Day 18

A week has shot by and I haven't been here.  There is a reason they call this the silly season.  Not only all the school plays, parties, man-flu, poorly cats, office lunches/dinners, but also the present buying and wrapping, shopping etc.  STOP!!!! This should just not be what December is about.  This frantic pressure to get things perfect for Christmas day.  They already have been made perfect by the birth of Jesus. 
He was born in a stable, amongst animals.  Yes, it was crazy busy outside, people rushing to get their census completed, find accommodation, get meals, find lost family etc, but in that barn there must have been a haven of peace.
We work so hard to achieve the peace of Christmas and to have a lovely "relaxing" day.  We all wish each other peace and good will as we wrestle our way through the shops, shoving and cursing the crowds, hooting at other drivers with impatience and dreading all the driving to see friends and family.
I want to try and slow down, breathe the winter air and relish the peace this year.  Hopefully the rest of this week will make time for reflection  and enjoyment in preparation of celebrating Christ's birth.

Dec. 11

Luke 1: 39-45

Mary Visits Elizabeth

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favoured, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfil his promises to her!”

Today at church I bumped into a friend I haven't seen for ages.  She was very pregnant, due today in fact.  I wept with joy when I saw this as I have been praying for this couple to have a baby for years.  They have been through the pain of fertility treatment, acceptance that they wouldn't have a baby and were well on the road to adopting a baby from Africa when she fell pregnant. While this isn't quite the same thing as this story, the joy was there.  A real gift from God, an answer to prayer. God has fulfilled his promise to them.
When Mary found out she was pregnant she went to visit Elizabeth. She seems to have run there without telling even Joseph she was leaving.  In those days, being pregnant out of marriage was dealt with by stoning. There was a strong possibility that Joseph would be stoned too. Maybe Mary fled to protect them both from shame and possible death, while she sorted her head out.

It could also be that Elizabeth needed her. Not only was she an elderly first time mum, but her husband was mute, possibly deaf, and Elizabeth would have welcomed all the help she could get.

While Elizabeth was older and therefore should be the superior of the two women, Elizabeth reverses this and showers greetings on Mary. The baby has leaped in her womb, he is filled with the Spirit before he is even born.

Elizabeth is also filled with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit helps her recognise that the baby in Mary's womb is her Lord and Elizabeth states her submission to Him and the unborn Jesus is raised to a position of honour above all .

Dec 10

Matthew 1: 22-26

All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. 

Naming a child is a tricky business - this is something they have to live with for the rest of their days. Here the angel is telling Joseph that not only does he have to be a father to a child that he had no involvement in, but also that he should call him Immanuel. God with us.  Calling him after his dad....
I have endless admiration for Joseph.  To me he is the unsung.  He is so obedient to God. He accepts his role in the life of Jesus and obeys all the commands he is given.

Dec 9

Mathew 1:18-21

Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 

Michael Card  wrote "Joseph's song" - it makes me cry every time I hear it - I love the sentiment and feeling behind it.  What a wonderful man Joseph must have been.  I imagine him as a big bear of a man who is gentle and loving. I hear this in my head whenever I read these verses or think about how Joseph must have felt.  He is a neglected part of Christ's story, but he played a major part of Jesus' childhood, as his father.
Listen to the song and see if you are moved too. This is my favourite Christmas song.
Joseph's song

How could it be this baby in my arms
Sleeping now, so peacefully
The Son of God, the angel said
How could it be
Lord I know He's not my own
Not of my flesh, not of my bone
Still Father let this baby be
The son of my love

Father show me where I fit into this plan of yours
How can a man be father to the Son of God
Lord for all my life I've been a simple carpenter
How can I raise a king, How can I raise a king
He looks so small, His face and hands so fair
And when He cries the sun just seems to disappear
But when He laughs it shines again
How could it be

Dec 8

Luke 1: 26-38

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”                     

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”

  “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her. 

This is where the nativity scene starts for many - the angel appearing to Mary.  Immediately I have a picture of all the nativity plays I have ever been to, with a little (usually) blonde Mary with her mothers best blue pillow case tied around her head.

This encounter with an angel is so different from yesterday's with Zachariah.  Although Mary is surprised and troubled, she isn't terrified.  She knows she hasn't done anything wrong but all the same she is alarmed at the encounter and probably a bit surprised that a strange man is talking to her. Not the done thing.
Her reaction is the same as Zachariah, but she doesn't get struck dumb but the angel.  I suppose this isn't an answer to prayer as it was with Elizabeth. She isn't challenging God's power.  She is just querying the logistics.  She is a virgin.  At least Elizabeth and Zachariah were sharing the marital bed.  She may be innocent, but I'm sure she knew that you didn't just fall pregnant at a random moment.
Gabriel explains it to her and then she accepts it.  Without hesitation, without whining about her reputation, without argument.  She graciously accepts her future.  How would I have done?  I guess Gabriel and I would still be arguing about it now!  Although he would have taken away my power of speech in desperation!  I am challenged by Mary's acceptance and obedience.  This was a big, BIG thing she was taking on, and she did it in humility.  I pray that I might accept God's future for me with such grace.

Dec 7

Luke 1: 18-25

Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”
Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.
When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favour and taken away my disgrace among the people.” 

Having been terrified that he was about to be killed just a moment ago, Zachariah is now challenging the message the angel has brought him.  You can almost imagine the angel gaping at him in open mouthed surprise.  
I know that I have prayed for something to happen and when it has, I have been a bit taken aback.  Are you sure God?  This? But the answer has never been delivered to me via angel mail.  I hope I would be a little less challenging in that situation!
I think that Zachariah wasn't doubting that God had the power to give them a baby, but just didn't believe it could happen.  He feels he is too old.  I do laugh that he doesn't say Elizabeth is old, but just "getting along in years".  Tact and diplomacy, that man!
Because Zachariah doubted God and showed a lack of faith, he was punished.  He wasn't allowed to speak until the baby was born.
The people in the temple must have all been wondering what was going on - they might have thought that Zachariah had met his end in the temple, but then he came out. They recognised that something big had happened when he was unable to speak. And he managed to convey what had happened in the temple. I find it interesting that he still had to finish his "turn" as priest in the temple before going home.
Elizabeth conceived and then went into seclusion for 5 months. I wonder why - I would have thought she would be out there showing off her baby bump and happy to be able to put the gossipers in their places.  Maybe she had a really bad first trimester.
What I learn from this part of the nativity scene - never underestimate God's power and believe that He will answer your prayers.

Dec 6

Luke 1: 11-17

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” 

Poor old Zachariah must have thought his time had come.  He was already expecting trouble and then an angel appears.  He must have been terrified. His worst nightmare - he was about to be struck dead - and he still didn't know why. What would I be thinking if I was suddenly faced by an angel of God.  Would I be able to stand there with my head held high or would I be more than a little terrified?  I know that we are able to approach God through the death and resurrection of Jesus, but I must admit, I still don't feel really bold about it.
The angel gives Zachariah the reassurance he needs but then blows him away with more news!! He is going to be a dad!  That must have been more than a bit of a shock. And his child comes with his future mapped out. A special child to be the messenger. He is given the child's name (saves all that angst of choosing a name for your baby I guess) and also told not to let him drink.  An odd promise to make for a child, but I guess this was a culture where alcohol was a natural way of life, part of every meal.  It would take some instruction to keep John from alcohol.
The responsibility of bringing up a child is bad enough, but having the responsibility of bringing up a child who is fulfilling part of scripture.  Wow.

Dec 5

Luke 1: 5-10

In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zachariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

Once when Zachariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.  And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. 

In this passage we meet Zachariah and Elizabeth.  they are presented to us as a elderly couple, pillars of the community.  They come from a respected line and can trace their lineage through several generations back to Aaron. A respected priest and his wife, going about their every day business.  They weren't blessed with children, but they had been obedient to God. Israelites believed that if a woman was barren, it was because God was punishing the couple for sin committed by either the husband or the wife.

It may be that there was gossip and whisperings in the Jewish community that Zachariah and Elizabeth were maybe not as good and righteous as they seemed to be.

It was a great honour to burn incense in the temple. There were thousands of priests in Israel so it was likely that a priest was only given this honour once in his life, and many priests were never chosen at all. They were chosen by lots and this time the lot fell to Zachariah.  

When I have been chosen to do carry out a major task or been given an important role, I get really nervous, even if I am well prepared and perfectly capable of doing it.  There is always the fear that it will go wrong and I will be somehow shown up.   Zachariah must have felt something similar as he entered the Holy Place to burn the incense.  All priests naturally experienced the fear of the Lord as they entered. The were being faced by an Awesome and judgemental God and their very should would be open to Him. Zachariah was probably a little worried by the fact that his wife remained barren. If there was a sin which God was judging them for, and which Zachariah was unaware of, entering the Holy Place without having been cleansed of that sin would be a death sentence.

                                                        

And the members of the temple all gathered too and I'm sure some of them were waiting to see what would happen.  It would soon be obvious if Zachariah was as righteous and blameless as he appeared. God was going to provide the answer this day when Zachariah entered the Holy Place. (grace commentary)

We know how their lives are about to be changed beyond recognition in the next few verses.  But at this stage they are clueless. We always just accept this part of the nativity scene, but if you stop and think about it, this was a major event in the Jewish community. 

Dec 4

Jeremiah 33: 14-16

“‘The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will fulfil the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.
“‘In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land.
In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety.
This is the name by which it will be called: The LORD Our Righteous Saviour.’

The promise of the coming king.  How exciting those words must have been to the Jews.  The promise of a saviour who would come to right the wrongs, and to bring prosperity and happiness to the people of Israel; to bring peace to the land.   
While the Jews are still anticipating the coming of the Messiah, we as Christians believe that this has happened through the birth of Jesus.  We believe this promise has been fulfilled and I am blown away by that thought!
Christmas should revive in us the excitement of the good news of the birth of Jesus.  We should be shouting the news from the roof-tops. 
A short thought, but it has started the shiver of excitement that bring Christmas into my December!  Yay!!

Dec 3

Isaiah 11: 1-10

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
   the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
   the Spirit of counsel and of might,
   the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD—
and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
Righteousness will be his belt  and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. 

What a wonderful picture these verses give us.  One of a world of harmony and peace, where no-one is afraid of anything or anyone, where there is no fear of danger behind every bush or down every dark animals.  Even the natural enemies in the animal kingdom will be at peace and not trying to eat each other.

The Spirit of the Lord with all its blessings will rest on Jesus and, as we accept Him, so will we be blessed with those same blessings.  

What a wonderful thought to be blessed with wisdom, counsel and knowledge from God.  To be able to approach the world and it's problems not only with God's wisdom but also with His delight.  

You know those gorgeous moments when we see the beauty of the world through the eyes of God and just delight in it? Or sometimes even despair in man's destruction of it? We will have that vision not only of the world but of people who live here with us. While it may not be our role to judge others, God provides us with compassion, discretion and discernment in the way we deal with them.  I pray that I might use that spirit of discernment with His wisdom.

Dec. 2

 Isaiah 9: 2-7

 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.
You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.
For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.
Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.
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 Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. 

One of my friends recently had a baby and I went round for the "new baby" cuddle.  He was so tiny and gorgeous and snuggled into my shoulder the way babies do.  I love that.  But looking at that tiny baby and then later at my (HUGE) 7 year old, I was struck by the fact that they have so much to live through, so many responsibilities to face, so much stuff to get through and they have no comprehension at all of the task of living that lies ahead of them.  I don't mean that to be negative, it is just awesome. My baby is going to be a grown up , a husband, a father, an employee, a tax payer. I find it difficult to grasp.

How much more was on the shoulders of the tiny Christ Child, lying as a new born in an animal trough and blinking out at the people coming to worship him.  He had a mighty task ahead of him.  He had REAL stuff in his future.  How helpless Mary must have felt through it all.
And yet God showed us His greatness, His power and His amazing love through that tiny baby. He knew what Jesus would go through and the huge impact that he would have.
How awesome! What an exciting way to anticipate Christmas, knowing that we are celebrating the "Zeal of the Lord Almighty".

Dec 1st - not the first day of Advent, but the first day of the Advent calenders....

John 1: 1-5

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.  In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

In this crazy month, it is too easy to forget about what I am working so hard to celebrate.  I become obsessed with getting the presents bought, making the perfect Christmas for the boy, getting the house clean (as if!), trying to co-ordinate who is doing what for Christmas.  It is so totally not what December should be about.  Yes, those things are part of celebrating Christmas, but our focus should be on Christ and not on the mass of “things to be done” that can make us lose our focus.

Every year, I fill our Christmas advent calendars with chocolates and hang them to tantalize us every morning.

This year, I have put a verse or picture behind every choccie in the hope of making us stop and think about what we are counting down towards.

I am going to try and have a thought every day for advent and share it on this blog – I hope I manage to work it through.  When I did the Lent blog, I got so much out of it.

I really pray that this year, my Christmas will totally focus on Jesus. After all, that’s what it’s all about.