God's Great Gifts

Merry Christmas ...

 

 

 

Thanks be to God

for His gift

that is too wonderful for words.

2 Corinthians 9:15

 

 

The following is taken from Max Lucado's

GRACE For The Moment...Inspirational

Thoughts for Each Day of the Year...

December 23rd

 

 

 

Why did he do it?

A shack would have sufficed, but he gave us a mansion.

Did he have to give the birds a song and mountains a peak?

 

 

 

 

Was he required to put stripes on the zebra and the hump on the camel? ...

 

 

Why wrap creation in such splendor?

Why go to such trouble to give such gifts?

 

 

Why do you?

You do the same.

 I've seen you searching for a gift. ...

stalking the malls and walking the aisles...

searching for that extraordinary gift for that special person.

 

 

 

 

 

 ... Why do you do it? You do it so the heart will stop. You do it so the jaw will drop. You do it to hear those words of disbelief. "You did this for me?"

 

That's why you do it.

And that is why God did it.

 

 

 

 

Next time a sunrise steals your breath or a meadow of flowers leaves you speechless, remain that way. Say nothing and listen as heaven whispers. "Do you like it? I did it just for you." 

 

 

 

Thanks be to God

for His gift

that is too wonderful for words.

2 Corinthians 9:15

 

 

Merry Christmas..

 

 

 



Christmas Gift

One of my favorite Christmas memories is a childhood one--riding home in the family station wagon on Christmas eve. We had just attended our Sunday School Christmas program and received the small, brown paperbag filled with an orange, an apple and frosted animal crackers. We huddled closely together to keep warm and looked for Santa’s sleigh in the sky--thinking one of those twinkling lights must be Rudolph’s nose.

The anticipation rose as we turned into our long lane and knew that those markings in the snow were surely reindeer footprints. Entering the house, there were gifts stacked under the tree. But before opening the gifts, one of us would gather the family Bible, turn to Luke 2 and ask Dad to read The Birth of Jesus.

 

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem, the town of David... He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in clothes and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Even though we had just heard it at our Christmas Eve service, Dad read it again. We were reminded of God’s gift to us before opening our own gifts.
 

 

 

 

    Philippians 2:7 reads,

He gave up his place with God

and made himself nothing.

He was born to be a man

and became like a servant.

 

       God’s gift to us so many, many years ago came in the form of a baby. A baby born to a virgin, born in a stable, surrounded by ordinary sheep and ordinary shepherds.

 

      However, this ordinary night turned into an extraordinary night when a black sky exploded with brightness and the sound of angels pierced the night with song.

 

 

Thanks be to God for His gift

which is too wonderful for words.

2 Corinthians 9:15

     Christmas is but one week away.
As you bake, shop, decorate, listen to carols,
may you be thrilled with that first gift:

God’s son, Jesus,

born to take away the sin of the world.

Born because of God’s love for us.

 

 
From the cradle in Bethlehem to the cross in Jerusalem,
 please consider the love of our Father for you.  

Praise be to God.

 I pray that you… will have the power to understand the greatness of God’s love—how wide and how long and how high and how deep that love is.”  Ephesians 3:18

Christmas and Martha

Martha?

God used the story of Mary and Martha from the book of Luke to explain how we should relationship with Our Savior. You may remember that Martha was the busy-body in their household--concerned about preparations for many arriving guests.

Mary, on the other hand, sat contently at Jesus' feet. I remember hearing this story in Sunday School as a child and thinking that perhaps Mary was lazy and even irresponsible--not helping her sister, as needed.

But, of course, the story is bigger than this

because
Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus.

Jesus tells Martha, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
 Luke 10:38-42 NIV

Martha? Who, me?

I do not consider myself anxious or impatient. Others may disagree. However, I am typically the energy-bunny in the house whether our house is full or empty. And, I know, I need to learn to settle. I have discovered that some of my most creative moments, the times I have felt filled with praise for an awesome creation, the times I have felt connected to another soul, have come when I have been still.

So, this morning I determined to start out differently.

1) I opened the window and let the December air rush in as the stars twinkled through bare tree branches. Pulling the covers up to my chin, I breathed in fresh, winter air--and rested.

2) I used the Christmas dishes to eat my ordinary breakfast of oatmeal.

3) I decided not to watch the clock when I did my daily Bible study and finished reading Mark.

After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them. . .

Mark 16: 19-20

3) Later in the morning, I went to our wellness center and stopped to talk to a friend. Stopped--and talked. More than the Hi, how are you today? in passing. Later, I swam my laps and decided not to count them. Instead, I pondered my blessings.

4) While picking up in the afternoon, I pulled a hymnal given as a confirmation gift from the bookshelf. Finding the Christmas hymn section, I opened it and placed it on the piano. I'll play the piano tomorrow when my husband is playing pool with his buddies.

God wants us to be busy.

He also wants us to rest,

be content, and trust

so we do not miss out

on what He is trying to
convey to us.

I encourage you, especially during Christmas when there is so much to do and the preparations are many, to just STOP whenever you can and connect with someone with more than a Hi, how are you? STOP and enjoy the lights on your tree when everyone else is asleep. STOP and watch the snowflakes drift to the earth. STOP and clear your head of the clutter . . .

God wants your heart, your mind, your soul.

That's why he came.

Dear Lord, When I feel hurried,

Amen.

give me peace.
When I am frustrated,
give me perspective.
When I am too busy
being busy, remind me
of your presence
and why you came.

Are You Ready?

It's December 1, and if you're like me, you
spent Thanksgiving eve with a still-full
tummy and thoughts of preparing for Christmas.

Advent: a time of preparation for the coming of something important.

Who will help me put up the tree?
Where are my favorite ornaments?
Cookie recipes?
The "to do" list is long.

The banners in church spell out:
HOPE, WAIT, PREPARE.

**************

Mary, Jesus' mother, didn't enjoy a Thanksgiving meal. Her meals probably

wouldn't meet nutrition guidelines of our day.

However, she was preparing for Christmas
in a way we can not begin to comprehend.

The angel Gabriel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son.... He will be great and be called the Son of the Most High... His kingdom will never end." ...

The fact that she was pregnant and not yet married to Joseph had to be a concern. Gabriel's news that this newborn would become great with a kingdom that would never end had to seem incredible.

However, she soon hurried to a town in the hill country where Elizabeth, her relative lived. Gabriel had informed Mary that Elizabeth, in her old age, would also be with child.

Months later, Joseph and Mary journeyed to Bethlehem. Caesar had issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. It was while they were there that the baby Jesus was born. Yes, in a stable--because there was no room elsewhere.

Instead of the

"Tis the season to be jolly...fa, la,la,la,la, la,...,"

we could be singing

"Come thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free..."

Jesus' mother, Mary, was a model for each of us.
She received God's word,
pondered it deeply, and lived it.
She was a woman of faith.

 

Yes, it is the time of the year

when we are preparing

for something important.

As we are shopping, decorating, baking...

let us remember Mary, the woman of faith,

the first disciple,

who received the word of God,

pondered it deeply

and then lived it out humbly.