Christmas Thoughts

 I usually write at least one post about Advent or Christmas each year . . . sometimes more. As Christmas is just one week away, I've been thinking about what I might write this year. It's been hard to figure out.

Not because there's a lack of things I could write about. This is a season with lots of things to think about & powerful Scripture to reflect on. There's an abundance of things I could write about but as I've tried the words felt forced, which is the antithesis of what I write here.

Last weekend, I was part of my church's annual Christmas event. It's always a good weekend, even if busy, for so many reasons. As part of it, people who come through can write a prayer request & hang it on the tree. Then a group I was part of takes time to pray over those requests that night.

As I've reflected on what I read on those tags & on my own experiences, I've realized just how heavy things in this world feel & how much pain & struggle people are carrying. So many of us are tired & carrying heavy burdens of things we or our loved ones are walking through. We're tired.

That makes a season where so much is about joy & happiness overwhelming at times. And the expectations for a perfectly decorated house, a big meal, & the right gifts for everyone under the tree feel like to much. There's already enough going on & we don't need more.

Sometimes the songs that talk about having a "holly, jolly Christmas" or a merry time just feel like too much. It feels so far from what we're actually experiencing.

It me that this is exactly the type of situation Jesus entered into. It wasn't tidy or easy. God's people were facing hardship & they were tired. They were far from merry in their lives. 

And that's where Jesus showed up on earth.

That's where he shows up today too. 

He'll meet us in our "I can't do one more thing" moments.

He'll meet us in it all &just be with us.

He doesn't expect us to be merry or jolly.

He lets us be real.

Maybe this Christmas doesn't look like you planned. Maybe the burden is just too much. Maybe the pain feels like you'll never get through it. Maybe there's people you wish would be around the table who won't be there for myriad reasons.

Invite Jesus in. He meets us in the midst of that if we'll let Him. 

That's how He came to earth the first time.

And it's how He comes with us today.

Faithful & Disappointed

 Sometimes it's easy to rush past the first chapter of Luke to get to the "Christmas story," but I've discovered some amazing things in Luke 1:1-25 as I've spent time there first. The story of Zechariah & Elizabeth, & the miraculous birth that would also be their story.

Zechariah & Elizabeth were both descendants of priests. At the time of what is written in Luke 1, Zechariah's division of priests was on duty at the temple.

Luke 1:6-7 says this about them:

"Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old."

In a couple of verses, Luke gets right to the heart of who Zechariah & Elizabeth are. After a little biographical information, we hear about their faithfulness to God and their biggest struggle.

Zechariah & Elizabeth were faithful to God. They served and obeyed Him. And they did all of this while also being disappointed. It was very hard that Elizabeth had been unable to conceive in their culture.

Faithful and disappointed.

Those words don't seem to go together at first glance, but I think they're apt descriptors of how many of us live. We're doing our best to be faithful to God, yet there's something that we're still waiting and hoping for - something we're disappointed about.

We continue on faithfully following God, but there's something we keep wondering if it will ever happen. We struggle to hold onto hope about it, because circumstances say it's probably not possible now. So our faithfulness is tinged with disappointment.

A few verses later, we see God show up in Zechariah's disappointment. It's not so much about what he was told would happen - although it's amazing - as it is about what the angel said to him first that I want to pay attention to.

"But the angel said to him, 'Do not be afraid Zechariah; your prayer has been heard'." (Luke 1:13a)

It's so often the case that when we're disappointed, we begin to fear that God isn't hearing our prayers. The angel reminds Zechariah that God has heard his prayers. That he doesn't have to fear or wonder if God has heard him.

Where are you wrestling with disappointment in your life?

How can you continually be faithful to God, even in the midst of your disappointment?

"A Holly, Jolly Christmas"

 I was listening to one of my Christmas albums as I drove home from errands a couple of days ago. The lyrics to one of the songs made me stop and think a bit. 

"Have a holly, jolly Christmas, 

It's the best time of the year

Now I don't know if there'll be snow

But have a cup of cheer.

. . .

Have a holly, jolly Christmas

And in case you didn't hear

Oh, by golly

Have a holly, jolly Christmas this year."

It's a fun song. There's nothing wrong with it, in terms of what it says.

But, as I listened, I realized this was the first time in a few years that I hadn't skipped over the song as soon as it started. A "holly, jolly Christmas" was not something I felt was possible the last few years. I was still grieving the loss of my Grandma, and Christmas was full of things that reminded me of her. Christmas was hard, and while there were really good moments, it was definitely not a "holly, jolly Christmas."

As I kept listening to the song, I started to reflect on how many of our Christmas songs are all about having a great time, about laughter, about joy. There's nothing wrong with any of that. Those are good things and the songs are good.

And we argue about whether we should wish someone a "merry Christmas" or "happy holidays" or something along those lines. But, the sentiment of what we argue about saying is all the same thing to people. They're about joy and happiness and good times.

Except that's not the reality of a lot of people. Life isn't full of joy and happiness. It's hard. It's painful. It's messy. There's family conflict, and serious illness, and loss that are part of it. And, the Christmas season doesn't remove those things or suddenly make them easier. Often, it actually makes them more difficult.

And, as I reflect on the original Christmas story, I wonder if our focus on the joy and happiness to the exclusion of everything else, is a bit misplaced. Things were not easy for God's people at the time that Jesus came. They were living under the control of the Roman empire. They lived in poverty and oppression. This is what Jesus was born into.

Yes, Mary and Joseph trusted God and moved forward with the parts He had given them in His plan. Yes, the shepherds came and worshipped and shared the news as they left. Yes, the wise men came from the faraway land with gifts to worship Jesus the King.

But, Jesus coming didn't erase the other facts of their lives. Jesus coming didn't mean that they weren't still living under the rule of the Roman empire. 

Jesus entered into the pain of the people. He met them in it. We see that all through His ministry in the gospels. 

And, maybe we can being to do that. We can worship in the midst of the pain and the struggle. We can see all that Jesus coming brought, without having to pretend to be happy, or that our hard circumstances don't exist.

Alongside the songs about having "a holly, jolly Christmas" we can have the lament. The cries of pain. The cries of "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus." Neither one option or the other is adequate on it's own. We need them both alongside each other. 

And we need to allow both the joy and lament at this time of year. It's not a merry Christmas for everyone, and that's okay. We can and should allow for all that comes with this time of year.

Navigating the Holiday Season Alone

 It's the time of year where it can feel like singleness is seen as more of an issue than otherwise. There's always times and places where not having a partner feel a bit awkward, but for some reason at this time of year, it's even more so than usual.

But the season of invitations sent to "you and your partner" has begun. These invitations even come from those who know you're single.

It's the season of walking alone into holiday parties that are completely set up for couples.

Or of net even being invited to things with people you usually spend lots of time with simply because you're single.

And that means it can be a season of more alone-ness. Of more feeling on the outside. A season of the pain of exclusion or differentness, all while being told to merry and joyful.

It can be hard. There have been times when I've wanted nothing more than to turn the pages on the calendar quickly so we can get past this all and things go back to normal.

As I've wrestled through how to navigate this time of year, I was looking for practical tips and tools. I wanted a clear way to manager this without the hurt. But, that's not what I found.

Instead, I found myself drawn to the familiar Christmas story. To Mary and Joseph's experience. An unwed couple. Mary pregnant and saying it was from God. In their culture, this was absolutely scandalous. It left them on the outside - excluded.

All they could do was trust God and hold onto His promise to them.

As I reflected on this. I felt like God was reminding me that he sees and cares for the one who feels outside. Even though things didn't look like Mary and Joseph would have expected and it was hard, they weren't alone. God saw them and cared for them.

He does the same for us.

While being single during the holiday season is different than Mary and Joseph's story, the reminder that God sees us through it is valuable and important.

Whatever our situation, however we feel in it, God sees us and is with us.

Christmas Memories

 I've had memories of Christmas' growing up running through my mind for the last few weeks. 

Memories of laughter and fun. 

Memories of family together.

Memories of a crowded table - everyone has to keep their elbows in so we don't knock the food off each other's forks.

Memories of too much food and my Grandma always offering more.

Memories of singing carols together with my Grandma at the piano.

Memories of my sisters, my cousins and I are huddled around the nativity set, each taking our turn to place the figurines of the set in place as Grandma read the Christmas story aloud.

Memories of puzzles started and completed.

Memories of gifts that reminded us how loved and care about we were.

Memories of welcoming in many who had nowhere else to go for Christmas.

This Christmas is the second one since my Grandma passed away. Although there were Christmas' before she passed that she wasn't able to be there, it's different now to know she's not just down the road waiting for a visit.

It's still a little bittersweet to think about Christmas this year. For so many years my Grandma, her house, her cooking, her plan for the family for the day was the center of all that happened. Even when she no longer hosted, she still had influence on the day.

But, the part that I keep coming back to is how she made sure that we never forgot what it was really about in the midst of the food and the presents. She was never afraid to tell us grandkids that we had to wait to open presents until we'd read the Christmas story together.

She'd read the Scripture about Jesus' birth and you could hear in her voice how much it meant to her. That to her this was the most important part of everything about that day. 

I'm challenged that I need to remember the reason why we do this all. The thing that is the most important about this day.

So, today, can I encourage you to take the time to stop and read and remember that in the midst of all this time of year brings, the most important thing is that we're celebrating the promised and long-awaited Messiah coming to earth?

We celebrate because Jesus coming to earth as a baby changed everything.

Light in the darkness.

Peace in the chaos.

Comfort in the brokenness.

The Hard, the Messy, & the Broken

 As this is Christmas week, it seems fitting to take a few moments to stop and reflect on the Christmas story (I'll be back to my series I'm in the middle of in the new year.)

I opened my Bible to Matthew's record it only a few minutes ago for the first time this season. Much later in December than I usually begin to dive into this familiar story each year.

But, this year, I've struggled with Christmas. If I'm honest, I haven't felt much like celebrating anything at all this year. Even as I sit to write this, there's very little in my house that would indicate it's Christmas.

The only thing I have even put out in the nativity set. The simplest, but maybe the most fitting, for this Christmas.

A few days ago, I came home to find a gift bag at my door. An anonymous friend dropped it off while I was at work. One of the things inside was some beautiful cards with Scripture about the Christmas story and the lyrics to some Christmas carols that tell the story.

Until that delivery, not the nativity set had made it out. I just simply had no interest. But, as I read those cards, I was reminded of what this time of year is really all about for us as Christians . . . the birth of Jesus.

And not into a neat and tidy world. The world Jesus was born into was hard, messy, and broken.

Much like our world today. If I had to give three words to describe our world, those are exactly the words I would use.

Hard.

Messy.

Broken.

That brings me back to Matthew 1. I don't often read the genealogies in Scripture carefully. I skim through the long list of names I can't pronounce, working to quickly get to the other parts. Today, I slowly, carefully read each line, each name.

As I read, I realized something. It wasn't new, but I needed to be reminded of it again today.

Yes, the genealogy show how the prophecies of Jesus' birth were fulfilled. The tribe of Judah. The root of Jesse. Of the line of David. All good stuff. But, not the important stuff for today.

The genealogy of Jesus that Matthew records is full of messy, broken people who have hard stories.

There's women. Not just inferred, but mentioned when that wasn't normal for that time.

There's prostitutes.

There's outsiders to the Jewish people.

There's adulterers and murderers.

There's people who didn't follow God with their lives.

There's people who were led astray.

All mixed in with those who were faithful followers of God. Sometimes the faithful follower of God is also the one who messed up.

Jesus' earthly genealogy doesn't hide the hard, the messy, the broken. It includes it for all to see and be reminded of.

Why?

Because God has redeemed it and used it for His purposes. It's God's specialty.

God takes our hard, messy, and broken and He redeems it. He uses it for His purposes and His glory.

I don't know where this Christmas finds you. 2020 has been a year like no other we've experienced. And we're all approaching this Christmas differently. 

But, can I remind you today that whatever hard, messy, and broken your life holds right now, God's not done. 

If you'll let Him, He can take it and turn it into something beautiful. It may not be exactly the beautiful we expect or happen the way we want it to, but, if we allow it, God will turn our hard, messy, and broken into beautiful - just like He did with Jesus' earthly genealogy.

I know that's hope I'm choosing to cling to right now. Even when I don't feel like celebrating the way I usually do this time of year, I can choose to celebrate because I have a God who specializes in turning hard, messy, and broken into beautiful for His purpose and His glory.

The Inevitable Question I Get More Often in December

"When you are going to get married?"
"Why aren't you married yet?"
"Are you looking to get married?"

I get these questions, or some form of them, through out the year from a variety of well-meaning of people. But, for some reason, the frequency increases at this time of year. I'm not sure why people feel an increased need to ask these questions at this time of year, but they do.

For a long time, these questions frustrated me and even made me mad sometimes. I often tried to shut down the conversation that included these questions as quickly as possible so I could escape. The truth was, the question often hurt too and I wanted to escape the pain.

It's not that those who ask these questions are trying to hurt to me. For almost all of them, I know they truly love me and want the best for me. But, that doesn't change the fact that constantly being asked hurts.

Why does it hurt? Where is the pain coming from?

As I've taken time to reflect, I've realized that it's not about the question. It's not about the person asking the question.

It's about the unspoken implication behind the question. That's what hurts.

Whether it's something the asker is conscious of or not, the question implies that my life is incomplete if I'm still single. And that my focus as a single person should be finding someone to marry. I'm left feeling like none of the other things in my life, that I love and that God has given me to do, matter as much as this one thing.

Now, some reading this might think I'm taking that too far, but I would say I'm not. Let me explain.

Think of someone in your life who you don't see all the time - more than once a year, but not a weekly, or even monthly basis. Now think of something in your life that you really desire (a God-honouring desire) that seems to always be just outside your reach. Picture that every time you see this person, the first question, and sometimes the only question, they ask is about this desire and why you don't have it yet. How do you begin to react to that over time? How does that leave you feeling?

That's what being asked the questions I opened this post with is like.

What I do have, and anyone has, is a choice in how to respond. You can choose to shut down and escape the conversation to try to avoid feeling the hurt as I have often done. But, maybe there is a better way.

Like so many things, we actually have to begin with acknowledging that it hurts. Once I realized the hurt, I was able to change how I handled the situation.

How I respond really depends on the kind of relationship I have with the person asking. Some, I can be very direct with and explain the truth of how their question lands with me. Some, it's just a quick answer and moving on. And some, it's just not worth going there - not that I'm rude, but I end the conversation pretty quickly.

So, my advice to those who have single adults in their circles, don't continually ask them these questions. Don't bring it up around the table at family dinner and put them on the spot in front of the rest of the family. Don't ask only about whether they're married or not.

What to do? Talk about all parts of life. If you are wondering and do ask, make sure it's not the only thing you talk about in conversation with them. Respect the person if they clearly don't want to talk about it - don't push the issue. Get to know them as a whole person - not just about their marital status.

Navigating Christmas Parties Alone

December is here.

And with it comes Christmas parties, family gatherings, New Year's parties, and many other gatherings. Lots of it is fun and joyful.

But, as a single adult, it also brings some different challenges, or maybe just highlights some existing challenges that seem to fade into the background the other eleven months of the year.

As I was thinking about what I was going to write about over this season, I had a lot of ideas about where I could go with things. But, the one that kept rising to the surface was talking about some of these challenges. I've been writing about singles in the church for a while, so this seemed a fitting direction to go for this Christmas season.

The first challenge I'm going to talk about . . . going alone to Christmas parties, especially work ones.

From January to November, I can go to work gatherings of all kinds on my own and it doesn't seem to be an issue. But, the work Christmas party in December always seems to be different somehow.

It starts with the invite: "You and your spouse/significant other are invited . . ." Right away, I know I'm going alone. Other work gatherings throughout the year will say: "you and a guest are invited" but not the Christmas party. For some reason this ones seems to specify couples only, so I know I'm going alone.

Then comes the arrival at the party and finding a seat. Honestly, this is my least favourite part. All the tables are set up to be filled by couples with an even number of seats, so when I take a seat I'm messing that up. And there's always the thought in the back of my mind that worries about messing things up for the people that arrive after me. If the room is already filling up, then there can even be unspoken, yet clearly there, pressure for the single people not to take a seat until all the couples have.

And finally, there's the small talk at the table as you meet you co-worker's spouses - either for the first time or as a re-introduction. Answering the question of whether you're with someone or not endlessly, or at least it feels like it's endlessly. We identify ourselves by this questions so often we ask it of most people we meet and have any length of conversation with. There's nothing wrong this question, but it does somehow feel more painful to answer at a Christmas party than at other social gatherings.

Now we've made it to dinner and hopefully most or all of the awkwardness of going single to the work Christmas party is over. Although I have been in situations where it's not yet over - thankfully those times are quite rare.

So, how can single people prepare for going alone to the work Christmas party?

Be honest with yourself about you feel. Then choose to go and have a good time no matter what.

How can everyone at a Christmas party make it less awkward for those coming alone?

The first and probably the one thing that makes a big difference: If at all possible, don't set up the room so that all the tables have exactly the same number of seats at them with just barely enough seats for everyone. Leave space for those coming alone to not worry they're making a couple sit separated from one another when they choose their seat.

Second, when your co-worker who is coming alone joins your table, make the conversation about more than just marriage and include them in the conversation intentionally.

Finally, if you're involved in planning activities or games for the party, please avoid things that put people into couples for it. Even if I'm with another single co-worker and we pair up for it, it's still going to obvious that we're not a couple. Yes, I've had this one happen once. After a few minutes, there was an exodus of those who were single from the room - and it felt like no one noticed us.

It really comes down to something I've said often in my recent posts, it's about having grace for one another on both sides and seeking to understand as best you can.

When You Just Want to Avoid Christmas

As I started thinking about Christmas posts earlier this year and planning for what I would write, I had plans of what I would talk about. But, then a few things began happening with my extended family, and all those nice thoughts of Christmas posts went out the window.

The truth is, that as Christmas has approached, I've really wished it would just be done. Most mornings I wake up wishing it was 2019 already, and all of this was done. It's not that I want to skip the celebration of the birth of the promised Messiah, Jesus. It's just that all the rest that comes with Christmas these days is hard this year.

If we could just have the "religious" part of Christmas (for lack of a better word), and leave all the rest, that would be my desire this year. Things have changed in hard ways in my family in the last six months, and that's also emphasized some of the dysfunctional parts of our family that we try to hide. It's been hard and at times I've just wanted to skip it all.

But, as Christmas draws closer, I've been challenged on how I'm responding in the middle of the hard. If I keep focusing on what's hard, then I'm going to dread Christmas and all that comes with it.

But, that doesn't have to be my choice. I can choose to focus on the good things. To focus on the people who are here, rather than the people who won't be on Christmas. To focus on what we're actually celebrating. And to look for the joy and laughter in the midst of it all.

I'm realizing that it really does come down to a choice. And it's my choice. So, even though I still sometimes feel like I just want to avoid all of Christmas, I'm choosing to change my focus for these last days before Christmas.

I don't know where you're at, or what you're thinking about as Christmas approaches this year, but whatever space you find yourself in this year, can I encourage you to think about where you're focusing. Maybe it's fine where it is, or maybe it needs to change.

And, my you find joy and laughter, and the true meaning of what Christmas is all about. Our God came to be with us, to save us.

A Baby Who Changed the World

As Christmas approaches, I keep being drawn back to a post I wrote in 2014. As I've thought about what I might write to share here as I look towards Christmas, I've realized that those words from then are where my heart is at again this year. Rather than write something new, I'm choosing to share those words from four years ago again.

My prayer is they make you think, reflect, wonder at Christmas this year...

_______________________________

As I have been reflecting on the Christmas story this year, I've been struck by how life changing the birth of this one baby was for all people - the night it happened and for all eternity.

One baby changed the world forever. 

Nothing has been the same since that night.

We often talk about how a baby changes everything for the family that baby is born into.

 None brought so much change as Jesus when He was born.

God come to earth.

Immanuel.

God with us.

The One whose life, death, and resurrection would make a way for mankind to once again have direct access to God.

The ultimate expression of sacrificial love. Of humble service.

I wonder if Mary and Joseph, if the shepherds, if the Magi, really understood the significance of that night. They knew what the angels had told them about this baby, but did they really get it? 

A couple thousand years later, do we really get it? Will we ever really get it?

The birth of a baby, named Jesus. 

A baby Who would change everything through His life and death.

The promised Messiah. The One prophesied about.

The One missed by so many when He came because of the way He came.

The One missed by so many while He walked on earth because He came to serve, not to exert His power.

The One missed by so many because He dies a criminal's death to become the greatest sacrifice and defeat sin and death for good.

The One still missed by many today.

But for those who stop to notice . . .

for those who are searching for something more . . .

for those who are willing to be humble and serve . . .

the chance to meat the One Who changes everything.

The One Who offers hope.

The One Who offers forgiveness and a second chance.

The One Who offers unconditional love.

The One Who never fails.

It was one night . . . 

in a stable . . .

in a small town . . .

with two poor parents . . .

surrounded by animals . . .

where the world changed forever.

God put His plan in motion to redeem a fallen world,

to restore a broken relationship with His people.

A plan still in motion today.

A plan that still offers hope today.

A birth.

A baby.

A life lived.

A death.

And the greatest of all - a victory over death, a resurrection.

All because of God's vast, unmeasurable, unchanging, unfailing love for each of us.

That makes it something worth celebrating!

Prince of Peace

Crisp, cool air. Clear, blue skies.

A world covered in white reflecting the brilliant sun.

Snow falling over the tops of my boots with every step, as I sank into the soft, fluffy snow.

The noise of traffic on the road nearby muffled by these depths of snow. Snowplow blades scraping on the road, the only noise carrying to where I am.

There's something about the snow that makes this crazy world we live in seem more peaceful. It forces us to slow down. It creates silence where there's usually noise.

It may be past Christmas now. We've had the day where we celebrate the birth of the Messiah. But that is where my thoughts are drawn again as I walk.

Jesus was called the Prince of Peace in Isaiah 9:6 where His birth is prophesied. In a world where peace often seems elusive - both globally and in our individual lives - it seems fitting to me that we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace at this time of year. For a brief time, there seems to be a way to escape the craziness and find some peace.

The snow has reminded me of that. And I'm encouraged to look for ways to experience the Prince of Peace in the midst of the craziness that life often is.

Why is Christmas so Important?

This year has been a bit harder than usual for me to get into the "Christmas spirit." I know it's not about a feeling or anything like that. But it's seemed like I was just doing all the things I usually do at Christmas and they were just things to check off my list - just going through the motions. Almost like I was just tired of doing the same thing every year.

Something was missing. And even my niece's excitement, or her rearranging my nativity set so that everyone is worshiping baby Jesus, "because that's what Christmas is about, auntie," wasn't helping me. To be honest I was tired of it all, and in the midst of my tiredness, I was missing why we were doing this thing.

Then I went to church on Dec 23 - not a Christmas Eve service yet, our regular weekend services. Except it wasn't - at least not for me. Something clicked as we sang the familiar songs, as I listened to the message, as we took communion together. The rest of the story doesn't happen without Christmas.

Sure, God could have found a different way to start His rescue story. But, He didn't. He chose to send His Son to earth to live and die for us. So, the cross and the resurrection started here. The story begins at Christmas with a baby in a manger.

At our Christmas Eve service, I was struck by the words of these familiar songs. We sing them every year, and I know I often have without realizing how they point to the mission of rescue Jesus was on for His life on earth. They speak of the freedom He was coming to bring. Of the healing He is bringing. They speak of the hope that was held in the birth of this child.

And so I'm reminded again of the importance of what we celebrate today. Christmas was the start of God's rescue plan for His creation. We often and easily see the cross and the resurrection as God's rescue plan, but Christmas was where the plan was launched. The birth of the Savior as a baby.

Why Worship?

The records of Jesus' birth are filled with one response to Jesus.

People worshiped.

Mary worshiped in response to the news she would be the mother of the long-awaited Messiah (Luke 1:46-55)

The shepherd worshiped after they have been told the news by the angels and gone to see Jesus (Luke 2:16-20)

The wise-men traveled far to worship Jesus after His birth (Matthew 1:9-12)

Why was the response worship?

And it seems to be a response we follow today. In our services. In the words we sing. Often our Christmas songs speak of coming to worship the newborn Messiah.

So, what is it about these encounters and ours today that cause us to respond in worship?

In the case of the response of worship in these instances in Scripture, each of the participants had a reason to worship in response. Mary had a visit from an angel with a message from God and knew the significance of the baby she was carrying. The shepherds had a visit from angels who announced to them the significance of this birth. The wise-men studied the starts and in their studies knew the significance of the birth represented by the star.

All of them worshiped out of understanding of the significance of this birth - of the Messiah coming. It wasn't any ordinary event. And they knew it was significant.

I think the same is true for us today. We worship in response to significance of Jesus as Messiah and of our encounters with Him. Worship is a response to significance of this.

We worship because it's a response to the significance of Jesus' birth. We worship because it's a response to the significance of our own encounters with Jesus.

Asking God Questions

Do you ask God questions?
Do you ask them in faith and wonder?
Or are they skeptical and unbelieving?

As I've been reading and reflecting on the story of Jesus' birth this Christmas season, I've been struck by the questions asked by those given messages by heavenly messages. The questions asked by two different people resulted in two different outcomes.

The first question was asked Zechariah after he was told his wife would have a son in her old age. Like 1:18 records his question: "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years." The result of Zechariah asking this question was that he was unable to speak until his son was born.

The second question was asked by Mary in response to her visit from an angel saying she would give birth to the long-awaited Messiah. Luke 1:34 records her question: "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" The angel explained to Mary how this would happen.

Two situations.
Two questions.
Two different responses.

But, it was the difference in the responses to Zechariah's and Mary's questions that wouldn't leave me alone. Why were there such different responses?

In both situations, the questions were asked in response to messages from angels about situations that were impossible from a human standpoint.Both questions were in response to messages from God after 400 years of silence.

So, what caused one of the be silenced until the message from the angel came to pass and other one got an answer to their question?

For those answers, we have to go back and look at the questions that were asked. The words used, and the way they were asked. When I read the questions side-by-side, the difference became clear.

Zechariah's question is filled with skepticism. He's looking for some sort of guarantee. His faith is not there in the moment he asks the question. It's not a question of curiosity; it's a question demanding satisfaction of his doubts.

Mary's question is out of curiosity and wonder. The message she's heard seems impossible, but she's choosing to believe God can do it. She's asking how out of a position of trust and faith.

We can take our questions to God. These are not the only time in Scripture where people asked questions of God. The part that matters is our heart when we ask the question. We can come with fonder and faith and ask questions. Or we can come with skepticism - looking only for what we will consider acceptable proof.

It's our faith, even when we have questions, that's the important part.

When you have questions, how do you take them to God?
With faith and wonder?
Or with skepticism?


"Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her."
                                           -Luke 1:45, Elizabeth's word to Mary at her visit

Looking for Perfect?

"Allow life's imperfections to become what they were always meant to be - everyday signs that point you to Jesus. Use them as cue that can encourage you to look up from the annoyances of earthly life and see Him. The only One who truly satisfies." (Priscilla Shirer, Awaken Devotional, Day 22)

Somehow it always seems like the imperfections in life are more pronounced at this time of year. They're always there, but we notice them more at Christ,as. At least, I do.

Finding the perfect Christmas tree.
Decorating it perfectly.
Selecting the perfect outfit to wear to the Christmas party.
Choosing the perfect family picture to put with the Christmas letter that talks about all the highlights, the perfect moments, of the last year, but often ignore the other stuff.
Buying the perfect gift for everyone on your list.
Preparing the perfect meal for all around the table.
It can get exhausting.

Yet, in the midst of our search for "perfect" our longings never seem to be satisfied. Something is still missing. And, maybe at this time of year, those unmet longings never seem to be satisfied. So, we increase our pursuit of perfect, in hopes of finally finding satisfaction, only to find we never achieve it.

What if those longings we're so desperately looking to satisfy weren't meant to be met in anything on earth?
What if, instead of increasing the desperation of our search for perfect, they were meant to point us toward something other?
What if they were meant to cause us to lift our eyes?

When I take a moment to read it again, it quickly becomes clear that the original Christmas story was anything but perfect from an earthly perspective:

• Mary was not married when she became pregnant.
• Joseph was asked to believe the impossible and still become Mary's husband, even with the scandal.
• Joseph and Mary had to make a long journey when the time of Jesus' birth was near - not a comfortable time to travel.
• There was no room for them to stay in, so Jesus was born in a stable.
• The first visitors they received were shepherds - the lowest in society.
• When King Herod found out about his birth, they had to flee to Egypt.

The story of the birth of the long-awaited Messiah was imperfect. Nothing about it was as expected.

But Mary's response to this struck me this year. She didn't caught up in trying to find perfect.

Luke 2:19 says, "But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." In the midst of the imperfect, Mary saw the treasures and held onto them. In Luke 1:46-55, Mary turned her eyes from the imperfect and worshiped God. She lifted her eyes from the imperfect around her, to the only perfect One.

How do you respond in the imperfect? In the midst of unmet longings?

It can be tempting to desperately search for perfect satisfaction on earth. Especially in a season where perfect seems to be the focus.

What would it look like if we instead allowed the imperfect to turn our eyes to Jesus and find the satisfaction we're looking for in Him - the only place it can truly be found?

"Allow life's imperfections to become what they were always meant to be - everyday signs the point you to Jesus. Use them as cues that can encouraeg you to look up from the annoyances of earthly life and see Him. The only One who truly satisfies." (Priscilla Shirer)

Why a Baby?

I've often had this question in mind as Christmas approaches. 

Why a baby?

Why did the Savior of the world, the Son of God, come to earth as a baby?

Wouldn't it have made more sense for Him to come in such a way that people couldn't miss Who He was?

On Sunday night, I listened to a pastor at my church talk about this same subject, based on the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 17-19. Elijah sought a powerful display of God's glory to try to turn people back to God, and it didn't happen. When God revealed Himself to Elijah, it wasn't in the powerful displays, but in a "gentle whisper." (I Kings 19:12). In that quiet moment, in that small way, is where God showed up and changed things. Elijah wouldn't have been the same after that meeting with God.

Not your typical Sunday before Christmas message, but it struck me in how it relates to the reason why our Savior came as a baby, rather than a powerful display. Those powerful displays don't often result in life change. The life change comes from the small, the quiet.

That's why Jesus came as a baby. 

A powerful display of God's glory, wouldn't have made any more of a difference. 

People still would have missed the Savior.

People still wouldn't have seen what God was trying to do.

The Son of God, the Savior of the world, came as a baby because the small, quiet places, is where God most often speaks and we have life-changing encounters.

One Night that Changed the World

A couple years ago, I wrote a post about Christmas that struck me again when I was re-reading it earlier. The same things I wondered and reflected on then, are still the same things I'm thinking about today. I thought it would be appropriate to share it again.

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As I have been reflecting on the Christmas story this year, I've been struck by how life changing the birth of this one baby was for all people - the night it happened and for all eternity.

One baby changed the world forever. 

Nothing has been the same since that night.

We often talk about how a baby changes everything for the family that baby is born into.

 None brought so much change as Jesus when He was born.

God come to earth.

Immanuel.

God with us.

The One whose life, death, and resurrection would make a way for mankind to once again have direct access to God.

The ultimate expression of sacrificial love. Of humble service.

I wonder if Mary and Joseph, if the shepherds, if the Magi, really understood the significance of that night. They knew what the angels had told them about this baby, but did they really get it? 

A couple thousand years later, do we really get it? Will we ever really get it?

The birth of a baby, named Jesus. 

A baby Who would change everything through His life and death.

The promised Messiah. The One prophesied about.

The One missed by so many when He came because of the way He came.

The One missed by so many while He walked on earth because He came to serve, not to exert His power.

The One missed by so many because He dies a criminal's death to become the greatest sacrifice and defeat sin and death for good.

The One still missed by many today.

But for those who stop to notice . . .

for those who are searching for something more . . .

for those who are willing to be humble and serve . . .

the chance to meat the One Who changes everything.

The One Who offers hope.

The One Who offers forgiveness and a second chance.

The One Who offers unconditional love.

The One Who never fails.

It was one night . . . 

in a stable . . .

in a small town . . .

with two poor parents . . .

surrounded by animals . . .

where the world changed forever.

God put His plan in motion to redeem a fallen world,

to restore a broken relationship with His people.

A plan still in motion today.

A plan that still offers hope today.

A birth.

A baby.

A life lived.

A death.

And the greatest of all - a victory over death, a resurrection.

All because of God's vast, unmeasurable, unchanging, unfailing love for each of us.

That makes it something worth celebrating!

Single for the Holidays

I've always been one to do my best to limit Christmas things to the month of December as much as possible. Obviously, that doesn't work with everything, but as much as I can I do. It's just the way I've always done it. So, it seems a little strange to me that the post coming to mind right now relates to a topic that seems to come up often around Christmas.

In this time of Christmas parties, and New Year's parties, and other gatherings it often seems people feel compelled to bring up the topic of my singleness. I don't know why I'll get more questions in the next month and a half than I will the rest of the year, but if this year follows the pattern of every other year, I will.

Most of the time, the question is asked innocently enough. And the person asking doesn't realize how many people have asked. But, that doesn't stop it from getting tiring to be constantly asked and have to answer it.

The hardest part of all of it is that this is the time of year I seem to be more aware of my singleness than other times. Always RSVPing to my work Christmas party for just one. Going to other holiday functions alone.

I think that's what can make continually being asked about it more difficult. It's just another reminder that my life doesn't look like I hoped it would, in a season full of them.

I've debated about posting this, because I don't want to come across as negative, or make it sound like my life is all hard. But, there are times when I run into situations where some extra understanding from both sides is needed. From me when I get asked again - and from the person asking, who might now even know how many times I've been asked recently.

I think at the core of this is really understanding and living from the understanding that our identity goes far beyond their marital status. I've said it before and I'll keep saying it - we can't define people by their marital status. Yes, it's a part of who they are, but it's definitely not all.

Every person is so much more than that, and we need to operate from that belief. When we do, it changes how interact with one another - regardless of the situation.

Do You Doubt God's Voice?

I've often doubted if what I thought I was hearing was really God's voice. Or if it was just my own thoughts. And I've talked to others who feel the same way.  We know God speaks, but we doubt it's actually Him when He speaks to us.

As I've been reflecting on the Christmas story these last few weeks, I've been struck by how so many of the people involved heard God speak in some way and they knew it was God. Scripture doesn't record that doubt kept them from believing that it was God speaking to them. And this after 400 years of silence from God. Even then, they still believed God about some things that may have sounded a little crazy and scandalous.

An angel appeared to Zechariah in the Temple to announce that he and his wife would be the parents of John the Baptist. He didn't believe perfectly, but he knew that it was God speaking to him. Luke 1:11 says, "Then an angel of he Lord appeared to him . . ." Zechariah knew it was God speaking to him - even if the message brought sounded impossible.

Luke 1 goes on to provide the account of the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary to announce that she would be the mother of Jesus - the promised Messiah. Mary had questions about how it would happen, but she did choose to believe. Verse 38 records her response to the message from God the angel brought, "I am the Lord's servant, may your word to me be fulfilled." Again, she heard God speak and she believed him.

Now, it could be easy to dismiss these two examples because the appearance of an angel seems like it would be easier to believe the words. But, in both of these situations, the message brought would be challenging. A son in your old age. A son when you're a virgin. Not exactly the easiest things to believe.

And then there's Joseph. God spoke to him as well, and he chose to believe God and follow through on what he was told. Matthew 1:20 tells us that "the Lord appeared to him in a dream." God's words to Joseph to take Mary as his wife even though she was pregnant wouldn't have been an easy message, but Joseph didn't doubt they were from God.

Luke 2 talks about a man named Simeon who was at the Temple when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus as required by the law. He has been told by God he wouldn't die until he saw the Messiah. When he saw Jesus at the Temple, he knew exactly who this baby was.

If Zechariah, Mary, and Joseph believed these messages from God when they heard them, what made them sure they were from God? What gave them the confidence to trust that these hard and scandalous messages were actually from God?

I think some words in how they were described provide the key to that.

Matthew 1: 19 described Joseph as "faithful to the law."

Zechariah and his wife are described this way in Luke 1: 6, "Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commands and decrees blamelessly."

Mary is described as being highly favoured by God by the angel who came to her in Luke 1:28.

Luke 2: 25 described Simeon as righteous and devout.

All of those descriptions speak of people who chose to follow God - to seek God and to know Him. It's because of their relationship with God that they had learned to recognize God's voice. They knew Who He was. They knew what He had said in the past. And because they knew that, they knew this was God, and they knew they could trust what He was saying. This was where their confidence to believe and to act on what they heard came from.

This challenges me in my own walk with God. To be continually seeking to know God better. To develop a relationship where I more easily recognize God's voice and am ready to believe and act on what I hear.

The Baby that Brought Us Freedom

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a toke of slavery." (Galatians 5:1).

When I read this verse recently, I was drawn back to the story of Christ's birth. That's when Christ came to set us free. It all started with a humble birth in a stable. The beginning of the gift of freedom Christ brought.

Jesus came, as a baby, born into the same world as those He was coming to free. He came and lived among us. He came and experienced the same kinds of things we do. He came and paid the price for
us to be free forever.

We have been offered an incredible gift of freedom. We can choose to accept it. Once we do, we no longer need to pick up the yoke that ensalved us. We don't have to carry it anymore. That is what Christ freed us from.

A humble birth, witnessed by shepherds and animals that would bring us freedom.

A humble birth is a stable was the birth of a King that would change everything for those who would choose to follow Him.