A Christmas Mulling

“…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable –
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.
…and the God of peace will be with you.”
Philippians 4: 8-9b NIV

When I first decorate my home for Christmas everything looks so beautiful! Even though it is a lot of work I still say things like “I just love Christmas!” or “Christmas is my favorite time of year.”

And then it’s over. The candles have burned down to a nub and there is wax on my favorite tablecloth. My pretty holly dinner dishes are clean but stacked on the counter waiting to be packed away for another year. The cute cookie tins that were full of cookies just a few days ago now contain only a few stale crumbs. Our once beautiful tree now looks wilted and the bottom of the tree looks naked without the gifts skirting the base. As my eyes cruise the room I see stacks of unwrapped gifts everywhere that are waiting to find their new home. Piled up at the back door are several large garbage bags full of crumpled wrapping paper and crushed bows that are waiting to make their way to the curb for tomorrow’s trash pick up. I am finding it hard to believe that jut a few days ago everything was picture perfect.

This scenario reminds me that the glitter of life always leave us feeling let down and unfulfilled. No matter how beautiful and appealing the things of life are they are only temporary. The aftermath of a holiday, or a party, or a nice vacation can leave us feeling disappointed, lonely, and depressed. The truth is that there is absolutely nothing in this life that can satisfy our inner soul but Jesus and doing the work that he has given us to do.

I love my family and I cherish the time we have together but when Christmas is over and there is nothing left but hugging everyone good-bye and cleaning up the mess I must admit that I get a little depressed. I have even been known to shed a few tears. I think that this year I would be wise to guard my heart and move on in a positive way. I think that first on my agenda will be sitting in my favorite chair and sipping a hot cup of cranberry-orange cider as I mull over some of the very wonderful events of the holiday. Yes, reflection is exactly what I need.

What will I mull over? I think that I will try to think about the things that can’t be purchased and things that are true and noble. I want to think about things that are right and pure. I will choose to think about lovely and admirable things. I will mull over things that are excellent and praiseworthy.

To start with I will close my eyes and inhale the refreshing aroma of my Frasier Fir. Even after the ornaments have been removed the fragrance will still remain. Our Christmas tree will serve as a reminder that Jesus died on a tree and because of that I am forgiven.

I will also think of our delicious Christmas dinner. I love to sit a pretty table and prepare delicious food. Even though only a few leftovers remain I can still remember the good meal and the fellowship as we sat around the table. God’s provision is always something to give thanks for. Now this memory triggers my mind to think about how God continues to provide for me in unique and amazing ways every day. I am blessed and privileged to be under his Almighty wing of protection.

Another memory would be the twinkle in my grandchildren’s eyes on Christmas morning. The innocence of childhood and the faith of little children is something to imitate. Jesus has said that we need to come to him with the simple faith of little children.

Moving on I begin thinking about the music of Christmas. My all time favorite is “Mary Did You Know?” and perhaps for the last time this year I will hum that tune and play those lyrics over again in my mind.

The tree lights are still twinkling and as they twinkle I know that Jesus is my hope. He is the light in a very dark world. This year I am thankful for all of the gifts that I received, but at this moment I want to think about all of the rich gifts that God so generously gives me over and over again. They are his priceless gifts of love, peace, joy, and hope.

Still looking around the room I see splashes of red everywhere and this too, serves as a beautiful reminder to me of Jesus’ shed blood. It was his own precious blood that he shed for my salvation.

I must say that now my spirit is refreshed, but I think that my body is in need of a much needed nap. So what’s one more day? I believe that tomorrow I can clean up the Christmas mess with a smile on my face as I look forward to January and the start of a new year.

I believe that this year I have discovered a four step program for phasing out of a busy but beautiful Christmas.

Step 1 – Reflect on meaningful moments
Step 2 – Rejoice in the birth of Christ
Step 3 – Rest
Step 4 – Resolve to move ahead

This year my plan for moving ahead is to read all four of the gospels. Christmas is about the birth of Christ, but I now want to walk through the thirty-three short years that he walked on this earth. The winter months will be a perfect time for doing this.

Questions:

How does Christmas leave you feeling?

What are your favorite Christmas memories?

Do you think that the four step program of Reflect, Rejoice, Rest and Resolve might be of benefit to you?

Prayer:

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for the joy that I have experienced this Christmas season. Thank you for the music of Christmas that has carried me to heavenly heights. Thank you for my family that gathered together. Thank you Jesus, that you are the reason for this Christmas season. Thank you for the delicious sweet treats that I have enjoyed that remind me that your name is indeed the sweetest name on earth. Lord, I am tired so please give me your peace and rest. I know that you too rested after your work. Jesus I ask that you give me your direction and purpose for the days ahead. I pray that you would create within my heart a deep longing and desire to know you more as I seek to have your thoughts become my thoughts.

Now Lord, I pray for those who may not have had a wonderful Christmas. Jesus please wrap your arms of love around the poor, the needy, the sick, the lonely, the solider, and the one who is grieving. Father, please grant peace to each hurting life and give them a double portion of your love. Send hope into their heart. Comfort them and provide for them in the days ahead. Please help them to look to you for the grace they need to get through this difficult time in their life.

In Your Name I Pray. Amen.

Christmas In the Garden

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor,
so that you through his poverty might become rich.”
2 Corinthians 8:9 NIV

Even on a day when there is so much to do I feel I must spend time in the garden. The garden is especially beautiful this time of year. Freshly fallen snow and holly bushes bearing the brightest red berries that I have ever seen, welcome me to the garden. Poinsettias provide a blanket of red on a nearby hill. The air is crisp and dozens of red cardinals fly first here and then there. They are incredibly beautiful birds! God’s color combinations are always perfect. Dark tree bark provides outstanding contrast against the pure white snow. Evergreens and holly bushes add a stately background of green that allows the vibrant accents of the red cardinals, the holly, and Nandina berries all project their beauty. This winter scene is a breathtaking vision of splendor. My garden parades beautiful Poinsettias and amaryllis up and down every pathway. Yes, I know that Poinsettias and amaryllis bulbs freeze in a cold environment but in the garden of my heart I can have it all!

During my time of personal prayer and reflection the Master Gardener seems to sense that I am cold. Even though I am appropriately dressed I cannot deny the chill. He smiles and says come with me. The Gardener invites me to come and sit by the fire that he has built in one corner of the garden. I reach down in my bag and pull out a thermos of hot chocolate and two mugs. At the last minute I add a peppermint candy cane. He smiles and says, “You remembered.” Yes, the cane is the shape of an upside down “J” that stands for Jesus. The pure white peppermint serves as a reminder that Jesus takes away our sin and makes my heart as white as snow. The three stripes of red that twist around the candy cane stand for the three wounds of Jesus and I am reminded that it is by his bloody stripes that am I healed. Yes Lord, I remember. How could I forget? You are so precious to me.

Never mind that I have much to do, I must continue to stay in the garden. The day has now turned to night. The heavenly stars twinkle and the full moon is perfect. All day long I have been with Jesus and it has been a wonderful day. Before leaving the garden Jesus takes me back to a place long ago. In my mind I see a lowly stable. I see Mary gazing into the eyes of her child and her Savior. I see Joseph standing guard over Jesus and realizing that someday he would grow to depend upon this now helpless baby. The stable is quiet except for an occasional sound from the animals. The moon and the stars above the stable provide all of the light that they need. But even if the stars should dim the Christ child would shine because he is the light of the world. And now the guests begin to arrive. They are lowly shepherds coming with their sheep. The shepherds bow at the manger in worship. They have come not to worship a child but to bow before the King.

As I leave the garden I feel abundantly blessed and lavishly loved. I am truly amazed that God would choose to leave the splendor and glory of heaven and come to earth for me and for you. He was rich, yet he became poor. What kind of love is this?

Questions:

Have you taken time this season to focus on Jesus and his entry into our sinful world?

What do you think those who witnessed that Holy night thought about Jesus?

What was the rest of the world doing?

Prayer:

Dear Jesus,

Thank you so much for leaving the splendor and glory of heaven. How very different this world must have been for you. As you grew older were you homesick for heaven and for your Heavenly Father? While you lived on earth did you feel the love of Mary and Joseph? Did you mind being poor? How often did you remember how rich you used to be? Jesus, your birth was only the beginning. Jesus I am humbled when I remember that it was for the moment of the cross that you came to this world. Doing the will of your Father was your only focus. God’s will was your death. Your death was the plan for my forgiveness. Lord Jesus, help me to fall so deeply in love with you that I will be willing to do your will each and every day without question. This Christmas I want to rejoice in your perfect gift to me, my salvation. Jesus thank you for all you have done for me.

In Your name I pray. Amen.

Wrapping It Up!

“For the wages of sin is death,

but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 6:23 NIV

Today my mind is racing in a million different directions. This morning I am finding it difficult to stay focused and to move forward with a peaceful heart. While drinking my morning coffee I began to review everything that is on my “to do” list for this power day! If you are a list maker you will understand, if not I’m afraid I can’t help you. The fact is I make lists of my lists. Isn’t that sad?

I’m now going to brace up and prepare for the surge of power and control that comes over me when I realize the projects that I have already accomplished. And oh the joy that comes from checking each item off my list! Now with pen in hand I begin the energizing ritual. Tree up – check. House decorated – check. Shopping finished – check. Cards mailed – check. Cookies baked – check.

Yes! I feel an uncontrollable smile forming on my face as I realize that today is the day for my favorite Christmas project, wrapping gifts. I always save the best for last. I love wrapping gifts because that is how I savor something of my holiday preparations just for my own enjoyment. Wrapping gifts signifies to me that I am just about to wrap it all up! In a few minutes I will gather my gift wrapping supplies, turn on the tree lights, and crank up the Christmas music. It is in this atmosphere that I am in my element.

I love wrapping each and every gift that has been selected in love. I love to give a gift that says I know what you need and I want to give it to you. I love giving a gift that expresses to the one that will open it the fact that I know them and I know what they like. As I wrap each gift I also pray for the one who will receive the gift.

Gift wrapping is the project that allows my creative juices to flow. I nestle each gift inside colorful tissue paper, and then wrap each box in an appropriately selected paper. Creating the perfect bow is the icing on the cake. Last but not least I choose a gift tag for the package. I love recycling the beautiful Christmas cards received the previous year for this purpose. I trim each card with decorative scissors and then place the appropriate card on each of my packages. I will choose a little shepherd boy for my grandson, Joshua. I will find a sweet angel for my granddaughter, Abigail. I will select a polar bear with a red bow around its neck for my hubby, who loves polar bears. And I will search for a drummer boy for my son, David, who is a musician. As I dig down into the pile of Christmas cards I find a perfect card for my daughter, Amy. It is a picture of a cozy room decorated for Christmas. This scene reminds me of my daughter because she knows how to make her home so beautiful for the Christmas holiday. Then perhaps I can find a card with lots of Christmas goodies for my son-in-law, Todd, who never wants to miss out on sweets! I also use religious cards that tell of the birth of the Christ Child for additional packages. Each of these gift cards serve as a reminder of God’s perfect gift to all of us.

When the last gift is wrapped I lovingly place all of them under the tree. The tree was beautiful before but now it is exquisite! What is it about all of the beautiful gifts that make the tree so lovely? This will be the night that I will make hot chocolate, turn down the room lights and bask in the twinkling lights of our tree with my hubby.

Wrapping gifts always reminds me of God’s gift to all humanity. He carefully selected the perfect gift. God knew we needed a Savior and he was delighted to give him to us. God sent his son, gift wrapped him in simple swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger. God hoped humanity would love his son as much as he did.

I am reminded that I place my gifts UNDER the tree but God placed his gift ON the tree. Jesus Christ became the sin sacrifice for your sin and for my sin. This was God’s way of wrapping it up!

If you have never realized that Jesus Christ died on the cross to remove sin from your heart I hope you will consider that fact today. As you consider that fact I pray that you will choose to believe that it is true. Jesus is God’s free gift to you. Remember a gift never really belongs to you until you reach out and take it. So this Christmas season, reach out in simple faith and receive the gift that God’s has for you. Open your mind to the reality that God loves you and wants you back with him where you belong. Receive God’s precious gift of salvation and eternal life today.

Questions:

What is your favorite Christmas project?

Can you think of a way to bring Jesus into that project?

Have you ever asked Jesus Christ to be the Lord of your life?

When did Jesus become real to you?

When did the reality of his personal sacrifice and free gift of salvation take root in your heart?

How has accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior made a difference in your life?

Prayer:

Dear God,

At times it seems I can’t comprehend all of the events that led up to the birth of your Son. I lack understanding so therefore I need faith. Some people do not want to be a fool for believing in Jesus Christ, but I don’t want to be a fool for not believing. Today I want to set aside my intellect and simply open my heart. God if you are real reveal that truth to me right now. I am told your Holy Bible says if anyone will seek you they will find you. So today God, here I am seeking you. I reach out in simple faith and take the gift of your salvation for my life. I realize I have been born into the sin of humanity and the only way I can be cleansed and set free of sin is to accept Jesus Christ and his sacrificial death for me. I am beginning to understand this is the only way I can be free of my sinful condition. Today I am going to choose to believe in your Son for the forgiveness of my sin. I thank you God for my very special Christmas gift of salvation.

In Your Son’s name I pray. Amen.

If you have recently trusted in Jesus Christ and his forgiveness for your life I would love to hear from you. I would love to pray for you and encourage you in your new life. If you would like to share this decision with me you may send me a confidential e-mail at:

paula@thegardenofmyheart.org

Christmas Ornaments

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.”
I Corinthians 13:13 NIV

Yesterday was a Christmas shopping day. I cannot believe the hundreds of ornaments that are for sale. Some are silver and others are gold. Some are shiny and colorful while others are covered with glitter and glitz! Some ornaments are cute and some look like sweet treats. Others remind us of snow. There are bangles of all sorts that depict Santa, reindeer, elves and snowmen. Very few Christmas ornaments are religious.

I personally am greatly disturbed by ornaments that look like penguins, mice, campers, fishermen, professional people, sports enthusiasts and Disneyland! If you happen to like those ornaments please accept my apology. It was not my intent to offend you. I’m sure your tree is lovely!

When I was a child I was given a very special Christmas ornament. It was a small burgundy horn. This little trumpet was placed on our tree every year. When I started a home of my own, my mother graciously gave me my precious ornament. This horn would now hang from my Christmas tree. When my two children were little they loved blowing long and loud blasts before hanging the horn on the tree. I might add that they enjoyed hanging it within their reach so that it would be handy for future concerts. As the Christmas season progressed my endurance for their questionable music diminished to zero and at that point I would take the horn and place it on a very high branch of the tree. It was my good fortune that they never turned the tree over trying to reach the heirloom horn. Now as you might have guessed, my grandchildren love the horn and when they are around it becomes their favorite ornament.

Our ornaments carry with them memories of Christmases past. Some are beautiful and others are handmade by our children. Some remind us of the person who gave the ornament to us. As we hang each ornament on our tree we relive the emotional sentiment attached to each one.

This year as I hang ornaments on my tree I want to remember that my life displays its own set of ornaments. Those ornaments hang there everyday for everyone to see. Long after I am gone others will remember the ornaments that have exemplified my life. I wonder if there will be shiny superficial ornaments of pride and self-centeredness. Will there be dark, unattractive ornaments of fear and anger? Will my ornaments reflect un-forgiveness, greed, and control? Will the star that sits atop my life’s tree be self centered or will it be God centered. Will the ornaments of my life shine for Jesus?

Jesus Christ came to this earth so that we might not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus came to change lives, not only through salvation but through the process of sanctification. Jesus came to smash to death those ornaments of destruction that hang on the branches of our heart. In their place Jesus desires to give us his ornaments of grace that will carry us through this life and on into eternity. Three of those most precious ornaments are faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love!

Questions:

When was the last time that you pulled out the box that contained your life’s ornaments and examined them?

What did you find?

Among the beautiful ornaments that Jesus has placed in your box which do you treasure the most?

Do you see any ugly ornaments that need to be smashed and replaced with an ornament that reflects God’s beauty?


Prayer:

Dear Lord,

Help me to use this Christmas season to draw closer to you. As I decorate my home and our Christmas tree please show me if there are any ugly ornaments in my life that need to be replaced. Search me God and see if there is any wicked way in me, cleanse me from every sin and set me free. Demolish the ornaments of destruction that are lying in my heart. Lord, during the next few days I have much to do but as I go about my Christmas preparations I pray that I will seek you. Restore to me the joy of Christmas. Please hang your ornaments of grace on the branches of my life.

In Your Name I Pray. Amen.

Christmas Leftovers

“In my Father’s house are many rooms;

if it were not so, I would have told you.
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.”

John 14:2-4 NIV

The aftermath of Christmas can be depressing. The beautifully decorated house is now scattered with new gifts and toys. Crumpled wrapping paper and bows fill garbage bags for the next week’s trash. Dishes from the delicious Christmas meal are stacked waiting to be loaded into the dishwasher. And if you have small children you are exhausted because you have been up before the crack of dawn!

As we begin this week, Christmas is but a memory and there are decorations to be taken down and stored. Maybe even a few gifts have to be returned. But take heart, I am reminded that something very special still remains from Christmas.

Yes, it is the Christ Child. Now is the time for me to pick up my Bible and in the weeks ahead read about the life of the Christ Child, his youth, his ministry, his teachings, his miracles, his love, his sacrifice, his resurrection and his ascension into heaven.

In addition, today I am thinking of yet another “leftover.” It is Jesus’ promise to all humanity. In this promise he clearly tells us that he is coming again. Jesus will return to this earth a second time. This time it will not be as a helpless baby, but rather as a victorious, conquering King! For all believers this will be a wonderful, joyous experience. Jesus told us, I go to prepare a place for you that where I am you may be also. For those who do not know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, it will be a sad time of eternal separation from God. Time will be up and there will never again be another opportunity to accept God’s forgiveness.

Jesus’ first arrival was at Christmas two thousand years ago. Another wonderful “leftover,” is the Biblical account of Jesus’ life which remains with us today. God’s Word provides the written account of the life and ministry of our Lord and Savior. As we study the Gospels we see how Jesus’ lived his life. God’s Word provides an incredible example of how we are to live our life as we endeavor to pattern our life after the life of Jesus. It is Jesus’ desire that we believe on him and what he has done for us because he desires that we live with him forever.

When Jesus returned to heaven he promised to send the Holy Spirit to live inside all believers, and he did. The Holy Spirit is a helper and a comforter to all those who believe. It is and always has been Jesus’ desire that every person who ever lived would make it safely back to God. Some people will accept him and others will reject him. God’s Word has been given to help people who do not know him find him. Jesus also left believers with hope. Before Jesus returned to heaven he left us with today’s promise. Jesus is coming back for all who have put their faith and trust in him, and he will be taking us to a place that he is now in heaven preparing for us. God’s Word and hope are two precious “leftovers” from both Christmas and Easter to be treasured!

Questions:

What part of Christmas do you love the most?

Which “leftover” from Christmas do you treasure the most?

Prayer:

Dear Jesus,

I am excited to know that you are in heaven preparing a place for me. I look forward to your return and experiencing all that you have prepared for me. I thank you for the wonder of the Christmas season but I thank you for the incredible “leftovers” that I can now treasure until you return. I love your Word, your Holy Spirit that lives within me, and your precious promise to come a second time as my King! I celebrate your first coming and I anticipate with joy your second coming.

In Your Name I pray. Amen.

A Mouse in the Stable

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor,
so that you through his poverty might become rich.”

2 Corinthians 8:9 NIV

Have you ever wanted to be “a mouse in the corner,” so you could know what was going on in a place where you were not privileged to be? I have experienced that many times with my children!

I think that when I get to heaven, Mary, the mother of Jesus, is someone who I would enjoy sharing a cup of tea with. As a mother, I have many questions I would love to ask her. I would love to know her heart, especially on the evening of the birth to her child, Jesus, God’s Son. I would also like to ask her questions about how she felt during the days that led up to the birth of Jesus and then how she felt in the hours and days, and years that followed his birth. What was Jesus like as a toddler, a young child, a teenager, a young adult, a man?

For me the births of my two children were amazing events! I could not wait to share each child with my family and friends. I wonder if Mary felt the same way? There is no mention in the Bible that family members came to see Jesus in the early hours following his birth. Did she long for her mother and father to meet this child?

I wonder how much Mary comprehended as she, a virgin, was experiencing the reality of giving birth not only to a baby but to the Son of God. How very mysterious and unbelievable was this event to Mary and yet it happened. I would like to ask Mary how she felt looking into her newborn’s eyes. Did she see anything special? And as she looked over at this incredible man Joseph, what was she feeling? How could he be so loving, so caring, so forgiving? And what about that star, how bright was it? What about the shepherds and their story about the angels? How humbled did she feel that God had chosen her, a simple young woman, whose only offering was that she was available and willing to be used by God? Then my questions would turn and I would get down to the real women stuff, how bad did that stable smell and how hard and long was your labor? Ah yes, one more questions how completely did you fall in love with your new little bundle of blue?

I know I felt a bit of apprehension taking home Amy, our first child. She was very small 6 lb. 1 oz. She was so beautiful and her Dad and I wanted to give her the world on a silver platter. Yet, I wasn’t sure I was prepared for all that was going to be required of me that evening, not to mention raising her to adulthood. As her mother, I was responsible for so much regarding her immediate safety and care. But Mary – Wow! She not only had to care for her child but she was also caring for God’s Son! I wonder how she felt about that awesome task?

This Christmas week I do have so many questions for Mary. Yes, I would have loved to have been “a mouse in the stable” the night God put on skin and was birthed into our sin centered world. I am amazed that our Savior Jesus Christ left the riches, the splendor and the glory of heaven and willingly became poor so that you and I might be rich!

Questions:

What would you like to ask Mary?

What is it that amazes you the most about the events of Jesus’ birth?

Have you accepted Jesus Christ, God’s special gift to you?

Have you asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins so that you might have eternal life in heaven with him forever?

If you have not done so, why don’t you do so now?

Right now, at this beautiful Christmas season, would be a perfect time to pray a simple prayer and ask God for his forgiveness that he has provided through His Son Jesus Christ.

Prayer:

Dear God,

Thank you that you are a God who provided a second chance for humanity to be right with you. Mankind’s sin had to be atoned for and you, God, figured out and provided a way for that to happen. What an utterly unique and amazing plan! In phase one of your amazing plan you sent your only son, Jesus Christ, to be born to a virgin. It was your plan that your Son would enter our world as a helpless baby. God I am astonished that you literally put on skin and took on the form of humanity! Your Son grew to become a child and then a man. It was your perfect plan from the beginning that in just thirty-three short years, Jesus would be crucified on a cross as a sin sacrifice for humanity. Jesus the Savior, the Messiah, would become the sacrificial lamb. Even though it was man that sinned, you God personally paid the price for that sin. It was the sin of man that had to be atoned for. Thank you God for Christmas, because Christmas was that holy night that you began to work your flawless plan for my forgiveness. I now confess my sin to you and ask you to forgive my sin and to come into my life.

In you precious Son’s Name I pray. Amen.

Peace On Earth Good Will Toward Men

“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 2:13-14 KJV

More often than not the Christmas season can be hectic. If we take time to be alone with God and focus on the glory of Christmas, we will indeed feel his inner peace. On the other hand, if our activities send us in too many scattered directions we will end up feeling anything but peaceful.

God’s message to my heart today is Paula, be careful and do not let your holiday preparations steal your outward peace. Make time to reflect on my glory, because in doing so you will also experience my inner peace. Take time to focus on my gift, which is intended for all people. Hear the Christmas message, “Peace on earth and good will toward men.”

Today I am trying to imagine that first glorious Christmas evening when the angel brought the message of the Messiah’s birth. After the angel had proclaimed God’s announcement, the heavenly hosts joined the angel and God’s glory was unleashed across the midnight sky. The privileged shepherds witnessed this magnificent display of praise and worship! What an amazing sight that must have been. God’s blazing glory all around!

The message was clear. The Savior of the world had been born and he would be the bridge between God and man. This baby was the promised One. He was the fulfillment of the promised Messiah. This baby would be the one who would restore us to God and make possible a personal relationship between God and man. Even from that very first Christmas night the heavens declared that peace and good will was an opportunity for all mankind and this opportunity was coming straight from the throne of God.

I doubt that these simple men had a full understanding of everything the angel had said. When their fear had passed and their heartbeats had slowed down, I can just see them standing around rubbing their eyes, looking at each other, scratching their heads, and stroking their beards. Yet very quickly they said to each other, “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 2:15b KJV and they hurried away seeking the Christ child.

Oh my, if only eyewitness news could have been there to report God’s story that glorious night! But instead God chose to come to the simple shepherds who heard, saw and believed. These men left their work and immediately went to the city of David seeking their Savior, a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

Their first look at this child must have been one of both wonder and amazement. Right there before their eyes, was a poor, small helpless baby, lying in a manger. Could it possibly be that the Messiah was welcomed into this world only by his parents, the common shepherds who knelt before him, and a few animals? Surely, God would not choose this stable surrounded by conditions that were way beyond all human reason, to be the birthplace of the Messiah. Yet there before their eyes was this precious baby, fresh from heaven, the Son of God, who was born of a virgin, the prophesied Messianic King!

I have tried to wrap my mind around the completeness of God’s gift to our world. In the book of Leviticus, five different sacrifices are described. The meaning of these five sacrifices has provided me with a new understanding as to the magnitude of God’s loving Christmas gift.

The Sin Offering and The Guilt Offering were mandatory for atonement of sin. Jesus became that sacrifice when he took our place on the cross.

The Burnt Offering and The Grain Offering were offerings of voluntary commitment and worship. Jesus voluntarily laid down his life. His obedience to His Father was the highest form of worship that any Son could give his Father.

The Fellowship Offering was for communion between the Lord, the priest and the worshiper. Jesus was the bridge between God and man for fellowship, and communion.

Only God…only God, could provide such a complete sacrificial package! God sent his son Jesus Christ, who was all of those offerings wrapped up in one significant offering. Jesus came from the security and glory of heaven into this world to be the sacrificial offering for sin, and the offering that would provide fellowship between God and man. Jesus then chose to make the offering complete when he voluntarily laid down his life as an act of worship and commitment to his Father.

On that historical night, God sent a message straight from his heart to this sinful world. The message came through the angels! … “a multitude of the heavenly host who were praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” That was the night that God said to mankind, “I want you back, so I am sending a good will offering of forgiveness, inner peace, and restored fellowship between God and man.”

Through accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior we have forgiveness and inner peace. God’s offering to mankind carries with it a message of love and good will for everyone who will believe!

On that very special night God’s birth announcement of his One and only Son was announced across the midnight sky. God knew from the beginning that Jesus would be the sacrifice for mankind’s sin. But in addition, on the night of the birth of the Christ child, God wanted mankind to recognize that Jesus would be the offering that would make possible a personal relationship with him. Personal access, fellowship and communion with the Father would soon be restored and the yearly sacrifices would soon be abolished.

I am impressed that the shepherds went with haste! They didn’t call a meeting, they didn’t take a vote. Nor did they call in a team of expert shepherds to determine if this was a good opportunity. No, very simply by their immediate actions, we see that the shepherds simply believed. As believers we know that it is God’s good will that has provided mankind with a second chance. That holy night the shepherds witnessed the angels doing what they do best, honoring God through a splendid display of praise and worship, saying “Glory to God in the highest!” We too should recognize this blessed event as an occasion for our magnificent praise and worship.

The Christmas season is an excellent opportunity for us to exhibit a spirit of peace and good will. As I shop I know there will be times that I will need to exhibit a spirit of peace rather than irritation. As I drive in the holiday traffic I will have opportunities to show courtesy to others rather than voicing my impatience. When I invite people into my home I need to offer them not only Christmas cookies but also the spirit of peace and good will. I need to look for opportunities to help those less fortunate by sharing God’s love through the use of my time and my resources. I also pray that God will place unbelievers in my path this Christmas season, so that I will have opportunities to share the message of that spectacular night. The very night that God came to earth in the human form as a poor and helpless baby, who was the complete sacrificial package found lying in a manger!

Peace on earth for me is found deep within my heart. Good will toward men is demonstrated to others by showing compassion, mercy, love, and patience to others.

Christmas is a perfect time to make a special effort to show good will toward all those we come in contact with. Pray for opportunities to share God’s message of good will with those who do not know him as their personal Savior. Share the message that Jesus Christ became our Sin and Guilt Offerings. Tell them that Jesus Christ also became our Fellowship Offering, the offering that makes it possible for us to have a personal relationship with God both now and forever.

As Jesus walked the dusty roads of Galilee, the will of his Father was always before him and obedience to his Father was of utmost importance. Jesus demonstrated his love for his Father by voluntarily dying on the cross. This act was worship given to his Father in its highest form. Never before had their ever been a voluntary Burnt Offering or a Grain Offering of such magnitude!

Through the sacrifice of his Son, God demanded both the atonement for our sin and the restoration of fellowship and communion that had been lost in the Garden. Without a doubt those were divine acts of God’s love and grace. But could it be that it was not the Divinity of Jesus, but rather the humanity of Jesus that voluntarily responded to his Father in love and obedience? Could it be that it was that act of submission that made the sacrifice fragrantly sweet and complete?

I hope that you will join me in savoring this Christmas take away. Embrace God’s love and experience his inner peace even in a world that is restless and stressful, greedy and self serving, and arrogant and rude. Remember that Christians are God’s vessels that he uses to pour out his peace on the earth in a world that is anything but peaceful. We are also called to speak God’s message of good will and exhibit that good will to others.

God’s amazing love came down to us on that first Christmas night and when it did the heavens burst forth in the most elaborate unimaginable display of God’s love and grace. It was a spectacular birth announcement that would change our lives for all eternity.

Questions:

Do you often find yourself zipping through Christmas with only a handful of thoughts about Jesus?

What do you think that peace on earth really means?

This Christmas season what will you do and what will you leave undone in order to allow yourself time to focus on Jesus and feel his inner peace?

As you prepare for Christmas will you choose to demonstrate good will to those you come in contact with by being compassionate, merciful, loving, patient, and kind?


Prayer:

Dear God,

Please help me this Christmas season to respond as a simple shepherdess, who has seen your glory.

As I scurry about making holiday plans, remind me that by my actions and words I have a wonderful opportunity to relate your glorious Christmas message of, “Peace on earth – goodwill to men on whom your favor rests.”

God forgive me when I rush ahead of you. Help me to be aware of all those I meet and help me not to miss a single opportunity to exhibit good will to all those I come in contact with. I pray that this Christmas season my life will reflect an inner peace that can only come from you.

Give me your grace so that I will want to choose to be compassionate, merciful, loving, patient and kind during this holiday season. Help me to remember that I have seen the glory of your salvation and I must pass it on. God forgive me when I fail to show good will to others. Help me to remember that my negative remarks and actions do not bring glory to you and that an irritable spirit cancels out your peace in my life.

God, what an amazing plan, all of the Old Testament offerings wrapped up in one complete package, and his name is Jesus.

God I am astounded that you, the powerful God of the universe, actually put on skin and came to live among us. Today, I offer up to you my praise and worship for all you have provided for me through the birth of your Son. If only my praise and worship was as magnificent as the praise and worship that came from the lips of the heavenly host that first Christmas night.

So Father, I humbly say thank you.

For yours is the power and the glory forever, Amen.

Baking Christmas Cookies

Our Abigail

“Taste and see that the Lord is good;”

Psalm 34:8 NIV

Christmas appeals to our senses in every way. Visually, the lights and decorations are beautiful. The sweet smell of cinnamon and sugar make us head for the kitchen. The beautiful music that we hear thrills us and we want to sing along. The priceless hugs that we receive from friends and family are the very touches of love. Yummy cookies and hot chocolate with marshmallows and peppermint sticks delight our taste buds.

Papa and Abigail
My mother-in-law had a wonderful sugar cookie recipe that my husband thinks is second to none. Every year he pulls out the rolling pin, the colored sugar, and the bell, star and candy cane shaped cookies cutters and begins to bake sugar cookies. When we were first married he baked them for himself. I think he did this because I could never roll them thin enough! In later years he baked them for our children and now he bakes them for our grandchildren. When the cookie baking begins he always has lots of little hands helping him and even those who don’t help are most eager to become “cookie samplers.”

Grandmother’s sugar cookies have become a part of our Christmas tradition. It brings back wonderful memories of a loving mother and grandmother and adds sweetness to our holiday season. Eating sweet Christmas morsels also serve as a reminder that the birth of Jesus is one of the sweetest stories ever told. It is also a good time to pass on to our family the challenge to “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”

Questions:

Do you have special Christmas traditions?

Do those traditions reflect Jesus?

Can you find creative ways to add to your Christmas traditions spiritual truth that will enhance and add significance to those traditions?

Prayer:

Lord Jesus,

Show me some creative ways that I can bring you into the special Christmas traditions of our family. I have tasted your goodness and I am grateful. With each Christmas cookie that I munch, help me to remember the sweetness of your love. Help me to savor the message of your birth through out this Christmas season.

In Your name I pray. Amen.

Off and Running

“Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly;
I do not fight like a man beating the air."
I Corinthians 9:26 NIV

Right after the last piece of pumpkin pie has been devoured and the last turkey sandwich has been gobbled down my brain switches immediately to Christmas preparation. This morning as I stroll through my garden I find myself savoring the last of the beautiful hot pink Camellias. The brisk fall air encourages me to wrap my scarf around my neck a little tighter. This morning the message is clear, it is time to toss the pumpkins and begin to prepare for Christmas. As I began to think about Christmas I also began to struggle with the commercialism that surrounds Christmas and excludes Jesus. In response to my thoughts I bow my head and ask God to show me how he would have me prepare for Christmas.

So as I begin to shop, decorate, bake, entertain, wrap gifts, and mail cards, I will try to simplify my efforts as I prepare for Christmas. I will also look for ways that I might center more on Jesus. It is indeed a shame that this must be a conscious effort, but the noise of our society bombards us with a million alternatives. One of my main resolutions this year is to participate selectively in the many activities, yet find time to be alone with the One whose birthday we celebrate and to spend time meditating upon the events surrounding the birth of Christ. I have found in the past that it is possible to form wonderful Christmas traditions that include Jesus.

All of us are attacked on every front by the commercialism of Christmas. However, it is important to step back and take a deep breath and evaluate all that is on our plate. What will we keep and what must go. Below are some questions that have helped me to pick and choose the way I will spend my time and energy as I prepare for Christmas. I know that I will be running, but I hope that as I run my Christmas marathon it will be with meaning and purpose. Here are some questions to consider.

What can I do to make my Christmas “Quiet Time” special?

How much time am I willing to give to each Christmas project?

How can I enhance my Christmas projects with spiritual significance?

Does this activity bring me joy or frustration?

How can I eliminate the frustration and replace it with joy?

I love Christmas! I look forward to all of the festivities leading up to December 25th. It is an exceptional opportunity for family togetherness and sharing. I am always amazed at the story of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, the appearance of the angels, the humble shepherds, and the simple manner in which God chose for his son to enter our world. I marvel at the forgiveness, obedience and devotion of Joseph, the availability of Mary and her accepting heart. The focused determination of the wise men was amazing as they searched for the star. Last but never least, what about the music of Christmas? Oh… how I love the music of Christmas! I pray that this year you will join me as we embrace the Christmas season with spiritual thoughtfulness and eternal purpose.


Questions:

Today’s questions are found in the body of this week’s devotional. Please take time to consider each question prayerfully. God is able to inspire and direct your steps as you prepare for the birthday of his Son.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus,

Christmas is a beautiful time of year. I joyfully look forward to celebrating your birth. Help me Jesus to be very intentional this year, as I endeavor not to overload on meaningless activities and push you aside. May I put you first and seek to know your heart and mind for me as I plan a special Christmas that will bring joy to my family and glory to you.

In Your Name I pray. Amen.