Home

Perhaps it was Dorothy that made the line famous, “There’s no place like home.”  The phrase resonates with us because [generally] it brings fond thoughts – security, comfort, rest, relaxation, familiarity.  Home could actually bring about some of our nicest thoughts!

 

Leaving home is a common practice: most eventually leave their childhood home, we leave home for intermittent trips related to business and vacation, and we all leave home for brief trips to work, shop, worship, etc.  Imagine Jesus taking one last look around His heavenly home … a place of beauty, peace, light, angels, glory … before He left [home] to a realm of dark places where men lived and sin reigned.  Was there an unusual quietness, a heavenly hush as Jesus departed for earth?

 

Spurgeon writes, “Jesus Christ was born into this world, not from it … He came into history from the outside … Jesus Christ is not the best human being the human race can boast of – He is a Being for whom the human race can take no credit at all … Just as our Lord came into human history from outside it, He must also come into me from outside.”  Jesus Incarnate – God in human form – left His home to [ultimately] make His home in the heart of man!  Dear friend, although our minds cannot fathom it, this is the glorious message of the Christmas story.  I pray Christ has made His home in you – if not, do not allow the beauty of this Christmas truth to pass you by!

 

“Be Born in Me” (Mary), Lyrics by Francesca Battistelli

Be born in me – Be born in me
Trembling heart, somehow I believe that You chose me
I'll hold You in the beginning, You will hold me in the end
Every moment in the middle, make my heart Your Bethlehem -- Be born in me

Love - Full of Hope

Do you remember The Wish Book?  That really takes us back a few years, huh? I recall the day it arrived, and how nothing else was important on that day except flipping through the pages, wishing for way more than my parents would give me.  I wished and dreamed and fancied away hours until my parents must have wished the mail man hadn't run that day!

 

God is not something we dream, wish, or fancy about -- He is our hope.  We use that word loosely: I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow; I hope we win the ballgame; I hope the dog doesn't bark tonight.  Yet the psalmist wrote, "For Thou art my hope, O Lord God ... " (71:5)  There's no wishful thinking here; this is a declaration.  The Hebrew root for "hope" in this passage means to be bound & attached, the one thing lived for.  It is living with confident and definite expectation!  The Messiah arrived in quite a different manner than most of the world expected; they hoped for a ruler, perhaps a military leader.  It's no wonder few recognized Him when He arrived.  Even though many could not see who He was, He brought hope -- not wishes, dreams, or fancies.  He was Hope wrapped in swaddling clothes ... real hope -- hope twisted into the essence of every life who would call Him King.  The miracle of The Season is that same Hope which arrived in Bethlehem so long ago is our eternal hope today.  What kind of love is this?  Love -- Full of Hope.

Love - Compassionate Love

Compassion is tough sometimes!  It just doesn't come so easy to that person who is riding your bumper or the shopper in the "20 Items Or Less" line who [obviously] has a full buggy.  No, compassion doesn't usually surface at those times.

 

God saw our need through eyes of perfect compassion.  Oh, how many things has He overlooked in us?  He sees only in ...yes, perfect compassion.  It was perfect compassion and overwhelming love that set His Plan was into motion with the birth of Jesus Christ.  The Messiah was His perfect & compassionate response to reconciled fellowship with you and with me.  Our condition before Jesus was hopeless and forever unsettled.  His perfect compassion made possible a way back to Him.  Thus, there is never cause to despair or to become downhearted.  He is our perfect and compassionate love. What kind of love is this?  Love – Compassionate Love.

Love - Restoring Love

As a child, I loved to stay overnight at my grandparents.  Mom's parents lived in the city and Dad's in the country; it didn't matter to me whether I was in the city or in the county, I loved to spend nights with both.  One particular visit, I got sick during the night and Dad drove about forty miles round trip to bring me home!  That’s what daddies do, I suppose!

 

Sin set in motion a terrible downward spiral of events.  The consequences didn’t blindside Almighty God; He knew we were in trouble and His planned work of salvation and restoration of man took flight.  Do you know that most of the time we can't even see how deep in the stew we are until we're so deep only God can help us! The Father recognized our need of a Savior, and He looked toward Bethlehem as His first stop on the round trip from Heaven, by way of Calvary -- all to assure we made it to our eternal home.  His grace is sufficient in all things and for God’s salvation and restoration, let us always rejoice! What kind of love is this?  Love -- A Restoring Love.

Love - Glorious Love

Every parade has a grand marshal.  Sometimes it's a famous person returned home or perhaps an elected official but whoever it is, he has the honor of being the first in line.  Anything, of course, is better than being behind the horses!

 

By the world's measure, there was nothing glorious about Christ's birth. The thought of such accommodations is enough to make my fingers itchy to dial 1-800-HOLIDAYINN!  God would have no distraction, however, from the significance of Jesus' arrival so He came to us in the simplest and humblest of manner and place yet ... in full glory.  He left His Home in Glory but He did not leave His glory behind; it would the defining difference in this child from others and what drew praise, adoration, and honor from the heavens to every corner of Bethlehem.  The truth is He was love-come-down in all glory!  What kind of love is this?  Love – Glorious Love!

Love - Full of Joy

What's your joy-buster?  Everyone's got one or two or three or four or ....   Sometimes it's one iddy-biddy thing that sends joy a'packing.  Try, try, try as we may, and it just won't come back!

 

One of God’s greatest gifts to His children is His abundant joy.  Hard as we try, it's pert-near impossible to keep; therein lies the problem.  We believe Christ's joy is something we grab hold of and hang on for dear life.  The tighter we hold it, however, the easier it seems to slip away.  Joseph must have been so frustrated when he couldn’t find a suitable place for Mary to deliver the Messiah.  How many times did he hear no-room, no-room, no-room?  When Joseph finally held the child in his arms, he must have known a genuine sense of God's peace.  Oh, when will we learn it’s not how tightly we try to hold His joy, it's how closely we remain to the Joy-Giver.  The arrival of Christ was the descent of perfect and everlasting Joy!  What kind of love?  Love -- Full of Joy!

Love -- Full of Grace

Pushing. Shoving. Sighing. Toe-tapping. Spend, spend, spend. Horn-honking. One-day sales. Rushing. Anxiety. Deadlines. Long lines. Do these words describe the season?  I suspect everyone suffers through one or  more of these seasonal traumas.

 

Amid the chaos of David's city, Jesus arrived in perfect grace.  Grace was perhaps least expected in the crowded town of over-booked inns where patience was severely lacking.  God must have looked through His own tears to see the timely arrival of His Gift to the world -- everything the world needed for the moment and for all eternity.  The world would soon know the extent of The Father's grace in sending His Son to be our Savior.  The angels could not contain themselves and declared it.  Mary's heart overflowed as she pondered it.  Joseph could only stand in quiet awe of it.  And, the shepherds surmounted their lowly state to repeat it to others. What kind of love is this?  Love -- full of grace!

Love - Giving Love

'Tis the season for giving, and our time is filled with anticipation -- having the last gift purchased, wrapped, and tagged by Christmas Day.  My Mom was famous for not putting names on gifts.  I think she started that when

we were younger; if you don't know which present is yours, you don't know which box to shake!

 

There was no mystery or suspense about God's greatest gift to us – it arrived just in time and was tagged for you and me!  The Father didn't have to do any shopping or contemplate what the gift should be; He knew what our redemption would take -- a perfect lamb.  We will wrap our gifts this Christmas in seasonal paper or place them in festive gift bags, but The Gift of Christmas came wrapped in swaddling clothes and was laid in a simple manger in a humble cave.  Just like we have shopped with each person in mind, so God had you and I in mind when He sent His Gift of Love.  The Christ-Child represented hope for man, who had lost his way. Jesus left His home so you and I could come home to The Father.  What kind of love is this?  It's a ... giving love.

 

Serious Worship

People are pretty serious about their peanut butter!  Most women [I know] faithfully buy one of the two major brands with no wiggle-room.  Then there’s the sandwich – some like their peanut butter sandwich with jelly, some like it with bananas, and some just want the butter.  Whatever and whichever … PB is serious business!

 

God’s Word leaves nothing to the imagination – all we need and need to know is there!  I could ask Mr. Bill, “What color was his tie or did he have a jacket on?”  Mr. Bill wouldn’t notice those things because [quite frankly] he would classify those details as … jello (his word for it-don’t-matter).  John described more than Jesus’ attire in John 1:14: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”  In the years following His birth, Jesus not only talked about His Father but showed us what God was like.  His residency here was temporary yet divinely specific: to pay the penalty for our waywardness, providing a way to bring us back to The Father. He allowed nothing distract Him from His purpose!  Grace and Truth were His mantra – His every move on-track!  Was this grace-clothed Word amazing?  Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing! O come let us adore Him – O come, let us adore Him – O come, let us adore Him – Christ the Lord!  We are to be diligent about the honor we bring to The King – it’s serious business!  Glory to God in the highest!  Hallelujah and amen!

The Child

What big fun-joy it has been to watch Ella learn new things.  She now is her daddy’s faithful helper in gathering eggs.  She’s broken some in the learning process, but becoming quite proficient at the task.  I won’t quote her, but she even told me recently why the eggs must be washed after they are gathered.  I repeat … big fun-joy!

 

God cannot be described as “helpless.”  Using the only two French words I know, “au contraire” or with bubba-words, “on the contrary.”  Oh, yes, sweet are the words we sing “Away in a manger, no crib for a bed -- The little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head” and “Holy infant, so tender and mild.”  Let us not, however, be distracted from what was embodied in The Child.  Even though He came from where sin-enters-not to where sin-wearies-not, He arrive gloriously honoring The Father in Whom we know to be eternally faithful.  Although a baby and completely dependent on earthly care, He came as the Surety of God’s covenant with man and God’s promise of “lo, I am with you always.”  Could Bethlehem possibly have known what it held within its township?  Only those who have trusted in The Child – The Savior – The Holy One ever know the depth of how fully “faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).  The sky’s the limit at what our sweet Ellala will learn and do; There exists no limit, however, to what Almighty God will do to accomplish each of His promises to those who love Him:  “Every promise in The Book is mine – Every chapter, every verse, every line – All are blessings of His love divine – Every promise in The Book is mine.”  What child is this?  Behold, The Christ-Child, The Promised One!  Glory to God in the highest.  Amen and Amen.

Garments

Good gracious, this weather makes me nuts! Mid-December and it goes from cold to cool to warm to cold! I remember when I could move my fall and spring clothes to another closet. Now, I don’t bother!

What kind of garments should Christians wear? Thank goodness, Scripture doesn’t command we be fashionistas, those with a flair for current fashion trends! God’s Word has much to say about modest dress, but we won’t go there today. Consider, if you will, how Jesus clothed Himself in human flesh for the work He would do here on earth. He was swaddled at the manger and at the tomb yet as He walked among us, He donned garments of Godliness: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14). O. S. Hawkins describes Jesus’ flesh-and-bone clothing, “one of the most condescending displays of divine love to be found anywhere at any time.” How many of us would leave home without thought of our appearance? Jesus did! He under-dressed, taking on the form of a humble servant; this is the “condescension” Hawkins writes of. And how are we to be clothed? Fittingly, with garments of praise so “He might be glorified.” (Isaiah 61:3). Glory be God in the highest! Amen and Amen.

The Word

Word associations help those [of us] who struggle with our rememberer. I seem to have no problem with salt & pepper, day & night, or popcorn & coke, but introduce me to someone new then recall a name -- I’m toast!

Imagine how Isaiah longed to witness the arrival of “Wonderful Counselor” – the One he wrote about in Isaiah 9:6, or Mary’s anticipation of her child’s birth, Jesus. There’s tremendous excitement waiting for a child to be born. Why, our family could hardly wait to hold Ella and Caleb and when that day came, as much as we loved their names, those names didn’t come close to how grand they would be! John began his book with an amazing word for Jesus: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1). Who was this Word of Whom John wrote? It doesn’t seem exactly fitting as a name, with which to call a child, but it best described the holy child Who arrived straightway from the celestials. The Word – highly exalted of God (Philippians 2:9-11) and destined to accomplish God’s purpose to save man’s soul then to be seated at the right hand of The Father (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus put on flesh for His journey to the cross! Go ahead, pinch yourself – yes, that kind of flesh; skin that loves to be touched, senses and feels pain, bleeds and heals – this was Jesus’ garment. I’m so glad John chose Word to introduce The Word! The Word … Glory to God in the Highest!

The Precise Savior

Are you a detail person? Oh, for sure – yes, I am! While details can often be attended to later in planning, when left to develop on-their-own, count on your event to be … de-tailed!

It is a profound truth that God is Author of life! Creator and Almighty, He left nothing undone in creation of the natural world nor with man. Because He is all-knowing in nature, He knew before He breathed life into man just what a mess we would make of His perfect design. Yet again, He was not caught off-guard – He had a plan. He spoke of His plan to fallen man in Genesis 3:15 and foretold of the Messiah through Old Testament prophets. Luke writes, “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.” (2:1). Luke’s use of “in those days” suggests he may have been unsure of the precise date, but there’s nothing imprecise about Jesus. Luke uses 20 verses to describe the Event of all events, giving all we need to know about He of Whom the angels spoke, He of Whom the prophets proclaimed, and He Who would redeem the sinful soul of man. There’s no detail missing – nothing left to chance – not one careless random act. Absolutely not! Everything conceived, planned, and carried out by God Who loves us so. Jesus, The Word (John 1:14), came and was everything ungenerate man needed. The date of His arrival may be somewhat imprecise to us, but rest fully in this: He is The Precise Savior! “Glory be to God in the highest!” Amen and Amen.

Make Room

What fun I have had preparing a guest room several years ago! When Danny moved into his new house, we were left with a vacant bedroom. I promptly declared it the "guest room." Dennis & Dustin promptly wanted to know who was going to sleep in the room. The answer is simple: guests only!

No one likes the sign, "No Vacancy," but that’s exactly what a weary Joseph and Mary found in Bethlehem. The Savior of the world to be born, and no vacancy! Had God overlooked something? Of course not! The inn of Luke 2:7, actually a cave, is believed to lie beneath the A.D. 30 Church of the Nativity. It [most likely] in an adjoining stable that The Messiah was born. No room for The King? Much like our lives today -- no room for The King. This very season of year when we would honor Him, we squeeze Him into a few carols and display Him in nativity scenes yet leave Him out of our lives. We allow the hustle and bustle of the Season to declare "No Vacancy" in hearts which would otherwise honor Him. The Season is still young: hear Him in the music, feel Him in a touch to the lonely and needy, speak of Him to others, and worship Him in every opportunity. Declare room for The Savior today!

Rest

Whenever I think about all Mr. Bill and I did to provide for three hearty boys -- food, shampoo, food, towels, food, toothpaste, food, clothes, food, ball practices, food, deodorant, food, homework checks ... oh me, I need to rest! There are many reasons why we parent-types do these things – one which is these children choose our nursing homes!

Who do you think consoled Jesus when [as a child] He was treated unfairly, who cleaned His skinned knees, dried His teary eyes, or sang a lullaby as He fought sleep. It was Jesus' chosen [earthly] parents -- Mary and Joseph. Oh, how anxious they must have been at times considering their responsibilities for The Christ. How amazing God’s redemptive plan included Jesus’ earthly parents -- the Redeemer for Mary and Joseph. It was at the cross and the empty tomb where Jesus won healing, gave hope, produced peace for the sin oppressed, and defeated death. All this for Mary and Joseph ... and, yes, for you and I. Provisions have been made ... rest!

Greatest Treasure

In February 2000 I visited the ruins of Beth Shan in Israel, an ancient and remarkably glorious city. Like most Roman cities, in its day. the main street led to a busy marketplace and magnificent amphitheater. This main thoroughfare was the center of the city - its "cardo," a term from which we derive our English word “heart.”

 

Author and speaker, Barbara Johnson, writes: "All that is worth cherishing in this world begins in the heart, not in the head."  Interestingly, those things we unconsciously treasure tend to become off-center.  The Bible describes Mary's treasure after Jesus' birth: "But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart." (Luke 2:19)  Just as the physical heart is the center of the body’s comings & goings, so is the spiritual heart!  We foolishly fill our hearts with passing treasures, leaving little room for the useful and the lasting.  Mary heard the angels' message from the shepherds about The Savior -- the very Child whom she carried, birthed, and nourished that very night. His message was and would forever be The Treasure of her heart. What if our treasures, too, were of eternal significance and we held them just as closely as Mary held the Christ-child that night?  Would we not also find priceless treasures of peace, comfort, rest, security, and eternity in Christ Jesus.  Something terribly significant happened that night: Mary gave birth to (delivered) Jesus and that very same Jesus gave

new birth to Mary -- delivered her soul for all eternity. He gave her a new heart filled with the Greatest Treasure of all -- "the Savior Who is Christ the Lord." (V.11)  Do not miss the Treasure of Christ this season – ponder His message and hold Him close.

Make Some Noise!

Juke boxes are not high on my list of favorite things!  I cannot count the times when the restaurant was peaceful and quiet when some thunderous racket [oops, I mean music] invaded.  Rarely, and I mean rarely, does it end with one song.  Usually, you can count on it just getting worse!

 

The Old Testament Prophet Isaiah was quite a noise-maker in his day!  One of the things he declared was the coming of The Messiah: "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)  We sing "Silent Night," but I suspect Bethlehem was anything but silent that night! Aside from the huge numbers of people in town for the census, I imagine the angels made some real noise!  I cannot imagine Heaven's choir singing softly or [actually] holding anything back; they most likely couldn’t contain themselves because they knew well Who had just arrived to earth. Isaiah, the angels, the shepherds all trumpeted the Good News of Jesus’ Birth so why do we have such trouble telling It?  It's time to make some noise!  Share His Story with someone!

Birth Announcement

Ella’s birth in 2011 and Caleb’s in 2013 were notably the events-of-the-year! Of course, there were many other really good and terribly exciting events in those two years, but the arrival of grands … were ultimately the grandest!

Matthew writes, “Now this is how the birth of Jesus came about. His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.” (1:18) The Old Testament writers, King David – Zechariah – Malachi - Micah all wrote of the coming Messiah, and Isaiah perhaps gave one of the most famous birth announcements: “Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His Name Emmanuel.” (7:14) How fitting that a new bright star appears in the sky for the arrival of The Light in Bethlehem, and Heaven’s angels herald His perfectly timed arrival. A writer of words, even I stumble to fully describe Ella & Caleb; nor can we adequately comprehend and convey the richness of Jesus Christ. King of kings, Light of the World, Morning Star, Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor, Lamb of God, Savior of the World, Good Shepherd, The Way, Lord of lords, Hope of Israel, Lord and Master, Anointed One, Bread of Life, Chief Cornerstone, Great High Priest, Holy and Righteous One, Lord of Glory, Messiah, Teacher, The Truth, Word of God, Alpha and Omega, Immanuel, Jesus. Oh, my, what a birth announcement!