Saturday, December 31, 2011

Elfie and Home

At the cusp of this new year, I want to look back one last time and thank the Lord for Christmas. I think back a few weeks ago when I vented about Elfie, our "Elf on the Shelf." Elfie truly could be the bane of my existence during the Christmas season as I repeatedly forgot to move him, wrote cryptic notes like "Mv E" meaning "move elf" (hence indecipherable to my 10 year old--but then sadly to me as well since I couldn't remember what they meant), or suddenly gasped while walking the dog that I had forgotten yet again to move him. I complained to myself, why on earth have we added yet one more thing to keep up with on top of everything else during the busy season?
But on the last night Elfie would be with us until next year, he sent our child a pack of chicklets gum. And that night, as I prepared to put good old Elfie away, I noticed our son had placed two sticks of gum in Elfie's arms as a present for Elfie to take home. I got my daughter to take a picture of it as a tiny reminder of the wonder of Christmas and why the effort is worth it. I know that this is probably Elfie's last Christmas with a little one in our home who still believes that Santa is coming and that elves can come visit. That time is coming to a close, but, boy, it's been fun having young children in the home at Christmas. Even now, I think he believes because he wants to believe even while knowing it's not about jolly old Saint Nick or elves or presents. It's about the Savior coming, for in the words of Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of John 1, Jesus "came and moved into the neighborhood."
May we never ever get over the wonder of that. A Sovereign, Almighty God moved into our neighborhood out of His infinite love for us. He came and made His home with us. Isn't that one of the things we all love about Christmas--being home for Christmas? One of the most popular Christmas songs of all time is "I'll be Home for Christmas." And as our children grow up, we realize that the time is coming all too soon when they will not all be home for Christmas. They may be in far away places and can't come home or be married and have to go visit the in-laws (a concept I don't like even with no in-laws in the picture yet since I always want my children with us!)
But even the realization that they will not always be "home" with us makes the time with them that more precious. Ever notice how many of our favorite Christmas carols are sung in a minor key? O come O come Emmanuel, Lo how a Rose ere Blooming, etc. are all in minor keys. Why is that, I wonder, since Christmas is such an unbelievably joyous celebration? Perhaps, it's the reminder to us all that this is not our home. Christ came and made this His home so that one day we could go to our true Home with Him.
I couldn't help but think of one of my favorite songs "Blessings" by Laura Story. The words of the chorus are profound:
What if your blessings come through raindrops
What if your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near
And what if the trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise....

Then near the end of the song, she adds:

What if the greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
And what if the trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise.
Isn't it so true? We so often ultimately see God's glory, His grace, His love as never before in our times of waiting, our times of disappointment, even our times of sorrow. Our children grow up and we treasure each moment with them far more now, because we know those moments will not last forever. My next door neighbor told me the other day that their 3 grown children had all been home for Christmas for 5 days. He said he had told his wife, "I don't think I've ever seen you happier." Because it happens rarely now, these parents truly knew the joy of having all their children home for Christmas.
Our home was wild and busy this Christmas. Lots of laundry, lots of mess, lots of cooking and cleaning, but I knew deep in my heart that it would not always be so. Someday Elfie would stay in the box. Someday I wouldn't have to stay up until all hours on Christmas Eve and get up at the crack of dawn on Christmas Day. Someday I wouldn't have to clean up the kitchen 14 times a day. Someday the floor would stay clean and the counters uncluttered. And then I would remember these crazy Christmases with longing but also with gratitude and joy. And with the wonder of the privilege of celebrating the birth of my Savior with this imperfect, untidy, but beautiful blessing of a family.
Somehow, it awakes in me a longing and a gratitude for my true Home. For this is not my home. This is not your home. And the joy and wonder of Christmas reminds us every year that our Savior made it His home so we could make our home with Him forever. So thank You Lord Jesus for Christmas. Thank You for coming. Thank You that one day You will take us Home. But until then, thank You for the gift of celebrating Your coming with the friends and family we love so imperfectly but so dearly. To You, our True Home, be all the glory.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Sharing the Song of Salvation

Whew, we made it all the way to the 12th day of Christmas! (and only 2 days after Christmas is over--sort of reflective of my life!) "On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me 12 drummers drumming." I immediately thought of one of my favorite Christmas books (and movies) "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." The Grinch complained in agony about the Who's Christmas celebration: "...all the Who girls and boys would wake bright and early. They'd rush for their toys! And then! Oh the noise! Oh, the Noise! Noise! Noise! Noise! That's one thing he hated! The NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! NOISE!" Boy, wonder what he'd think about 12 drummers drumming?
Sure, drums are mighty loud, but isn't there just something joyful about the sound of drumming? It's hard not to start tapping your toes when you hear a talented drummer really going at it! (just maybe not in my house) And what a difference drums make to any song or orchestral piece. You might not really notice their part, since often it's just a part of the musical piece--and a background part at that. But take those drums away from the piece, and the music is clearly lacking something and loses much of it's power and effect.
In this song, the 12 drummers represent the band of believers--including each of us--who can and must sing the song of salvation to the world. Like the drummers, we all have a part to play and without each of us, something will be missing. What a song we have to share! How can we not share it with joy and gratitude to a desperate world?
Just think of the joy of all the music of Christmas--I'm ready to put on Christmas CD's at the beginning of October! And so often when I hear certain Christmas carols, they take me back to certain clear, precious memories from my past. Just the other day on Christmas Eve, I heard the carol "Lo How a Rose ere Blooming." I was immediately taken back to all the Christmas Eve nights where my family would gather around an old organ in our house, and my wonderful sister, Jane, would play all the old carols and we would all sing along. This carol was always one of our very favorites--and Jane always played this one particularly brilliantly, I must say! What a gift we have in Christmas music and how much it adds to our celebration of our Savior's birth.
Join the band to share the stupendous Good News of the Gospel! Again, Dr. Suess had it right. The part of Christmas the Grinch hated the most was the Who's Christmas song: "And THEN They'd do something he liked least of al! Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small, would stand close together, with Christmas bells ringing. They'd stand hand-in-hand. And the Who's would start singing!"
Certain he would stop Christmas by stealing every last visage of Christmas, the Grinch eagerly listened to hear the sound of the Who's weeping and moaning at their missing presents and food and decorations. "But the sound wasn't sad! Why, this sound sounded merry! It couldn't be so! But it was merry! Very! He stared down in Who-ville! The Grinch popped his eyes! Then he shook! What he saw was a shocking surprise! Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small, was singing! Without any presents at all! He HADN'T stopped Christmas from coming! IT CAME! Somehow or other it came just the same!"
O rats, I just have to keep going now! "'It came without ribbons! It came without tags! it came without packages, boxes or bags!' And he puzzled 3 hours, till his puzzler was sore, Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! 'Maybe Christmas,' he thought, 'doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps...means a little bit more!'"
Aren't you glad?! Aren't you overwhelmed with gratitude that Christmas has nothing to do with creating the Martha Stewart meal or the Norman Rockwell home and memories or the most perfect gifts for family and friends? Because we all (well, at least me) fail at all that every single year! I have yet to come even remotely close to my ridiculous expectations for the marvelous, spiritual, organized, perfect Christmas that exists only in magazines and my mind.
It will NEVER happen. And that's okay, because we're not called to create the perfect Christmas. We're called to join the band and share the joyous song of salvation to a dark world desperate for the Truth. We're called to love others with the love of Christ. We're called to forgive and forbear in the grace of Christ. We're called to be fruitful for Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. We're called to be joyous and grateful in sharing the song of salvation every single day of our lives.
So, Christmas is over. But the song never ends. And we have the joyous privilege of being a part of the band. So get singing. Get humming! Get drumming. Get into the band! "Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into His presence with singing!" (Ps.100:1-2) To our Savior, worthy of all our singing and sharing, be the glory.

Monday, December 26, 2011

Piping with the Pipers

"On the 11th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me 11 pipers piping." The question is, would we even be able to hear them above the constant din at our house around Christmas? Probably not, but I love music, so I say bring 'em on. I've always wanted my children to play a musical instrument and have failed miserably in this department, so maybe the pipers would rub off on them. Here's hoping anyway.
In the song, the 11 pipers symbolized Jesus' 11 faithful disciples, who courageously shared the Gospel with the world. 10 of the 11 gave their lives as martyrs. And the 11th, John, lived for many years in exile on the island of Patmos. I often think of these 11 and the transformation in each of them after the death and resurrection of Jesus (and the coming of the Holy Spirit). Doubting Thomas became devoted Thomas who remained faithful and fruitful to His Lord until His martyrdom. The mercurial Peter who denied His Lord right before His crucifixion became "The Rock" who testified boldly and consistently and powerfully until he was crucified upside down (because he said he was not worthy to be crucified in the same way as His Savior) All 11 were changed dramatically changed.
What an eternal difference these 11 men and their faithful witness have made for all of us! Thank the Lord for each of them--all so different and yet all so vital to the spreading of the Gospel. And what a reminder that God calls and uses all types of people, each with their unique gifts and weaknesses, to further His kingdom. None of us are perfect (boy, that's an understatement). None of our children are perfect. Yet even with our failings and inconsistencies, God calls us to look to Him by faith and trust that He can transform and redeem us and use us for His glory. He is not finished with us or our children or our loved ones yet.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which clings so closely, and let us run with confidence the race that is set before us." Heb.12:1 I'm convinced that the 11 disciples are among that cloud of witnesses, cheering us on. They ran their race with faithfulness and endurance. Now it is our turn. Might we, too, prove faithful and courageous and bold in running our race on this earth all the way to the finish line. And that finish line is just up ahead. It's not far now, so keep running, keep piping along with those trustworthy pipers! To God be the glory.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

The 10 Leaping Lords

"On the 10th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 10 lords a leaping." It's early in the morning on Christmas Eve, and I have so much to do, I need some leaping lords at my beck and call. And they sure better be ready to do some leaping--to deliver presents, to start cooking for tomorrow, to finish up those inevitable folks I always forget, and, how about folding and putting away those 4 loads of laundry? Yes, we could use some leaping lords right about now in my house, and I'm hoping that between the lords and those 8 milk maids, we can get it all done by tomorrow morning! (and to my dear children--MAMA NEEDS SOME HELP RIGHT NOW!! ahhh, I feel much better.)
The lords at the time this song was written in England were judges. So the 10 lords symbolized the Ten Commandments given to Moses--and to all of us--to enable us to live righteously and blessedly. So often we want to see God's laws as things we can't do, as limitations on our freedom and our fun. But it is just the opposite! God knows that His ways will always bring us blessing and joy and peace. He gives us His laws out of His love for us, because He wants us to have the fullest, most abundant lives possible. Apart from His Word and His ways, I would be miserable and meandering in a fog of self-indulgence that would bring ever lessening pleasure and ever increasing pain. Imagine the world without God's moral law--the violence, the selfishness, the chaos, the hatred, the mayhem. Who could live in such a world?
So today, I thank the Lord for His Word and for His laws. And I thank and praise Him for sending Emmanuel who has enabled us to keep His law. I am certainly incapable in any way to obey. I have always loved the story Allen Redpath told of what God expects of you. "What does God expect of you?" Redpath asked. We would think, well, He expects holiness and obedience and kindness and love.... Redpath then answered his own question with "All God ever expects of you is failure." Well, shoot, I can do that! I can meet God's expectations--I've proved that over and over again! But then Redpath went on, "All God ever expects of you is failure. But He's given you His Holy Spirit that you need never fail."
Without Christmas, there is no Holy Spirit. There is no way to obey God's laws. There is no way to avoid failure. But because of Christmas, God came and ultimately sent us His Holy Spirit so that we can do in Him what we can never do on our own. Thank You Lord for Your perfect Word and Your Ten Commandments. But thank You especially for sending Jesus so that we need never fail in living the obedient, abundant, blessed lives You want for each of us. O thank You for coming! To God the Law Giver and Christ the Law Fulfiller be all the glory.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Dance to the Manger

"On the 9th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me 9 ladies dancing." Now that's what I'm talking about! I love to dance--even though my children all make fun of my less than stellar technique. But isn't that one of our jobs as moms--to embarrass our children?
With just a few days left before Christmas, I must confess that my dancing ways and attitude are suffering. I am more staggering, rather than dancing with joy, to the finish line of Christmas Day. Forgive me Lord! If ever there should be a time of unbridled joy for a believer, it is the days of Advent as we anticipate the celebration of our Savior's birth.
Help us, Lord, to rejoice with the shepherds as they heard the Angel's astounding announcement of the birth of Emmanuel. Help us to run with jubilation to the manger, rather than worry about our "sheep" and all we have to do in our fields. Help us to cast aside our to do list, our fear, our pride, our selfishness and kneel down and worship the Babe of Bethlehem. Help us to dance to the manger this Christmas.
Back to the 9 ladies dancing--they symbolized the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. What a gift this fruit of the Spirit is for all who believe! Have we thanked Him? Are we walking (or, in this case, dancing) in the Spirit so that this fruit will be manifested in our lives? I'm so thankful I don't have to manufacture joy and peace and kindness and the like. I'd be a miserable failure if I did--the harder I try, the more I fail.
But praise God, He produces the fruit as we walk with Him. Galatians 5, which describes this fruit of the Spirit, repeatedly emphasizes walking by the Spirit. In 5:1, for instance, we're told "walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh." Or 5:25 "If we live by the Spirit, let us walk by the Spirit." We don't create the fruit any more than we create a sunrise or a blue heron or a majestic oak tree. Only God can create. But as we walk along, we can experience the beauty of His sky and His creatures and His creation. And as we walk, we discover in the wonder of His creation true joy and peace. He creates; we experience as we walk with Him.
At this glorious, but hectic, time of the year, might we walk--not run or rush--by the Spirit. Might we take the time today to go with the shepherds to worship at the manger of our newborn Savior. Might we take the time to meditate upon all that God has done for us in Christ and be like Mary who "treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart." (Lk.2:19) Might we, with the shepherds, be quick to glorify and praise God for all we have seen and heard this Christmas.
Who needs to hear it? Surely that exhausted store clerk or discouraged single parent or lonely senior or frantic friend... or maybe we just need to be reminded. At Christmas, He came. He is here now. He has given us His Holy Spirit. With His Spirit is fullness of joy and peace and patience and kindness... And He will never ever leave us or forsake us. So it's time to dance! Will you join the shepherds in dancing to the manger? To God be the glory.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

8 Milk Maids

"On the 8th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me 8 maids a-milking." Where are those maids?! I need them NOW! Forget the milking, girls! Just start cleaning up and throwing out the clutter. That would be my husband's dream Christmas--8 people indiscriminately throwing out our clutter--with me unable to say "No! Stop! I think we might need that! Don't throw that away!"
But I digress (again). When this song was originally written, a woman who milked cows was considered to have the poorest and worst job in all of merry old England. The Lord Jesus, however, came to save the lowest of the low (and the highest of the high). His gift of salvation is freely available to anyone and everyone who believes, and no one can be too lowly or insignificant or sinful to enjoy His gift of abundant eternal life. He came even for the milk-maids... and the prostitutes and the death row inmates and the insane and the elderly lost in a fog of dementia. He came as a baby to poor, common, uneducated, working class teenagers. Born in the midst of the dirt and excrement of animals. None is too humble or lowly or undesirable for His redemptive love.
The 8 maids a-milking represent those who are blessed according to Jesus: those who are poor in spirit, those who are mourning, those who are meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, those who are merciful, those who are pure in heart, those who are peacemakers, and those who are persecuted for righteousness sake. Those who are bent with care or worn out with sorrow or devoid of hope or frightened by the unknown future or lonely and bereaved. Those for whom life has brought them down low. They are the ones who can kneel humbly before the manger and find in it their Savior, their joyous Redeemer, their source of true blessedness.
I'm thinking right now of some friends who are being forced to wade through mighty deep waters. I cannot imagine their pain... O but my Savior can. He knows. He feels. He strengthens and blesses even in the darkest of days. In the words of Betsie ten Boom, while in a German concentration camp in World War II, "No pit is so deep that His love is not deeper still."
Deeper even than the pits of loneliness and betrayal and illness and death and despair. Deeper than the pits of our pride or selfishness or hatred. Deeper than the pit of a Roman cross on a windswept hill overlooking Jerusalem. His love is deeper still. Far far far deeper still.
So today, whatever your sorrows, your failures, your fears, your inadequacies, His grace and love and mercy are infinitely greater and better and more powerful. Might He who blesses the lowest and the weakest, put a song in your soul even if there is sorrow in your heart.
He is able. Boy, is He able! (Eph. 4:20-21) And His name is Jesus. To our Savior and Redeemer be all the glory.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

The Brave Little Boy

"On the 7th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me 7 swans a-swimming." More birds. But I love birds, so I say, keep 'em coming! These 7 beautiful, graceful birds represent the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit: prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, leading, and compassion. (contrary to my husband's assertion about his own gift--"strong opinions" are not actually a gift!).
I thank the Lord for giving us all gifts--and we do all have at least one of these gifts. What a reminder, however, that we are called simply to use to His glory whatever gift He has given us and NOT compare or complain that we don't have some different gift. We are so prone to grumble about what we don't have rather than be grateful for what we do have... and then act upon our gratitude by using that gift for our gracious God. So thank You Lord for all Your many gifts. Might we use them one and all to the glory of our Lord.

On an only tangentially related note, how I thank the Lord for the gift of music! My daughter just gave me a CD by a singer named Andrew Peterson, and he has a Christmas song that I just love called "Gather Round, Ye Children:"

Gather round, ye children, come
Listen to the old, old story
Of the power of death undone
By an infant born of glory
Son of God, son of man
Gather round, remember now
How creation held it's breath
How it let out a sigh
And it filled up the sky with angels
Son of God, son of man.

So sing out with joy for the brave little Boy
Who was God, but He made Himself nothing
Well, He gave up His pride and He came here to die
Like a man
Therefore God exalted Him
To the place of highest praises
And He gave Him a name above every name.

O might we sing out with joy this Christmas--and every day of our lives--for the "brave little Boy who was God but made Himself nothing" and "came here to die" so that we might live forever with Him. Isn't that our source of joy at the coming of Jesus? He came, not as a King or mighty conquerer or an intimidating Potentate but as a "little boy," as a tiny, vulnerable infant. Just incredible--God Almighty as a newborn. And He came not to dominate or destroy or defeat mankind but to die. To die that we might live. To die in order to dominate and destroy and defeat the powers of satan and sin and death.
Today, praise the One who came--praise our God who made Himself nothing in order to give us much. Join with the angels to adore Him. To the Brave Little Boy, the Almighty God, the Savior, be all the glory.

Our Creator Savior

"On the 6th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me 6 geese-a-laying." hmmm, I'm seeing a poultry pattern here. Fine by me, since chicken is our go-to meal. How many ways can you prepare boneless chicken breasts? You'd be surprised... the possibilities are nearly infinite.
But I digress--sort of reflective of my brain at this time of the year, I'm afraid.
The 6 eggs symbolize the 6 days of creation--the 6 days when the world was "hatched" by God. What a gift is God's creation, and what a clear reflection of our Lord's love of beauty and creativity and glory. I think He just loves to sometimes cause us to be overcome with wonder and amazement! How can you look at a sunrise and not be awed? How can you breathe in the verdant scent of the evergreen tree and not be thankful? How can you watch the hawk soar or hear the Canadian Geese calling or feel the cool breezes blowing and not be overwhelmed with the goodness and grace of our Creator? How can you glimpse the heavens and not declare with David, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge?" Ps.19:1-2
Look around you today and rejoice at the extravagance of Your Almighty Creator. And then rejoice that Your Creator has come. He who made the heavens and the earth invaded His own creation in order to redeem those He had made... including you. Might you love and praise the One who made all and who came to save all. To our Creator-Savior be all the glory.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

The 5th DAY

"On the 5th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 5 golden rings." O boy, we come to the one verse we can always seem to remember. How many times have I soldiered through this song, kind of mumbling the words to the 9th, 8th, and 7th days that I can never quite recall, and then blasting out "5 gooooolden rings!"
Other that being a nice, slower respite in the middle of the song, the 5 golden rings also carries the significance of being an extremely precious commodity. Gold was, and is, very expensive and valuable. The number 5 symbolizes the first 5 books of the Bible, which are valuable and dear like gold. Again, we are encouraged to see the precious treasure we have in God's Word--both the Old and the New Testaments. God's very words breathed onto the pages of our Bibles we may hold in our hands and take into our hearts. Thank You Jesus for being our Word and for giving us Your Word.
You know, it's funny, as I have contemplated these 12 days of Christmas, I heard on a Christian radio program the story of a young mother who was diagnosed with brain cancer and died just a few weeks later. She was in perfect health, with 3 young children, and after complaining of a severe headache, went to the emergency room and learned she had an aggressive form of cancer and had only a short time to live. She lived exactly 17 days. I couldn't help but think about the value of each day. The 12 days of Christmas. The 17 days of a young mother's life.
We all have only a set, predetermined number of days to live on this earth. The question is not the number, but how will we live them? Will we live them to the glory of God so that each day becomes an eternal treasure? Or will we waste this day, frittering it away in anger or indifference or irritation or in some selfish pursuit of acquiring more "stuff" or gaining some short term pleasure or even in being busy busy busy but not fruitful. I am so prone to being a Martha and trying to get it all done (and then growing exasperated and discouraged because I never can) rather than being a Mary and resting in His love. If I would just daily choose to be a Mary first and rest in Him and His love then He would enable me to be a Martha and accomplish all that He has called me to do--and do it with joy and peace rather than frenzy and frustration.
Our days are infinitely more precious than gold. Each day is a gift from our Heavenly Father, and we don't have any idea how many He will give us. If you knew you had only 12 more or 17 more, what would you do differently? How would your attitude change? How would you enjoy and savor Christmas differently? Something tells me I would not be stressing out over whether I had remembered all the teacher's presents or worrying about what I am going to cook for all the many meals coming up next week or wasting time and energy on all the dumb stuff that can drain away my peace and joy.
I would be making much of my Savior... not making much of my to do list. I would be glorifying the One who came down so I could go up... not glorying in my accomplishments or my busyness. I would be savoring each moment with my loved ones... not surfing the web for one more present. I would be rejoicing in the birth of my Lord and worshipping my King... not working feverishly and worrying and wasting.
So right now, I could be getting those gifts ready to be delivered, cleaning up my house, or folding laundry. But instead, I am sitting in our living room, listening to joyous Christmas music, contemplating the wonders of Christmas and gazing at our colorful Christmas tree. A tree alight not just with the glow of the lights but with all the homemade ornaments from the children, old ornaments from my dear parents and aunt Janie and grandparents, and from my husband's sweet parents and from his childhood. And as I sit, I simply thank the gracious, glorious Savior who came and who has given us so many Christmases to savor and remember and worship the Babe at Bethlehem. I thank Him for my loved ones who came before and have gone on home to be with Him and are truly "home for Christmas." And I thank Him that He has given me one more day to love Him and love those He has placed in my life.
The 5th day of Christmas. How will you use this day He has given you? Might we use each day to glorify Him with all that we are and all that we have and all that we do and say. To God be the glory.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Four Calling Birds

On the 4th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me 4 calling birds." Another bird! What's the deal with that? I have no idea why the first 4 days are all birds, but I do know birds are remarkable creatures and incredible examples of God's wondrous creation.
The 4 calling birds symbolized the 4 Gospels--Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, as well as the entire story of Christ's life contained in each of the Gospels. What an amazing gift we have in God's Word. Might we never take it for granted. God's eternal, supernatural Word that has the power not just to guide us and teach us but also to change hearts and lives. I think of the countless numbers of brave men and women who gave their lives for God's Word and for the Gospel and am humbled and convicted by my sometime cavalier attitude towards the Bible. We have Bibles of every shape and size and translation at our house. But do we read the Word every day with as much eagerness and hunger as we do with our food and meals? Help us to hunger for You and Your Word, Lord, more than anything else that this world can offer us.
Pretty simple and basic, but then, that's what it's all about, and it starts with spending time in His Word. Chuck Swindoll once wrote: "To be used by God. Is there anything more encouraging more fulfilling? Perhaps not, but there is something more basic: to meet with God. To linger in His presence, to shut out the voice of the city and, in quietness, give Him the praise He deserves. Before we engage ourselves in His work, let's meet Him in His Word...in prayer...in worship."
The holidays are busy, I know, but we need to push aside the constant demands and expectations, and choose, daily, to spend time meeting with God in His Word. The 4 calling birds are calling you! Will you choose to meet the Author of the Universe today in His Word so He can teach and convict and encourage and empower and love you? He gave us the Word, and He is the Word. What could be more important today? To the eternal, powerful Word be all the glory.

Friday, December 16, 2011

The Hens--the Gifts

Okay, pretend like this is yesterday--for the 3rd day of Christmas! "On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me, 3 French hens." This is the kind of gift that would get some good use at our house, since we eat a LOT of chicken! At least they would not then add to the considerable clutter!
In the 16th century, French hens were very expensive food items that only the wealthiest homes could afford. Whenever French hens were served at a banquet, then it truly was a feast fit for a king. (Let's hear it for Chik-fil-a!) So in this song, the 3 French hens symbolized the costly gifts brought to the Baby Jesus by the Wise Men: the gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
We all know about gift giving at Christmas.... in fact, most of us are overwhelmed by the enormity of buying or making, wrapping, and delivering gift upon gift. We lose all perspective of the joy of THE Gift in our quest to be gift-givers. Forgive us Lord! Aren't you thankful that He knows our hearts and loves and cherishes us even in our frenzy and frustration as we try to give gifts to everyone we know and love except Him? I somehow think He looks and smiles upon us not with irruption but with delight despite our failings this time of year. He just wishes we could treasure His Gift with the joy and wonder and peace He longs to give us. But our failures do not diminish His love.
For some reason, as I was listening to Christmas carols this morning, the phrase "the wonder of His love" from the wonderful carol, "Joy to the World," really struck me. Wow, do we consider, truly contemplate the wonder of His love? His love, so wide and deep and high. His love that stretched out across the world with nail pierced hands to offer forgiveness and salvation to all who would believe. His love that came one silent night as God wrapped Himself in the flesh of a helpless infant. His love that never quits, never gives up or gives in, never leaves or forsakes, never diminishes, never weakens. His love that lavishes gift after gift after gift upon His children. Think of the gifts He has lovingly bestowed upon you today: the air you could breathe into your lungs, the sun that rose and warmed the earth, the birds that sang you a chorus, the family that surrounds you, the sweet memories of past blessings, the bliss of hot coffee or hot tea on a cool day, the comfort of friends, the laughter shared over something silly, the wagging tail of your dog, the deliciousness of food when you are hungry, the sound of joyous Christmas music, the wonder of Christmas lights that illuminate the darkness, the smell of pine needles.
One of our favorite Christmas books is a children's book by Eugene Peterson called The Christmas Troll. It's about a little boy and girl, named Andrew and Lindsay, who fuss with their parents, because they want to open their presents early. Their father tells them that "gifts are for giving and receiving, not for grabbing and getting. Waiting until morning will be good for you." In their anger, Andrew and Lindsay run away and encounter an ugly, frightening troll. After their initial fear, however, they discover that the troll is actually really sweet--"The troll is ugly--but nice." They laugh and bounce and have a big time with troll, and then it suddenly dawns on Andrew: "...the troll was a gift! Andrew hadn't expected a gift, he hadn't deserved it, yet he'd gotten it all the same--and it felt great!...He wanted to show everybody a gift, a real gift, a gift you can't wrap with paper and ribbons and put under a tree." His father had always told him that "Christmas is our time to remember that God gives gifts. That's what He does, give gifts--gifts everywhere, gifts here, gifts there, gifts from above, gifts from below, gifts seen, gifts unseen, and lots and lots and lots of gifts that don't look like gifts but turn out to be the best gifts of all."
Isn't that truly the essence of Christmas: God the Gift-Giver gives the ultimate Gift in the Lord Jesus? And our response should be overflowing joy and gratitude. We can't out-give Him. We can't pay Him back. We can't earn it or deserve it. We simply must receive it with grateful, obedient hearts. Hearts receptive and open at the continuous gifts of His grace and mercy and abundance.
"Their father told them again that the best gifts weren't the wrapped up ones under the tree and so it's wise to live life expectantly, alert to the surprises of God." O Father, help us to be alert to the joyous surprise gifts of our extravagant Lord! Thank You for Your myriad daily gifts that bless us and bring us such joy. And thank You most of all for the greatest Gift ever given throughout the ages: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." (Is. 9:6)
Wondrous, Counselor, Mighty, Everlasting, Prince, Peace--our Gift, our Emmanuel. Might we never cease to wonder at His love--His extravagant gifts of love and His perfect, ultimate Gift of Love. Like the Wise men with their gifts, let us come and adore Him. To our Gift-Giver and Gift be all the glory.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Two Turtledoves

"On the 2nd day of Christmas my true love sent to me... 2 turtle doves." I was tempted to make a wisecrack about what a sorry gift giver this guy was, but actually, these two turtledoves symbolized the Old and New Testaments. God's gift to mankind was the Word--both the Word of the Lord Jesus but also His written Word, the Bible. And the more I have studied His Word, the more I have been struck that every verse whispers His name, from Genesis to Revelation. How thankful I am for His Word. We literally have God's words written down for us, and we can study them any time, day or night. How often we take this completely for granted. We can know the heart of the Lord of the universe. He is not some mysterious being that we can never comprehend. He is revealed in His Word, and He wants us to know Him and love Him in His Word.
I know it's a terribly busy time of the year (in fact, I'm writing this late at night because it has just been one of those days), but we need to take time to thank God for the gift of His Word. And the fact that at Christmas, we rejoice in the Word coming down and moving into our neighborhood. Happy Birthday, Lord Jesus. Thank You for coming... and for staying to live in our lives and in our hearts. To God be the glory.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

The 12 Days of Christmas

In some old Christmas traditions, today is the first of the 12 days of Christmas. We all know this song and have probably sung it countless times--always forgetting around about the 7th day or so what the words are! But I love the fact that this song was written to tell the story of the Gospel and of God's faithfulness through the ages. Beginning in the 18th century, British Catholics were unable to practice their faith, for the Church of England was considered the only true and legal church. Catholics who practiced their faith would be prosecuted and severely punished, most often with execution.
Rather than abandon their faith, these 18th century Catholics went underground and studied their doctrine and held masses in secret. In order to secretly teach and pass down their faith to their children, the carol, "The 12 days of Christmas," was written and taught and became enormously popular. Few outside the Catholic faith had any idea that each stanza had a very specific theological meaning. How many of us have sung these verses thinking only of what strange gifts this clueless man was giving his "true love!" But instead, each verse should remind us of all God has done for us in Christ and in His Word.
Today, I will just touch on the first day--a partridge in a pear tree. The partridge is the Lord Jesus whom the Father sent us on Christmas day. The mother partridge was used to symbolize Jesus, because the partridge was the only English bird that would die to protect it's young. As Ace Collins explained, "The single partridge in a pear tree represented courage and devotion above what man ever showed on earth. A mother partridge lures enemies away from her defenseless chicks in order to protect them... Add to that image a pear that symbolized the cross, and, together, this first gift represented the ultimate gift given by the Babe born on Christmas Day."
Once again, I just have to ask, aren't you glad He came?! He was our perfect sacrifice, born on Christmas Day to one day die for all of our sins. How I thank Him for coming as the lowest of the low, growing and living from a baby to a man as the most perfect of all perfection, dying as the most wretched of the wretched, and rising to the newest, most glorious, most abundant eternal life. Might we ever keep in mind the image of the cross as we gaze in wonder at the cradle. Both are so miraculous and wonderful and glorious--it's the cross that saves, but it's the cradle that makes the cross possible. Thank You Lord for our perfect Partridge in a pear tree! Help us to live this day full of gratitude and joy as sinners who are forgiven and cleansed from sin by our Sacrificed Savior born on Christmas Day. To the One and Only Savior and Lord be all the glory.

Monday, December 12, 2011

The forgotten Elf

Christmas can be stressful on so many different levels! Right now, I am wondering why on earth I ever allowed myself to get sucked into the "Elf on the Shelf" mania. If you have children under the age of 13 you probably know what I'm talking about. If not, be thankful. Okay, okay, I know I am a major scrooge here, but that blasted little red elf just adds a new layer of stress in our home. In case you are ignorant of the elf, here's a crash course: the Elf on the Shelf comes with a little book (which we have, of course, lost). Each night the elf moves around to a different part of the house. This is because he travels back to the North Pole each night to report to Santa on your child's behavior. And then he returns to a different part of the house--again, creepily, to watch your behavior and report back. If I didn't know better, I'd say this sounds very big brotherish. Yeah, I know, that's not a word, but how about Orwellian?
Now, the normal, got-it-all-together family actually remembers to move the elf each night. But memory and consistency has never been our strong suit around here. We have the same problem with the Tooth Fairy. I wonder how many times we discovered the Tooth Fairy had actually left the money in the mail box--imagine that!--or we found it (with mama or daddy's help) under a pillow in the top bunk. That Tooth Fairy is a tricky one! At any rate, our elf seems to like to stay in one place for several days at a time. We have come up with a number of uninspired explanations for this, but I think he can still see everything that is going on--he better not report back on how many pieces of chocolate cake I eat each week.
We also forgot our Elf's name. I know that is terrible. But what can I say. I once heard my wonderful Daddy quote Bonhoeffer when he forgot a name at a function he was attending: "The ability to forget is an act of grace." Amen! Our youngest child wrote the elf a sweet little note, and, among other things, asked the elf what his name was since he had forgotten. O my stars! Fortunately, since everyone had apparently forgotten, we "remembered" that his name was "Elfie." I figured that was a name I could remember.
So, I'll try to remember his name... and remember to move Elfie around the house (though, let's face it, I'll forget). But all this remembering and forgetting and keeping up, well, it makes me so thankful for the Lord Jesus. He never forgets. Never grows irritated. Never misses, never misplaces. His power is made perfect in my weakness. And boy, I have plenty of weakness, so there's a lot of room for His strength! Most of all, I thank Him for coming. I guess I will just never get over the wonder of God becoming man. Maybe it would be a little bit like man becoming an "elf on a shelf." That big of a leap--well, bigger actually. He came down and became man that we might one day go up and be with Him in heaven forever. He gave up the glories of heaven that we might gain the glories of abundant eternal life. And He would have done it all just for you. And He will never ever forget Your name.
Thank You Lord Jesus for coming. Happy Birthday! Help us never to forget You in the midst of all the hoopla associated with Your birthday celebration--because it truly is all about You. Might we be all about You as well. To our Savior be all the glory.

Friday, December 9, 2011

The defeat of Fear and Sorrow at Christmas

I have been so challenged the last few days thinking about the similarities between the state of the world at the time of Jesus' birth and our own today. As I contemplated this, I was trying to write our annual Christmas letter and wrote about this. But (after much prodding by my husband!) I ultimately rewrote the letter and didn't include any of this. So, I just figured I'd put it in here! Here it is:
What a year this has been. Record unemployment, seemingly impregnable businesses collapsing, safe investments evaporating. Political discourse full of vitriol and divisiveness and nations across the world experiencing turmoil and revolution. Add to all that the personal tragedies and challenges many of us have faced of illness, accident, loss. Uncertainty, confusion, fear, sorrow threaten us individually and nationally, and many wonder, where is God in all this?

A little over 2000 years ago, the Israelites, oppressed and occupied by the mighty Roman empire, might have wondered the same thing. 50% of the population were slaves. The other half of the population paid over half of their meager income in taxes to the hated Roman government. The frequent rebellions and uprisings were ruthlessly squashed by the Romans with mass public executions. And surely, most painful and perplexing of all, God had not spoken to His chosen people through a prophet in over 400 years. 400 years of silence and wondering whether perhaps God had abandoned and rejected His beleaguered people. Fear and sorrow. Are those not our enemies as well?

Yet in the midst of so much fearful uncertainty and sorrow, in a time much like our own, God came. On that silent night so many centuries ago, an angel’s glorious announcement split the star-strewn skies over the hills of Bethlehem. The stunned and frightened shepherds cowered as the angel declared, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Lk 2:10-11) Did you catch it? The first words from the angel--”Fear not” and “good news of great joy”--were words addressing and conquering their greatest foes, and ours, of fear and sorrow.

The Lord has not abandoned us! His silences, even in the midst of our fears and sorrows, do not mean He is not on the move: preparing, redeeming, transforming. That first Christmas, in the darkness and despair, He did not send advice or reinforcements or positive affirmation. No, He came Himself: the Sovereign Lord enclosed in the tiny body of a helpless infant. An infant-Lord born to one die and redeem the world He had created.

Because He is God, there is absolutely nothing He cannot see or know or do. He can heal the most damaged relationships, redeem the most hopeless circumstances, save the most hardened hearts. But because He is man, there is nothing He cannot fully understand and sympathize with, and, thereby encourage and strengthen. He knows what it is to suffer loss, to bear insults, to feel pain, to feel exhaustion and deep sorrow. The Omnipotent One also fully knows and bears with us and for us.

As the words to one of our favorite Christmas carols put it: “O come, Thou Dayspring, come, and cheer our spirits by Thine Advent here; dispense the gloomy clouds of night, and death’s dark shadows put to flight. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!” Just as Emmanuel came to Israel in the fear and sorrow of her oppression and darkness, so, too He comes to us, dispensing “death’s dark shadows.” How can we not rejoice if He has come and is right here with us, even in the uncertain and challenging times in which we live. Don’t be afraid--the Savior has come! Rejoice--Emmanuel is with you. Might we all rejoice this Christmas that He is with us and for us, no matter what we may be facing.


Monday, December 5, 2011

The Savior with a Skin-face

Happy december 5th! What on earth happened to the last 4 days?! I had planned to write on here every day but fell off the wagon into the quagmire of Christmas frenetic busyness! Thank goodness we serve a God of grace and He stills loves me even when I get so preoccupied with decorating and preparing for His birthday celebration that I forget to celebrate the birthday Savior Himself! Forgive me Lord.
We've just finished studying Heb. 10 in my Bible study--what a wonderful chapter! You know, though, I've discovered any chapter you really delve into and study and think about becomes a wonderful chapter that can change your life. I've shared with some friends one of the things that really blessed me from this chapter, and I thought I would include it here since it relates to Christ's coming. It's funny, but God sneaks in His incarnation in all sorts of unexpected places! Every verse of His Word truly does whisper Jesus' name.
But this was from a little phrase in Heb. 10:13. Here's what I wrote: After Jesus offered His perfect sacrifice [Himself--for our sins] for all time and sat down at God’s right hand, v.13 tells us that Jesus is now “waiting from that time until His enemies should be made a footstool for His feet.” I love that on so many levels! Did you know that in the OT, David referred to the Ark of the Covenant as “the footstool of God?” He declared that “I wanted to build a resting place for the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, for the footstool of our Lord.” In ancient times, monarchs sitting on thrones always had footstools. When I got curious and starting researching “footstools” I found an article by a Rabbi that raised the rhetorical question: if David referred to God’s throne room and His footstool in the temple, where is His throne? The Rabbi concluded that there is no throne because God is invisible.

But when I read that I nearly jumped out of my seat! Yes, God is invisible, but Jesus isn’t! He has a body, I shouted, to my computer! Our Savior is omnipotent God but He also has a body--just like us! He has feet that walked and bled and rest on footstools. He has arms that hug and comfort. He has eyes that see everything and weep with compassion and light up with joy when He looks at you. He has a mouth that laughs and eats and speaks words of conviction and judgment but also of encouragement and blessing.

A young child woke late one night crying, frightened of the darkness. Her mother came in and hugged her and gently reminded her, “Sweetheart, there’s nothing to be afraid of--Jesus is right here with you every single second.” The little girl tearfully answered, “yes, Mommy, but I need somebody with a skin-face.”

Our Savior has a SKIN FACE and He fully understands and feels and sees and knows all that we are going through. Yet He is also Almighty Sovereign God and saves to the uttermost and there is absolutely nothing that He cannot do.

With His infinite power, He will one day place all His enemies under His feet. Think of all those kings and dictators; think of satan and all his minions. Every single one of them will be footstools under the pierced feet of our Savior. And did you know that your enemies are His enemies? Our enemies of sin and doubt and discouragement and death will all be defeated and subjected to Him. I’ve read the end of the Book, and HE WINS, and if He wins, we know we will win in the end, too!

Hope this makes sense if you aren't in our Hebrews Bible study! But aren't you thankful we have a Savior who is the infinite, omnipotent Lord and yet also has a skin face and body just like ours so He fully understands and sympathizes and knows exactly what we most need? Just another reason to praise the One who came. May we never tire of finding reasons to rejoice in Him. To the Savior with a skin-face, be all the glory.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Our Christmas Crosses

Happy December 1st! Happy birthday, Lord Jesus! What a joy, what a privilege it is to celebrate His birth every year. How I need it-- how we all need it! We tend to get so preoccupied and overwhelmed with all we have to do that we (okay, I) forget the incredible wonder, the sheer joyousness, the pure excitement of rejoicing in His Coming... and coming as a baby! Who would have thought of such a plan? Only God!
I woke this morning to discover that my wreaths from Young Life had been delivered to my front doorstep. Now, these are special wreaths--first of all, they were made somewhere in the mountains and have a wonderful wild, overflowing lushness to them. Sort of hard to explain, but take my word for it. Secondly, they are BIG--way bigger than I had anticipated! And third, they are crosses.
Christmas crosses. How I need that reminder every time I drive up to my house after rushing about picking up carpools or buying groceries: it's all about Jesus, His joyous birth at Bethlehem and His saving sacrifice at Calvary. It's about Christmas and the Almighty, all Sovereign, all powerful, all knowing, all holy Lord of the universe entering time and space to come down to this little planet spinning in His far flung heavens. Christmas, when the glorious, ineffable Creator and Sustainer of every living person and creature on this earth, determined to lay aside His infinite glory and honor to become a helpless infant in a obscure nation, in a dirty stable, surrounded by smelly animals. What an inscrutable wonder!
But it's not just about Christmas... it's all about the Cross. The baby born to die. I have always loved the words from Bejamin Britten's Ceremony of Carols: "This little babe, so few days old, has come to rifle satan's fold. All hell doth at, His presence quake, though He Himself for cold do shake. For in this weak unarmed wise, the gates of hell He will surprise." For satan and sin and death and hell, this little baby's entrance into the world marked the beginning of the end. Their doom was sealed, for one day, this Lord surrounded by infant's flesh would go to a cross to die for our sins. All sin--past, present, and future--crucified on His cross, our cross. O thank You Lord Jesus for every drop of blood that flowed that should have been mine. That blood that washed away the power of sin and death.
O what a joyful beginning that we celebrate at Christmas. But what a miraculous, perfect, glorious ending--the Cross and the resurrection--that saved us... and so we worship. The Christmas Cross--celebrate and worship with a heart overflowing with gratitude and joy.
But I have to add one more thing: when I went to look at my crosses this morning, I immediately worried that while their size would be great for the front door, it would be far too large for our back kitchen door (the one we always use, frankly). I carried it back and put it on the small kitchen door, and it literally covered the whole window in the top half of the door. In fact, I had a hard time even shutting the door because of the cross' size. I pondered this a while, wondering how I was going to make this work.
And then it hit me--does that reflect me as a believer? Do I simply reflect all the outward trappings and profession of a believer--got that nice big cross on the front door of my life. He is a big part of my life. But is He all? What about the back door of my life? What about my thoughts of selfishness or pride? My lack of love, my refusal to obey Him in all things, my tendency to seek my will and not His, my desire for glory or comfort? All those things that others may not see, but God does. How about even at Christmas--my desire to purchase all the presents, send out the cards, take care of me and mine, but failing to truly love those He died to save or failing to daily keep Him and His Christmas cross at the center of my thoughts and heart every single day during Christmas? How am I diminishing the greatness of the cross?
Forgive me Lord Jesus. Your Christmas cross needs to be just as large and great and glorious at the back door of my life as at the front. Just as prominent in my thoughts and attitudes as in my words and activities.
It truly is all about the cross. So this Christmas, if you come by my house and can barely get the back door open, rejoice with me at the BIG beautiful Christmas cross! At the front door and the back... the beginning and the end... the start of our days till our very last breath. Happy birthday Lord Jesus. And thank You thank You thank You for the cross. Might it always be gigantic, great, and glorious in our lives. To our Savior be all the glory.