Next Stop Joy

“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.’ When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.”
Matthew 1:20-21 & 24

When we last saw Mary she was in the Judean hill country visiting Elizabeth. Elizabeth had confirmed that what the angel had told Mary had indeed taken place. Now Elizabeth had given birth to John and it was time for Mary to head home. Three months had passed and Mary knew that there would be questions, hard questions when she got there.

Everything the angel had said had been true. Elizabeth had her son John in her old age. Mary was now carrying God’s Son in her womb. She had, had peace while with Mary - they understood what it meant to have God work in their lives in impossible ways. I think Mary made the trip home confident that God would protect His child but would she have to have this child alone was a real question. The Scriptures don’t tell us much about Mary’s arrival back home. We don’t know how her parents responded or how her friends reacted to the changes taking place. We do know about Joseph though. Can you imagine how he must have felt? He knew there was no way the child was his. Could he really believe Mary had been unfaithful? Scriptures tell us he was a righteous man and planned to divorce her quietly so has not to publically disgrace her.

Then Joseph also received a visit from an angel who tells him “don’t be afraid of me or of taking Mary as your wife.” The angel would confirm Mary’s story of how the child in her womb came to be. With that visit Joseph got his own dose of peace, so he got up and went to see Mary.

Can you imagine the joy? The man Mary loved - believed her, still loved her and still wanted her as his wife. Oh the joy to know that she would not have to continue this journey alone - Joseph would be by her side and the joy of knowing that God was taking care of things so that His Son would have a good family.

No matter what you are facing - if the Lord has brought you hope, peace won’t be far behind and joy is there around the next bend. You see joy doesn’t depend on your circumstances it’s another of the amazing gifts God has for you and I.

Hope and peace are great traveling companions. Next stop joy!

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for the many amazing gifts you have for us. Thank you for hope and peace. Thank you for the joy comes along on the journey with us even during the difficult bits. May the joy that you give us shine brightly into the world around us and may it draw others to You. In the name of Jesus, who gives us joy – Amen.

Road Sign - Peace Ahead

“But why am I so favored, 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 what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished.”

Luke 1:43-45

Last time began a journey; following Mary on her way to all that the Lord had for her. The trip started with a bit of fear, but hope pushed the fear away. Have you ever been in a place where you are feeling hopeful but then doubt starts to creep in? The next step isn’t clear, you worry that you will be the right turn off or that whatever brought you hope to start with might not be true. I know I do and so like Mary I look for road signs.

As reassurance that all he had said to come to pass Gabriel had told Mary that her relative Elizabeth was having a baby in her old age in answer to her own earnest prayers. In a way Gabriel was telling Mary - look for the road sign that say peace ahead. After her chat with the angel Mary got ready and headed for the hill country to see Elizabeth. It turns out that Elizabeth’s response to Mary’s “Hello, Elizabeth I’ve come to visit” is the road sign Gabriel had spoken about. That where we join this leg of Mary’s journey.

Keep in mind, there is nothing in the Scriptures to indicate that anyone else knew about Gabriel’s visit to Mary or that she had been chosen to carry God’s Son. What reason did she give her family for wanting and needing to go and visit Elizabeth? Whatever she said, she left quickly and upon arrival was met with confirmation of what the angel had said. Elizabeth was indeed pregnant in her old age and with a special child as well. A child already filled with the Holy Spirit even in his mother’s womb. Elizabeth’s response confirms that Mary is already pregnant with the Son of the Most High. I can imagine the peace she must have felt as she understood she hadn’t dreamt the angel encounter - it was all true and that by going to Elizabeth she hadn’t missed the road sign the angel told her to look for.

Have you ever been in a place where finally you are feeling hopeful and hope filled only to have doubt try to creep in, bring fear along with it? Keep an eye out for the road sign that says peace ahead. It might be a word in the Scripture that chases the fear and doubt out replacing it with peace. More than likely it will be someone or something that confirms the reason for hope and upon that build up peace.

We have hope and the journey is leading to peace. Be watching for the road sign - Peace ahead.

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for understanding that even though we have hope, we often begin to have doubts. Thank you for putting road signs in our life that will encourage us, confirm for us that we are on the right road and lead us to a place of peace in the journey. Show us how we can be a road sign of peace ahead to those around us who are in danger of losing hope. In the name of Jesus, The road sign for peace ahead – Amen.

A Journey Begins from Fear to Hope

“The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! 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.’ Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.’ ‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered.”
Luke 1:28-30; 36-38a

An ordinary girl in an ordinary town on an ordinary day so long ago would begin an extraordinary journey to an extraordinary life. The journey begins with an extraordinary visitor with a strange greeting that caused some fear. She didn’t shy away though, she listened to every amazing word that her visitor spoke, she asked reasonable questions when it was appropriate. When the visitor had spoken all he’d come to say, she said she’d go and do and that all should happen just as the visitor said it should.

The passage for this week is from Luke’s Gospel and is really the very beginning of we call the Christmas story. I always find it amazing that angels always have to say “don’t be afraid” when they are sent to talk with one of us humans. So imagine how Mary must have felt when Gabriel turns up with his odd greeting and his this is what God has planned for your now not so ordinary life words. Having perhaps recovered a bit from the angel’s arrival, I am not so sure the fear had fully subsided as Gabriel began to tell her about God’s plan. You see God’s plan was no small thing in Mary’s world and it could very well have left her completely alone in the world or worse – dead.

But, Gabriel tells Mary something that brings hope into view. Her very old relative Elizabeth was having a child of her own because “nothing is impossible for God”. As Mary’s life changing journey begins she is moved from fear to hope, enough hope that she is able to tell Gabriel that she’ll do it, she’ll carry God’s Son.

Gabriel didn’t tell her that everything would be rosy and perfect. He didn’t assure her that Joseph would accept her and the child. He didn’t tell her about any of the stuff she would have to face in the months and years ahead. He told her simply that something that was impossible had become possible and that no matter what she would be able to count on her God.

Maybe you are facing something scary, something that is leaving you feeling a bit anxious. Maybe you are in a raging life storm and feel like you are going to get swamped by the next wave or knocked out of the boat by the next gust of wind. Whatever it is happening the advent journey begins with fear and moves to hope – because nothing is impossible with God.

Let’s journey together from fear to hope.

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for moving us from fear to hope as we journey through this life. Times can be hard and sometimes it can seem like it will be impossible for us to overcome what we are facing. But Gabriel told your servant Mary that nothing is impossible for You. So grant us the faith to believe his words are true and that You are with us making the impossible possible and bring us hope and an extraordinary life. In the name of Jesus, who has made the most important thing possible – Amen.

Thankful For The Rock

“The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation.
Psalm 18:2

The refrain from an old hymn had been running through my mind since Thanksgiving. Perhaps you will recognize it: On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. There is nothing in particular happening in my life which is perhaps the reason for my brain reminding me that I need to make sure I am standing on the solid Rock always. It could also be that the tune is running about in my brain because several people that I know are dealing with some pretty stressful stuff in their lives and maybe this encouragement will turn up at just the right time.

David’s life was full up ups and downs. The ups were amazing like defeating Goliath when no one else had the courage to even try or being anointed as the second king of Israel. What about being considered a man after God’s own heart – that a pretty amazing thing. Unfortunately, the downs David faced were as brutal as the ups were amazing. Imagine someone throwing spears at you or having to act like a crazy person in order to escape an enemy. What about having to be on the run and hiding out in caves? The passage above comes from one David’s psalms and is really a song of praise and gratitude. God – his Rock had delivered David from one of the really downer time and the first thing out of David’s mouth are I love you Lord, followed by you are my Rock.

The ups we see in our own lives are different but just as amazing as the ones in David had. While we may not have someone throwing literal spears at us – sometimes is certainly feel like life is chucking spears at us fast than we can duck. Isn’t it great to know that Jesus is our Rock, our Fortress, our Redeemer and that no matter what we are facing we can find refuge in Him. He is that place where we can hide if that’s what we need to do. He is that place where we can find rest for sure. He is that place where our wounded souls can be tended to and made whole again. He gives us an unshakable foundation upon which to stand.

I know some of you are ducking because some serious life spears are being thrown at you. Some of you maybe sinking into the muck and mire that life can sometimes be. Some of you hopefully are singing praises from the mountain top you are standing on at the moment.

Isn’t it great that in Christ Jesus we all have a Rock who is a fortress when we need one and foundation that we can always stand on.

I am thankful for the Rock. How about you?

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for being our Rock, our Fortress, our Redeemer and our Rock solid foundation. May we be thankful always for Jesus who is our cornerstone and capstone holding our lives together no matter what life is throwing at us. Show us how we can invite others to join us on the Rock. In the name of Jesus, our Rock – Amen.

A Restored Soul, Yes! Thank You

“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, je leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.”
Psalm 23:1-3a

I had been chatting with one of my awesome volunteers and she was telling me about a book she was reading at the time. I don’t remember the title of the book or the author but one of the characters in the early pages was a little boy who was terminally ill and working to memorize Psalm 23. This little boy was trying to understand what “restore my soul” meant. Someone explained it to him, if my memory serves, this way – “that even if the outside can’t be fixed, the Lord can fix the inside.” What a powerful statement!

We need out inside fixed more than anything don’t we. This life can be brutal on our hearts, our minds and our souls. The pace of life, that the world says we should live at is so fast, that we miss the amazing creation we live in, we miss divine appointments and we even miss His voice trying to speak to us. With the pace of life being so fast, when our bodies or our circumstances turn on us it doesn’t take long for hope to start failing or for anger to replace kindness.

If life is less than perfect – and it usually is, the holidays seems to magnify all the bad bits and hide the good bits. That when we need our Shepherd to find us, pull us out of the muck and mire we find ourselves in and lead us back to the place that He has made safe for us. Here in His pasture we find rest, and nourishment. He’ll soothe our emotions and bring healing to our souls so that we will be strengthened for all that we must face on this planet.

See Jesus came to transform us from the inside out - to restore our minds, our hearts and our souls, for those are thing things we need to love Him the way ought. When we love him the way we should we can love others, we can choose to be kind, we can slow down so we have time for those divine appointments and we can hear his voice in the quiet.

Will a restored inside make life in this world any easier – no, He never said it would. It will help us to deal with whatever the world throws at us. It will remind us that the Shepherd is nearby to lead us to rest, to put soothing balm on any wounds and to make us stronger than we can imagine being.

I don’t know what you are facing today. Maybe you are travelling pretty well right now – your soul may still need some restoration though. Maybe life is a raging storm and you are feeling battered and bruised – the Shepherd is out looking for you and when He call for you don’t run from Him, stand still and let Him come and get you. Some rest and restoration will help to keep going until the storm is over.

A restored soul? Yes, please and thank you!

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for being the Shepherd of our lives. Thank you for coming to look for us when we stray or when we’ve been wounded by life. Thank you for restoring our hearts, minds and souls. Once we have rested and received Your healing touch, help us to share Your goodness and faithfulness with those around us who are in need to your inside out transforming work that restores souls and brings rest. In the name of Jesus, who is our Shepherd and restores our souls – Amen.

Thankful for the Son

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”
Hebrews 1:3

After what seemed like a month’s worth of cold, gray and damp days the sun was finally shining over Kansas. There is nothing like a little sun to help lift people’s spirits and make us thankful for the light and warmth that it brings. Whenever the sun breaks through the gloom of a cold gray day it reminds me of Jesus and that magnifies the effects of the sun shiny day.

I really like how this week’s passage describes Jesus. The Son (that is Jesus) as the radiance of God’s glory. Radiant like the sun only magnified oh I don’t know maybe a million times or a billion times. Back in the Old Testament book of Exodus we can catch a glimpse of just how radiant God is. After talking with God on the mountain, Moses’ face reflected God’s radiant glory. Sort of like a supernatural, but painless Son burn. The first time the people saw Moses with his radiant face they were afraid because they knew that he had talked to God and lived. That first time Moses shared the words of God with the people and then covered his face. Going on from there when the people saw Moses’ radiant face, they knew the he had been talking with God and that no doubt he had a message for them. So imagine how bright God’s glory really is. Just the thought of that makes me thankful, what about you?

During Jesus’ time on this planet I think we catch some glimpse of His radiance – when he is baptized, on the mountain with Moses and Elijah, after His resurrection and perhaps at His ascension. The writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is the radiance of God and an exact representation of God’s all sustaining power.

Was there radiance in his sun kissed face? Was there radiance in his calloused hands? Was there radiance in his dusty feet? What about in his tears or in his sweat in the garden? Was there radiance in His nail scarred hands and feed? Was there radiance in His healing touch or in His words? I think the answer of course is yes. His humanness may have acted like Moses’ veil, but I believe it was there just under the surface beaming out from His heart and just controlled enough so that He could walk and talk with us.

On this particular sunny day, that has chased the gray away I am thankful for the sun and I am so much more thankful for the Son – how about you?

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for the sun and thank you for Your Son who shows us your radiant glory and your all sustaining power. Remind us when the sun breaks through the clouds that Jesus came to set us free and purify us from our sin and for that we thank you. As we draw nearer to You help our lives to reflect a bit of His radiance to those around us. In the name of Jesus, who shines with His Father’s glory. – Amen.

Child of God - Be Thankful

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!”
1 John 3:1

There’s a song we’ve been singing in church from Bethel Music, sung by Jonathan David and Melissa Helser called No Longer Slaves. It is really a song of freedom and thankfulness. The chorus says simply “I’m no longer a slave to fear. I am a child of God.” I think sometimes we fail to fully comprehend the depth of what it means to be a child of God. So why child of God should we be thankful?

This week verse starts us off – we should be thankful because of the great love our Father God has lavished on us. Seriously the Creator of the universe loves us more than we can even fathom with our mere human minds and hearts. He lavishes us with love through the beautiful world we live in. Consider the lilies of the field, the birds of the air and all of the amazing creatures we share this planet with – there for His pleasure and ours, there to show us glimpses of God’s character.

We should be thankful that He was willing to take on the form of us, to be born into the world the way we are so that He could understand what we face and why we fall and at times choose slavery to things that keep us from really knowing Him. We should be thankful because His death for our sins and his resurrection breaks every chains for those who decide to believe and follow after Him.

We should be thankful because His lavish love drives out fear, moves mountains, splits seas and holds us tightly when we have no choice but to face the storms of life. We should be thankful because He has rescued us from sin and death and calls us into His kingdom, granting us dual citizenship to wherever we live on this planet and the His Kingdom, until the time we see him face to face and enter fully into the King of God. We should be thankful that He calls us son and daughter, and that we have not only the responsibility of being part of His royal family but also all the privileges.

We should be thankful, because He will never leave us, even when we try to leave Him. We should be thankful because when He looks at us He sees us for who we really are and still lavishes His love on us. We should be thankful because when He looks at us He sees the reflection of Jesus and sees who we are becoming and He is pleased.

So who are you? You are a child of God – be thankful.

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for the love You so lavishly pour out on us. Love that allows us to become Your child, members of Your family and citizens of Your Kingdom. Love that drives out fear, moves obstacles out of our way and holds us tightly in the midst of life’s many storms. May that lavish love pour out of our lives and into the lives of those around us, that they too can call you Father and be a child of God. In the name of Jesus, who made the way for us to be called sons and daughters. – Amen.