Dare to Believe

^{Genesis 17:19}

¹⁹ Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

So imagine God speaks to you. God makes you a promise. What would you do? Would you fall on your face laughing? Would you limit the scope of what God can do?

That is exactly what happened in our scripture. Abraham, upon hearing the promise of a son born to his wife Sarah at 90 years old, fell on his face laughing. Then as if to say “I believe in your promise and power somewhat, but not that much”, he said to God, “How about you bless my existing son instead?” Now we can give Abraham a little bit of a break, as he did not have the advantage of Matthew 1:1-17 where the 42 generation lineage of his son Isaac to the Messiah is documented. We do though. We have the proof of God’s promises kept.

So, are we not even more guilty than Abraham when we prepare so elaborately for the celebration of the birth of the Christ child, yet don’t believe in our hearts that His grace is for us? The promise of being washed clean and forgiven is for us. Yet we say, “we believe in your importance enough to have a big birthday party for you over two thousand years later, but accepting that you believe we are as worthy as we are, now that’s too much.”

I wonder how it would change the way we celebrate this season if we were to really believe? Not just believing in Jesus as the son of God on the surface, but truly believing in all of the promises that go with it. No longer would we worry about “measuring up” to the standards the world are setting up for us. Suddenly getting the perfect gift, spending the right amount of money, or throwing the greatest party would no longer set the standard of getting Christmas “right”.

Instead, it would truly be about the celebration of the birth of the One who became our Savior.

“Dear Father in heaven help us to truly believe in the promises you have given to us, so that we may prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ not only as your son, but as our Savior. Amen”

Lost and Found

Jeremiah 29:13

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

When I was eleven, I learned a very important lesson about Christmas. It was the same lesson that the Who’s down in Whoville learned when they woke on Christmas morning and the Grinch had taken all the holiday trappings. Christmas comes whether there are gifts or cookies or trimmed trees or decorations, because Christmas is about the celebration of the birth of our Savior.

The year I was eleven, we lost our family dog on Christmas Eve. In the hustle and bustle of the evening no one remembered to let her in. As my sisters and I slept dreaming of the long anticipated Christmas morning traditions, my parents and a family friend spent that Christmas Eve in search of our beloved pet. We woke Christmas morning, not to those familiar and hoped for traditions, but to the realization that something great was lost. We dressed not in the special outfits purchased for the day, but in our winter coats and boots, then on foot and in cars began a search for our beloved Teke. The highlight of that Christmas day was when our Dad finally found her. We didn’t care about the traditions missed; they meant nothing in comparison to the overwhelming joy of finding her.

Many times Jesus gets lost at Christmas and the saddest thing is that many don’t even realize that he is missing. We get so caught up in what we think makes the holiday special that we forget to be like the shephards and the wise men who go and search for Jesus. Think how much time and effort went into making that careful search. I wonder if God on purpose didn’t give specific directions so that they could feel that overwhelming joy when they found something that had cost them some effort to find.

Unlike when we searched for our dog and were unsure that we would ever find her, Jesus promises that when we search for him we will find him. Don’t let Jesus get lost this Christmas. Spend time looking for him. Seek him. Seek him with all your heart. And when you find him may your joy overwhelm you.

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in.” Revelations 3:20

Lord, you promise that if we make the effort to look for you, you will be found. Open our eyes, ears and hearts so that we find you in all the preparation and celebrations of the season. Help us to open the door and let you in. Amen

You are anything but accidental.

John 1:1-3
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.

Have you ever wondered where all that we know came from? You know, where and how the creation got started? I know I have. Answers from certain scientific corners talk about some sort of cosmic collision of particles and gases; not much more than a glorified mistake.

But our Scriptures craft a much different picture. It is in these verses that we hear all things came into being through the Word; who, as we make our way to Bethlehem, we ultimately come to know in the person of Jesus. The creation was intentional; the creation was thought out; the creation will always be vitally important to the Divine.

You are a part of that creation which means that your beginnings can be traced back to one source: Jesus. You are anything but accidental. You, and everything that you know, came into being because the God of Creation breathed life into you. So if you ever wonder, yes, you are that important to God!

Holy God, before the beginning of time, You knew that I would be. Thank You for this creation and for crafting me in such a wonderful way. Guide me, so that I may walk in Your Way and be led by Your light. Amen.

Advent Begins - November 28, 2010

Postings for this blog will begin on the first day of Advent - November 28, 2010. We look forward to you joining us as we wonder about the Christmas story and all that it means for us today.