middle surrounded by cookies on the outside.  My son used to take sandwich cookies, eat the center and throw the cookies away.  In this scripture the outside of the sandwich cookie is joy and thanksgiving.  God says that we should never stop praying, but he is concerned with what you are wrapping your prayer in. Don’t discard the joy and thanksgiving like an unwanted cookie! I think this is an important message for daily living from a father to his children:  “Always be joyful, never stop praying, and in every situation, be thankful.  This is what I want for you my child.” 

When we are focused on joy and thanksgiving it changes the tone of our prayers. It causes us to focus on the one we are praying to instead of the one we are praying for (usually ourselves). It causes us to see the blessings and great things that God has already done in our lives, reminding us that all our concerns are safe in our Father’s keeping.  “Never stop praying” means that each day, all day, I can communicate with Him. It is an ongoing conversation in which He is always listening and available.

Today and everyday: never stop praying.

Out of the Vault

“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this something must be attained.” Madame Curie

It is true that we are gifted for something special and that is our responsibility to use that gift wisely.  Our confidence in using the gift comes through knowing who made us, and that the gift was specially selected for each one of us.

In the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling, Harry goes to Gringott’s, the wizard’s bank to access his money.  He travels into the depths of the earth beneath the bank to get to his vault. The money and possessions stored in the bank are guarded by a huge dragon and strong magic. A lot of effort is put behind the idea of keeping people out of the vault. God’s vault of gifts is accessible to each one of us who put our faith and trust in Him. Our gift isn’t meant to be hidden away and protected. It is meant to be shared.

God, in his great wisdom and creativity, gives gifts generously and freely, from his own hand. 1 Peter 4:10 tells us that “God has given each of you a gift from his great vault of spiritual gifts.”  This scripture draws an amazing picture in my mind of a great heavenly vault, covered in gold, lavish in its design, overflowing with gifts: God, reaching inside, carefully selecting the perfect gift, and bestowing it on you or me to be used for his glory. This is serious stuff; more important than money, and more valuable than worldly possessions.  This giftedness is intended to be used with confidence-confidence that we find in Him, the giver of the gift.

God shows his love for us over and over again; displayed in such creative ways. We could all have the same gifts and skills. Instead, my gift and yours have been selected from his special vault, created for and gifted to each of us with care.  God allows us and equips us to use these gifts in service to Him and to others.  This day, choose to use your gift to serve others.

Fixed on Christ

It is easy to hyper focus on a lot of things: your child’s grades, the things about your spouse that lovingly drive you mad, a clean house, an organized life, work, holidays…the list is endless. I can easily be distracted and consumed by many things around me. It is easy to waste a day, a week or month and have nothing of substance to show for my time.

However, we are not called to wend our way aimlessly through life. We are called to focus, to fix our eyes on only one thing. Hebrews 12:2 says, “Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith.” What is FOCUS? It is US, with our eyes, Fixed On Christ.

Binoculars are used to block out everything to the left and right of what you are looking at, creating a tunnel vision effect. You only see the thing you are focusing on. Life with Christ isn’t quiet that easy. While we, as Christians, are supposed to focus our attention on Christ, we are also expected to see what is going on around us. With tunnel vision you can see the goal but you will miss everything else on the journey. And what is life but a journey?

Part of the journey is the process of sanctification: me becoming more like Christ. The journey allows me to be in meaningful relationships with others, through which I can share His love. Hebrews tells us to “keep our eyes fixed on Christ”. Meaning, once your eyes are on Him, keep them there. Do not be moved from your focus. Don’t veer away, and don’t cast your eyes downward to avoid seeing truth and what really matters.

The good journey is fought for and a stake is claimed standing on the promises of God. 1 Timothy 6:11-12 tells us to “pursue righteousness and a godly life, fight the good fight and hold tightly to the eternal life which God has called you to”. Pursuing righteousness and godliness, not giving up on what is true and clinging tightly to the promise of eternal life are all steps in the journey that help keep our FOCUS on Him.

Us, with our eyes fixed on Christ means we are serious about the journey. Don’t be content to pull the brim of your hat over your eyes, binoculars pointed at the finish line; engage in the journey. FOCUS on Christ and enjoy His goodness in your life.

Leaves of Fall

It is fall; my favorite time of year. For me fall is marked by a few things: the change in weather signals cozy sweaters, an excuse to drink coffee or tea all day, pumpkin baked goods, fall festivals and changing leaves.  The leaves are probably my favorite feature of fall.  I like to go tree shaking-find a scrawny tree trunk with great fall leaves and shake. When my son was little we would rake all the leaves into a huge pile and throw him in; destroy the pile, and do it all over again.

Lately I have been thinking about how fall is a time we begin new things: new sports seasons, new school year, new programs. Yet, fall as a season is really about decay.  The plants and trees that have thrived over the spring and summer are winding down. The blooms have faded and look a little desolate and the leaves on the trees are changing to reveal amazing color. With a burst of glory they are preparing to die.

Life for the believer is a little different.  At the end of life we face decay. It is too often a slow and painful process. It is marked by the loss of all we hold dear. It is the ultimate step of faith into the unknown.  While the fall leaves have their burst of glory before they flutter unheeded to the ground, the believer gets a different reception. We are not left to flutter to nothingness. We are not scooped up and put into the discard pile. Our burst of glory comes not with death and decay, but as we step into the presence of Christ, carried there by His hand. 

Psalm 16:9-11 “No wonder my heart is glad and I rejoice. My body rests in safety. For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave. You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.”