As I'm sitting here, the frenzy of wrapping paper and gifts has subsided and the excitement has quickly passed. The buildup of the season has hit it's pinnacle and is quickly rushing back down to the common everyday run of things. The things that were highly anticipated are now tossed aside on the floor...it's Christmas afternoon.
How different this must look in comparison to the days when Jesus was born. His purpose was true and lasting and His gift has endured the test of time.
There's a verse that is so commonly used throughout the year but not one that you necessarily connect with the Christmas season. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16. This is the essence of Christmas. God gave his Son ,Jesus, as a small baby. He didn't give him to just Mary and Joseph to raise as their own son to do ordinary things. He gave him so that the whole world may come to know the love that God has for us, as sinners, through His extraordinary actions.
The world was in great need of a savior, one that would be strong enough to carry the sins of the world on his shoulders. So on that night in Bethlehem so many years ago, that's exactly what God did. He sent his son as a gift for us that we may live eternally with Him. That is a gift worth receiving.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Spread the News!
"As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over.
"Let's get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us."
They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child.
All who heard the sheepherders were impressed." Luke 2:17-18 the Message
On November 27, 2002, I gave birth to my third child, Jackson Benjamin Brady. We didn't find out the sex of the baby before hand so we were all excited to see if we would add one to the boy side or the girl side because we already had one of each. We were so blessed to have a whole waiting room full of friends and family waiting on this news at the hospital. So when Jack was born, our two kids, Tucker(4) and Claire(2), came back into the delivery room to see the new baby. Once we looked him over and they saw every inch of his little body, they got the honor of going into the waiting room to announce the birth of their new baby brother. Usually this announcement would come from Bruce, my husband, but not this time. We wanted to include them in a very special role on this happy occasion for our family. The picture is forever etched in my mind (this is before iPhoto and cataloging pictures on your computer!), Tucker and Claire all smiles and so excited and Bruce standing behind them with nothing but a smile on his face as he watches them spread the news.
Rewind a few thousand years to the birth of Jesus. I'm not saying that my son's birth is anywhere near the same category as that of Mary's so please don't let your mind think that. What I do want to link is the spreading of the news.
The shepherds were the ones that the angel first appeared to and sent them to see the baby that had been born. No one else but Mary and Joseph had laid eyes on this baby. They were the first. These shepherds were not the kind of men you would want coming to visit you. First of all, they were considered to be very lowly people. They were the people that would never be allowed in the temple because they could never be clean enough (reminds me of my kids at times....).
They did however, have an interesting job considering their lowly status. They were in charge of keeping a special flock of sheep that were most likely used for the Temple offerings. These sheep were considered to be perfect offerings and were the private flocks of the Temple authorities. But yet these shepherds were considered to be lowly.....go figure.
But here's the real similarity between my kids and the shepherds: pure joy and excitement! I just have to believe that the excitement and smiles that were on my kids' faces when they announced the birth of their new baby brother had to be just a fraction of the excitement that these shepherds had when they went and told of the birth of Jesus. And Bruce's smile just a fraction of the one on God's face as he watched in excitement as the birth of His son was announced to the world! It's not everyday that these shepherds had the opportunity to announce such an incredible event. This was it for them, this was their time to shine and to have people take them seriously. They must have done an amazing job spreading the news because Luke 2:17,18 says "they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them."
"Let's get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us."
They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child.
All who heard the sheepherders were impressed." Luke 2:17-18 the Message
On November 27, 2002, I gave birth to my third child, Jackson Benjamin Brady. We didn't find out the sex of the baby before hand so we were all excited to see if we would add one to the boy side or the girl side because we already had one of each. We were so blessed to have a whole waiting room full of friends and family waiting on this news at the hospital. So when Jack was born, our two kids, Tucker(4) and Claire(2), came back into the delivery room to see the new baby. Once we looked him over and they saw every inch of his little body, they got the honor of going into the waiting room to announce the birth of their new baby brother. Usually this announcement would come from Bruce, my husband, but not this time. We wanted to include them in a very special role on this happy occasion for our family. The picture is forever etched in my mind (this is before iPhoto and cataloging pictures on your computer!), Tucker and Claire all smiles and so excited and Bruce standing behind them with nothing but a smile on his face as he watches them spread the news.
Rewind a few thousand years to the birth of Jesus. I'm not saying that my son's birth is anywhere near the same category as that of Mary's so please don't let your mind think that. What I do want to link is the spreading of the news.
The shepherds were the ones that the angel first appeared to and sent them to see the baby that had been born. No one else but Mary and Joseph had laid eyes on this baby. They were the first. These shepherds were not the kind of men you would want coming to visit you. First of all, they were considered to be very lowly people. They were the people that would never be allowed in the temple because they could never be clean enough (reminds me of my kids at times....).
They did however, have an interesting job considering their lowly status. They were in charge of keeping a special flock of sheep that were most likely used for the Temple offerings. These sheep were considered to be perfect offerings and were the private flocks of the Temple authorities. But yet these shepherds were considered to be lowly.....go figure.
But here's the real similarity between my kids and the shepherds: pure joy and excitement! I just have to believe that the excitement and smiles that were on my kids' faces when they announced the birth of their new baby brother had to be just a fraction of the excitement that these shepherds had when they went and told of the birth of Jesus. And Bruce's smile just a fraction of the one on God's face as he watched in excitement as the birth of His son was announced to the world! It's not everyday that these shepherds had the opportunity to announce such an incredible event. This was it for them, this was their time to shine and to have people take them seriously. They must have done an amazing job spreading the news because Luke 2:17,18 says "they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them."
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Glory in the highest!
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." Luke 2:14
Their was a custom back in the days when Jesus was born that is very interesting to me. When it came time for a pregnant woman to give birth people would begin to gather outside of her home in anticipation of the baby's arrival. This is probably not much different than when your family gathered for the birth of one of your children, if your a parent. I know for my kids we were blessed with a crowd each time one of our children came into the world.
When the baby was born, one of two things would happen. If the baby was a girl the people would go back home. (In today's world this would not set well with the hormonally charged exhausted mother that just endured hours of labor and delivery....I'm just sayin'.) If the baby was a boy they would sing and celebrate and the mother would be considered blessed. Even today, what woman wouldn't want that, I mean look at all you have gone through! At this point I'm sure you're wondering why this was and you may be a little offended, especially if you are the mother of girls.
Without getting to deep into this discussion the bottom line is that in those days people were looking for the Messiah, their Savior. They had heard prophecy after prophesy of a coming Savior so, in their minds, if they gave birth to a son it would bring them that much closer. It's a lot to digest and would probably take lengthy verbal conversations to fully understand it all but just go with me here.
So here's the interesting part. Go back to the last post about Mary's journey and we see that she was in labor and there's no place for them to stay. They find a stable, which was probably more like a cave but no one knows for sure, and Jesus is born. There was no one gathered outside her door waiting for the baby's arrival and I'm guessing no one was there to help her in the birthing process. Which keep in mind, she had never been through before. I'm imagining this is probably a pretty stressful and scary situation for her. Not the most ideal for your first birthing experience for sure!
So once again, this is all a part of God's crazy plan for Mary. He knew that she would have to make the hard 3 day journey on the back of a donkey when she was way too pregnant for words. He knew that the delivery would take place in a seemingly awkward setting with no one to attend to Mary except for Joseph (and keep in mind this is all new for him as well!) Talk about being up the creek without a paddle! And on top of that, there was no one waiting with baited breath in anticipation of the news that the baby had been born. (Again, see the note about the hormonally charged exhausted woman. That's enough to send you over the edge!)
God did something better. He sent an angel to a group of lowly shepherds that happen to be watching their flock of sheep as they grazed in the fields. This angel was to let them know that a child had been born in Bethlehem. So the angel took the place of the person who would have announced the birth to the people waiting outside. God had a plan...
Once the announcement was made, the Message says: "At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises." Mary deserved something better than neighbors and bystanders gathered to sing songs of celebration. She deserved an angelic choir that sang the songs that could only be sung at this particular birth and that's exactly what she got! They didn't sing any ordinary song they sang one that had been written and arranged by God himself..
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." Luke 2:14
God and his crazy plans!!! Crazy they may seem at first but how awe struck we are at the result.
Their was a custom back in the days when Jesus was born that is very interesting to me. When it came time for a pregnant woman to give birth people would begin to gather outside of her home in anticipation of the baby's arrival. This is probably not much different than when your family gathered for the birth of one of your children, if your a parent. I know for my kids we were blessed with a crowd each time one of our children came into the world.
When the baby was born, one of two things would happen. If the baby was a girl the people would go back home. (In today's world this would not set well with the hormonally charged exhausted mother that just endured hours of labor and delivery....I'm just sayin'.) If the baby was a boy they would sing and celebrate and the mother would be considered blessed. Even today, what woman wouldn't want that, I mean look at all you have gone through! At this point I'm sure you're wondering why this was and you may be a little offended, especially if you are the mother of girls.
Without getting to deep into this discussion the bottom line is that in those days people were looking for the Messiah, their Savior. They had heard prophecy after prophesy of a coming Savior so, in their minds, if they gave birth to a son it would bring them that much closer. It's a lot to digest and would probably take lengthy verbal conversations to fully understand it all but just go with me here.
So here's the interesting part. Go back to the last post about Mary's journey and we see that she was in labor and there's no place for them to stay. They find a stable, which was probably more like a cave but no one knows for sure, and Jesus is born. There was no one gathered outside her door waiting for the baby's arrival and I'm guessing no one was there to help her in the birthing process. Which keep in mind, she had never been through before. I'm imagining this is probably a pretty stressful and scary situation for her. Not the most ideal for your first birthing experience for sure!
So once again, this is all a part of God's crazy plan for Mary. He knew that she would have to make the hard 3 day journey on the back of a donkey when she was way too pregnant for words. He knew that the delivery would take place in a seemingly awkward setting with no one to attend to Mary except for Joseph (and keep in mind this is all new for him as well!) Talk about being up the creek without a paddle! And on top of that, there was no one waiting with baited breath in anticipation of the news that the baby had been born. (Again, see the note about the hormonally charged exhausted woman. That's enough to send you over the edge!)
God did something better. He sent an angel to a group of lowly shepherds that happen to be watching their flock of sheep as they grazed in the fields. This angel was to let them know that a child had been born in Bethlehem. So the angel took the place of the person who would have announced the birth to the people waiting outside. God had a plan...
Once the announcement was made, the Message says: "At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises." Mary deserved something better than neighbors and bystanders gathered to sing songs of celebration. She deserved an angelic choir that sang the songs that could only be sung at this particular birth and that's exactly what she got! They didn't sing any ordinary song they sang one that had been written and arranged by God himself..
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." Luke 2:14
God and his crazy plans!!! Crazy they may seem at first but how awe struck we are at the result.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Decorate an Angel
In the following post called The Journey Begins.. I talk about the angel, Gabriel, that appeared to Mary and then later to Joseph. One of the most amazing things that Gabriel says to Mary is found in Luke 1:26-28. It says,
"Good Morning! You're beautiful with God's beauty,
beautiful inside and out! God be with you."
What an amazing way to be greeted! This made me think of my own daughters. Do they know that they're beautiful with God's beauty or do they think they have to live up to the world's beauty? This is something that I battle daily and have for a very long time. Let's just say I don't remember a day that I haven't battled it. Anyway, this is where the activity comes in.
Take a cut-out of an angel, you can find templates on-line to print. Get one for you and one for your daughter and make plans to decorate them together. Talk to your daughter about what she thinks beauty is. Use this time to explain to her that the beauty found in this world is conditional and tiring. You will also want to share your own thoughts on this, and be honest. You can't expect her to be honest with you if you're not honest with her. Remember, don't be shocked by her answers she's more likely to share her true opinions if she doesn't feel as though your judging her.
Next, consider sharing the entry about Mary with her. Most girls don't realize how young Mary really was when God revealed His plan to her. You may also choose to share the verse from Luke 1 with her concerning God's beauty along with the idea that Mary was a very ordinary girl. Really emphasize the fact that God uses ordinary people to achieve extraordinary things for him. Enjoy this time with your daughter, you may learn something in the process!
One last thing you might consider doing. I took Luke 1:26-28 and wrote it on my 9 year old daughter's bathroom mirror for her to see each morning and each night. I used window markers which will wash off without leaving any residue behind.
Enjoy and remember, "your beautiful with God's beauty both inside and out!"
"Good Morning! You're beautiful with God's beauty,
beautiful inside and out! God be with you."
What an amazing way to be greeted! This made me think of my own daughters. Do they know that they're beautiful with God's beauty or do they think they have to live up to the world's beauty? This is something that I battle daily and have for a very long time. Let's just say I don't remember a day that I haven't battled it. Anyway, this is where the activity comes in.
Take a cut-out of an angel, you can find templates on-line to print. Get one for you and one for your daughter and make plans to decorate them together. Talk to your daughter about what she thinks beauty is. Use this time to explain to her that the beauty found in this world is conditional and tiring. You will also want to share your own thoughts on this, and be honest. You can't expect her to be honest with you if you're not honest with her. Remember, don't be shocked by her answers she's more likely to share her true opinions if she doesn't feel as though your judging her.
Next, consider sharing the entry about Mary with her. Most girls don't realize how young Mary really was when God revealed His plan to her. You may also choose to share the verse from Luke 1 with her concerning God's beauty along with the idea that Mary was a very ordinary girl. Really emphasize the fact that God uses ordinary people to achieve extraordinary things for him. Enjoy this time with your daughter, you may learn something in the process!
One last thing you might consider doing. I took Luke 1:26-28 and wrote it on my 9 year old daughter's bathroom mirror for her to see each morning and each night. I used window markers which will wash off without leaving any residue behind.
Enjoy and remember, "your beautiful with God's beauty both inside and out!"
The Journey Begins..
As this week started I was, and continue, to be reminded of Mary and her journey. This doesn't seem any different than any other Christmas season except for the fact that I've been reminded that her journey doesn't end with the birth of Jesus. I think this is really the beginning of the journey for her and for her baby.
So many times we look at the birth of Jesus as the end result of Christmas but there's so much more to the story than that. There's 33 years more of the story! But let's start at the beginning.
Gabriel, the angel, appeared to a young Mary who was probably only 12 or 13 years old (if she was older it wasn't by much). She most likely came from a poor family that resided in a town that had a population closer to 100 than 1,000. There was nothing great about her. To the people around her, she was nothing special to look at. In a word, she was average. But to God she was beautiful, maybe even breath taking.
When Gabriel first appeared to Mary to let her know of God's plan for her this is what he said:
"Good Morning!
You're beautiful with God's beauty,
Beautiful inside and out!
God be with you." (Luke 1:26-28 from the Message)
He told her how beautiful she was before he even let her know God's plan for her. The first words out of his mouth were how beautiful she was; pretty stark contrast to how we greet those around us. Would you agree? I know I'm convicted...
Let's fast-forward a little bit. Joseph accepts Mary's pregnancy probably a little bit like any man would accept that "his woman" was pregnant and he was not the father. (Put your husband in Joseph's place and you might have an idea of what Joseph's reaction was. Not pretty, huh?) He had the legal right to divorce her or have her stoned but that wasn't a part of God's plan. So Gabriel shows up again so that Joseph would believe Mary and the plan could go as it was supposed to. Such a crazy plan, wouldn't you say?!
To make the plan even crazier, just days before delivery a VERY pregnant Mary is put on a donkey to make the 80 mile trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem with Joseph. Did I mention she was on a donkey just days before delivery?! Who plans something like that??? CRAZY!!! As any pregnant woman knows that's the LAST thing you want to be on, unless of course you're over due then you'll do anything!!!!
Maybe a very pregnant Mary on a donkey for three days navigating through rough terrain was part of the crazy plan. It only gets crazier!! After the journey, I'm thinking the last thing you want to hear is "sorry, no room." Having been pregnant four times, I know that's the last thing I would want to hear because no room means no bed- you get the picture!. So the plan goes on and there is no room available for them.
The impending birth is upon her and there's no privacy. No where for her to be alone with Joseph and the baby. So she ends up in the stable, which in those days could have been a cave, not the most comfortable place to have a baby. But the plan moves on and the baby is born. And with this birth we begin to see that a baby will soon change everything.
So many times we look at the birth of Jesus as the end result of Christmas but there's so much more to the story than that. There's 33 years more of the story! But let's start at the beginning.
Gabriel, the angel, appeared to a young Mary who was probably only 12 or 13 years old (if she was older it wasn't by much). She most likely came from a poor family that resided in a town that had a population closer to 100 than 1,000. There was nothing great about her. To the people around her, she was nothing special to look at. In a word, she was average. But to God she was beautiful, maybe even breath taking.
When Gabriel first appeared to Mary to let her know of God's plan for her this is what he said:
"Good Morning!
You're beautiful with God's beauty,
Beautiful inside and out!
God be with you." (Luke 1:26-28 from the Message)
He told her how beautiful she was before he even let her know God's plan for her. The first words out of his mouth were how beautiful she was; pretty stark contrast to how we greet those around us. Would you agree? I know I'm convicted...
Let's fast-forward a little bit. Joseph accepts Mary's pregnancy probably a little bit like any man would accept that "his woman" was pregnant and he was not the father. (Put your husband in Joseph's place and you might have an idea of what Joseph's reaction was. Not pretty, huh?) He had the legal right to divorce her or have her stoned but that wasn't a part of God's plan. So Gabriel shows up again so that Joseph would believe Mary and the plan could go as it was supposed to. Such a crazy plan, wouldn't you say?!
To make the plan even crazier, just days before delivery a VERY pregnant Mary is put on a donkey to make the 80 mile trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem with Joseph. Did I mention she was on a donkey just days before delivery?! Who plans something like that??? CRAZY!!! As any pregnant woman knows that's the LAST thing you want to be on, unless of course you're over due then you'll do anything!!!!
Maybe a very pregnant Mary on a donkey for three days navigating through rough terrain was part of the crazy plan. It only gets crazier!! After the journey, I'm thinking the last thing you want to hear is "sorry, no room." Having been pregnant four times, I know that's the last thing I would want to hear because no room means no bed- you get the picture!. So the plan goes on and there is no room available for them.
The impending birth is upon her and there's no privacy. No where for her to be alone with Joseph and the baby. So she ends up in the stable, which in those days could have been a cave, not the most comfortable place to have a baby. But the plan moves on and the baby is born. And with this birth we begin to see that a baby will soon change everything.
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