Dec. 5: Joseph....just an ordinary man?

“Mary was engaged to a man named Joseph. But before they came together, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. The angel told him that Mary was to have a baby from God. Joseph was to name the baby Jesus because he would save his people from their sins. He would also be called Immanuel, which means “God with us.” Matthew 1:20-21

 Heavenly Father, 

Tonight is Joseph’s entry into the story. I’ve been listening to my Michael Crawford Christmas CD so much that I immediately think of the song that has the line, “Why me? I’m just a simple man of trade....”. 

An ordinary man....is that what Joseph felt? Bewilderment at being chosen as the earthly father who would raise the Christ Child? Was he overwhelmed to suddenly find his betrothed wife pregnant, and angels invading his dreams? Did he worry about what others would think about all this? We are only told that he was a “good man” who didn’t want to cause Mary any trouble. He must have loved her. Before the angel even told him whose child she bore and who the child would be, he cared enough to not want to disgrace her. 

Obviously, Joseph was not an “ordinary man”......he was extraordinary enough for God to choose him for this difficult job. He was kind, wise, obedient, and loving. He never balked at the angel’s directions, but did as God instructed him. Yes, a very extraordinary man of God! 

Though Jesus is God he is also a human, a man. Joseph would be the one to raise him and teach him about being a man. His job was just as important as Mary’s.....perhaps more so because a boy learns to be like his father. Jesus had the best of both worlds....a perfect heavenly Father and a perfect human father. 

Thank you Lord, for Joseph and his part in raising baby Jesus and keeping him safe until he was grown to fulfill his mission on earth. Jesus is part Joseph as well as part Mary. amen

Dec 4: Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit...

“Mary hurried to visit her relative Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, the baby inside Elizabeth jumped for joy. Elizabeth told Mary that she was blessed because she believed that what the Lord, said to her would really happen.” Luke 1:39, 41, 45

 Heavenly Father, 

What little we know of Elizabeth is interesting. The scriptures tell us that she and Zacharias were “truly religious and blameless”. Elizabeth praised the Lord because he took away her barrenness and blessed her with a child. but the fact that stands out to me is her reaction to Mary’s visit and greeting. Mary has just been told she will become pregnant by the Holy Spirit, but at this point the baby is barely more than a “thought and a promise”, yet when she enters Elizabeth’s home and greets her, Elizabeth is “filled with the Holy Spirit and her own child kicks for the first time. Elizabeth, praises God, praises Mary and seems to know immediately why Mary is there and what has happened to her. 

The Holy Spirit flows through all of this......He impregnates Mary, fills Elizabeth, and also her child. Two blessed women, two blessed children! Every year we anxiously await the Christ Child’s birth, but think how much more eagerly these two women must have waited! Elizabeth who thought she would never have a child, but who now awaits a special child, a great prophet like Elijah, “filled with the Holy Spirit from birth”. And now her cousin Mary expects THE baby, the Messiah, the Christ who Jews have awaited for 100’s of years.......and he is conceived miraculously by the Holy Spirit to a virgin! 

Wow! How those months must have flown by and the excitement built up! Mary and Elizabeth must have been great comfort to each other.....and reassurance that “yes, this is really happening!” Elizabeth shows no sign of jealously that Mary’s child will be the greater.....only joy that Mary has been blessed in this way. These two women are right at the heart of the gospel and the first to receive the Holy Spirit within. 

Each one of us needs to feel their excitement and wonder and be filled with their thanks and praise to God, Most High. All women are blessed through the experience of these two women. As a mother I know the joy of giving birth and raising children. I can share that bond in my mind and imagine what they are going through as they wait. All mothers understand waiting.

 Fill me with wonder and praise this Christmas season as I think about these women and wait with them for the Christ child’s birth. Bless all women who wait on you, Lord, and fill us with Your Holy Spirit. amen

Dec. 3: I am the Lord's servant...

“The angel also said, “The holy one to be born to you will be God’s Son. Even your cousin Elizabeth is going to have a child in her old age. Nothing is impossible with God.” “I am the Lord’s servant, “ Mary answered. “May everything you have said come true.” Then the angel left her” Lk.1:36-38

Heavenly  Father,
Tonight the door opens on astonishment and obedience. Mary must have been amazed that the angel said her son would be God’s Son, not Joseph’s!......and that her aged cousin Elizabeth who was barren, was also pregnant! Impossible things for mankind, possible for You, the Almighty God! With all this wonder and such amazing things, Mary declared herself your servant and gave her obedience to your will for these things to be done. All you ever really ask of us, is obedience. You don’t expect us to do great things for you or to do the impossible, but just to allow You to use us to work through. You have the power! You can do the impossible! We need only have the faith to allow You to do it through us when necessary. We need to be open and ready, like Mary, to say, “I am Your servant, do as You will.” We need to be ready to imagine the impossible and in faith expect You to be able to do it.

 Fill me with Mary’s faith and willingness to be used by you. Show me that with You, all things are possible. Keep my heart and mind open and ready to serve. Give me trust, hope, and wonder as I seek to know Your will and to expect the “unexpected”. No human would dream of sending salvation in the form of a helpless baby, but You did, and we still feel the wonder and excitement every year as we celebrate that bit of the “unexpected” and impossible. “I am Your servant, may everything You've said come true.” Amen

A Servant's Heart

Mary was blessed with a servant's heart
Trusting, O Lord, in your perfect will.

Chosen to bear the Light of the World,

She acquiesced, obedient and still.

How fitting it is for a servant's heart

To have nurtured the One, to be Servant for all!
Mary's obedience set the example

As her son came to manhood, straight and tall.

For Jesus needed a servant's heart

To die for the sins of all the world.

With a servant's heart, obeying his Father....

The Suffering Servant, salvation unfurled.

(Mary Freeman 10-18-07)

Dec. 2: You will give birth to a son...

“You will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus. He will be 

called the Son of the Most High and will reign forever; his kingdom will never end.” Luke 1:31 

  Heavenly Father,

Tonight we opened the second door, and the angel’s message to Mary continues: “You will give birth to a son, and will name him Jesus. He will be called Son of the Most High and will reign forever, his kingdom will never end.” I’m sure Mary was proud to know her son would be Jesus....Savior....and that he would reign. I don’t see how the full meaning of this could have been understood by her at this time. What could she possibly have made of the statement: “He will be called Son of the Most High, or that he would reign forever? We don’t measure earthly time in “forever's”. Something that never ends is beyond our human perceptions. I’m sure like most of us she just sort of ignored the parts she didn’t understand and accepted what she could understand......”you will have a son”.

 Faith sometimes has to be accepted like that, a little bit at a time. Start simple and wait for God to show you more. My sister, Dorothy said something to me in an e-mail message along the lines of : “faith can change reality.” Mary’s reality was obeying God, having a son, naming him Jesus. Faith made possible the rest.....he would be God’s son, reigning forever.

 If Mary hadn't believed, hadn't accepted the role God gave her to play, would things have been the same? Would Christ have come at that point and time? Would the Savior have been born and saved the world? God works through us and in us, and our faith works with his will. God’s perfect will, our obedience. Mary obeyed and God’s will was accomplished.

 Let me be more obedient to Your will this advent season. Let me await eagerly my chance to join faith and obedience to Your holy will and watch and see what happens. Thanks and praise forevermore, amen.

Dec 1: The journey begins...the angel speaks...

“God sent the angel Gabriel to Mary, in the village of Nazareth. The angel said, “Greetings! The Lord has blessed you and is with you.” Luke 1:28

  Heavenly Father,
We opened the Advent book tonight and I opened the first door. How exciting! The story begins to unfold. Appropriately, for me, it begins with Mary, since I share her name. The angel tells Mary that you have blessed her and are with her. How great that must have been and how much it must have meant to her. Earlier in the evening I was listening to the hauntingly lovely song, “Mary Did You Know?” The words touch my heart every time I hear them. Did she truly know and understand, Lord? When the angel told her she had been blessed and found favor with God, and would bear your son, what multitude of thoughts must have rushed through her mind and heart! Wonder? Awe? Fear? Confusion? How could this be? What did it really mean ?

The words of the song ask many questions of hindsight....”Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day rule the nations?”.....”did you know he would save our sons and daughters?”. Mary must have trembled with fear as well as wonder, if she had any inkling of what was to come. She probably didn’t understand at that point of beginning that her son would not rule on earth, but instead die a cruel death, but rise again to rule on high. The most reassuring words the angel spoke to her were, “The Lord is with you”. She need not be afraid because God was with her at that moment and would be with her through every moment to come, every step of the way.

 One of my favorite lines in the song is: “Mary did you know....when you kissed your little baby that you kissed the face of God?” We all long to see the face of God, to kiss it, to know a relationship so close to God and so intimate! Did Mary know she held you in her arms? Did she feel the power of God in her tiny baby? Her mother’s love was a holy love encompassing a holy child. Maybe that is what all love is. Every time we kiss our babies or any human being we, “kiss the face of God”. That is part of what you came to teach us......”Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Love is what the baby was all about. Embracing others with the love a mother feels for her baby is a perfect image of God’s love for us that we are to show to others.

Love, came to earth. Love was born on Christmas morn. It all begins with Mary and her willingness to accept God’s will in her life. Her reward? She was blessed with a tiny baby, who was......”the great I AM!” We too can be blessed with your greatness, Lord, when we open our hearts to your love and let the baby, Jesus come inside and change our lives forever. Help me to open my heart to you and allow you to grow there and shine forth to others.

“Come, O come, Immanuel....God with us, God within us.....”O Holy Night!

amen

Advent....the time of waiting for the Christ Child

ADVENT 

Await my soul in glad anticipation--

the Savior is coming! Be still my heart!

Dance and sing in wild jubilation! 

The King is coming, His grace to impart.

Veiled in wonder, God incarnate, 

Mystery to ponder, wisdom and love.

Echo the angels, sing Hallelujah! 

Peace on earth, sent from above!

Night of darkness banished forever, 

Son of God, Love's pure Light!

Tell the nations, spread the glad tidings. 

Joy came down to earth that night!

I wrote this poem 10+ years ago, but always think of it when Advent begins. Advent is the time of waiting. A time to anticipate the birth of Jesus Christ.

 I discovered a wonderful book several years ago, called simply "The Advent Book" by Jack and Kathy Stockman. This book was their family's way to 'journey to Bethlehem'. For each day in December there is a door to be opened and part of the story from scripture told for that day.

 I thought it was not only a beautiful book to look at, but a wonderful way to pass the time waiting for the Christ Child. So that year I sat down and each night as I opened the doors, I wrote my own meditations for the scriptures, as a way to travel towards Bethlehem and Jesus. It was a meaningful time for me, and last year I shared these writings with a few friends and relatives. 

This year, I thought I would put them in a Blog and add some suitable pictures (since you can't see the doors as I open them) and let whoever wants to read my insights, to do so. This is my journey, my waiting time. It may be different for you. Each one of us has to make the journey on our own, reading the scriptures, and seeing what God says to us in them. I hope you will make your own journey and not just rely on mine. 

I will start the story when "The Advent Book" starts, on December 1st and continue through until the end. I always write my meditations in the form of prayers, so keep in mind that I'm addressing God throughout. These are my thoughts and insights and you might not agree with all of them. Any poetry is mine and not to be copied or used elsewhere without my permission.

Father I have sinned.....

Luke 15:18 “Father I have sinned against God and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.”

Heavenly Father,

There is no story more beautiful than the Lost Son. We are all lost, strayed from our home in heaven, and our Father who loves us. We think we want “more”. We aren't satisfied. We want money, power, control, freedom, to “be on our own”…be our own boss. It always ends in failure. We gain “things” and keep trying to buy happiness, but we feel the dissatisfaction of something missing, a futility to any of it, a lack of purpose, a longing for something more. 

Man has a connection to You, that pulls and tugs and teases at us. Where is home? What is missing? Why am I not really happy? When we decide to seek You, when we decide to turn towards home, You are ready and waiting to meet us. The arms of grace are spread wide and You want to have your sons and daughters back home! When we recognize we are wrong, that we have sinned, that we can’t get home without help, that we need You, that we don’t want to be in control any more…and never really were, then You are ready and willing to throw your arms of love around us and draw us close. 

You don’t want us back as slaves or servants. You want us back as sons and daughters. You don’t plan to make us “earn” our home or “work our way up from the bottom”…You want to clothe us in the robes of grace, put the ring of family on our finger, and throw the finest feast to celebrate. Redeeming lost sons is your business. Welcoming them home is what You do best. Loving us is as natural to You as breathing is to us! Father, I have sinned! I no longer deserve to be your daughter, but I know you will welcome me home through Jesus Christ. Thank you! amen.