Destination Love

“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’”
Luke 2:15

It’s been quite a journey, but then the journey of life is quite an adventure isn’t it. We have traveled with Mary as she overcame fear to find hope knowing that God planned to use her ordinary life to carry out his extraordinary plan. We followed her as she walked from her home to the Judean hill country to see Elizabeth and gain peace as all Gabriel had spoken to her is confirmed. We witness what must have bought great joy to her as Joseph in his God given righteousness still takes her as his wife, because he loved God and he loved her.

Together they have journeyed to Bethlehem to be counted in the census. When they arrived at their destination they found the town filled with people and there is no room for them. Imagine what it would be like in our modern world to turn up at a hospital to have a baby only to be turned away because they were full. What must it have been like for them not having a comfortable place to have their baby in? One person gave them the only space left, a place among the animals. Perhaps it was a bit smelly, but it was warm and dry. There was a comfortable place to lay their new son. It was a good destination for love to truly enter into the world.

As Jesus is being born, God has sent another messenger to our planet, to share good news of great joy with a bunch of shepherds. As soon as the angel choir disappears these shepherds who in a matter of moments have traveled from fear to hope to peace to joy set out to see this child, to reach their destination of love.

The shepherds would share the news with all who would listen and return to their work, praising God for all they had seen, realizing their lives would never be the same because Love had chosen them and had made its destination their hearts.

Jesus’ journey would take many turns; detours even as He traveled to the destination love would lead Him to - the cross.

Fear becomes hope. Hope leads to peace. Hope and peace are great traveling companions and with them we find joy. But our destination is the most important, our destination is love - the love we can only find in Jesus.

A Prayer
Father – Thank you for the greatest gift we can ever hope to receive - the love of your Son. A love that allows us to live without fear, filled with hope, peace and joy. A love that changes cold, hard hearts to ones that beat for you. A love that restores our relationship with You and fills us to overflowing. Show us the people around who need to make the journey to Your heart and help us journey with them. In the name of Jesus, who is our destination love – Amen.

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.