ANTICIPATION: PART 3

I love to travel!  We have flown a few times, but usually we set off in the pickup.  Our roles are simple: Bill drives and I navigate and talk.  I have a skill.  I can read a map.  I can get us from point a to point b.

Each trip has had a lot of anticipation.  Picking where we would go.  Ordering AAA tour books.  I miss them.  They told about all the little towns we were driving through.  Yeah, I know.  Google will do that too.  Writing down our route and marking it on the atlas.  How do people travel without an atlas?  Yeah, I know.  GPS.  Now I wonder how we ever traveled without the map on my iPad.  All those side roads that are waiting for us to discover.  But, we still take an atlas.

Often anticipation and reality are not the same.  The Mile Post, a must if you are driving in Alaska, said the 19-mile side road was a must.  We would see wildlife.  We would be amazed.  The reality was that Bill saw a porcupine out his window.  That was the extent of the wildlife.  The amazing part is that we did not get stuck, because all 19 miles was …..  mud.  Bill loved that.  To this day he will remind me of the 19-mile mistake.

Why am I telling you this?  Because I can picture the Wise Men looking at charts and star patterns and trying to decide the best route to find Jesus.  I can hear them having a discussion on which way to go.  I can see a table covered with confusion.

Hallmark has put an image in our head.  The three Wise Men are seen on the horizon … alone.  They arrive at the stable … alone.  Reality is extremely different.  The Wise Men or Three Kings were not traveling alone.  There were a lot of camels other than the ones the they were perched on.  There were camels to carry the water, the food, the tents, and all those maps.  There were people to take care of the camels, the food, the water, and, heaven forbid, if one map blew away.

Anticipation was following the route they had picked out.  Reality was they were lost.  They had to ask for directions.

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.  When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.  And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judæa: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, Art not the least among the princes of Juda: For out of thee shall come a Governor, That shall rule my people Israel.  Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.  When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

Matthew 2:1-10

These Wise Men, with all their knowledge and with all their maps, had to ask for directions and, just to make sure they finally found their way, God put a bright star to guide them.

Now you need to get another Hallmark picture out of your head.  Jesus was a young child.  The family was now living in a house.

And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

Matthew 2:11

The anticipation was finding the King of the Jews.  The reality was that they found the King of the Jews.  For once, the anticipation and the reality were the same.  They found Jesus!!!

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I CAN FIND JESUS.  YOU CAN FIND JESUS.  We can find Jesus the same way the Wise Men did.  We can search — Read the road map known as the Bible.  We can ask for directions —- Find Christians who will give you information.  We can follow the light — The Holy Spirit will be your guiding light.

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.  And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.  And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.  And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.  And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.  He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.  Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Luke 1:26-35 KJV

MERRY CHRISTMAS

 

ANTICIPATION: PART 2

The children and most of the women were sleeping.  A few women were having trouble sleeping and they were talking quietly.  Part of the shepherds were sleeping so they would be ready for the shift change. 

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

Luke 2:8

I picture the shepherds walking around and keeping their eyes open for any threat to their herd.  They did not anticipate any problems, but they knew danger could quickly become a reality.  I am sure the shepherds did not anticipate a heavenly choir.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

Luke 2:8-9

Sore afraid?  Well, duh!  It is dark.  Almost everyone is asleep.  Even the sheep are getting some shut eye.  Then this light surrounds them and an angel of the Lord appears and the scripture says they were “sore afraid.”  Can you say UNDERSTATEMENT?  Can you picture the confusion?  Not one shepherd was anticipating the sky to light up.  Not one shepherd anticipated the angel of the Lord appearing in the sky.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, good will toward men.

Luke 2:10-14

For sure the shepherd’s anticipation and their reality was extremely different.  Fear not.  Good tidings.  Great joy.  A Saviour.  A multitude of heavenly host.  And then, just like that they were gone.  The sky was dark again.

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

Luke 2:15

It is often asked, “Why a stable?”  Think about it.  If Jesus was born in the inn, would they have let the shepherds in?  Of course not.  They would have turned them away.  BUT, a stable is a place the shepherds were familiar with.  They walked right in.

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.  And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.  And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

Luke 2:16-18

The second question that comes up is: Why shepherds?  Think about it.  They traveled around.  They could easily tell what they had seen.  They created an interest in the birth of Jesus.

Anticipation and reality are not the same thing.  The shepherds were anticipating a normal night.  The reality is they met the Son of God.  The Good Shepherd.  The true Shepherd.

And they were the first to spread the Good News.

 

ANTICIPATION:  PART 1

I have been anticipating how our new home will look when it is all decked out for Christmas.  The Nativity will be on the same table as it has been on for the last who knows how many years.  We will have to get a new tree.  A smaller tree.  I am picturing it in my mind, but will it turn out good? For sure I am no design expert.

Anticipation — What will the house look like?

Per the dictionary, anticipation is the act of looking forward, especially pleasurable expectation.

I wonder if Mary and Joseph’s anticipation was a “pleasurable expectation.”  A visit by an angel, visiting a cousin, and a dream must have them anticipating what will happen next.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

Luke 2:4-5

They were headed to Bethlehem.  Mary was expecting at any time and the trip had to be physically brutal.  Joseph had to watch as Mary suffered.  I am sure they were anticipating their arrival.

Do you suppose Mary was picturing a bed?  A bed where she could rest.  She was so tired.  She could tell the baby would be born shortly.  As Bethlehem came into sight, did Joseph give a big sigh?  He was so tired and Mary looked exhausted.  Bethlehem — now they could rest.  Now they could begin to prepare for the birth.  The birth.  A Son.  Name him Jesus.  Joseph anticipated quickly finding a room.

The innkeeper told them he had no rooms.  I can see Joseph look at Mary and realizing she needed to lay down.  NOW.  This was not what he had anticipated.

Is there not one place?  I can feel the anguish, as Joseph asked, “Surely there is somewhere we can have some privacy.  My wife is about to deliver.  We will take anything.  A stable?  Yes.  Even a stable.”

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.  And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Luke 2:6-7

Anticipation and reality are not the same thing.  I am sure Mary anticipated delivering God’s Son in a room in the inn.  The reality is a stable ! A STABLE! How could this happen?  God’s Son is lying in a feeding trough.

Mary and Joseph look at the baby one more time.  And then they rested.

A DREAM

I thought I was going to write on shepherds.  I even had it started.  It would be the first in a series on Christmas.  Then I was posting this week’s Wednesday’s Pick Me Up on our church’s Facebook page.  The song on Thanksgiving finished and a video started.  And I watched it.

Emily told her story.  A story of a childhood dream to have many children.  Children by natural birth or adoption or foster children.  Emily wanted children.  She felt it in her heart.  She believed this was going to be her life.  It was her dream

She even married a man who shared her desire to have children.  He was open to adoption.

You are right.  Our dreams .. our way .. is not always the path God has for us.  Is God’s way better?  But what about the lifelong dream of being a mother?  Emily had felt like that dream was from God.  Emily struggled with each negative pregnancy test.

I am not going to tell you anymore.  I would like you to watch this video.  It is 15 minutes of your time. 

       AS FOR GOD, HIS WAY IS PERFECT:  EMILY’S STORY

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tmfe8Z7tcA0

After watching, think about how you handle dreams that did not come true.  Did you turn to God and His way for you or have you held your dream so tight you do not see God’s plan?

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I hope your Thanksgiving was a blessing.

A QUESTION

We were headed home after having a great lunch with friends.  Just driving down the road, looking out the window, when Bill asked, “Do you know how special you are?

I replied, “As a matter of fact I do.”

Often he will say, “I am so lucky to have you.”

To which I reply, “Yes you are.  And don’t you ever forget it.”

I am not being flippant in my replies.  I am being honest.  BUT, I am just as lucky to have him.  And he is extremely special.

Jesus made people feel special.

A man with leprosy was healed because Jesus touched him.  Can you imagine what that felt like?  Jesus touched him.  How long had it been since anyone had shook his hand or given him a hug?  He was unclean.  No one touched him or they would be unclean also.  BUT, the man knelt before Jesus and asked if Jesus was willing to make him clean.  Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.  Wow.  Jesus heard him, saw him, and healed him.  This man was special.

The little children are special to Jesus He laid his hands on them and prayed for them.  He told the disciples that the kingdom of heaven belongs to “such as these”.  Can you hear the mothers saying, “My child is special.  Jesus prayed for her.”  And the little boy would be telling the other kids, “Jesus laid his hands on me and prayed.”  Yes, the children are special.

Jesus called her to come to him and the crippled woman made her way to the front of the synagogue.  How had he seen her? Why did he want her to come to him? Out of all these people, Jesus called her forward.  Oh my goodness! Doesn’t that just make you smile? Did you think, “I would go forward.” ?  Would you feel special? Then Jesus HEALED her.  He put his hands on her.  And she stood tall.  Jesus cared enough that he healed her.  Talk about special.

John the Baptist baptized Jesus and the heaven opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove.  The dove landed on Jesus’ shoulder.  John the Baptist must have been feeling special.  I mean, he had been chosen to baptize Jesus.  He was special.  (And, I bet, very humble.).

Then a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love: with him I am well pleased.”  And Jesus hears his Father say he is pleased with him.  What would it have been like to hear God say He is pleased with him? If the Grinch’s heart grew three sizes, I am sure Jesus’s heart grew 6 sizes or 99 sizes or 1,247 sizes that day.  Jesus was special in his Father’s eyes.

Are you special?  YOU ARE VERY SPECIAL!

God knit you in your mother’s womb.

God knows the number of hairs on your head.

In God’s eyes, you are precious.

God gave His only Son that you could have eternal life.

Never, to repeat..  NEVER forget how special you are to God.  The Bible tells you over and over how special you are.

Now back to the start of this blog.  Have you ever asked a loved one or friend, “Do you know how special you are?”

Give it a shot.

90 SECONDS

I want you to look at a clock for 90 seconds.  (Do the exercise before you read!)  Did you have trouble focusing for that long?  Did it seem like a short time or a long time?  What can be done in 90 seconds?

An email can be sent or a recap of a business presentation made in less than 90 seconds.  Many business decisions happen quickly.

90 seconds can be a long time, when a child is waiting for you to get off the phone.  Or when nature calls and the minister is on a roll.

Why am I using 90 seconds?  I heard an interview with Yael Eckstein, International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and she talked about getting into bomb shelters.  The goal is to get in the shelter in 90 seconds.  (If you did not do the 90 second exercise, do it now.)  In Israel, there are bomb shelters everywhere.  But 90 seconds?  90 seconds to get out of the grocery store.  To get away from the gas station.  And then she said, “Which child’s seat belt do you unbuckle?  Which child do you save?”

Monday was Veterans Day and we honored and thanked all who served.  How often did a veteran think 90 seconds was a long time?  Which was worse:  90 seconds of noise or 90 seconds of quiet?

90 seconds can be an eternity when waiting in the emergency room.  90 seconds……..

Sometimes, you have a lot more than 90 seconds to make decisions and things still do not go as planned.  I have a friend, in Florida, who had more than 90 seconds to make decisions on what to protect from the hurricanes.  The first thing he protected was his wife.  He made sure she was out of storm area.  After the storm, he saw almost everything was lost. 

I had a hard time deciding if I should write this.  It is not a feel good blog.  But life is not always easy.  Life gives us hard choices and some of those choices do not come with hours or weeks to make a decision.  Often, hard choices have to be made in seconds.

But there are choices you can make now instead of waiting until you only have 90 seconds.  Make the choice to believe in a risen Savior.  A Savior who died for you.  A Savior who will take your confessed sins and nail them to the Cross.  A Savior who will give you grace, mercy, forgiveness, and eternal life.

Make the choice now and a loving God will help you through the hardship and give you strength to make the 90 second decisions.

 

JUST CALL HIM YOGI

If you thought of Yogi Bear, you thought wrong.  Yogi Bear picked up picnic baskets.  Bill is picking up trash.  In our retirement community, Wednesday is the day we have to have our trash bags out for pick up.  Needing something to do, hubby volunteered to help.  Now each Wednesday, he tosses bags of trash and recycling onto the trailer.  And now I call him Yogi.

You see, when we first moved onto the farm, there was no weekly trash pick-up.  There was Yogi.  We rented a dumpster and twice a month, Yogi would come empty it.  Yogi was a big guy.  He wore bib overalls.  He had a smile that made your day.  He always had time to talk, but he never told stories about what anyone had in their trash.  I guess his motto was “what is in the trash, stays in the trash.”

Yogi did like to tell stories on himself.  I love the one about him owing a bit of back taxes.  He said one day the sheriff showed up at his door and gave him a ride to the county jail.  Seemed like those back taxes were going to be a bit of a problem.  The IRS agent was there with formal papers and they were going to give Yogi free lodging.  The process began.

“Please empty your pockets.”  Being a gentle man, Yogi complied and I am sure he was having a good talk with the IRS agent as he reached into the first pocket.  For those of you who have never worn bib overalls, you need to know that they have more than two pockets.  There are at least seven pockets.  Yogi took items out of the first pocket.  Included with a few folded papers, there was a bit of money.  The IRS agent immediately took the money.

Yogi took items out of the second pocket, which included a bit of money.  The IRS agent also took that money.  Yogi took items out of the third pocket which included a bit—- yup —- a bit of money.  Are you getting the idea?  I am sure that by now, more than one county deputy was enjoying this show.  They all knew Yogi.  They watched, along with the county sheriff and the IRS agent, as Yogi emptied one pocket after another.  You are smiling aren’t you and you can imagine what happened next.

The IRS agent started counting the money.  When he got to the amount Yogi owed, he stopped counting and had him sign a paper.  Then Yogi started putting everything back in his pockets.  Everyone was happy.  The IRS agent had his money.  The deputies were giggling as they went back to work.  The sheriff shook Yogi’s hand and they talked for a bit.

Everyone was happy except Yogi.  No, he wasn’t upset about the money.  He was upset because the sheriff said he couldn’t give him a ride home.

One day I was in the grocery store, concentrating on my list, when someone ran into my cart.  Looking up, there stood Yogi, grinning from ear to ear.  We talked a minute and then I asked him, “Yogi, I was talking to a neighbor and found out you raised the monthly rate.  But our bill is still the same.  Why didn’t our bill go up?” He grinned even bigger and said, “Because I like you.”

And I liked Yogi.  He was honest and fair.  He loved people.  He enjoyed life.  He drove a trash truck.  And he smiled.

Now I have my own Yogi.  I wonder if I should check his bib overall pockets.

 

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At church, we have talked about people being upset because Jesus was hanging out with tax collectors, sinners, and all sorts of common people.  They would be mortified to see Jesus sit down with the trash man.  BUT, I know one thing: Jesus would have enjoyed sitting down with Yogi.  And I bet they would have talked, laughed, and smiled.