OH NO —- THE NEWS IS ON!

In this day and age, why would anyone watch the news?  Why pick up a newspaper?  Why turn the radio to anything except good ole rock’n roll?  It is not like the news is even news!  You have to pick out the truth and it is harder than getting something out that is stuck between two teeth.  I JUST WANT THE NEWS!

Someone asked me why I even read the news.  Why do I get upset?  Why do I post on Facebook?  

Why do I look up more than one source?

It is New Year’s Eve and I am sure you all have big plans, so this blog is going to be very short, but I want to answer the question on why I pay attention to the news.  It is simple: I want to be informed.  I want to know how local, national, and worldwide events will apply to my life.  I want to know before it is too late to change the direction our world and my life might be taking.

This is the same reason I pray and read the Bible and go to church.  I want to know how God’s word applies to my life.  I want to know before it is too late to change the direction my life might be taking.

I am only one person, one voice and I have no control over the direction of the world.  BUT, I do have control over the direction my life is taking and I have made one very important decision.

I choose to believe in Jesus Christ as the only Son of the one true God.  I confess that I am a sinner and do not deserve even a small crumb from the heavenly table of blessings.  I am A Child of God and will have eternal life, through the death of Jesus, on the Cross, and His resurrection.

As this year ends, you have the choice to begin a new year in a new direction.  What choice will you make?

 

Happy New Year

 AND THEN THEY WENT HOME

 Although I was too young to remember the first move, I have lived in nine homes.  I used to say, if I had baling twine, duct tape, and boxes, I could pack up a house in a day.  For sure it would take me longer now!!  Each move was for a good reason and each house became a home the moment we walked through the door.  BUT … we were never forced to flee for fear of our lives.

When the Wise Men had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.  “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt.  Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

Disclaimer: You will not find the following in Scripture.  You will only find it in my mind as I try to picture the activities unfolding.

I can imagine Joseph waking Mary and telling her to quickly grab only essentials.  I can imagine Mary looking at Joseph and saying, “Are you sure it was an angel and not something you ate?”

And all the time - panic … Would they escape?  Would they be followed?  How?  Why?  During this panic, I picture Jesus calmly standing there with his teddy bear, his sandals on, and ready to go.  Joseph and Mary, once again, obeyed.  They left Bethlehem.

Egypt —- A new country.  New traditions and new cultures would have surrounded Joseph, Mary, and Jesus as they waited.  I wonder if Joseph went to bed every night and wondered, “Maybe tonight the angel will appear in my dream.” I wonder if every morning Mary asked, “Did you dream?”

Cliff Notes: It was all over the news: Herod is dead!  Joseph went to sleep.  The angel appeared with instructions to go to the land of Israel.  News flash:  Archelaus replaces his father, Herod.  Another dream and the family headed to Nazareth in Galilee.

AND THEN THEY WENT HOME

We have now come full circle. 

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee.

 

When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth.  And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

Joseph, Mary, and Jesus went home.

——————-

The Christmas Story did not end at the birth.  The baby became a toddler.  The toddler became a teenager.  The teenager became a man.  And all this time, Jesus was learning.  He learned how to walk and talk and eat and drink.  He learned how to get up after falling down and he learned it hurt when he stubbed his toe.  He was observing.  He was listening to the words of the Old Testament.  He played.  He worked.  He saw people happy, sad, grieving, and celebrating.  He saw birth and he saw death.  Jesus was experiencing life, as he waited to begin his ministry.

We call it a Christmas Story or a Christmas Miracle, but we should call it the Miracle which began on Christmas because the Good News – no – GREAT NEWS is that

THE MIRACLE WHICH BEGAN ON CHRISTMAS HAS NEVER ENDED ! ! !

“Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You believe in God; believe also in me.  My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you really know me, you will know my Father as well.  From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”    John 14:2-4, 6-7

After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.    Mark 16:19

A Miracle Began on Christmas --

A baby was born that day.

The New Testament began that day.

Our chance for eternal life began that day.

Merry Christmas

 

 

THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT:  LOVE

Love – Finding love in the Christmas story is a piece of cake! 

No one knows if Mary and Joseph were “in love” when they were pledged to be married.  I think it is safe to assume Mary loved Joseph by the time Jesus was born.  How could she not?  He took her into his home even after finding out she was pregnant.  He was there for her – and that is love!

Joseph took Mary home as his wife because an angel told him to.  Did he love her then?  We do not know, but we know he was an honorable man who obeyed an angel sent with a message from God.  Joseph had no union with her until after Jesus was born.  He respected Mary.  Joseph took Mary and Jesus to Egypt to keep them safe.  He took care of them.  Joseph was there as Jesus grew and became strong.  Joseph saw Jesus become filled with wisdom and the grace of God.  He was there – and that is love!

LOVE

I looked up the meanings of hope, peace, and joy.  I gave up on a meaning for love.  My goodness, there are books and books and articles and articles on the subject.  They all seem to go in different directions.  Scholars will tell you the meaning in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew.  Scholars can sometimes be way too scholarly. 

The word love is applied to everything today.  I love cheesecake.  I love sunrises.  I love my neighbor.  I love my car.  I love my church.  I love …  I love … I love.  And of course, I love my family and friends.  A lifetime could be spent researching the word and the emotion.  You might be thinking, “I wonder how Mary would describe love.”

Well, since you were thinking that, I will answer your question.  I think love is a gift we give away.  If we have love and we hold onto it, it is worthless.  It is only when love is given away that it has value.

LOVE

Mary and Joseph gave the gift of love to a child. 

Love held onto is worthless… ahhh .. BUT love given as a gift opens our heart and we are blessed with an emotion that cannot be described in any language.  The gift of love can be given in the simple act of holding a hand.  Or listening.  Or doing the dishes.  Or comforting a scared child.  Or by …….

….. by sending your Son.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

WONDERFUL COUNSELOR,

MIGHTY GOD,

EVERLASTING FATHER,

PRINCE OF PEACE.

Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.

Isaiah 9:6-7

THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT:  JOY

I can hear the conversation, as Joseph tells Mary, “Oh Mary, I wish we did not have to go to Bethlehem.  It is going to be so hard on you.”

“I will be fine, Joseph.  God will take care of us.  Did you get a reservation?”

“No,” Joseph replied.  “I tried the Hampton and Holiday Inn.  They have no rooms.  Motel 6 is so full they turned the light off.”

The journey ahead of Joseph and Mary would be filled with many trials and unknowns.  A journey.  No room.  A baby due.  Responsibilities.  Where would Joseph and Mary find joy?

JOY

The American Psychological Association describes joy as a feeling of extreme gladness, delight, or exultation of the spirit arising from a sense of well-being or satisfaction.  The feeling of joy may take two forms: passive and active.  Passive joy involves tranquility and a feeling of contentment with things as they are.  Active joy involves a desire to share one’s feelings with others.

Ingrid Fetell Lee, a designer whose work focuses on the way design affects our lives and empowers people to find more joy in daily life, wrote, “There’s also research that connects experiences of joy, and particularly sharing joy with other people, to improved relationships.  When we share little moments of joy with other people, it forms a signal that lets them know that we’re actually going to be there for them not just when things are good but when times are tough.”

JOY

Okay, let’s do the obvious.  Joseph and Mary found great joy the moment they saw and held the baby Jesus.  But were there other joys while they were waiting for the birth?  Oh my YES ! ! !

Think back to when the angel came to Mary.  Now, picture a young woman, head bowed, shoulders relaxed, and breathing very slowly as she says, “I am the Lord’s servant.” She had a sense of well-being.  JOY.

Remember Joseph as he awoke from his dream and he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him.  He would be beside Mary and the baby for life! JOY.

Mary went to see her cousin, Elizabeth.  Can you imagine the joy in the room the minute Mary entered and Elizabeth heard her voice?  If sharing joy can improve a relationship, Mary and Elizabeth’s relationship leaped to a whole new level.  JOY.

Mary and Joseph had hope and they found peace in their decisions, but their entire story is a story of joy.  Joy in their hearts as they committed their lives to God’s plan.  Joy in their lives as they followed God’s plan.  Joy as two babies connected while in the womb.  Joy when they heard the cry of a newborn.  Joy as the shepherds came.  JOY … JOY … So much joy the heavenly host praised God and said, “Glory to God in the highest heaven.

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Luke 2:10-12

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT:  LOVE

The Bible has 66 Books.  The New Testament has 27 books and, depending on the translation, 7,957 verses.  The Christmas Story, the birth of God’s Son, is told in 71 of those verses in Matthew and Luke.  Hope, peace, and joy are a result of the true meaning of Christmas:  LOVE.  Please read Matthew 1:18-25 - 2:1-12 and Luke 1:26-56 and 2:1-20.  

 THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT: PEACE

How quickly life can change.  One minute we have the hope for a better future and the next our future is not exactly what we had hoped for.

Mary had so many “hopes” as she prepared to become Joseph’s wife.  Her future was set and …

Mary’s day had been like every other day.  She had helped her mother cook.  She had checked her small stack of items she would move into Joseph’s house.  Her day had passed quickly and she was looking forward to a few minutes alone.  How precious a few quiet minutes were.  Taking a deep breath, Mary relaxed …..

An angel came to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

The angel continued, “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.”

Joseph was, to say the least, shocked when he found out Mary was pregnant.  They had plans.  Yes, she was young, but he would be a kind and understanding husband, but to find out she was pregnant made him question their future.  Quickly, he decided he would quietly divorce her.  That would be the best for them.  Yes, a quiet divorce.

A dream and now it was clear.  He was no longer afraid to take Mary as his wife.  The angel had told him, “What is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”  He found Mary and “took Mary home as his wife.  But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son.  And he gave him the name Jesus.”

PEACE

What picture comes to mind when you hear the word peace?  Do you see a world without wars?  A country which maintains public order?  A society which lacks hostility?  These would certainly be wonderful.  But – do you ever consider peace as a personal thing?

Peace can also have meaning to each of us, individually.  Peace can mean a state of quiet or tranquility without mental stress or anxiety.

On the All Time Short Stories website, there is a story titled The Real Meaning of Peace.  The story tells of a king looking for a picture of peace.  Wonderful calm paintings were presented, but the one he picked was a great surprise. 

The picture was of a ragged, bare mountain and angry weather.  It did not look peaceful, until you looked very closely. The story explained: “As the king inspected the picture, he could see a tiny bush growing in the cracks in the rock.  In the bush, a mother bird had built her nest.  In the midst of the rush of angry weather, the bird sat on her nest with peace.

The peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise or trouble.  Peace means to be in the midst of all the chaos and still be calm in the heart.  The real peace is the state of mind, not the state of the surroundings.”

PEACE

But how did Mary find peace.  God was asking much of her.  God asked her to change her life and all she had hoped for.  How was Joseph to find peace?  God was asking him to be a father to a child which would fulfill the words of a prophet.

We so often think of peace in global terms, but peace is also a personal thing.  How did Mary and Joseph find their personal peace?

The angel spoke to Mary and Mary answered: “I am the Lord’s servant.  May your word to me be fulfilled.”

The angel spoke to Joseph and “Joseph woke up and did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him …”

Mary and Joseph found peace by hearing and obeying God.

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign:

The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Isaiah 7:14

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT:  JOY

Joseph and Mary have a journey ahead of them.  They must travel to Bethlehem, the town of David, because Caesar Augustus ordered a census be taken.  Will joy come at the end of this journey?