Month: December 2017

My last prayer of the year is that you, my precious, loved ones, will know joy in your lives.  This season we have celebrated all month- it’s all about joy, isn’t it? The joy of friendship and family, of giving and receiving, of the mystery being revealed and the shocking surprise of God in the body of an infant wrapped tightly and laid in an animal’s feeding trough.

Joy to the world! The LORD is come!

But joy comes at a price, my friends. Happiness, not so much.  There is nothing wrong with happiness, but it is fleeting compared with joy. Like the difference between a gift a stranger chose- always fun but not very significant- compared with the gift of a close friend, which speaks of love invested over time.

And there it is.  Joy costs time and effort. It grows in us when we pursue, when we love, when we pay attention. God spent centuries preparing us for the gift of his son. But the joy of that gift isn’t necessarily apparent at first glance or first telling. In fact, the big warning that comes with the gift is “do not fear!”

So this is my prayer for you (and, of course, me). Do not fear the very things that will bring you joy.  Have the fortitude of heart to invest your time in knowing God through scripture, prayer, fasting, godly friendships.  Seek God with your whole heart.  Live your life led by his Spirit, and the fruit growing in you will be, among many others, joy.

Father, you always go first.  Anything you ask of us, you have already given.  Thank you for this beautiful story that shows your commitment to us, your love for us.  I pray we would commit to you, that we would love you with our whole hearts.  I pray that we would seek you through the disciplines that allow your Spirit to gain strength and power in our lives- time in your word and with your Word, meditation and solitude, fasting and giving.  I pray, Father, that joy would grow in us as we invest our time and effort into knowing you. #prayersformychildren #advent2017

i just don’t think we could have created more chaotic circumstances- don’t you think we lack the imagination? There was nothing sweet about the announcement of Mary’s pregnancy, or the beginning of her marriage to Joseph.  She didn’t have a mom or aunt to help her deliver her first child in a well prepared room surrounded by excited relatives. It was just Mary, Joseph, a feeding trough and the home of the animals no one would ever allow into the house.  No, not a peaceful beginning at all.

Let’s go back to Mary and Joseph.  They were asked to do a hard thing. Sure, the news was delivered by angels and that’s exciting, but then they had to live out their obedience in the days and weeks of daily life. I really doubt that the people of Nazareth bought their story. Individually, they had decided to trust God. Together, as they began life together in obedience, it can’t have been easy. Or peaceful.

Then the trip to Bethlehem. Panic, because there is nowhere to stay. Pain and fear because this baby is coming, ready or not. Confusion- where did these shepherds come from? And the guys from the East? Fear and doubt again- have to go to Egypt to keep the child safe.

Still, not a peaceful life. Those beautiful words, “Let it be to me according to your will” sure didn’t seem to bring anything good to Mary’s life.

Sometimes, kids, your life will seem that way too.  You will think you were trusting and obeying, but nothing is going right for you. You will be tempted to doubt your decision, or maybe to doubt God and his love for you.

My prayer is that during those times, you will seek after God even more determinedly.  Ask the hard questions, tell him about the doubts and fears, but keep “reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life” (Phil 3:13, 4:6-7)

Father, I pray that my kids would know the peace that comes from seeking you in every part of their lives.  I pray they will bring all their worries and fears to you, that every decision will be made through the power and direction of the Holy Spirit. I pray that your peace, within and without, will guard their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Thank you, Father, for this priceless gift.  #prayersformychildren #advent 2017

There’s only one “if” in love.  We live our lives as if there were lots of ifs…

if I’m nice. Or beautiful. Or smart.

if I’m worthy

if I behave right

if love even exists

But you know, God is love so that means he gets to define it.  And it turns out, there it is right there in the story he gave us through his Word.  It exists, and it is ours just because we exist, says our Father and creator.

“Like a shepherd he will tend his flock, in his arm he will gather the lambs, hugging them as they go.” (Isaiah 40:11)

And then came the day that the story got really crazy, and God was born in squalor so we could see what love truly looks like. But that was just the beginning, and we still have trouble making sense of the love God shows through his earthly life, death, resurrection and ascension.

But there is an if. It’s just not the if we expect, and it’s not the if that our cheap imitation love asks.

If we say yes. And if we do, we will never be the same.

I just wish we all could answer the if the way the first human ever asked in the name of our Messiah did, when the angel came to Mary with the news she would carry the child named Jesus.

I will never not be amazed at Mary’s response.

“Let it be with me just as you say.”

When presented with God’s love, her answer was yes.

Here it is. God loves. His love is present, unconditional, unwavering, and complete. We just have to decide if we will accept it. If we will say yes. If we will invite its power to enter into who we are, powering us to become what we were created to be, as Mary did.

Father, your love is so big, so powerful and beautiful that we have trouble understanding. I pray that my kids- and all those I love- would wrestle with your word, pay attention to your story so that we can understand that there is only one if in love.  If we say yes. I pray we would put aside our attempts to earn, deserve, bargain or pay for this gift you offer. I pray we would also put aside our attempts to control so that we become fully surrendered to the power of your love in us just as Mary did. Father, may we all say, wholeheartedly for all our days, “let it be with me just as you say.” #prayersformychildren #advent2017

 

Kids, have you figured this out yet? We are so messed up.  Humans, that is.  We always figure out a way to misunderstand, to cause injury, to just somehow get it wrong.  Sometimes it’s because we are clueless, but a lot of times our pride, arrogance, selfishness get in the way.  The only way to really live blameless lives is to learn how to apologize. A lot.

So we open Christmas season with a wonderful word- hope.  “Confident expectation,” as all my bible teachers like to say.  It’s going to happen.  It has started happening, but it’s not complete yet. I know this because…see opening paragraph.  I keep messing things up.

What is this hope? What does it have to do with the Christmas season and a baby born is such odd-  even messed up-  circumstances? I love the way it is characterized in the Message version of 1 Peter 1.

“So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.”” ‭‭(1 Peter‬ ‭1:13-16‬ ‭MSG‬‬). That is so, so worth  hoping in.

Father, thank you for the joy and hope of this season.  Thank you for the astoundingly beautiful story of your Son’s sacrificial birth; I pray our hearts never harden to its wonder. But Father, this week- this week we thank you for the hope that you will pull our lives into the shape of you, that you will make something beautiful and holy out of the dust and clay that we are. Thank you for touching our weak and flawed offerings and turning them into masterpieces worth sharing. And thank you for our future in your presence for eternity. May each of these children whom we love so much know this hope deep in their souls.  #prayersformychildren #advent2017