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I love going to church on Christmas Eve for a Christmas Eve service. Most churches simplify things quite a bit and the Christmas Eve service is usually just a simple message with simple music and people who just simply want to focus in on the baby Jesus. There is just something about standing with other people and singing Silent Night by candlelight. I’ve been to services where we stand in a circle and I’ve also been where we just stood where we were but somehow it just always seems so Holy! 

But I also love my church all year through. I love the fellowship and the connection of being a part of the church. Church services have been different the past couple of years. The church has had to prove over and over that it is definitely more than a building. We have seen in the pandemic that the church will stand and will adapt and will continue to minister whether they can meet in person or not. I have seen churches pay off buildings and do new hires even in the midst of all the craziness. In fact ours did both. We as a people have had church in the building, in our living rooms, on back porches and around fire pits. I for one am grateful to live in a time that even if I can’t go to the building that I can log onto a computer and still worship with my faith family. Oh don’t get me wrong, I love going to the building. But at times when you just can’t it’s nice to know that the building can come to you, so to speak. 

I believe that we were created to crave community. That has been part of what has been hard about the last couple of years. We see in the Bible that some of the very first mentions of “church” were in the book of Acts, but think about it. When Jesus was teaching to people on hillsides and in temples and beside water and people were gathering to listen to him teach they were “having church” with him. Isn’t that what the church is? A place to learn about Jesus, to fellowship with other believers, to minister to people and to learn to love each other. And when we get to have church and when we get it right it is a beautiful thing. Church is a place to go to get your heart healed and there is no better place and time than on Christmas Eve. If you have never experienced a Christmas Eve service try to find you one this year. Whether you meet in a building or meet in your homes online, quiet your soul and think on that Holy Night and Jesus and let Him heal your heart just a bit from a very long hard year.

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common.” Acts 2:42-44

When I think of the peace of Christmas. I think of choirs singing Silent Night. I think of sitting in my living room late at night looking at the twinkling lights of a Christmas tree. I think of riding through the neighborhood and looking at the Christmas decorations in the yard and I think of a baby lying in a manger late at night on that first Christmas. 

But really do you think Mary was thinking how peaceful the night was? They were in a stable with smelly animals and she had to wrap her baby up in cloths that were probably barely clean much less sterilized. She laid her little baby down in a manger, a place that animals ate food out of. I’m sure she put the hay in there to make it a softer place for him to lay. I’m sure she swaddled him and sang him a lullaby to put him to sleep. And I’m sure there was something inside of her that had to be scared deep down in her soul. Mary was just a child herself and she had just given birth to the Savior of the world. And I’m sure she didn’t quite understand yet what that would mean. Do you think she felt peace? I hope she did on that night when the star shone so bright in the night sky and on a hill angels were announcing His birth to some shepherds. I hope that deep in Mary’s heart while the young girl was uncertain and possibly scared, I hope and I just can’t help but think, there was also peace in her heart as well. You see, when Jesus is present is when there is peace no matter what. And while he was just an infant, He was still Jesus! He always was, always is and always will be. 

I pray that no matter what your circumstances are right now, that you will call on the name of Jesus to be your peace for Christmas and every day! In the midst of hard things and hard years Jesus is the only thing that can bring us PEACE! He brought us peace on that Silent Holy night so long ago, so that He could live in our hearts and we could know His peace. Peace even when things are hard, when there is a diagnosis that breaks our hearts, when loved ones are dying, when there are more days in the month than money, and when life and pandemics are present, because of Jesus we can still have peace that passes all understanding. Thats what makes the night Holy. Call on His name for your Peace. Like the angels said, it’s what He came for! 

“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”  Luke 2:14

When I was a child I loved the Christmas song “We Three Kings”. I’m not sure just why that song struck me so but I can remember just loving the song. Especially the chorus. 

Oh, star of wonder, star of night

Star with royal beauty bright

Westward leading, still proceeding

Guide us to that perfect light

I do love to walk outside on a clear night and look at the stars. They amaze me and I can remember looking at stars around Christmas time and wanting to see the star that would have led the shepherds and the wise men to baby Jesus.

Last year there was a star appearing in the sky in December that everyone was calling the Christmas star. My family drove down the road to a clearing to try to see this star. It was brighter than all the others. The science behind this star are two planets getting so close to each other that they appeared to be touching.  They are actually really far apart but they appeared close and that made them appear to be one bright star! Astronomers call this a conjunction. But because this one involved the two biggest planets in the solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, they called this one a “great conjunction”. And because it was the week of Christmas, many people called it the “Christmas Star”. 

I’m not sure if this is how God chose to form the star that led those shepherds and wise men. But think about it, they didn’t have textbooks and computers to explain to them the science behind it. They also didn’t have city lights that blocked them from seeing stars. They slept under them, they probably knew the stars way better than we do because they, especially the shepherds, possibly studied them at night and maybe they were fascinated by them. But they did know, this star, it was different. Something in them had to follow this star, and it led them to a baby, lying in a manger. But not just any baby, this was Jesus, the one who came to save us from our sins. They knew immediately that this was different. The wise men knew to follow this star because it was different. 

“And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” Matthew 2:9-10

So tonight go outside and look up at the stars. And when you do, think of that baby, whose mama wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger so many years ago. The same one who grew to be a man who walked this earth and ministered, and healed, and touched so many people humanly. Then he died on a cross so that He could touch all mankind and live in our hearts. When we look at the stars tonight, I hope deep down in your soul, you are rejoicing with exceedingly great joy because you know this baby, this man, this Savior! 

Noel is a word you really only hear at Christmas time. I grew up singing The First Noel. Yesterday I found myself wondering about the word Noel. So of course just to be sure of the meaning, I looked it up. In French “Joyeaux Noel” means Merry Christmas so Noel is the French word for Christmas. But the word also means news and it also means birth. 

When you are singing The First Noel, you could be saying this is the first news or the most important news. It could also mean this is the first birth or rather the first miraculous birth of its’ kind. This could also mean The First Christmas! All of those are true. If you think on the lyrics to the First Noel it is telling the story of the birth of Jesus. It follows the shepherds and them following the star to Bethlehem and the Wise Men also following the star. And ends with praises to our heavenly Lord. And isn’t that what Christmas is all about? I don’t know about you but I can learn the lyrics of a song so well that I truly don’t even hear it anymore sometime. I can sing along and not think of one thing I am singing. I want to be more intentional than that, especially this time of year when I am singing about the birth of my Savior. I want to hear and know what the words mean that I am singing and speaking all year through, but especially at Christmas time. You may be smarter than I and have known all of these things about the word Noel but even if you knew already the meaning of the word please be sure not to miss the meaning of the song. When you sing the words of these songs, think on them, let them sink deep into your soul so that you don’t miss the meaning of them. I know I have been guilty of getting so caught up in the hustle and the bustle and the decorating and the singing that when Christmas was over I wondered if I had missed it. I am trying not to miss it this year. I want to sing about The First Noel, the miraculous birth of the Savior of the world, the good news! 

“‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means God with us).” Matthew 1:23

I love Christmas trees! I have 2 this year that I can see from my chair that I sit in the most inside my home! One inside and I have one on my front porch too. The one inside has white lights and the one outside has colored lights along with a Grinch who is trying to steal it away from us. Just a touch of added whimsy to the Christmas for the grands to see when they come. My tree would never win any awards for decor. It is mostly filled with memories and traditions. But I love pulling it out just the same. 

I wondered how the tradition of Christmas trees got started so I did a little research.  The evolution of how we got to the Christmas trees of today was pretty interesting. It seems that in the 8th century in Germany there were pagan rituals taking place in front of some oak trees. A Benedictine monk named Boniface took an axe and chopped down the mighty oak tree to try to stop the pagans from worshiping a false idol. Legend has it that a fir tree grew out of the fallen oak and that became a symbol of Christ to them. The tree being triangular in shape, it represented the trinity. Then in Germany in the 16th and 17th century the Germans began to bring trees into their homes and decorating them. Martin Luther is credited for putting the first lights on the tree as he was walking home one evening and he loved the stars twinkling through the trees. He put candles on the tree in order to emulate the twinkling lights of the tree on a starlit night. Then in the late 1840s, Queen Victoria and her German husband, Prince Albert popularized the Christmas tree when a drawing was made of them and published in the London News of their family around a decorated tree. And a tradition was born. A couple of years later the same image was published in America and then soon decorating a Christmas tree became what it is today. 

To me though, while all of those stories and legends are interesting the things that putting up a tree represent to me are the memories and just setting apart the season. At this stage of my life I think of the times our family decorated the tree when my boys were young and now it is one of my favorite things to do at the start of the season when my kids are in town to decorate the tree with my kids and my grands! I never have a Christmas season that I don’t remember the year my Daddy surprised me when he brought home a real Christmas tree. I was a senior in high school and we had had an artificial tree for years and he knew I wanted a real tree so one day when he was out he cut one down and brought it home. That tree looked just like one Charlie Brown would have cut down and brought home but to me it was the most beautiful tree I had ever seen because my Daddy did it for me. I love a beautifully decorated tree but I also love the memories and the twinkling lights of the tree in my home. I love the way the tree and the decorations set apart this season from the rest of the year.

As we look at the Christmas Trees think on the trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, three in one, that is the foundation of our faith. Think on the twinkling lights and let them remind you of the stars that would have shown brightly on a Holy night when a young mother gave birth to the Savior of the world in a dark and dirty stable. Think on the ways that decorating our homes for Christmas sets apart this season and let it remind you to set apart your heart for Him.  And then think of the way that we can carry what’s born in your heart to a lost and hurting world for Him.  

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

That’s Christmas to Me! ~ HOPE

A thrill of Hope the weary world rejoices! 

I am not sure in my lifetime if the world has ever felt more weary? I have personally had years that seemed harder for me on a personal level but in our lifetimes I am not sure if things have ever at times felt so weary globally as they do right now. I think we could all use a little Hope for Christmas this year. 

What is it about Christmas that speaks hope to us? Is it the magic that Christmas seems to bring. Movies are made about it, songs are sung about it, we all seem to long for and to cling to a little more hope at Christmas. 

“Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:5 NKJV

I like the way the New King James Version says hope does not disappoint. Some translations say Hope does not put to shame. When we have Jesus and the Holy Spirit we do not have to wait for Christmas to have hope. Our hope is in Him who came to earth as a baby and grew in wisdom and stature and ministered on this earth and gave his life up for us on a cross and rose again and left us with the Holy Spirit to live in us, to be our guide to be our Hope that everything is going to work out all right in the end. Sometimes the path that gets us to the end is hard but when you have His Holy Spirit living inside of you, guiding you, showing you what your next right thing to do is you can be sure that your Hope will not be disappointed in the end. 

So today, stare at some Christmas lights, talk to your Savior and tell him what you are Hoping for this Christmas season and ask Him what your next right thing is. And know that with the close of this year comes Hope in a new year. I think as crazy as the last couple of years have been it has given us all more clear vision of the important things in life. So I for one am going to thrill in the Hope that this Christmas and a new year can bring! 

“Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love.” Psalm 33:18 ESV

Advent is the expectant waiting and preparation for both the celebration of the Nativity of Christ at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second coming! It is the anticipation of Jesus! I don’t remember Advent being a part of my vocabulary much growing up and in fact it was probably my later adult years that I began to hear so much about it. But now, I love Advent and what it represents. Advent is that period of time anticipating Christmas! We celebrate the baby Jesus at Christmas and during advent we are looking forward to that celebration and in our mind, as Christians we should also be celebrating and thinking on the second coming of Christ. That’s what Advent is all about! 

Advent is usually celebrated the 4 Sundays leading up to Christmas. There is sometimes an Advent wreath with candles, 3 blue or purple, 1 rose colored and a Christ candle in the center. The 4 candles represent Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. Each Sunday a scripture would be read and 1 more candle lit with the Rose colored candle representing Joy and then on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day the Christ Candle would be lit. 

So let’s anticipate! Just like last year, the Christmas decorating seemed to start early. This year we are dealing with inflation and talk of there not being enough food and/or merchandise for our holiday season. Gas is more expensive which may be a problem for some people for travel. Although the news said that holiday travel over Thanksgiving was at an all time high, possibly because people are just tired of not seeing their loved ones. I have been working on getting all of my Christmas decorations up the past few days and I hope to be complete with my shopping and decorating in the next week so I can sit back and enjoy the lights and the sounds and the smells of Christmas. I love the season as much as the event. I want to cuddle up on a cold night and just watch Christmas movies in front of a fire. I want to visit a light display. I want to bake Christmas cookies with my grandchildren. Yes I am anticipating all of those things but I also want to anticipate Jesus! I want to spend time with the one whom Christmas is about, my Jesus! I want to ask Him to renew something in my heart again. The anticipation of something can be almost as exciting as the event itself. So for me I am looking forward to Jesus, I am going to anticipate the new thing he will do in my heart this holiday season. I am going to ask him to do a new thing in me this Christmas. And then I am going to ask Him what He wants me to do for Him in the new year! I want Him to make a way in the wilderness of my heart. What about you? 

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19

Well the season of giving thanks is coming to a close. But really if we belong to Jesus we should be grateful every day. Our practice for giving thanks should not be only for the month of November. Now don’t get me wrong, I love the emphasis we put on it. But I hope and pray that in my life, it is just emphasis and that I will use it as a springboard to remember to give thanks daily. I want my thanks to be daily and intentional. 

Jesus is our ultimate example of how we should live our lives and I have found in scripture a few times that we know that He gave thanks. He gave thanks when he fed the 4000. 

“He took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.” Matthew 15:36

And when He fed the 5000. 

“Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted.” John 6:11

He thanked the Father when for giving understanding. 

“At that time Jesus declared, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children.’” Matthew 11:25

One of my favorites is when He thanked the Father before raising Lazarus from the dead. 

“Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” Luke 11:41-42

Jesus, heart was always in tune with the Father’s. He knew that God knew His heart, yet he verbalized His thanks for the crowd. 

And Jesus gave thanks at the Last Supper that He shared with His disciples. 

“And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, ‘Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ And he took break, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.’” Luke 22:17-20

My point here is this. Jesus gave us an example of verbalizing our thanks. That it is a good example for others to see, but I think it is also good for our own soul. I told you the other day about writing down my thanks. I have a journal a friend gave me a few years ago and while I don’t write in it every day any more, (I need to start back) I do pick it up occasionally and just write down something I am grateful for. I call it my Blessing Journal. I am up to 1762 right now and my plan is to fill the whole book up with blessings that He has given me. Blessings like. 

118. A beautiful sunrise this morning that I almost missed. Thank you for drawing me outside. 

180. Sitting on the floor playing with my grands. 

646. Conversations with my son. 

1029. Morning Kayak rides. 

I love looking back and reading some of my simple blessings that make up my life and I hope that Jesus smiles on my gratitude when I do the practice of it. And I like to think too that it helps me to be grateful for this life that He has given me. Even when it is messy and it may hurt at times, and I find myself longing for the next stage of it. I can be grateful in the here and now and it helps me to remember to be intentional about giving thanks. 

1. Praise the Lord! 

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, 

in the company of the upright, in the congregation. 

2. Great are the works of the Lord, 

studied by all who delight in them. 

3.  Full of splendor and majesty is his work, 

and his righteousness endures forever. 

4. He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; 

the Lord is gracious and merciful. 

5. He provides food for those who fear him; 

he remembers his covenant forever. 

6. He has shown his people the power of his works, 

in giving them the inheritance of the nations. 

7. The works of his hands are faithful and just; 

all his precepts are trustworthy; 

8. They are established forever and ever, 

to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. 

9. He sent redemption to his people; 

he has commanded his covenant forever. 

Holy and awesome is his name! 

10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; 

all those who practice it have a good understanding. 

His praise endures forever. 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! 

When Elizabeth was in her sixth month of pregnancy the angel Gabriel which had appeared to Zechariah had another assignment. This time he appeared to a young virgin girl who was betrothed to be married. Betrothed was a step between engagement and marriage in Jewish customs of those days. Engagement was the promise between the fathers and betrothal came with a ceremony but it was a waiting period until the marriage. There had been no relations between the couple. Gabriel appeared to the young virgin girl, Mary and told her that she would give birth to the Son of the Most High, and that she would name Him Jesus. 

“And Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’” Luke 1:35

Now at first glance this seems to be almost the same question that Zechariah asked but we don’t have the benefit of the original text. It seems that Zechariah’s question was filled with doubt which is why he was struck mute, but Mary’s question was filled with wonder. She didn’t doubt that what Gabriel was telling her could happen, she had faith, she was just wondering how it would happen. This shows that Mary was already a young woman of faith. 

Gabriel goes on to tell her how it would happen and he also tells her about her cousin Elizabeth. How kind of God, to give Mary someone she could go to. Mary immediately submits herself to the plan, which is probably why she was chosen in the first place. God knew her faith and He knew that she would submit. Then scripture tells us she arose and went quickly to see her cousin, Elizabeth. 

Now I wonder what was going through Mary’s mind as she went. She had already submitted herself to God, but do you think she was wondering what Joseph would think, or her parents, or the people of her town. She was a virgin, betrothed to be married to someone and yet she was pregnant. She seems to have determination and faith in the situation but I wonder if she needed some confirmation that someone else would believe that this was happening to her. We women sometime just need someone to talk to, someone to process things with. I think Mary just needed confirmation that someone would believe her and to be with someone else who was dealing with something miraculous. And that is what she got. 

“And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!’” Luke 1:41-42

Again, I am blown away at the kindness of God to give these women each other. Notice that Mary didn’t even have to tell Elizabeth her story. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she just knew. Mary received her confirmation and when she did, she was filled with gratitude. Gratitude, I’m sure that she had Elizabeth and gratitude to have been chosen. 

“And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” Luke 1:46-49

We can learn a lot from Mary. There would still be outside influences to Mary’s circumstances that could be difficult to handle, but Mary was grateful to God for calling her, for choosing her to be the mother of His son. And what I love is that she was immediately grateful, even when she knew that the next several months may have some trying times. Mary saw the hand of God and she believed the hand of God. 

I hope I am like that. I pray that the Lord always finds me grateful for the things He does for me. 

Today I am grateful to Him! My Jesus who came to earth for me and for you! And to Mary for her faith, and for her example of gratitude!