Tag Archive - Advent

Don’t Forget What You’re Doing

December 6, 2010 in General with 0 Comments

A certain man was not much of a handyman, but he decided to save some money by changing the oil in his car himself. He prepared very carefully. He went to the store and bought a pair of vehicle ramps to drive his car up on. He bought a “creeper” so he could roll under his car easily. He also bought a special flat oil pan, a super special drip free, oil can spout, a special oil filter wrench and the oil filter. He took all of his stuff and headed home. He drove the car up on the ramps. Got on his creeper and rolled under the car where he took out the oil plug and drained the oil in the special flat oil pan. He unscrewed the oil filter with the special oil filter wrench and replaced it with the new filter. Grabbed the special drip free oil can spout and realized that he had forgotten to buy any oil. No problem, the store wasn’t that far away. So, he jumped in the car, backed it off the ramps and drove to the Store. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it. Cars don’t run very well without oil. Now along with everything else he bought, he had to pay for an overhaul.
He had everything right, except he forgot the part of an oil change, but tried to go on as if it didn’t matter.

I know a lot people who treat Christmas the same way. They have all the right decorations. They trim their tree beautifully. They spend too much money on all their gifts. But when Christmas comes, they still feel empty.
Perhaps they need to remember the main reason for Christ is Jesus. Without Him, everything else is just trimming. Without Him, everything else is pointless.
All the extras take their meaning, their purpose from Him.
So don’t forget what you are doing this Christmas season. Don’t forget Jesus. He’s the one that makes everything else work.

The Mystery of the Incarnation

December 3, 2010 in General with 0 Comments

An elephant was thoroughly enjoying himself as he splashed about in the river. A mouse was perched on the sandy shore. It was obvious that he was disturbed about something.
The mouse yelled at the elephant, “Come out of the water at once.”
The elephant laughed and said, “Why should I come out?”
The mouse was not about to be humiliated by this mountain of flesh. He kept yelling and yelling.
The elephant realized that if he wanted any peace and quiet he had better come out of the water. Slowly the elephant lumbered out of the water and stood towering over the mouse. “Now, why did you want me to come out of the water?”
The mouse looked up and said, “I wanted to see if you were wearing my bathing suit.”

I love this story. My wife gives me that “Remind me why I married you” look whenever I tell it. But this story, because it is absurd, reminds me of just how absurd it is that God could fit into human flesh. I think it would be far easier and more easily understood for an elephant to fit into a mouse’s bathing suit.

But that is the mystery of the incarnation. God did become flesh and dwell among us. He wrapped our sinful wounded flesh around the body that the universe cannot contain and became a baby. The all powerful, nothing-is-impossible God became the most vulnerable helpless creature on the face of the earth.

And He did it just for me … and you.

How He did it, I cannot comprehend. Why He did it, escapes me. But that He did it, amazes me. And though I cannot figure it out, though it is easier for me to believe that an elephant can wear a mouse’s bathing suit, I am thankful He did.

“The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish. ” (John 1:14, The Message)

The Punctuation of Advent

December 2, 2010 in Daily Faith with 0 Comments

In Russia, a period actually saved a man’s life. The Czar had condemned the man to death and sent this telegram to the jailer: PARDON IMPOSSIBLE. TO BE EXECUTED. The Czarina, who felt sympathetic toward the prisoner, intercepted the note and changed the punctuation as follows: PARDON. IMPOSSIBLE TO BE EXECUTED. The jailer released the prisoner and he fled the country before the Czar discovered what had happened (mrcoward.com).

That is what Christmas does for us. God moves the period of our lives and brings grace into our lives. What was impossible for us to do ourselves. Is now reality through Christ.
Through the history of the human race, we human beings have tried to find pardon and forgiveness for their lives. We have tried everything from trying to be good enough to belittling others to make ourselves look good. The end result is always the same. Pardon is impossible.
But what is impossible for us is not with God. He moved the period in our lives. Not only with our pardon, but in every aspect of our lives, God can move the period. He can bring not only pardon, but hope, joy, peace and life.

This Advent, start letting God move the periods of your life. Let Him decide what is possible or impossibe. You might just be surprised at just what is possible.

“Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” ” (Matthew 19:26, NIV)

“What’s New With You?”

December 1, 2010 in humor with 0 Comments

One brief, sunny morning a woman looked out her living room window and was amazed to discover a dead mule on her lawn. Immediately she called the sanitation department and asked them to remove the carcass. But by the time the work-crew arrived, she had changed her mind. She gave the men $100.00 each, instructing them to carry the mule upstairs and to deposit it in the bathtub.

After they had dutifully followed her instructions, one of the workers asked why she wanted the dead mule in her bathtub.

She said, “Well, for 35 years my husband has been coming home at night, throwing his coat on the rack, grabbing the newspaper, plopping into the easy chair and asking, ‘What’s new?’ Tonight, I’m going to tell him.” *

Every year we start looking for the “newest” items this Christmas. We want the latest decorations. We want the hottest selling toy. We want the newest cell phone or computer.
But sometimes “What’s new” isn’t what we really want or need.
Perhaps we should look again to the old, old story about how God became a baby. Perhaps we need to hear the familiar words: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.” – Matthew 1:23 (NIV)

Maybe the “old” news is still the best news

*mule story from “The Irrational Season” by Leonard Sweet

Accept No Substitute

November 29, 2010 in General with 0 Comments

In Nome, Alaska, teachers receive the same professional journals and publications as teachers in other states. But the situations they face are quite different from all the other states.

A fourth-grade teacher, a newcomer to Alaska, had just received her latest curriculum resource and was discussing with the class the suggestions for a Christmas pageant. The instruction manual read: “For the children playing Santa’s reindeer, there should be brown outfits, and passable reindeer horns could be made of bare branches, trimmed to the proper shapes and painted.”

She looked out at the barren, treeless, snow-covered landscape. “Well, children,” she sighed, “I guess we’ll have to do something else. We can’t make horns of branches because there isn’t a tree for miles.”

The children looked disappointed. Then one little boy spoke up, “We haven’t any trees, teacher,” he said. “But we do have lots of reindeer horns.”

Sometimes we have to improvise. Our shepherds wear bathrobes. We make camels out of cardboard. But sometimes we substitute so much that we overlook the real thing.

We adults do a good job of substituting as well. We are so caught up in the festivities that we have forgotten the real message of Christmas. We have let Santa Claus and bright lights and packages take the place of the Christ Child and His message of salvation and hope.

This Christmas, let’s not substitute any longer. We will still have joy and happiness, but it will come from having Christ in our hearts and not tree branches on our heads.

LOOKING

November 28, 2010 in Daily Faith with 0 Comments

Matthew 2:1-2 (NIV)
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

Advent is looking.

It is looking for the decorations that we stored last year. It is looking for that favorite recipe. It is looking for that special gift. As a child, it is looking for the gifts that are hidden. As an adult, it is looking for the gifts because we can’t remember where we hid them.

Advent is also looking for Christ. To look for where He is and where He is working in our lives. We look for miracles and angels and in heavenly moments and places. However, for those who look with eyes of faith, God shows Himself at unexpected moments and ordinary places.

This Advent let us look not for the spectacular but the ordinary. We might see the Christ Child in a whole new way and possibly find the Joy of Christmas.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we look to you to reveal to us what we need to find this Advent. Help us to see You in the ordinary places of our lives. We ask that you will help us find what we are really looking for in this life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

PRECIOUS GIFT

December 25, 2009 in General with 1 Comment

 

One king holds the precious gold.

Another holds the myrrh.

One king holds the frankincense

While Mary holds the Word.

One king kneels to worship Him

Another bows in prayer

One king stares in disbelief

At the baby lying there.

Mary sits so quietly

Amazed that God would send

Such a precious gift to her

To save the souls of men.

©George Price 2009

Deeper Magic

December 24, 2009 in General with 0 Comments

C. S. Lewis

Therefore once more I will astound these people
with wonder upon wonder;
the wisdom of the wise will perish,
the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.
Isaiah 29:14 (NIV)

Ours is a living language. Words change. They change spelling. They change meaning. Words are created or coined. Words we once used become obsolete.

One word that has changed drastically is “magic.” Because of its relationship with superstition and deception, as well as it relation to evil supernaturalism, one hesitates to use it. It seems too cheap, too fake to use at Christmas. It seems its age of innocence and purity is gone.

C. S. Lewis redeemed the word “magic” for me. He qualifies it with the adjective “deeper.” He distinguishes the evil from the good. In his classic book, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, the White Witch uses magic, but Aslan, the story’s Christ figure, knows the deeper magic.

Christmas is magical as some people say. There is the spell of lights, carols, wrapping paper, holly, and ornaments. It enchants the young and the young at heart. But Christmas also has a deeper magic. A magic that transforms. There is one specific miracle that captivates me.

“The Word became flesh.” (John 1:14)

Another work of “deeper Magic” is that God becomes human flesh.

The word “became” is not only a word of entrance but also one of beautification. We use it with clothing. We say, “that new coat becomes you.” Or “It is so becoming.”

By the very act of becoming flesh Christ began the redemption process. Redemption was not just done on the cross. It began in the cradle.
He took sinful human flesh and pronounced it worth the presence of God.

Note that it never says man became God. All that the flesh can produce in its own strength is sweat and the odor of the flesh’s product is a commentary on its sufficiency. We spend a great deal of time and energy trying to make God like us. Making Him suit us. But it will never work.

There was a group of people in the early church called Gnostics. They did not believe that Jesus actually became flesh. To them He was a ghost of sorts. They believed that God was so holy He wouldn’t get His hands dirty by actually becoming one of us. But they forgot one important truth. He could never redeem us until He first became us.

The magic of God becoming flesh. The deeper magic of God. Taking on our flesh so that He could bear our sins. All of which allows us to become like Him.

Behold the mystery, the magic of God.

Prayer:
Dear God,
Thank You for a deeper magic. Thank You for Your Son becoming flesh and blood just for us.
In His blessed name, Amen.

Have I Got Good News For You!

December 23, 2009 in General with 0 Comments

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.  Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.
Luke 2:8–10 (NLT)

A little boy in a Christmas program had only one line to say, “Behold, I bring you good tidings.” After the rehearsal he asked his mother what “tidings” meant. She told him tidings meant “news.” When the program was performed, he was so scared before the large congregation that he forgot his line. Finally the idea came back to him and he blurted out, “Hey, have I got good news for you!”

Christmas, simply put, is “Good News.” Regardless of all the hype and commercialism, it is still “Good News.” In spite of all the hectic schedules and exhaustive work and activities, it is still “Good News.”

Why is it “Good News?” He loved us so much He couldn’t bear the thought of eternity without us, so, He sent Jesus into our world. He knew that even our best intentions will fall short of filling the emptiness of our hearts, so He sent His Son. So, regardless of your opinion about Christmas and all of its trappings, this is really “Good News.”
This Christmas, let’s celebrate this “Good News.”

Prayer:
Holy Father,
Thank You for the Good News of Your Son. We are glad You sent Him. We rejoice that You love us so much.
In Jesus’ name. Amen

What Do You Do With Jesus at Christmas?

December 22, 2009 in General with 0 Comments

You are the light of the world—like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don’t hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all.
Matthew 5:14-15 (NLT)

The kids were putting on the Christmas play. To show the radiance of the new born Savior an electric light bulb was hidden in the manger. All the stage lights were to be turned off so that only the brightness of the manger could be seen, but the boy who controlled the light got confused and turned off all the lights!

It was a tense moment . . . broken only when one of the shepherds said in a loud stage whisper . . . “Hey! You switched off Jesus!”

With all of the bright lights and decorations it is easy to get confused about what is really important this time of year. I know people who spend more time putting up their Christmas tree than they spend with the Christ child. There are folks who spend more on gifts to people they don’t even like than they give to God who gave them himself. It is really easy to switch off Jesus.

To keep from switching off Jesus you just have to do a few simple things. You need to spend some time in worship. Read the Christmas story in the Gospel of Luke like it was the first time you ever heard it. Give someone a gift without expecting anything in return. There are other and maybe even better things you could do, but if you just stop a moment here and there and remember the One who came to bring us God’s love to each of us, you probably won’t switch off Jesus.

Prayer:
Our Gracious Father,
Help us keep our hands off the switch this year. May the light of Jesus shine bright in our lives this year.
In His name, Amen.

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