Hear the Crying

Hear the Crying

Imagine if you will, Christmas day more than 2000 years ago in the town of Bethlehem.  Jesus is born.  Do you feel the crisp morning air?  Do you smell the animals and the hay?  Listen.  Do you hear the newborn crying?  Can you see Mary, seated on the floor of the stable, holding her tiny son?  Can you see her rock back and forth to comfort her babe?

Thirty years later, behold a dry and barren land.  The voice of John the Baptist cries out in the wilderness. “Make straight the way for the Lord,” he calls to any who will listen.  Now that the crying baby is grown, his cousin John cries for the repentance of his people.

Three years later the mother of Jesus cries.  She weeps at the foot of a rugged Roman cross.  High above is the broken body of her baby boy.  The once tiny babe is grown, and men have nailed him on a cross.  She cries for her son as he suffers and dies.

In just a few days, everything changes. Now those bitter tears, those agonizing cries have turned to miraculous cries of joy.  The son who was crucified on a cross is no longer in the tomb.  He is alive!

As you contemplate these cries, think about your preparations for Christmas.  Did you spend many exhausting hours shopping, wrapping, cooking, cleaning, and baking?  Did you cry in anger, frustration, or fatigue? 

Through your tears, remember, the babe who cried in the manger is the Lord who died on the cross.  He is the same Lord who was resurrected and is alive.  He is the same Lord who washes away our sins so that we, too, may become blameless and live forever in heaven. 

Once again, we hear crying, the crying of our hearts.  We cry, remembering our sins.  We cry in repentance, preparing our hearts for His coming in our lives.  We cry in grief, remembering His sacrifice.  We cry in joy, recognizing His resurrected life in us and anticipating eternity with Him.  We cry tears of delight, for we realize that even though all the preparations are not yet finished, we are, finally, ready for Christmas.

May we never overlook the reason for the celebration.  In all the busyness and scurrying, let us take time to reflect on the miracle of our Lord’s birth. Let us cry tears of repentance and gratefulness, remembering our greatest Christmas gift.  We have worked so hard to prepare for Christmas. May we work just as hard to prepare for His birth and life in our hearts.  May this precious life within us cry out joyfully for all to hear.           

Psalm 34:15 “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry.”

Praise the Lord!

What has he done for you? This verse is asking us to share the great things he has done.

I’ll start, with a shortened version of my miracle girl. When my daughter Kristan was only 8 1/2 months old, she had a routine ear, eye, nose, and throat infection. A normal infection for a child, right?

After several days of medication, her fever shot up to 105 degrees, dangerously high. I immediately called the doctor’s office. It was late in the afternoon, so the nurse asked me to bring her to the office in the morning.

After the phone call, I went to her room to check up on her. She was listless and didn’t seem to recognize me. When I picked her up, I noticed the back of her hand was swollen. It had not been that way 10 minutes earlier. So I called the doctor back.

The nurse asked me to hold while she talked with the doctor. When she got back on the phone, she asked how soon I could get there.

During this time, my husband was at the neighbor’s, ready to pick up our only car at the mechanic’s garage. I ran outside and flagged them down as they drove down the street.

They took us to the doctor’s office, which was closed. The nurse was waiting at the door to let us in. My husband, Scott and our neighbor went to pick up the car while Kristan and I went to see the doctor.

He checked her quickly and then told me he thought she had meningitis. He took Kristan and I to the hospital in his personal car and asked the janitor to let my husband know where we were when he returned. (No cell phones in those days!)

In turned out that she did have meningitis, and she spent two weeks at the hospital.

The doctor later told me that she would have died if we had waited until morning to get her medical help.

I learned that the swelling hand is a rare side effect of menigitis.

Here’s the great thing God did. He made sure she got the medical care she needed by causing her hand to swell. Because of that, the doctor diagnosed her disease over the phone. I think both of those are miracles God sent to save her.

God saved my sweet miracle girl’s life.

What great things has God done for you?

Thank you, Lord, for the many great things you do in our lives. Thank you for saving my daughter’s life.

Is There Room at the Inn?

Is There Room at the Inn?

For several weeks I’ve busily prepared for the holidays. The house is decked out in Christmas finery: the tree is lit, garlands cover the stairway and windows, and angels and nativities adorn the tabletops.  Holiday meals are cooked, and the pantry is stocked. Treats wait for children and grandchildren to indulge. Gifts, wrapped in red, blue, and green, sit under the tree. After all the work, I’m finally ready for Christmas! Once my loved ones arrive the celebrating will begin!

While I’ve worked, I’ve wondered what preparations Mary made. Like all pregnant women, she must have made special plans for the birth of her little one. Since Joseph was a skilled carpenter, Mary surely asked him to make a cradle for her soon-to-be-born infant. She must have arranged for her mother and at least one other woman to assist with the birth.

I wonder how the trip to Bethlehem impacted her plans. Did it make her fret and worry? Did she cry, thinking she might have her child while on the trip? Or did she calmly prepare, packing swaddling clothes and trusting God to provide?

In spite of her preparations, Mary surely wasn’t ready when she started labor in a town far from home. Did she cry for her mother? Was she frightened when they could not find a room? In a quiet corner of a little village, in the company of stable animals, Mary gave birth. Surely this birth didn’t happen the way she had planned. But the birth of the son of the living God as a tiny, helpless infant happened precisely how God planned.

I suppose the real question isn’t how Mary prepared for the birth of her son.  The question is this: as I make my preparations to celebrate the savior’s birth, have I left room for him in the inn of my heart?  Perhaps I need a little more time to truly prepare for Christmas. What about you? Are you prepared?

Ephesians 3:16, 17a “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”

Food for Thought

Oswald Chambers

Are we glorifying God to impress others? Or to feel better about ourselves? Or are we truly glorifying God, not to lift ourselves, but no acknowledge How amazing our God truly is? What does scripture tell us about this?

I’m sure you can find other appropriate scripture, but here is one to contemplate:

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for the love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” Matthew 6:5-6.

Lord, forgive us for those times we glorify you in word, but in actuality, are trying to draw attention to ourselves. Teach us to humbly worship you and you alone. Thank you for your many blessings, for your love, your faithfulness, and your amazing grace.

Sermon Snippet

Sermon snippet: “Joy is a choice and we can choose it because of His Spirit living within us.”

~Dave MItchell

Thank you Father, for sending your Spirit to live in us that we might experience true joy!

Christmas Decorations

I treasure this Christmas decoration for three main reasons:

  1. My granddaughter painted it for us several years ago.
  2. It looks beautiful hanging in our living room.
  3. It embodies the essence of Christmas.

Here are some of the scriptures that each of these names was taken from.

Vine: John 15: 1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.

Light: John 8: 12 “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Morning Star: Rev. 2:28 “I will also give that one [Christ] the morning star.”

Lord of Lord/King of Kings: Rev. 19: 16 “On his [Jesus’]robe and thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Savior: Luke 2: 11 “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”

Living Water: John 4: 10 “Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

Shepherd: John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

Immanuel (Emmanuel): Isa. 7: 14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

Messiah: Matt. 1: 16b “And Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.”

Christ: Romans 5: 20, 21 “The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Everlasting Father: Isa. 9: 6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulder. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Father, as we contemplate and celebrate Christmas, let us see both the child born in a manger and the man who changed the world. Let us see the man who was God living on earth to save our souls.

Thank God!

It’s only 13 days until we celebrate Christmas!

And this verse so aptly states what we celebrate. The whole world changed with the birth of baby Jesus. God came to earth humbly, as the child of a carpenter. Not the son of a king, born in a palace, but the son of God, born in a stable. From those humble beginnings, he did indeed give us victory over sin and death. Hallelujah and merry Christmas!

Thank you Lord Jesus, for your willingness to come to earth and live with us. Thank you for suffering on the cross as a sacrifice to cleanse us from our sins. During this season, keep our thoughts on you and let us thank and praise you.

God’s Sanctuary

How wonderful for believers to know that God’s spirit lives within us. I think of this often, and regret those times that I decide to take control rather than God’s spirit being in control. Thankfully, though, God forgives and give me another chance. He is so good.

Because He lives in us, we become a sanctuary for Him. How should we treat God’s sanctuary? Certainly, filling it with good food and good thoughts. Since God lives within us, we should provide Him a holy place, a holy sanctuary.

What do you think? What ways are you working on to provide that holy sanctuary for God?

Thank you, Father, for coming to live with us, to guide and teach us your ways. Show us how to provide you with a holy sanctuary.

A Blanket of White

A Blanket of White

Light streaming through my window awakened me. Like a child, I jumped out of bed and hurried to the window. Sparkling in my back porch light, snow blanketed the yard. Winter’s drab landscape changed to a fairyland. The dead, brown grass disappeared under the snowy blanket, and the barren trees wore sparkling white accessories.

Winter’s blanket insulates the plants and muffles extraneous noises. The world quiets and stills. If the snowy blanket is deep enough, activities and work cease. Then I curl up under a warm blanket, drink a cup of tea, and read a good book. After a heavy snowfall, people rejoice in the lull from routine activities and time to rest. They cocoon at home instead of scurrying here and there.

When I allow God’s spirit to blanket my soul, similar changes occur. What was drab and colorless becomes white and sparkling as God’s spirit reflects light and love. Even though the world around me may spin out of control, His spirit stills and calms my soul. Just as the blanket of snow insulates the earth, God insulates me against the clamor and coldness of the world and keeps my focus on Him.

Father God, wrap the blanket of your Spirit around me that my soul may be still and reflect your love.

Galatians 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Food for Thought

User comments

“In our concern to do it right, we have forgotten how to respond spontaneously to an encounter with the Divine. We remain children, depending on someone else’s approval, in that most important core of our life, the spiritual. We don’t learn how to pray, only to say approved prayers. We sit at the dark edges of a richly laden banquet hall, hoping for a few crumbs that might fall our way.”

~Henri Nouwen

Sometimes I feel as if I am sitting at the edge of that banquet hall, near the table laden with so much goodness and spiritual nutrition. The bread of life is freely available, and cups are kept full of the living water.

I am at the edges of this banquet by choice, for I have been invited to feast at the table by the master himself. Why do I sometimes choose to chase after the shiny things of this world instead of feasting at the table with my creator?

Alas, I am human, and I am imperfect. Thankfully, our savior is always willing to extend the invitation and to invite us to sit at his banquet table for all eternity.

Are you sitting in the corner, waiting for some of that bread of life and longing for the living water? Then call on the one who provides both.

“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.'” John 6: 35

“Jesus answered, ‘everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water living up to eternal life.'” John 4: 13-14

Lord Jesus, thank you for providing the bread of life and the living water that leads to eternal life. Forgive me for those times that I choose to eat from the crumbs of your table. Remind me to sit at the table as an invited guest, enjoying the fruits of your spiritual feast.