Anticipation for Jesus Birth

Anticipation gives me such joy! I love looking forward to something, sometimes I get a ticklish feeling runing up and down my spine as I anticipate something fun. It makes me wiggle and giggle.

Yet, there are times that when I anticipate something that it takes too long and it falls into the category of waiting. I do not like waiting. It makes me feel heavy and sluggish. It feels like a burden. 

I imagine the anticipation and wait for the birth of Jesus brought about both of those feelings. There were those that were so excited that they felt their spine tickle, but the wait was long. You really need to know why you are waiting to get the joy of aniticipation when it is a long wait.

Just before the birth of Jesus there were 400 years of silence from God. There were no prophets giving His messages. They had to focus on what they knew. They knew the Messiah or Savior of the world was coming, but not when. They needed to prepare their hearts to give Him room when He arrived, but didn't know the day or time. 

The last of the birth pangs before Jesus' arrival were long and laborious. The wait was hard.

Today, we start the advent season anticipating the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Christmas is such a happy time because it is when God's presence comes in human form. Christmas is the fulfillment of the Messiah's arrival. 

He came to us as a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes. Heaven's gift, Emmanuel, which means God with us. We no longer are waiting His first arrival. He has arrived. He has made a way for all men to draw into the presence of God and know the gift of eternal life.

Join me in celebrating the birth of Jesus on this first day of advent. Here is the first story in our series.

The Christmas Story: the Angel Gabriel Appears to Mary

Treasure These Things

Listen here: The Angels Tell the Shepherd's about Jesus

Have you ever noticed how a baby can reduce the the toughest guy to the most gentle of man? I love this! Everyone loves a little baby! 

This irony should not surprise us especially when we discover that God chose shepherds to be the first to welcome the Lamb of God, Messiah! 

If anyone was rough and lowly in culture it was a shepherd. Yet, God chose them to see His Son and tell the people the Savior has arrived. 

If anyone could understand the importance of a first born sacrifice, it would be a shepherd. They were the ones that cared for the mother and delivered the little lamb. They had to inspect it to make sure it was without blemish and then walk it to the temple for it to be sacrificed. Shepherds got it! 

And they were amazed! They ran and told everyone.

While Mary treasured these things in her heart. Little Hinley (5 years old, Anneliese Kliewer) summed it up beautifully, "Mary locked these things in her heart." When he heard the story he understood that Mary was not going to forget the beauty of her little babe being born and the rugged shepherds coming to welcome Him. Or that they declared that a host of angels sang over them as they watched their flock that night. Because an angel told both her and Joseph about Jesus. Jesus would be the Son of God and Savior of the world. 

Have you welcomed the beautiful baby Jesus into your rugged ole' heart? 

I have! Shalom y'all!

Christmas: Being Seen Gives Hope

Listen to the story: Mary Visits Elizabeth

Do you ever feel unseen? There is something powerful that happens in us when we are seen. Hope rises. I love that God gave Mary the truth that her cousin was pregnant so that Mary would go see her. This would be someone she could tell what is happening inside her that might understand.

Upon arriving, Elizabeth's baby leapt in her womb because he knew who was in Mary's womb. Talk about miraculous sight! That moment confirmed what Mary had seen and heard from the angel. It gave her hope.

When I feel unseen or unheard I feel despair? Do you? We are created to know and be known.  

The moment Elizabeth saw Mary she was very specific in her words, "You are blessed among women..." As I reflect on how Elizabeth made Mary feel seen, I realize that she was very specific about what was important to Mary in the moment. This may not be what this story intentionally teaches, but this is the power of story unfolding. I see a leader, an aunt, speaking hope to someone in need of hope. She was quick in letting Mary hear her words of encouragement. I see this and I think I can do that! 

How can I speak to someone in such a way that they know they are seen? 

When the Spirit of God is at work in us, He will give us the miraculous in the moment, too. It may not be as dramatic as John the Baptist type moment leaping in the womb, but it will come in giving us insight in what to say.

Father, show us how to help others be seen and find hope!

Christmas: Uninvited Guests

Listen to the story: The Angel Tells Mary she will have a Son

I love preparing for guests to come over. As I bustle about my house, I consider their needs and how I can care for them. My heart overflows with goodness and I cannot wait for them to enjoy our time together. Yet, sometimes when a guest arrives uninvited it is easy for my response to be fear. My fear may come in many forms. I am not ready. I am not prepared. I am too busy. I am tired or my house is a mess. Ugh! 

As we enter the season of Christmas, I wonder at the bustle of heaven in preparation for Jesus' visitation on earth. People had been praying and anticipating His arrival, but it did not happen as they expected. 

I imagine God was so excited about inviting us to join Him that He sent on three different occassions messengers to prepare people.

The angels visits were not expected. In fact, they caused fear. The people were not prepared and most definitely did not expect it to happen as it did. Yet, each one responded to their uninvited guest with a yes.

How do you respond to uninvited guests? How do you respond to God's unexpected messengers? Have you allowed your bustle to get in the way of seeing the uninvited guests? Have you been preparing for God to come, but not welcomed the gift of His Son? 

I'm praying I am ready! How about you?

Tidings of Great Joy

For my morning worship yesterday I drew this little bird declaring his praise song. I felt he needed the phrase, "Fear not for I bring you tidings of great joy." I basked in his declaration as I drew in worship. I realize to some that may sound odd. Yet, I know the reality that joy inspires creativity and yes at times joy can seem quite unreasonable. It may not make sense to the one observing and not yet grasping. Even when one cannot understand, we cannot hide joy because joy overflows and spills forth. 

This morning as I read about Mary's magnificant and Zechariah's praise song, it occurred to me that both spontaneously burst into praise about the goodness of God because they believed that God would do what He said He would do. When the angels declared that a child was born that would be a Savior to all men to the shepherds, they ran to go see. Once they saw the baby as the angels declared, they ran to tell everyone what they had seen and heard. See joy pours out from the depth of our well being because when we know the goodness of the LORD is certain, it unlocks a sense of purpose and unleashes the power of praise. We live knowing that the joy of the LORD is our strength because our joy is set upon the One who gives us hope, healing, and an eternal home. 

To give great tidings of joy is to declare the goodness of God. To whom might you declare His praise and know the joy of the LORD is our strength? Maybe, today you might practice declaring what you know about God and discover joy! 

Gabriel telling Mary she will have a Son named Jesus by a student in Hope for Children Orphanage

https://youtu.be/bx0xjgnwGSo

A student at Hope for the Children Orphanage made a video for me after I put out an encouragement for people to tell the Christmas story in their heart language. I have received several videos from Hope for the Children Orphanage and it sounds like more are coming. I will post one here, but all will be uploaded on my YouTube channel.  I am so proud of them for learning the Christmas story, English, and retelling it. Thank you Sgatluak Geng, my dear brother Simon, who translated for me when I taught in Gambella, for teaching the students how to tell Bible stories! My heart rejoices in how you and your team serve so faithfully!  Thank you for all you do!

Christmas Story: Mary visits Elizabeth

https://youtu.be/Plikk7iGy28

Christmas Story: The Angel Gabriel appears to Mary

https://youtu.be/Tgt3ieXv-yw