Where I Long To Be

I dreamed this Christmas Eve of a place I love. A place I long to be. It wasn't the North Carolina hills where my parents and family are tucked warm into a cabin, snug together. Though my heart is there. Or here in the warm, velvety south with children and in-laws, though it is a delight to be together.

I dreamed of a room in another world that holds a golden haired treasure. Over an ocean, miles away, lie men and women, boys and girls, waiting. For some it's a good life, the best they will know. For others it's just not enough.

If I could grant wishes anywhere in the world it would be for the ones I love in Dom Veternik. Serbia haunts me and I often find myself shoving down the memory of my visit, locking it in a safe place, but it always finds a way to resurface.

If I could materialize a dream I would share a warm meal with my new friends, the staff who tirelessly care for the residents, and exchange small trinkets of friendship. I would ask them what they thought of the incarnation of God, the Son putting on flesh to be with us.

I would hug, and laugh with the residents who walk the grounds. Eventually I would make my way to the upstairs room of golden haired boy (it grieves me that I don't recall his name) where he lays with Boris, Petra, and a little girl whose name I've also forgotten. Maybe I would take a book and read to them. Most likely I would do what they seem to like best, hold their hands, and sing.

But I can't be in Serbia this Christmas. So I pray and trust that Jesus is. I pray that Jesus visits this humble place, filled with the fragile of this world. I think places like Dom Veternik are where he loves to be, with the meek and mild, the small and childlike.

I'm thankful for the incarnation of all that's holy, Jesus putting on skin to be forever linked with humanity, humbly taking our cross and bearing a load too huge for our shoulders. I'm thankful not only for what Immanuel means for me but for the weak I can do so very little for. The Child's coming gives meaning and hope to their quiet lives of longing. Seen, loved, and known by a humble King, they are not forgotten.

This is my prayer for the 600 residents of Dom Veternik mental institution on Christmas:

O Zion, messenger of good news,

shout from the mountaintops!

Shout it louder, O Jerusalem.

Shout, and do not be afraid.

Tell the towns of Judah,

“Your God is coming!”

Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in power.

He will rule with a powerful arm.

See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.

He will feed his flock like a shepherd.

He will carry the lambs in his arms,

holding them close to his heart.

He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.

Isaiah 40:9-11

In his kingdom, as he leads with power, Jesus is not unaware of his needy ones. I trust he will reward and gently carry those whose lot in life has been a heavy burden. Today I'm trusting the Shepherd who caries lambs close to his heart. What a God we worship! In our bounty and celebration let's not forget those living in great need. 

The Lord Is My Shepherd

Hearing the beautiful words of the 23rd Psalm, read yesterday at church, has left an impression on my heart. I've never associated this passage with Christmas but the truth resonated and the season added a fresh perspective.

The Lord is my shepherd;

I have all that I need.

He lets me rest in green meadows;

he leads me beside peaceful streams.

He renews my strength.

He guides me along right paths,

bringing honor to his name.

Even when I walk

through the darkest valley,

I will not be afraid,

for you are close beside me.

Your rod and your staff

protect and comfort me.

You prepare a feast for me

in the presence of my enemies.

You honor me by anointing my head with oil.

My cup overflows with blessings.

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me

all the days of my life,

and I will live in the house of the Lord

forever.

Psalm 23

What a powerful thought that the baby the shepherds came to worship was their true Shepherd, he always had been, he understood them, he knew exactly what they needed. Because the Shepherd has come he leads us in a new way, guiding us in peace, caring for our needs, in person. 

Even in the darkest valley. I'm reminded of a passage in Isaiah 9. "The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine... For a child is born to us, a son is given to us." This Christmas the dark valley, the shadow of death, has hovered over our family. Immanuel takes on a whole knew meaning. Through all of life's dark valley's Immanuel is the reality of God walking with us. 

Jesus' arrival puts into perspective that death, for those who trust him, is just a shadow. It's his goodness and love that pursue us, not judgement and wrath, and when we pass through the shadow from this life to the next, Immanuel will be a face to face reality. His house will be our home forever. "His government and its peace will never end." 

Jesus didn't come for a brief visit thousands of years ago, he came to stay. He came to lead us home. Whatever your life holds this Christmas, joy or grief, or a mixture of both, I trust Jesus will walk with you. That his goodness and love will pursue you, that he will guide you in right paths, and give your heart rest. Merry Christmas friends!

Jesus In The Real World

I really like to think of sweet little Jesus boy coming to a cozy stall, gently laid in fresh, golden straw. Thankfully the mirage isn't the reality. His Mama hurt like every other woman since Eve was cursed with pain in child birth. She couldn't blame Joseph with the look of daggers, saying, "it's all your fault." But even though she was submissive to God's plan I don't think for a moment it took the pain of labor away. Jesus was born just like every other baby, a precious, pink infant into a broken, dangerous world. 

His birth was heralded by angels, while taking place during political turmoil, and before long his family was on the run from a narcissistic king. He escaped, but the children of Bethlehem did not. I hate that part of the story. How do we go from good tidings of great joy to the wail of Bethlehem's mothers who won't be comforted because their children are no more?

And yet the world Jesus entered is the same world we entered upon our birth. A world of terror, a world of simple joy, all swirled together in the human experience. Attempting to sterilize the story of Jesus birth does us a disservice. We need him to be one of us.

It's precisely because violent men kill small children, then and now, that Jesus joined the human race. He came not to suggest a better way of living, or establish a utopia, he came to wage war. He came to lead us home.

How many Christmases have we spent festive and partying, celebrating a baby wrapped in tradition, obscured by culture, forgetting that the night the sky tore open and God's glory spilled out, it was heaven's warriors that came, announcing the strategy for the victory of an ancient battle. Jesus birth wasn't the soft, velvety scene from a Christmas card. It was full of political intrigue, murder plots, terror, and scandal.

This Christmas season I feel particularly tumultuous. I don't know why, it could be my own personal struggles. But I also think it has to do with the weariness I feel in this world. She's groaning and straining under the weight of the curse and either I'm more aware of what's going on or things are getting worse. The shooting at Sandy Hook school was terrible but let's be honest, was there really more suffering that day than the day before or the day after. Our world is suffering, violence is real.

Evil stalked Newtown on Friday, and carved out a momentary victory. Let's not forget evil stalks humanity every moment of every day. Which is why the angels shouted, good news Salvation has come! And why the shepherds were told to go and see. After the shepherds saw their salvation they shouted it far and wide, to men and women who lived in darkness they proclaimed the light. God was with them in a way he never had been before.

I want my neighbor, who's yard last night was full of cops and whose children were crying in the night, to know that God is with me, and can be with her as well. I want to combat evil with Christ in me, our only hope of glory, our only means of Salvation. Jesus is not a stranger to the ache of life, it's what he was born for. It's what I'm reborn for. To display his glory to dying men, that they may have true life.

"In him [Jesus] was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." John 1:4-5

A Broken Christmas

Not Okay

I'm not okay. I hate wrestling with the pain of life at Christmas time. It's supposed to be a season of beauty and wonder, right? I dreamed about Serbia last night. It left a gnawing ache in my heart.

So many things in my life I can't heal, I can't help. I can't heal my own wounds of painful and disappointing years in ministry. I can't heal my Mom's cancer. I have so little strength to help the disabled of Serbia, whom I've come to love.

Instead of boisterous and strong this Christmas I feel sad, weak, vulnerable. I keep shoving those feelings down, I'd rather pretend I'm okay. But I'm not.

If you've read my blog you'll know that I asked God to show me his presence this Christmas season. I suppose I had expected something mysterious and beautiful. Instead, I feel broken. I didn't expect him to take me to a place of vulnerability, dependence, need; but he has.

Instead of fighting it, I'm working on embracing this hard place. It's my gift to Jesus this Christmas, acceptance and trust. I choose to let him into the broken places.

Not Okay Is Why He Came

In my weakness I'm reminded that Jesus did the same for us. He embraced vulnerability, dependence, and ultimately brokenness for our good. What kind of a God would step into our messiness? I'm thankful for his presence in a whole new way this Christmas season. 

I wonder how often I've overlooked other people's pain at the holidays. It's inconvenient and messy to step into broken lives. 

But Jesus has set the example and I'm trusting him to lead the way. Painful days are exactly why God wrapped himself in flesh and came to be with us! If you're hurting join me in inviting God into your painful days. If you are in a strong place look for those around you who are hurting this Christmas to show compassion and love to.

The Word became flesh and blood,

and moved into the neighborhood.

We saw the glory with our own eyes,

the one-of-a-kind glory,

like Father, like Son,

Generous inside and out,

true from start to finish.

John 1:14

I'm resting on the generosity of the God-Man who moved into our messy world, who showed up to save, I hope you are too!

Near

Thoughts race, days swirl, noise abounds; ah, the Christmas season of a pastor's family. As we raced up to the season of holy days observed, just before we jumped in, I asked God to make me aware of his presence this Christmas. I wondered how he would do it. We weren't slowing down as we eased into the fast lane of the season. Decorating, Christmas caroling, gift buying, advent observing, writing, dessert nights, parade attending, movie watching, hot chocolate drinking; so much celebrating, so little time.

I whispered his name, began looking out for his finger prints, sought to prepare my heart with a fresh welcome but still it was the same story. I love "Immanuel", God with us, but it's nothing I haven't heard before. I was curious how he would bring his presence to the forefront.

This last week as I sat tucked into my parents cozy cabin in the Carolina woods I smiled to myself. All of a sudden every holiday tradition and desire this season had become irrelevant in light of my Mom's very serious illness. The whispered Immanuel had become an all out shout. His presence no longer a desire but an urgent necessity. "Oh, that's how he's going to do it," I thought to myself.

The C.S. Lewis quote, "Pain is God's megaphone to rouse a deaf world," has been rattling around my mind. There's nothing like being reminded of our vulnerability to bring into focus our great need of Jesus' sustaining presence. My hunger has deepened, the search intensified, I don't just want to know God's presence with me, I need it. Like air, or I won't survive.

Where do you find yourself as this season whirls about you? Are you hungry for God's presence dwelling with you, wrapped in flesh and beating inside of your very own heart? Are you desperate? Or are you distracted? God has the amazing ability to make his presence relevant to us, usually it's just a matter of time.

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14

How can I pray for you this season as you rely on Immanuel's presence to satisfy and sustain your heart?

Present

Today I have the privilege to kick off the Christmas season by sharing at Stephanie Page's blog. This Christmas she's hosting a series of posts on  how to Live Simply during the holiday season. I love Steph's desire to remember what is important amid the crazy distractions of this life. And what more distracting and hectic time of the year is there than Christmas. Today I'm sharing my thoughts on being present. Won't you hop on over to Steph's blog and join me there as we talk about being present.

Christmas Blessing

 Merry Christmas to you my dear family, friends, and cyber sisters!

 As you celebrate the Father's love may you rest on the assurance of his faithfulness.

May joy permeate the corners of your soul, filling your conversation, and quiet moments.

 May the wonder of the incarnation fill you with humble gratitude.

 May peace blanket your days and nights with the reassurance of God's presence.

And may the glorious song of love that rang out over Bethlehem hills so many years ago ring clear across your heart! Good news, your God loves you, he is with you, redeeming you. All at a cost to himself. What kind of love is this?! Wonder, ponder, reflect on such a gift. Love for love's sake!

May your Christmas be a time of worship and your New Year seasoned with undeserved grace!

Advent - a season of LOVE

This third week of advent we light the pink candle. These candles help us to remember the hope, peace, love, and joy found in God that were proclaimed through Jesus' birth. These weeks leading up to Christmas Day are a great time for reflecting on the first coming of the Messiah and our hopeful expectation of His return.

The Scriptures tell us in John1:14 and 3:16-17 “So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father… For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it but to save it.”

Every heart longs for love. At just the right moment in the flow of time God sent his Son to express his deep love for us. How can we imagine the sacrificial gift of love that was given when God the Son, in obedience to the Father’s will, wrapped himself in flesh and stepped into our world? His death was in his hands and our salvation was his purpose. Our hearts can be satisfied by his love alone. And we learn how to love one another through his example.

May we thank him today for his generous gift of love that brings salvation and purpose to our hearts.

Christmas in Heaven - Every Day Worship

“In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back…Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty – the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.” Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne, the one who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one who lives forever and ever. And they lay their crowns before the throne and say, “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.”” Revelation 4:6b, 8b-11.

In heaven, Christmas is not a special holiday. That may surprise you but I believe it's true. Everyone in heaven does that day what they did the day before and what they will do the day after. They completely and wholly worship the Father, the Spirit, and the Lamb that was born to die. God is worshiped perfectly by his servants in heaven; he can’t be worshiped more or less. As special as Christmas is to us it was not ordained by God to be observed, as communion and gathering on Sunday were.

Christmas is a wonderful, beautiful time to remember the gracious gift the Father sent to this needy world, his beloved Son! However, as we engage in the Christmas season may we remember that every day should be a day of worship to the Father for his gift of love. May we strive daily to worship the Lamb for his sacrifice and offer our praise with our whole selves. Even on earth God is not deserving of praise on one day more than another. So let’s not save our times of special reflection or thanks just for Thanksgiving or Christmas or Easter. Let's strive to be mindful that we were created for God’s pleasure and we can live in the joy and expression of worship every day of the year. We are most satisfied when God is glorified in our lives!

How do you express worship in your life? Is God worthy of praise every day?
{Reposted from December 2008}

Glory

Shh... Can you hear it?! Listen closely and you'll hear the echo of a mysterious, ancient event. One that happened before time and yet at the fullness of time. Angel wings rustle and fold, voices hush in breathless anticipation. Limitless, Creator God is poised to dress in skin, to wear a human tent and walk around with his creation. His heart beat is to rescue the son's of men, his plan to show them his glory and woo them back. Mary sleeps, trusting, faithful. DNA bends again to the will of God, quietly he slips into his earthly tabernacle, indwelling flesh, indwelling Mary. Nine months later after scandal and the murmurs of another complaining generation... a Son is born. Heaven erupts in awe and wonder! Glory! God's glory dwelling once again with man, no longer in an earthly tent made by men wandering in the desert. This time in a tent of God's own making, fulfillment, mysterious plan, flesh. John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." This Christmas lets remember the mysterious indwelling Jesus brings. God dwelt in human flesh so that he might dwell in us. Glory!

{Re-posted from November 2009.}

Advent - a season of HOPE

Hope is a theme present throughout the Bible. In fact the season of Advent, which we begin today, is all about hope and expectation. The act of lighting candles during the Advent season fans the flame of expectation. They remind us of the light of Jesus Christ that God's people anticipated long ago and the light of Jesus' second coming that we anticipate still today.

Isaiah 9:2,4 says, “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders.”

 

At the time this prophesy was written there was no salvation outside of rules and sacrifice. The people lived in spiritual darkness and gloom, waiting and watching for the day the true light would dawn and their chains of sin and despair would be broken. Just like children afraid of the dark long for a light to dispel their fear the Israelite's hoped for the promise of “The true light that gives light to every man.” 

 

At just the right moment in time Jesus’ birth pierced the darkness on a Bethlehem night. Jesus fulfilled the promise of God that one day a light would dawn on those living in the shadow of death. He was born to penetrate our darkness and ignite hope in our souls. We light candles at advent to remember that Jesus was the fulfillment of God’s promise of hope. 

 

How are you like the Israelites today? Where are you looking for hope? There are many things in life we hope for. Titus 2:13 reminds us that “we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.”

Glory

Shh... Can you hear it?! Listen closely and you'll hear the echo of a mysterious, ancient event. One that happened before time and yet at the fullness of time. Angel wings rustle and fold, voices hush in breathless anticipation. Limitless, Creator God is poised to dress in skin, to wear a human tent and walk around with his creation. His heart beat is to rescue the son's of men, his plan to show them his glory and woo them back. Mary sleeps, trusting, faithful. DNA bends again to the will of God, quietly he slips into his earthly tabernacle, indwelling flesh, indwelling Mary. Nine months later after scandal and the murmurs of another complaining generation... a Son is born. Heaven erupts in awe and wonder! Glory! God's glory dwelling once again with man, no longer in an earthly tent made by men wandering in the desert. This time in a tent of God's own making, fulfillment, mysterious plan, flesh. John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." This Christmas lets remember the mysterious indwelling Jesus brings. God dwelt in human flesh so that he might dwell in us. Glory!