Christmas Hypocrite (No More)

We "Church Regulars" tend to make fun of those who only go to church on "Big" Days.  I know  because I'm one of those who's done it.  The ridiculous fact of the matter is I'm a hypocrite because I only used to go on Christmas and Easter.  But now I judge people for it.  Sad.

It's only been 11 years since that change.  Ironically, my re-salvation came from the lips of someone calling me a hypocrite.  My boss at the time, in a moment of frustration over my behavior in a meeting, pointed the proverbial finger at me and called me a hypocrite for claiming the name of of Christ and having none of His character.  This was truly a case of, when accused of being a Christian, there was no evidence to convict me.

I thank God He removed that identity a few painful hours later.  I felt (more than heard) Jesus ask me if I wanted to stop being a hypocrite and live up to the name I claimed.  I said yes and all I can tell you is something shifted in me - down to the very core of my being.  I got a new life, a new identity...His.  It hasn't been easy to figure out what that looks like, but it is a reality, as imperfectly as I sometimes demonstrate it to be.

Reflecting on that, my heart is stirred this morning by a Facebook post from my pastor, Christian Washington.  He shared out the original post by our "Big" Church, Chapelwood UMC.  It is a prayer from the perspective of those who don't go to church very often.  I included it at the end.

It makes no difference how many times you come to church because families aren't built on quantity.  They are built on the quality of love and blood-ties.  In the Church, we have both: the love of Christ and His shed blood makes us one with Him and His Father.  It is similar to this: I don't see my brother, Craig, every week, but that doesn't change the fact that he is MY BROTHER AND I LOVE HIM.

You are no less family even if we see you once or twice a year.

In the Body of Christ, we should be the MOST grateful for those we don't see often.  We should treat them like we miss them, so maybe they will want to come more often!  Yet, what usually happens is, we judge those visitors the harshest (even if, like me, we were once like them.)  We have all been prodigals - traveling towards a moment of realization that home is better than our present circumstances.  But us "older, more responsible brothers" tend to get our noses in a twist.  (See Luke 15:28-29 here.)

In the craziness of this world, the times we live in, the confluence of events happening in our nation and world, you never know what is going to motivate someone to enter (or re-enter) a relationship with Christ.  The best rule of thumb is always to pour the love on thick.  That is what Jesus would do.  It is what He has always done.  If we are to accurately celebrate His birth and future return, we best do it with love in our hearts for fellow man, not hatred because they don't live up to our standards.

To those who don't go to church often - if you have ever felt judged by stares, glares or even a nasty comment or two, please forgive us "regulars." I include myself in that plea.  We are imperfect people, obviously in need grace because we don't have it right yet, even if we think we do.  Forgive us our trespasses against you.

To those who do go to church often - do some heart-house-cleaning if you tend to judge others.  It hurts you more than them.  It hurts them too and it is not God's best for anyone.  Scoot to the middle of aisle, smile at everyone and bask in the glory of Your God.  He knows you well and He loves you more than you can imagine.

I prayed this back in November, but I hope the Lord makes this holiday season....different.  I hope He changes us in ways that leave us different for the rest of the year.  I hope His Presence is tangible in every Christmas Eve service, in every candle lit, in every song sung and in every word prayed or preached.

You are loved.  You are family.  And we are glad to see you.  Hosanna in the Highest! 

A Christmas Eve Prayer for Those Who Don't Attend Church - by Bishop Ken Carter
I don’t go to church very often, Lord.
I don’t go at all…well, I am here at Christmas.
I’m home then. I feel drawn to it.
I like the Christmas Eve service.
The coolness of the air,
the aroma of the candles,
the familiarity of gathering with strangers.
I feel like a kid again.
It’s surreal.

I know it’s common to make fun of people like me.
What can I say? I’ve drifted…
But something pulls me back
Are You speaking to me?

I connect with something in the sermon, sometimes,
but mostly it’s the music and the candles.
What is it about the candles?
Darkness and light.
Light and darkness.

I know about light and darkness. I live in both.
I’ve got some of both in me.
And yet there is an impulse,
a movement to be closer to the light.
And so the flame of a stranger touches mine
and I sing the chorus,

Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from thy holy face…

That is the light, the face, the life I seek,
and in this moment, I am touching it.
And then a voice reminds me,
in the echo of ancient words
that are always needed,

the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness did not overcome it.

I am speaking to you, Lord,
but on this night, from every conceivable direction,
you are speaking to me.

And I am listening.

To See the Glory of God

Didn't I tell you that if you keep trusting, you will see the glory of God?

I think my favorite section of Scripture, my #1 (from a long list of favorites), is John 11.  This morning, I added John 12 to it.  I never realized they were concurrent - Mary's anointing of Jesus' feet with her dowry (a jar of very expensive perfume); then wiping it off with her hair following Lazarus' raising from the dead.

That makes sense, of course.  You would throw a party, too, if your brother was raised from the dead.  At the very least, host a dinner party.  But I never saw it before.  Just goes to show you how fresh and exciting Scripture is.  Keep reading it!  

What got me started in John 11 was the verse I quoted above (v. 40), which is one of the Scriptures from today's Jesus Calling.  I've read that chapter a hundred times, but this verse jumped out at me because of a particular issue I've been praying over for my church.

I've been praying against unbelief.  I've been asking the Lord to remove any unbelief from the room, so we could see His glory, His work, His miraculous power clearly.  That we, as a congregation, wouldn't be party to any blocking of the Holy Spirit.  Because that is what unbelief does - it blocks us from seeing God at work.

Lack of belief not only blocks our vision of God's Handiwork, Scripture makes it clear that when unbelief is too thick, it can also keep God from doing His work.  Matthew 13:58 makes that clear.  Jesus could/would only do so much in His hometown because they couldn't/wouldn't believe His miracles meant He was Messiah.  Unbelief doesn't remove God's power - far from it.  I can say, though, it removes His willingness to display His power.  Unbelief displeases Him.  It saddens Him.  I would even go so far as to say it makes Him steaming mad.

Matthew Henry said this: "Unbelief is the great hinderance to Christ's favours."  And Pulpit Commentary echoes that thought: "Our Lord was hindered, not by lack of power, but by lack of those moral conditions which would alone have made his miracles really tend to the spiritual advantage of the inhabitants of Nazareth."

Here, in John 11, Jesus reminds Martha of the power of trust in Him.  This chapter is so rich and I especially love the radically different interactions with both sisters.  Both ladies are mourning the loss of their beloved brother (who, in verse 5, Scripture says Jesus also loved).  Yet, knowing the conditions of their hearts, He engages with them differently.  He gives Martha a chance to display her great faith in Him (redeeming her earlier upbraiding in Luke 10).  Then, when He sees Mary, we see Him break down.  He met them both where they were and it is so touching.  He is, in this chapter, fully man and fully God.

Jesus, the Lord, is not unmoved by darkness and death.  He is right in the thick of it.  Yet, He calls us to look beyond those present circumstances - really beyond the present, to eternity.  Through interactions with both sisters, He makes the same point: Believe in Me and you will Receive from Me.

How many times in our lives, in our church families, do we pull back from full belief in God and His power?

I know I have been there.  I have prayed BIG prayers, only to have them seemingly go unanswered.  I understand now, those prayers were on hold until I could receive the answer.  It isn't that I doubted His power, my heart just wasn't ready.  The answer was blocked from view because my heart still held onto a natural view, versus stepping into a supernatural view.

Some of us flat out don't believe miracles are possible anymore.  We can't even go there - it is too painful, too out of reach.  It is certainly too ridiculous, miracles are beyond the pale.  Those kinds of things happened in Jesus' time, in the Book of Acts, but not now....right?*

It is so hard when we don't see the evidence of our prayers.  They don't always come how we can or want to see them.  The details of the answers to our prayers are not our part.  Our part is to know, to believe and then to receive. 

http://www.thebricktestament.com/jn11_39.html

Martha knew Jesus was the Messiah.  Still, she balked at the idea of opening the tomb.  I get that. But then, she consented to receive when she consented to removing the stone.  She removed the barrier of seeing the Lord's wonders even when I am sure she didn't fully understand how He was going to work. But I feel sure her heart lept in anticipation when the men started to roll away the stone.  Her heart; then the tomb were opened. 

When you dare to believe, your heart opens wide in anticipation.  You may know.  You may believe.  So, the question is: Do you want to receive?

It is a small shift, with enormous consequences.  Martha put all her eggs, whatever remained following the death of her brother, in Christ's basket.  She gave Him all she had and He delivered, above and beyond what she could imagine.  She believed Jesus could have healed Lazarus from his sickness, while he was still alive.  And it isn't that raising the dead was beyond the realm of possibility.  Still, that stretches the limits of our senses, our knowledge.  Dead people don't come back, better than before.  Do they?

Clearly they did then, and they still do.  I was a dead-woman-walking for 15 years and yet, Jesus called me out of the tomb of myself and I came.  Raising a physically dead person is just as great a miracle as raising a spiritually dead person. 

Our current church season of Advent is meant to make room in our hearts to receive.

Christmas and Advent are preludes to Easter, just as the raising of Lazarus is a prelude to Jesus' Resurrection.  We are meant, especially in this time, to want more - more of God; to see His works, His Goodness in the land of the living.  It is right to want and expect this.  The Lord is the Great (and perfect) Gift Giver.  We should expect He wants to give us more.  It is our part to make room in our hearts for Him to pour more in. 

I will continue to ask the Lord to clear my church, the very air of the room - of unbelief.  I want Him to remove any barriers, misconceptions, preconceptions and biases.  I want to see the Glory of God - on a regular basis.  I don't just want the spiritual candy of miracles and wonders, although those results of faith are awesome.  

More than that, I want the people in my community, as the great evangelist and miracle-worker Smith Wigglesworth once counseled a woman, to see Jesus and takes Jesus.

It really isn't any more complicated than that.  When the Lord wants to give, we are to believe and we will receive.  And He always wants to give.  Therefore, we are to always want to receive: Him, His promises, His blessings and His works.

I hope you would pray for belief in your own church family.  I hope you would pray that now, in the season of the Great Miracle of God coming to earth.  I hope you would pray that for yourself.  Let's look to see more of God and we will then see more of His workings in the world.  Keep your eyes open.  He is coming!

*Eric Metaxas' new book is called Miracles.  It is an excellent dissertation on what miracles are, why they happen and he gives some great examples from his own circle of friends.  I highly recommend it, for those who believe in miracles already - and for those who don't.

Questions vs. Questioning - An Christmas Meditation

It's funny how things in my life often line up with things happening in the Church Season.  Usually, that means "Ordinary Time," (the majority of the Church Year).  I would say that best reflects our to-and-fro life - Ordinary. Not in a bad way, just regular ol' life.

But every once and awhile, dots connect and stars align.

My sweet Sophia is in a tough year.  It's called Year 8.  On top of that, she is in 3rd Grade.  I've gone through this once, so I knew it was coming, but it is still tough.  You aren't a little kid anymore but you aren't completely a big kid yet either.  Still, you are required to think like a big kid, which your brain and body are not always ready for.  On top of that, Sophia is a July birthday, so she is one of the youngest in her class.  It can be frustrating for her to figure out what is really expected of her.

That translate into a lot of training and discipline in our house right now.  Discipline specifically for things like back talk, little white lies and "omission" type offenses where you were just not motivated enough to get done what Momma asked you to do (in the time she asked you to do it).  There is always the middle sister factor, too, with a big sister on one side, who is generally Johnny-on-the-spot; and the little sister on the other, who gets away with a lot more than you do.  It's rough.

In the midst of this, the Lord is working on growing one fruit of the Spirit in particular in me: gentleness.  This is not my natural state of being when my kids disobey or are disrespectful.  I'm much more likely to bring down the hammer than be merciful and forgiving. 

Which is no doubt why the Lord is testing and proving me on this particular virtue, especially with Sophia.  We have so much history of me having to push, cajole and flat out make her do stuff - from my days as her caregiver.  The Lord redeemed that, but the reality is still working itself out in my parenting style.

Plus, out of all 3 daughters, Sophia is most like me.  There is a lot of iron sharpening iron going on right now and the sparks tend to fly..

Most of my grievances come in the form of her questioning my authority.  She asks a lot of questions, to be sure, but it's gone to a new level.  Lately, when she asks me a question, her whole attitude towards me (which I can read on her face) is: "Mother, you have no idea what you are talking about!"

On Sunday, I was inspired to ask her if she knew the difference between asking for information and questioning me.

She didn't, so I explained like this: It comes down to heart.  Question asking is ok, because you are looking for clarity and understanding.  Questioning means you doubt the authority/credibility/integrity of the person you are interacting with.  One is purely for information (question asking).  The other is an effort to stand your ground because you feel you are right and the other person is wrong (questioning).

It just so happened, on Monday at Ms. Janice's house for prayer, we read the Christmas story, including Luke's account.  It was then I saw the Biblical illustration of this principle of doubt of intention (questioning) vs. confirmation of action (questions).

It plays out with 2 people: Zechariah and Mary. 

In summary: in Luke 1:5-25, Zechariah loses his voice because he questioned the plan of God, told to him by the angel Gabriel.  Even though he and his wife were old enough to be grandparents, they
would have a son who would declare the Messiah's arrival.  That son ended up being John the Baptist, the last prophet to the Jews.  However, even in the middle of the Temple, on the Jewish high-holiest day of the year, Zechariah didn't believe what this messenger from on high was saying.  He doubted, he balked.  Zechariah flat out did not believe God!

In contrast, from Luke 1:26-38, there is Mary, the mother of Jesus, also being visited by Gabriel.  He brings her some outrageous news too.  He says, "You, my dear, you teenage virgin, are going to get pregnant and that child is going to be the Son of God."  Mary had questions, good ones, in fact.  But she didn't lose her voice because Gabriel was able to see the intention behind those questions.  Unlike Zechariah, who asked with doubt, fear and rebellion in his heart; Mary asked from a heart just wanted to know how all this was going to work, so she could respond appropriately.

This is not the revelation for me, although this has been communicated to the people of God down through the ages: Zechariah doubted, Mary didn't.

What hit me was: despite the initial questions, even in doubt and disbelief, Zechariah came around.  He and Mary, both, ended up acting in faith.  They obeyed the Lord becoming major contributors in the plans and purposes of the Almighty Savior, come to earth. 

It's true, Jesus would come regardless of their participation.  God could have found other vessels, but He saw past Zechariah's doubt.  God stayed with him, even as He disciplined him for his unbelief.  Mary was blessed because she believed outright.  Zechariah, even in his reluctance obedience, ended up being blessed too.

Our God is that faithful.  He is that merciful.  

Even when eternity is on the line, He doesn't forsake us.  His Promises were fulfilled and the people He asked to be involved were willing - even if the process of getting them there was different.

That gives me a lot of hope for Sophia and myself.  It renews my faith in our Great God, who is more than capable of handling our doubts, our rejection, our disbelief - and yes, even our disobedience...and still doing wonderful things in and through our lives.

Because of this awareness now, I can be more gentle with Sophia in her questioning and patient with her questions.  I don't have to be fed up with it.  I can (and will) remember this stage isn't the last one, or the last time, we will face doubt, disbelief and disobedience with our kids.

This, too, shall pass.
 
Because the church season of Advent is when we remember God's first incarnation and look ahead in anticipation of His Second Coming, I am reassured.  Zechariah and Mary remind me of a singular truth.  It proves without a doubt, the God of Heaven is involved here on Earth.  Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow....even when we have to be convinced to receive them....in faith, eventually, we will.

O Come Emmanuel, Into Our Mess

***********SPOILER ALERT!*************

Jesus wasn't born on December 25th.

But that's another story.  I'm not really meaning to burst any bubbles today.  Sorry if I just did.  When I revealed this fact to my family a few years back, it was quite upsetting.  Sorry if it is to you as well, I just wanted to get your attention.  

I've talked about not always being the biggest fan of Advent/Christmas because of the encroaching commercialization.  Yet, I've discovered something in the last 5 or 6 years.  The people I know that have the most joy all year round don't get all bah-humbug about Christmas.  They don't like the commercialization but they keep their eyes trained on the real reason for the season.

They aren't rude about it.  They aren't overbearing, screaming MERRY CHRISTMAS in the face of those wishing them, "Happy Holidays!"  They are quiet about their worship.  They are joyful in their service.  They revel in the music and drink in the experience of waiting for the Second Coming of Christ.

In addition to noticing others response to Christmas, the music is really doing it for me this year.  I wrote a few weeks back about sharing a couple of songs with my (somewhat) willing older children.  (Read that here.)  Yes, we were in the car, they had no choice but to listen.  Even still, that evening kicked off a new kind of Christmas for me, full of the movement of the Spirit through music.

My absolute favorite Christmas song is O' Come O' Come Emmanuel.  The traditional version is nearly a prophetic Psalm in itself - about a group of people waiting and expecting their salvation.  It hit me in church last week that is what our faith is about - believing with our hearts what our eyes do not yet see.  Just like being pregnant, you know there is a person in there even if you can't see them yet....you will.

Perhaps because I'm only 10 months removed from the birth experience, how Christ came to us is so real to me.  The birthing process - the pain and ecstasy of delivering a baby; the heartache and the joy.  The miracle of pregnancy ending and another, more miraculous wonder of a life of a person beginning.  It is a total and complete mess.  Any mother or father will tell you that much.

God did it.  God left the perfection and un-mess of Heaven to save us from our mess.

The wonder!  The marvel!  Messiah is just like us!

The incredible nature of how God came to us, to reconcile us to Himself was in full force upon my heart this morning as I watched Ella eating in her high chair.   Jesus was a baby.  He was a mess just like all of us, but at the same time, He was the Solver of All Messes.  It hit me:

Mess-iah.

I heard a song this morning that I'd never heard before.  It brought the imagery of all this messy time of year home to me.  Lauren Daigle's Light of the World is a haunting and incredibly descriptive summary of that first night of Jesus' life.

I've said it before, I wish I was a songwriter.

The drought breaks with the tears of a mother.
A baby’s cry is the sound of love come down.
Come down Emmanuel.
He is the song for the suffering,
He is Messiah, the prince of peace has come.
He has come Emmanuel.

For all who wait;
For all who hunger;
For all who’ve prayed;
For all who wonder;
Behold your King,
Behold Messiah!
Emmanuel, Emmanuel.

Glory to the Light of the World!

During that :BEHOLD: part, I picture something like the Lion King, when the baby being held up for Mary to see.  I don't think there was anything special about Him, glorious as He was.  There was no ethereal back-light making Him shine.  He was covered in goo like every newborn.

But not far from that cave, (***another spoiler***  It wasn't a barn.  Sorry again.) the Heavenly Host was singing their lungs out.  Their King was now the King of the World, in human flesh.  They might not have understood why He did it, but they praised Him for doing it.

That, my friends, is what Christmas is about.  O' Come, O' Come Emmanuel and we shall praise You for doing it!

Here is a video of the song I mentioned, enjoy it!

Sympathy for the Devil - A Serious Advent Meditation

Then King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him...When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 'A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.' (Matthew 2:3,16-18)

This is not only an unusual way to start an Advent meditation, but a tragic one too.  This story has no part in a Nativity pageant.  It is not warm-and-fuzzy because at the hands of a cruel, sadistic king, many innocent boys were put to death.  All because he was ticked off.  He was threatened and needed to deal with the threat.

It isn't often we put ourselves in the place of someone so obviously evil, so full of fear and rage that he would kill any number of people, innocent and guilty alike.  His progeny were not much better: killing John the Baptist, Jesus and James, along with trying and imprisoning Peter and Paul, until the Romans torched Jerusalem in 70 A.D.  You could definitely say, in the line of Herod the Great, the apples did not fall far from the tree.

So, why would I want to spend any time thinking of them, other than as a cautionary tale about the evils of the world?

It hit me this morning on the way back from school drop-off why the Lord saw fit to include Herod in the story of His Son:  Herod reflects the potential of the human heart.

Even with a renewed mind, a new heart and a re-born spirit in Christ, there is plenty of evil in my heart.  Like a residue of oil in the pan, my old self can still rear up.  I can act like Herod.  I may not wield the power to kill innocents physically, but I do have the power to damage and break down others emotionally and spiritually.

You see, Herod was acting out of fear.  His position was unstable, being that Rome was really in control of Judea, and anything, especially a long-ago prophesied Messiah, could destabilize not only his power base, but give Rome an opening to put an end to his kingdom.  That's, in fact, why the Sanhedrin dealt the way they did with Jesus, at least the outward reasons they gave for His death.  Politics and Power.  The new King of the Jews was an enemy from birth to the current King of the Jews, so he had to be done away with.

Surely there are spiritual warfare implications I could write about, but that is truly beyond my ability to expunge today.  What I see in Herod is myself.  I see the hidden danger of living without love.  Without moving and breathing in the Lord, I wouldn't think too much of getting what I want from others, at any cost.  I would think wrong is right and pursue what feels good with abandon.  What makes me happy is what would concern me, others be damned. 

That's not who I am, praise the Lord, but there are many in this world who could agree with Herod's actions.  They could justify his behavior and make a darn good case in court for it.  He was just trying to stay on top and sometimes that means you have to literally step on others.  He was doing what was he thought was right to hold onto the thin cord of hope that he was in control of his destiny.

It is a rare person who would say they have never acted in their best interests out of fear.  I can't, flat out. Peter, Paul, Abraham and Moses and every hero of our faith had black marks on their record, even after they knew the Lord personally.

A meditation is supposed to end happily, supposed to leave you feeling good.  Maybe this year it isn't for us to feel good about everything because this world has real problems to solve.  Maybe it is time we took a good look at our motivations and submit them to the Lord, asking Him for cleansing not just because it is a new year soon and we want to feel good about our resolutions to do better.

Let's make this Advent about living in His love, knowing that without it, we are in for a world of hurt.  The world IS a place of hurt, but we know the One who heals that hurt - who came as a baby in that manger, so long ago; hidden from the world until just the right time.  A Savior born to save all men - the good and the bad, the free and the slave, the sick and the broken.

Christ has come and He will come again - Gloria in excelsis Deo!

Advent Begins and It is All About Miracles

I love Thanksgiving.  I'm not always thankful for how I feel on Black Friday, but I love Thanksgiving Day.  It is a celebration of all the good things of the flesh, my favorite being the abundance of food to overfill my stomach.  Acceptable gluttony - nothing wrong with celebrating and being grateful for all the good gifts God gives - like turkey, sweet potatoes, homemade noodles, dressing and broccoli salad, with a little wine to wash it all down. 

It's the day-after, the kitchen is clean and I'm back to eating Greek yogurt & berries with my coffee (a paltry meal, so Leftover Lunch 2013 happened before 11.)  So, I turn my eyes back to more important things then food, namely the ways of God.

Just in time too because Sunday begins the Season of Advent.  It's my second favorite season, behind Easter.  Tuesday night, I introduced my girls to two of my favorite Christmas songs.  That might be a first because I usually just show up on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, always surprised to find purple everywhere in the sanctuary, then I begin to Christmas - like thoughts.  (The purple is the color of Advent, symbol of the coming King.  Read about it here.)

Now, my heart is moved early to start again on a work 5 years old, writing about the significant players in the story of Jesus' birth.  I figure I might never finish this side of glory because each year new feelings, experiences and revelations of Who God is and what He has done for me continue to shape how I feel about Advent.

Thinking about what the people involved were like, what they thought or felt is an interesting study of faith.  I think most about two of them, Mary and Jesus.  I dabble with others but Mary for the obvious reason: I'm a mother.  I think about Jesus for a related reason, I love babies.  Two things moved me the other night as I was listening to the music of the season with my girls.

In her song, Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song) - Amy Grant helps me emote with the Mother of God.  Grant's voice is chocked full of emotion, articulating what could have been in Mary's meditative heart, as she rocked on the donkey behind Joseph, on the way to Bethlehem.  These last lines of the song get me every time.  They echo my plea to the Father during so many challenges during my own life,

Do you wonder as you watch my face,
If a wiser one should have had my place
But I offer all I am
For the mercy of your plan
Help me be strong
Help me be
Help me

Like I said, I get Mary.  Or at least I'd like to think I do.

The other thought that swirls around in my head is what Jesus left to put on our meat suit.  The brilliance of Heaven behind turning into a pinprick of the harsh light of Earth.  He was as helpless as any other shivering baby.  He left the warmth and comfort of the Father's side to be born, then to die like the rest of us.  As Bebo Norman documents in his song Born to Die, more than a few angels had to be scratching their heads at this part of the plan.  This line, in light of Psalm 139, makes me think of my own children in the womb.  They were no strangers to The Father, just Jesus was fully known even in His amniotic state.  It's been up to us, as mortal parents to get to know who God already does.

Majesty had come down, Glory had succumbed now
To flesh and bone
In the arms of a manger, In the hands of strangers that could not know
Just who they hold.

It's a miracle - the whole thing.  Whenever a baby is conceived, grows and is born, it is a miracle.  The baby is proof, we just watch, with really minimal participation.  Three times I've experienced it and once the baby is in there, I can do very little about it till they come out.  Like Mary, like Jesus, God moves us forward to our destinies, to play our parts in His plan.

Advent is certainly about a baby, but the most precious baby.  His mother watched God do what only God could do: bring their Son into this world to live as we do; to experience our lives and teach us what it was supposed to be; and to die for us so we could know Him for real.

Advent is about miracles.  It is the season where anything is possible; and anything can begin right here and now.  Faith in God is renewed in the manger, the glorious first step towards Calvary and Eternity.  I've written about expecting big things from God (the most recent here).  

This is the season to expect God to do the impossible, to grab onto Him with both hands.

This is the season to believe.  Do you?



If you'd like to listen to those songs I mentioned, here they are in video versions: