A Real Christmas

The friendly clerk looked overwhelmed, her face revealing the tension. She asked me, “Have you done your Christmas shopping yet?”  “Some,” I replied. “I ordered gifts for some of my grandchildren drop-shipped to Florida.”  I thought she was going to cry as she said, “I don’t even want to think about it. I really can’t afford it, don’t have time … “   

Can you identify? Are you wishing away the next three weeks, longing for January 2^nd?   There are some choices each of us can make so that this is a ‘season of wonder’ instead of a time of stress, exhaustion, and over-commitment.  We really can find ourselves singing ‘Joy to the World’  with sincerity.  As you continue to read, I want to encourage you not to see these thoughts as more ‘I gotta do this, too.’  Think of them as choices for spiritual and mental health, pathways to the renewal and hope this Advent.

Make people your priority!

Likely, you will either host gatherings or be a guest at one or more. Be present, not thinking about the next hour, the next day. Enjoy the moment. Give another your full attention. Don’t rush, hurry, or just try to 'get the program' completed. Enjoy the opportunity to be with friends and family.  Be content with less-than-perfect preparations of food and décor. Those things will quickly fade into oblivion anyway, but an evening of meaningful conversation creates a lasting memory.

Remember to include worship!

If you just read ‘church,’ think again. Yes, worship gathering are valuable to help us reset if we truly enter into the songs, pray, and learn.  I am talking about adding something to your list of to-do’s.  IF you will set aside 20 minutes each day between now and Christmas Day, to meditate, to pray, and to read the stories of Jesus' nativity from Matthew and Luke, you provide an opening to God’s Spirit to meet you! Tell your family you will be going to church on Christmas Eve. Arrive early and sit with a listening heart, not one wondering, “when will this be over?”  Do more than sing,  "O come, let us adore Him... Christ, the Lord!" Actually enter in.  Which god will claim more of your attention in the next week – the ‘stuff and things’ one, or the Beautiful Savior?  The use of our time, the investment of money, is irrefutable evidence about the identity of our deity. Keeping Christ in Christmas more than putting up a crèche on the lawn , it is about honoring the One whose life is the cause for the celebration.

Give yourself away!

It is much easier to buy a gift than it is to give ourselves. Who needs a gift of forgiveness from you?  Give love. Give time. Give grace. Give away your expectations and receive what these days bring your way. Sit and listen to a child. Go see an elderly person who is alone and enjoy their stories. Send a long overdue note of appreciation to your parents. Be aware of the people in your life and listen to them, loving them.

Recover wonder!

Read the Christmas story with a child-like heart that says, “Lord, tell me again, how much You love me.”  Make it personal! Watch the old film, "It's a Wonderful Life" and don't make fun of it! Instead, let it inspire you to make a difference in someone's life today.  Our sophistication, our cynicism, our intense focus on now can rob us of God’s gift. Let the sophisticates pretend to be bored by the holiday. Choose to be child-like (not childish!) in your wonder.

Let’s anticipate the arrival of New Year's Day, 2020, having a renewed heart! Sure, you may be tired in body from staying up too late, going here and there, but you will have received Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit. And, He brings life.

Here's a word from the Word for this Friday morning -

"The Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. ...

We have all benefited from the rich blessings he brought to us-one gracious blessing after another." (John 1:14, 16, NLT)

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O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)

(Celtic Woman sings this carol so beautifully)

O come all ye faithful

Joyful and triumphant

O come ye O come ye to Bethlehem

Come and behold Him

Born the King of angels

O come let us adore Him

O come let us adore Him

O come let us adore Him

Christ the Lord

Sing choirs of angels

Sing in exultation

O sing all ye bright

Hosts of heav'n above

Glory to God all

Glory in the highest

Yea Lord we greet Thee

Born this happy morning

Jesus to Thee be all glory giv'n

Word of the Father

Now in flesh appearing

C. Frederick Oakeley | John Francis Wade

© Words: Public Domain

Reflecting His Light

Last night there was a brilliantly shining moon in the night sky. The light from it spilled across my snowy yard, making 9 pm seem like dawn. But, it was not actually light from the moon which is just a lump of rock about 240,000 miles from the earth without any source of light-producing energy. So, where did that moonlight come from? The sun! The moon is just a reflector. 

How beautiful the sun’s radiance makes that moon in the sky.

We exist to reflect God’s radiance, His glory, into our world.  Jesus says that our lives, when connected intimately to Him, like a branch to a Vine causes growth of spiritual fruit. Why? "This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." (John 15:8, NIV)  Paul says that "And we, … all reflect the Lord’s glory … being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18, NIV)

Our lives will change, the emphasis of our prayers will shift, our joy will increase when we humbly accept that life is about revealing the glory of God, not about making a name for ourselves. Christian, as we face challenges, we can pray, “Show Your glory in me.” How can He do that? By giving us steady faith, by keeping us full of hope, shielding our heart from bitterness; OR by removing the problem, giving us victory.  Who doesn’t prefer the latter? But, if He choses to lead us through the trial rather than lifting us out of it, will we let His glory shine?

There are daily disciplines that open up channels for His life to flow into us. Reading of the Word, prayer that engages both our mind and heart, confession of our utter dependence on Him, service that dethrones our ego and enthrones Christ, gathering with His people to worship, giving of ourselves and our resources:  these things are choices we make as the Spirit invites us to come near.

When we do, there is a radiance that shines through us. This is His Glory! Christian, choose the glory of God today!  In the story of Samuel, we are told about a leader of Israel named Eli. He was a godly man, but his sons were corrupt. They abused and misused ‘godly things’ for their own purposes. God lifted His blessings. Eli’s daughter-in-law, grieving the loss of that glory, named her child, Ichabod I, which means ‘The Glory is departed.’  Trust Him, walking close to Him. Don’t allow His splendor to be lost.

Here is a word from the Word. “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you." (Isaiah 60:1-2, NIV)
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Glory To His Name

Down at the cross where my Savior died

Down where for cleansing from sin I cried

There to my heart was the blood applied

Glory to His name

Glory to His name

Glory to His name

There to my heart was the blood applied

Glory to His name

I am so wondrously saved from sin

Jesus so sweetly abides within

There at the cross where He took me in

Glory to His name

O precious fountain that saves from sin

I am so glad I have entered in

There Jesus saves me and keeps me clean

Glory to His name

Come to this fountain so rich and sweet

Cast thy poor soul at the Savior's feet

Plunge in today and be made complete

Glory to His name

CCLI Song # 57667

Elisha Albright Hoffman | John Hart Stockton

© Words: Public Domain

Yes, you can!

“Imagine a football team running off the bench to the field where they go into a huddle.  After an excited exchange about the upcoming play, they all run back to the bench and sit down, talking about the quarterback’s fine words.  Then, they jump up and do it all over again.  But, they never play the game!“  (parable from Francis Chan) 
Christians are called by God into the game! If we only huddle up to hear the pastor’s talk, sing a few songs to lift our hearts, and pray for safety ‘til we get together again, but never engage our faith with life, we are missing the point.

Being Jesus’ disciple is not just about learning some doctrine or marginally shifting our values. It is about living in and by the Holy Spirit! I believe many followers of Jesus want to do God’s work, but they think it requires becoming an employee of a church or ministry, or that it demands a degree in theology, or … (you fill in the blank here).   Revelation - God’s work waits for us all around. 

• Did you pray with your kids today? Did you talk about godly living with them? That’s what He tells parents to do. "Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk  about my commands when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again." (Deuteronomy 6:7, NLT)  That’s discipleship.
  
  
• Did you pray for your spouse, encourage him or her,  joining heart and mind in mutual submission to Christ’s will? That’s discipleship!
  
  
• That guy at work who’s profane, who has no time for spiritual things, needs to know Christ. Do you just shrug, willing to let him run ahead to his own destruction, faithless for a change? Or, will you spend real time, everyday, praying actively and specifically for him! That’s discipleship.
  
  
• When a ministry at church invites participation, you can point to all the stuff you have do, at your packed schedule, and excuse yourself, or you can say “Here I am, Lord, use me.”  That’s discipleship.
  
  
• When you’re offended, do you get in a huff and write off the offender? OR do you seek reconciliation? That’s discipleship!
  
  
• When you feel yourself loving your stuff, do you exercise the discipline of generosity? That’s discipleship!

Discipleship is not passive, just sitting around waiting for that ‘open door’ you hope will appear in front of you.  Living in the purpose of the Lord does not mean that every difficulty will disappear, that all the funding will fall into our lap, that we will wake up excited and passionate about serving the Lord every morning.

Just like ancient Israel, we have to fight to possess the Promised Land.  God called Joshua, to lead the people of Israel, and told him -  "Strength! Courage! You are going to lead this people to inherit the land that I promised to give their ancestors. Give it everything you have, heart and soul. Make sure you carry out The Revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don’t get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you’re going." (Joshua 1:6-7, The Message) All those who respond to the Spirit need that same encouragement. It’s going to get tough. Strength! Courage! The Spirit will give us both. Jesus promised that "you will receive power (enablement) when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8, NIV)  It’s not magical. It’s Spiritual!

Here the paradox of authentic discipleship – it makes our Christian life something worth living.  Yes, it will sharpen our appetite for the worship and fellowship, too. And, being on the front lines of faith will cause us to feel desperately dependent on the Spirit.  So, how about getting before the Lord and telling Him to send you into the game? Discipleship is a privilege. What compares with beating back evil’s hatred and darkness and raising up Christ’s love and light?

The word from the Word describes that final awards assembly before the Father.  Imagine that moment with me. "Then the King will say to those on the right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’ And the King will tell them, ‘I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’" (Matthew 25:34-40, NLT)

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Let Your Glory Fall

(a song that is a prayer for disciples)

Father of creation,

Unfold Your sov'reign plan;

Raise up a chosen generation

That will march through the land.

All of creation is longing

For Your unveiling of pow'r.

Would You release Your anointing?

Oh God, let this be the hour!

Ruler of the nations,

The world has yet to see,

The full release of Your promise;

The Church in victory!

Turn to us, Lord, and touch us

Make us strong in Your might.

Overcome our weakness

That we could stand up and fight.

Let Your glory fall in this room,

Let it go forth from here to the nations.

Let Your fragrance rest in this place,

As we gather to seek Your face.

David Ruis © 1992 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)

CCLI License # 810055