A little food for weekend thought:
The bold letters on the email proclaimed: "Secrets to a Stress-free Season!!" Underneath, the secret, thank goodness, is revealed: "Me Time"--in the form of metallics nail lacquer (whatever on earth that is), organic body lotion (who knew we needed organic lotion in addition to vegetables), foot scrub, and a mud mask. Really? Is that all it takes? No wonder I've been feeling a bit stressed lately. Good grief.
Nope. Time to hit the delete button on that one. It's not "me time," we're needing, but "Messiah time." The more I focus on me, the worse it all gets. The more I look to the Messiah, to the One who came on that Bethlehem night over 2000 years ago, well, the more the peace and joy begins to flow.
As Dietrich Bonhoeffer has written: "Who among us will celebrate Christmas correctly? Whoever finally lays down all power, all honor, all reputation, all vanity, all arrogance, all individualism beside the manger; whoever remains lowly and lets God alone be high: whoever looks at the Child in the manger and sees the glory of God precisely in His lowliness."
O Lord, gives us this day the heart of the shepherds who "went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the a manger." And after being with the Messiah, "the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had head and seen, as it had been told them." (Lk 2:18,20).
O Father, help us rush to You...and not our to-do lists. Help us glorify You...and not ourselves. Help us praise and honor You...and no other lesser thing that seeks to steal our love and devotion.
Even in our busyness, give us Your love, Jesus. Might our love for, and service to, the people You've place in our lives this Christmas spring out of our time spent first at the manger, worshipping and adoring the Messiah.
O come let us adore Him....for He alone is worthy. To God be the glory.
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