At Christmas time we think so much about gifts; giving and receiving. C.S. Lewis says that the greatest sacrifice was not on the cross but in the Manger. God reducing himself to a human baby to save the world. We mostly think of Jesus Himself when we think of Christmas, we don’t always acknowledge the sacrifice that God went through. There is no one on this earth who knows more love than a parent’s child, (Weather natural born or adopted).
Jesus is in truth an only child. Being one myself I know what that means. It means that there is no one else for your parent to share their love with other than you. You are top on their list and are more valued than anyone else. Now think, God gave His most valued treasure to us to be mocked, beaten and murdered by us. Every tear Jesus shed God would have felt, every lash, every nail. I know that God turned His face away because of the sin Jesus took for us, but that doesn’t mean His heart wasn’t in agony for His beloved son.
No one I know would sacrifice their child for anyone, let alone a world that mocked and hated them. So as God placed His child in Mary’s arms, knowing what would befall Him, He gave up the center of His heart to save us.
Category: Devotional
Christmas Sunday 2020It’s all part of the show.
One Christmas tradition that often gets over wrapped in tinsel and stage perfection is the tradition of having a Christmas pagent.
I used to love the pagents. Every year but one I was a sheep, and everyone knows that the sheep has the best role. We get to go all over the stage and crawl on our knees and bahh every so often. No elaborate speaches or moments of forgetting lines. Just being there, part of the show.
Perhaps that is the problem with Christmas these days. We get so caught up in what we should do we forget to just be part of the story. We feel we need to put on a great spector of glitz and glory more suited to the glittery gifts of the Wisemen but we forget to be the lowly sheep, on our knees before the King. No words to say. No spotlight. Just there. Part of God’s story.
Sing with me
What is one big thing that marks the Christmas season? Christmas music!
Songs that most people only listen to one season a year. Why is singing and music so important to us? Not why the scientists say it is, but why do you say it is? I can’t help but wonder if it’s all the angel’s fault that we break out in song on the street while walking in the afternoon, or that we hum while doing the dishes. When Jesus was born the angels didn’t beat box, or recite a pledge, or do the hokey pokey- as far as we know. What the angels did do was sing. Angels we have heard on high ring any bells? Lot’s of the old hymns and some of the new ones are based on specific scripture verses. Which is why dancing to ‘oh come let us adore Him’ or ‘away in a manger’ makes me uncomfortable. They aren’t just songs to sing, if that is all they are worth you might as well just listen to ‘boogy woogy Santa’ and get it over with. No. The carols were written from a connection to the Biblical and spiritual birth of Jesus Christ. The angels sang because? Who knows? Because they were filled with profound awe at their king’s sacrifice? Because He was a baby and they knew He would love the music? Perhaps because they knew that every great story starts with great intro music? I think they sang for the same reason most of us do, because they didn’t know what to say, how to phrase their emotions, and when you don’t know what to say, you sing. Right? They sang to praise their king, our king. Why do we sing at Christmas? Is it for Jesus? I’m not saying not to spin in the snow and belt out ‘winter wonderland’ absolutely do that! I do that often. But when you sing a carol, a song based on scripture, what does it mean to you?
Molded by His hands
Molded by His hands
Ginger bread houses. One Christmas tradition that we love is making gingerbread houses. Crafted by hands that desire ingestable art. If you ask the child with the house that has broken walls and missing gummy lights if their house disappoints them do you know what they will tell you, “it still tastes good.” Even with it’s missing parts and broken hearth the gingerbread house still has the quality of tasting good. And the artist loves that part of it, so the artist loves the whole of it. Just like how God loves us. We are His. That’s enough. He loves all of us, from our shattered dreams to our scarred pasts, He still loves us. Why? Because we are His. And He knows that we still have the chance to become what He wants us to be, and He hasn’t given up on us. Just like our gingerbread house, falling apart on one side, we still can serve our initial purpose. We can still, “taste good” no matter what we look like, it’s what’s inside that counts.
Let’s build a snowman!
Let’s build a snowman!
Since the beginning of time people have loved to create. Not just useful things to our survival but wonderful things that grab our attention and hold us in awe. We even create fleeting things, like snowmen. Why do we build something that is just going to fade with the sun? Why does the ball shaped man bring us so much joy when he smiles? Good questing. Perhaps it’s because all throughout every other season God is constantly creating. He makes flowers and babies, He causes the leaves to change color and the grass to grow, and grow and grow and grow, if you live where I do. When winter comes, however, everything goes dormant. It’s almost like God is letting His creative arts take a break. Outside of the beauty of sunrises and sets, and the horror frost, nothing new really happens. We are so used to creating that the pause makes us sad and restless, so what do we do? We create while waiting. Now we see snowmen and forts and garland on trees. Why not? We aren’t as amazing as the Creator but we love doing it, and it gives us a small look into what God does every day. We feel the snow crunch together under our fingers and soon there is a snowball fight. We find the perfect carrot in our fridge and we begin the human construction of a snowperson. Without God having created the snow we wouldn’t have anything to work with. But because He has we suddenly have a new world that we can play in.
I believe in you
A friend is someone who believes in you more than you believe in yourself.
It is so easy to doubt yourself. All most people see is their failures and that’s so sad. Why do people ask for someones opinion and then get angry when they don’t like what the other person says? Because we are all insecure and need someone to pat us on the back and say ‘well done kid!’ We search for compliments and assurance from others because we don’t really believe in ourselves. That’s why we need friends whom we can trust. If a trusted friend gives their opinion you are more likely to accept that it is true. A real friend will always cheer you on and spur you forward, but will also give you advice and hold you back from reckless things. If JRR Tolkien hadn’t had great friends to encourage him he might have never published the Lord of the Rings. Usually our friends can see more to us than we can see ourselves. You know what I am about to say. Jesus is the one true friend we all have and He is known for spurring us forward in the right things and holding us back in the wrong. Listen to Jesus because He believes in you. Even if He is pulling you back it’s not because there is something wrong with you, it’s because there is something wrong with the situation. Trust His words and His timing, He is a friend who will always believe in you, you just have to believe in Him.
Why do we need pastors?
‘Why do we need pastors?’
This is a question that I have not heard spoken out loud in a long time, but through people’s actions and subtle hints behind their speech it is clear that this is still a pondering. To be honest, I have never really had an answer, until today. I like to do something different with God each day instead of having the prayer time each night. This is just me, not saying that a prayer list is a bad thing. Tonight I chose to read one of my dad’s books on Biblical study and finally I have the answer to that question I was asked so long ago: we need pastors to interpret.
You say, ‘but any adult can read the Bible, it’s not like it’s written in Pig Latten.’
True, but that’s not my point. As the book says, ‘we all read the Bible thinking our interpretation is the right one.’
But it’s easy to misinterpret. For example (my example is also borrowed from this book) in Romans 13:14 the King James version states ‘make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof.’
Where the New International Version explains that what Paul meant by “flesh” was sinful nature. If it wasn’t for the people who took the time to interpret this statement, we would believe that Paul meant our bodily comfort as so many assumed, but what he meant was the sinful nature that can come on us so easily. Pastors go to school and study the Bible, the interpretations, the deep delve discussions and weigh the different opinions against each other and against what the Bible says long before they ever grace a Church platform. They study so they can teach us. We need pastors so we can understand without those four years of College. We need people who asked question and gotten answers to answer our questions so we can answer other people’s questions. And now that question that I had no answer to has been explained. We have pastors to interpret for us.
Ref. How to read the Bible for all it’s worth
Darkness
Darkness. What an interesting word. What do you feel when you read the word ‘darkness’? Do you feel afraid, sad, comforted, powerful, weak, safe? Darkness can mean so many things to so many people. I have never minded the dark. In the dark you can see the brightest stars, or feel the peace of the quiet that comes with the falling of night. Maybe an owl will join you and you can listen to her song. Who knows what will come in the dark? My friend hates the dark. She says it’s oppressive and suffocating. Bad things come out at night like thieves or raccoons. It depends on your outlook. But God is the light that dispels all darkness. What does that mean? It doesn’t mean that God rips back the night sky and fills it with light and all day sunshine -though if He chose to do that I wouldn’t mind, especially with this 4pm sunset we have right now- it means that God dispels the darkness within you. What darkness? Interesting question. We all have darkness in us because we all live in a fallen world. The darkness that the devil seeps into us through lies and fear, that is the darkness that God drives out. Some people see dark as power. People who want to scare people will claim the power from hell as a weapon, that’s a mistake. Sure the devil could give you dark power to use, but at what cost? Light is always more powerful than darkness. It can always break the dark and fill the area with itself. Jesus is light because light is power. Not dark. I want to claim Heaven as my weapon not hell. But Heaven is all sugar plums and cotton clouds, right? Wrong. Heaven is a fortress filled with powerful warriors that will come down from Heaven to fight for you! Jesus wins every battle, including the battle on the cross. Claim Heaven as your power and true power will fill you! And don’t be afraid of the dark, the light of the world lives in you.
Soldiers
The day was bloody, so was every other day. The last battle cost more casualties than any other. The weary soldier has finally picked his way home and he has had enough! The Brass has come forward and is giving a speech to the survivors, if you could call them that.
“I know you are tired. I know today was worse than any of us ever thought possible. But I ask you to join with me one last time! To go out there and make a last stand! We have a way to take back a large part of the city and thus hold the enemy at bay from reaching our stronghold for a little while yet! Will you go with me!”
The crowd murmurs and black stares are turned on the man speaking. Finally a voice cries out over the din, “I have been through things worse than death, I have seen my friends and family killed! I have sloshed through the blood of those I called comrade. No! I will not go back out there! I am going home to spend the last few hours I have with my wife and daughter!”
The Brass nods his head sadly as the other voices in the crowd echo the same thing, “You who have faced the enemy and know the horrors will not be forced to face them again. But you who have face the enemy and know the horrors that are coming by all means go back home and wait for your family to know the same terror you do!” Then the man turned and strode away.
The soldier’s stomach lurched and his mind saw his loved ones slaughtered at his feet, he saw his child being dragged away and he heard her screams; those screams echoed in his mind as he turned and looked in the direction if his home and then picked up his gun and followed his commander back onto the battle field. The soldier never returned home, but he died knowing that those he loved were safe for one more day.
These are our soldiers! They aren’t violent glory seekers! They are fathers, sons, brothers, mothers, sisters, wives, husbands. They are loving hearts who saw their daughter run up to them and yell daddy and decided that they wanted to make sure the innocence never left her face. They are the watchers who protect. God follows His people into the fray! Don’t think for a second that He isn’t sitting in the trench holding the wounded soldier’s heads as they cry and pray. Don’t ever assume that God turns away when a person in uniform has to choose between his friends and the enemy! When my uncle went into battle during Desert Storm the enemy put children in front of them as they shot from behind. My Uncle said all you could do was try not to hit those children. Do you think for a second God condemns the soldiers who were forced to face a wall of kids? Or do you think the ones condemned are the ones using those children as shields? It’s not a question. Yes. I am saying harsh things and accounting harsh stories but people too readily accuse soldiers for the harsh things they have to do. It’s not their fault. They never asked for there to be war or death but they have the heart and the courage to fight to keep us safe so we can judge them without being killed or having our families killed. War is war, and until you have lived it you can never judge, and no one can ever say that God doesn’t love our soldiers! Because if you read the Bible you will know full well that He does! We will remebered them, honor them and be proud of them.
How does it end?
I have often said that once you write something down in a story, no matter how scary it was in the beginning, now that you know what the ending is it can’t control you anymore. The same is with our spiritual lives God wrote it all down it is all in the Bible and we know the ending so this world, the fears that can manifest themselves in this world, the one who controls this world, can not control us. We know the ending! God has told us how the story of this world ends.
He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people.
Revelation 22:20-21 NLT
In the end, the hero comes back for his people. In the end, all evil is destroyed. And like any great story, in the end there’s a massive party to celebrate the victory! In the end Jesus comes and takes us home. Nothing can hold us to this world, if we believe in Jesus, if we Proclaim his name, then there is nothing of this world that can control us.
The end.
Carried in the cross 