Not Ready To Let Go

Today is December 30th.
I’m still hearing Christmas hymns on the radio.
AND I LIKE IT!

Christmas is simply hard to let go of.
I’m not talking about the frenzy of decorating – shopping – wrapping – cookie ing – shopping – visiting – shopping – parties – etc.

I’m talking about the PERFECT part of Christmas.
Remembering a big miracle in such a small child.
Remembering a humble couple grappling with the responsibility of raising the Son of God.
Remembering that we would all remain lost without this event.
Remembering the Perfect Love that decided this should be this way.

Of COURSE we don’t want to let it go! Of course the Christmas hymns linger for another week!  Why would we want to forget that God loves us puny humans THAT much! The greatness of the Love, the process to save everyone, the willingness of Jesus to humiliate Himself for us so readily, just to keep us from being swallowed by Satan’s evil…

For a month or two we have Christmas bombarding our heads each year. And for the week afterwards we wean ourselves off the intensity of the greatness and the wonder. Christmas reminds us of the beginning of our Salvation.

No other holiday in the United States evokes such a feeling of “let down” that needs such a weaning. Think about it:
The media  doesn’t continue to play patriotic songs  on the fifth of July.
Nor does the media care so much about leaving the Thanksgiving holiday behind.
Valentine’s day is forgotten by February 15th (except for the stores steeply discounting their leftover merchandise).
Even Easter is off by the wayside the day after….and how many Easter hymns are recognized by the general public anyway? (And yeah, Easter should be a bigger deal too, but that’s another post for another time)

But CHRISTMAS…That one is definitely a media feast — and I’m not talking about the commercial stuff. Christmas in the United States has the hymns all over the radio for the entire season and then some; even on the non-Christian radio stations. The television stations have Christmas movies all over the place; classics and newbies, all bespeaking the sense of love and miracles that is the common thread in Christmas, even through New Year’s Day. Newspapers feature Christmas stories related to charities, churches, Christ, and children.  Church members practice their lines for Christmas plays, and lawns display Nativity scenes to commemorate the momentous occasion.

And all of these decorations, displays, hymns, and stories don’t stop immediately the day after Christmas.
No.
Instead, they slowly wind down. In truth, we really don’t want to let it go so fast.

And that’s exactly how it should be.

C.H.R.I.S.T.M.A.S.

C — Christ Child came to be.
H — Holy Angels in the Lea.
R — Running shepherds ran to see.
I — Isaiah’s newborn prophecy.*
S — Sheltered in a stable cold.
T — Twinkling star shining bold.
M — Magi came with gifts of gold.
A — A Christmas story to be told.
S — Son of God,gift of life, always be our guiding light.

*Isaiah 6:9 – For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (NIV)

The Christmas Story

THIS IS A REPEAT POST FROM DECEMBER 2010. WE FELT IT WAS IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO BE RE-POSTED AT THIS TIME. GOD BLESS!

I heard on the radio today that 28% of families do NOT read the Biblical Christmas Story out loud during the Christmas season!

We think that’s just an awful number, so we decided to post the entirety of the Christmas Story right here for those who don’t happen to have a Bible at home: (Taken from the King James Version on Biblegateway.com)

Matthew 1:18-2:14 (King James Version)

¹⁸Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

¹⁹Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.

²⁰But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

²¹And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

²²Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

²³Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

²⁴Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:

²⁵And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

Matthew 2

¹Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

²Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

³When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

⁴And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

⁵And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,

⁶And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

⁷Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

⁸And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

⁹When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.

¹⁰When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

¹¹And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.

¹²And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

¹³And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.

¹⁴When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:

Luke 1:1-55

Luke 1

¹Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,

²Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;

³It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,

⁴That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.

⁵THERE was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.

⁶And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

⁷And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.

⁸And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course,

⁹According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.

¹⁰And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.

¹¹And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

¹²And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

¹³But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

¹⁴And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.

¹⁵For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.

¹⁶And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.

¹⁷And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

¹⁸And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.

¹⁹And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.

²⁰And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.

²¹And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple.

²²And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.

²³And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.

²⁴And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,

²⁵Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.

²⁶And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

²⁷To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

²⁸And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

²⁹And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

³⁰And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

³¹And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

³²He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

³³And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

³⁴Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

³⁵And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

³⁶And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.

³⁷For with God nothing shall be impossible.

³⁸And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

³⁹And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;

⁴⁰And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.

⁴¹And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:

⁴²And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

⁴³And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

⁴⁴For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

⁴⁵And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.

⁴⁶And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,

⁴⁷And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

⁴⁸For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

⁴⁹For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.

⁵⁰And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.

⁵¹He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

⁵²He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.

⁵³He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

⁵⁴He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;

⁵⁵As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

Luke 2:1-20

Luke 2

¹And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

²(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

³And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

⁴And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

⁵To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

⁶And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

⁷And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

⁸And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

⁹And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

¹⁰And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

¹²And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

¹⁴Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

¹⁵And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

¹⁶And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

¹⁷And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

¹⁸And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

¹⁹But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

²⁰And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

The Star of Bethlehem

It has been my experience that the Jehovah’s Witnesses consider the Star of Bethlehem to have been a device of Satan, primarily because it led the magi to King Herod, who wanted to kill Jesus.

Since it is that time of year in which the Star of Bethlehem is often spoken of, I thought I’d take the opportunity to discuss this matter, and perhaps prepare readers with a good answers in case any Jehovah’s Witnesses bring this up in conversation:

The biblical account of the Star of Bethlehem has very definite doctrinal points in the world wide congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Here is the whole biblical account as it reads in their Bible at Matthew 2:1-12 (The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures):

(1) After Jesus had been born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, look! Astrologers from the eastern parts came to Jerusalem, (2) saying: “Where is the one born king of the Jews? For we saw his star [when we were] in the east, and we have come to do him obeisance”. (3) At hearing this King Herod was agitated, and all Jerusalem along with him, (4) and on gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people he began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born. (5) They said to him: “In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is how it has been written through the prophet, (6) ‘And you, O Bethlehem of the land of Judah, are by no means the most insignificant [city] among the governors of Judah; for out of you will come forth a governing one, who will shepherd my people, Israel.’” (7) Then Herod secretly summoned the astrologers and carefully ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearing; (8) and, when sending them to Bethlehem he said: “Go make a careful search for the young child, and when you have found it report back to me, that I too may go and do it obeisance.” (9) When they had heard the king, they went their way; and, look! the star they had seen [when they were] in the east went ahead of them, until it came to a stop above where the young child was. (10) On seeing the star they rejoiced very much indeed. (11) And when they went into the house they saw the young child with Mary its mother, and, falling down, they did obeisance to it. They also opened their treasures and presented it with gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. (12) However, because they were given divine warning in a dream not to return to Herod, they withdrew to their country by another way.

Many people take notice that The New World Translation describes the men as “astrologers” instead of “magi“. In the original Greek language, the word used was “magi” — something the Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures, 1969 edition agrees with. According to Strong’s Concordance, “magi” is word # G3097 and is defined as:

• “Of foreign origin [H7248]; a Magian, that is, Oriental scientist; by implication a magician: – sorcerer, wise man.”

Since the definition does not specifically include the word “astrologer” we searched Strong’s for the Greek word for “astrologer” in the New Testament. Interestingly, a Greek word for “astrologer” simply does not exist in the Strong’s, meaning that a specific word for “astrologer” is not in the New Testament. Did astrologers exist in the New Testament? Most likely they did since astrology is closely linked to magic and sorcery. However, we find it curious that the writers of the New World Translation chose a specific discipline of magic — astrology — to describe these men, since the original Greek word doesn’t actually translate in such a specific way.

JEHOVAH’S WITNESS VIEWPOINT

The most unique belief that the Jehovah’s Witnesses have regarding this biblical account is that the Star of Bethlehem was a product of Satan the Devil, not a provision from God. Here is one place in which they explain this:

• Awake! July 8 (1994) pp.6-7 Probably one of the best-known stars mentioned in the Bible is “the star” of Bethlehem that guided the astrologers from “eastern parts” to the house where Jesus had been taken by his parents after his birth in a stable. What was that star? Certainly it was not an ordinary one, since it was low enough for the astrologers to follow it for about a thousand miles [1,600 km]. “The star” led them first to Jerusalem. Hearing of this, King Herod questioned them and then decided to kill the infant Jesus. Then “the star” led the astrologers to the particular house where Jesus was living. Certainly no normal star could do that. Did this starlike object originate with God? Since the astrologers’ visit led indirectly to the slaughter of ‘all the boys in Bethlehem and in all its districts from two years of age and under,’ is it not reasonable to conclude that “the star” was something used by God’s Adversary, Satan, in an attempt to destroy God’s Son?—Matthew 2:1-11, 16. It should also be borne in mind that the astrologers came from the East, perhaps from Babylon, which was an ancient center of magic, sorcery, and astrology. A number of heavenly bodies have been named after Babylon’s gods. In the days of King Nebuchadnezzar, divination was used to help him decide which route to take in his battle campaign.—Ezekiel 21:20-22.

Note that the article states that the star caused “the astrologers to follow it for about a thousand miles [1,600 km]” , and that it “led them first to Jerusalem“. Note, also, that this article states that these “astrologers came…perhaps from Babylon“. Although Jerusalem and Babylon were only 500 miles apart in a straight line geographically, the actual roads of travel between them did cause the Journey to be about 1,000 miles. The problem, though, is that the biblical passage doesn’t confirm any of this, as it merely states that they came “from the eastern parts“! It is only through speculation that the article decides that the astrologers/magi came 1,000 miles from Babylon. Although anyone can assume where these men came from, the Bible’s actual information is really quite vague. At this point, it is only the personal opinion of the article that is being taught. If you do decided to go by the article’s opinion, you will need to know that a “day’s journey” is considered to be about 20 miles /32 kilometers (Watchtower Society teaching agrees with this: Insight On The Scriptures, Volume 2, p. 119). This would mean it would have taken the astrologers/magi about 25 days to travel from Babylon to Jerusalem, assuming that it was the journey they took. Since Joseph and Mary were still in Bethlehem when these “astrologers” arrived, although by this point in scripture they were now in a house in Bethlehem (instead of a barn with a manger), the Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the family stayed in Bethlehem for a while after the birth.  The Bible doesn’t state how long the family stayed before being divinely called to Egypt (Matthew 2:11-14).

The next interesting thing about this article is that it also states “The star led them first to Jerusalem“. But when you read the original Biblical account it says no such thing. The passage only states ” we saw his star [when we were] in the east, and we have come to do him obeisance“. They saw his star and then came — they didn’t say they “followed” his star to Jerusalem. The reality of the situation is that they recognized the star as a sign of Christ’s birth as a Jewish King. Since the Star was evidently positioned west of their location (which is why they came in from the east), it is logical that they’d assume they should go to Jerusalem because Jerusalem was known as the city in which the Jewish kings lived (David, Solomon, Rehoboam, Jehoshaphat, Mattaniah/Zedekiah, Ahab, Jehoram, etc.). In other words, if you were looking for a Jewish king then the first logical place you’d look would be Jerusalem. Their pilgrimage to Jerusalem was clearly a case of human error due to their own presumptions, not a clever scheme executed by Satan.
It is also notable that the Bible doesn’t speak of the Star as actually leading them until it was time to show them to the house in Bethlehem.

Okay, so the Star didn’t actually “lead” the astrologers/magi to Jerusalem. Could it still have been a product of Satan? Let’s take a look at another clip of information from Watchtower Society literature :

• Insight On the Scriptures, Vol.2 p.1033 “Star” Seen After Jesus’ Birth. The “astrologers from eastern parts,” hence from the neighborhood of Babylon, whose visit to King Herod after the birth of Jesus resulted in the slaughter of all the male infants in Bethlehem, were obviously not servants or worshipers of the true God. (Mt 2:1-18; see ASTROLOGERS.) As to the “star” (Gr., a‧ster′) seen by them, many suggestions have been given as to its having been a comet, a meteor, a supernova, or, more popularly, a conjunction of planets. None of such bodies could logically have ‘come to a stop above where the young child was,’ thereby identifying the one house in the village of Bethlehem where the child was found. It is also notable that only these pagan astrologers “saw” the star. Their condemned practice of astrology and the adverse results of their visit, placing in danger the life of the future Messiah, certainly allow for, and even make advisable, the consideration of their having been directed by a source adverse to God’s purposes as relating to the promised Messiah. It is certainly reasonable to ask if the one who “keeps transforming himself into an angel of light,” whose operation is “with every powerful work and lying signs and portents,” who was able to make a serpent appear to speak, and who was referred to by Jesus as “a manslayer when he began,” could not also cause astrologers to ‘see’ a starlike object that guided them first, not to Bethlehem, but to Jerusalem, where resided a mortal enemy of the promised Messiah.—2Co 11:3, 14; 2Th 2:9; Ge 3:1-4; Joh 8:44.

Because these “astrologers” were the only ones who are mentioned as seeing The Star, and because astrology is a Biblically condemned practice (Isaiah 47:12-14), the article writers teach that this is evidence of The Star having satanic origins. As further evidence they also use the connection of Satan’s ability to create false signs and portents to mislead people (2 Thessalonians 2:9). Interestingly, though, they forget that there has also been times when God Himself actually used pagan non-believers to accomplish His will as well:

1. God used King Cyrus of Persia to begin the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 1:1-2)
2. God used King Darius of Persia to praise His holy Name throughout Persia (Daniel 6:16-27)
3. God used King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon to chasten His errant nation (Jeremiah 27:8)
4. God used one of the Pharaohs to settle Israel into the land of Canaan (Genesis 45:17-21)
5. God used Balaam to turn a curse into a blessing three different times (Numbers 22:4-24-10).
6. God used Rahab, a pagan harlot, in the human lineage of Jesus Christ (Joshua 2:1-6, Matthew 1:5).
7. And, it is possible that God used these three “astrologers” to give expensive gifts to the Christ child; gifts which would help finance their subsequent flight to Egypt (Matthew 2:11-14). (Remember, Joseph and Mary were poor, as evidenced by their offering of turtledoves — Luke 2:24 compared to Leviticus 12:8)

God who knows everything, already knew that Herod was going to try and kill the Christ child soon after his birth as evidenced by prior prophecies (Compare Matthew 2:17-18 with Jeremiah 31:15-16). God would also have already known the low financial position of Joseph and Mary, since He handpicked them as Christ’s human parents Himself (Luke 1:26-31). Keeping in mind that God knows the things a person needs and will provide them (Matthew 6:26-33), He would have ensured that they would have the financial means to make the sudden journey — quite possibly by sending these men with expensive gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

So now we put the question before you: Was the Star of Bethlehem a crafty device of Satan in an attempt to assassinate Jesus Christ, or was it a loving provision from God to ensure Joseph and Mary would be financially secure enough to take care of Jesus as refugees in Egypt?

Bravery in the Face of a Miracle

(All Bible verses in this post are taken from the New King James Version)

I’m sitting here pondering Mary’s situation.

She’s just a young girl, some say as young as 14 or 15, when she is engaged to Joseph.

Now, back in those days women had to marry young because they died young — life expectancy in her time was around 45 years old; only a lucky few got to see old age. With such a short life expectancy women needed to start having babies pretty much as soon as they were physically able. Not only did they have to have time to raise these children, but they also had to have lots of children in order to ensure the continuation of the human race: There were no vaccines or antibiotics back then, so sick babies often died. In many cases, a woman could bear 13 children but have only 3 or 4 of them survive to adulthood. Therefore, it was paramount for women to marry in their early teens years.

So here we have young Mary, who is engaged to a carpenter named Joseph. The Bible never reveals whether Joseph and Mary are actually in love, but it is clear that she is willing to marry him. Shortly after they are betrothed, she is alone by herself somewhere when the angel Gabriel suddenly appears to her; and what a strange greeting he gives her:

“Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

Mary tried to assess this greeting. I can only imagine what was going through her head: Why is an angel talking to me? What make me so especially favored? What does he want with me? What is going on??!!

Gabriel apparently realizes that Mary is becoming a bit disturbed by his greeting and eases her fears: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God”  and immediately gives her the most craziest news of her life: “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.  He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.  And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

Mary understands the message, but doesn’t understand how this is supposed to happen, so she asks Gabriel: “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” She may be young, but she isn’t dumb. She knows that normally it requires a male to produce a pregnancy. She’s a virgin at this point, and thus is puzzled as to how this is supposed to happen with her. Gabriel explains to her that God’s Holy Spirit will cause the miracle, and reminds her that “with God nothing will be impossible”. As soon as she accepts this explanation, Gabriel disappears, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

And I try to put myself in her position: How does a young woman absorb THIS information?! Normal parents of normal babies already have the anxiety of how to care for a baby. Every parent wonders if he or she can do the “job” right; every parent wonders if they’ll be able to handle the responsibility; every parent wonders if they’ll accidentally “mess up” the kid for life.

And then to be told you are going to give birth to GOD’S Son???!!! No pressure there — yeah right.

I’d be reasonably sure that God wouldn’t let the child die, so that wouldn’t be an issue. BUT…. I’d be always second-guessing myself in the worst way:  Would God approve of my discipline methods? Does God want me to send Him to school, or should I have Him learn Joseph’s trade instead? How should I act if I lose my temper with the child? Should I get a part-time job to help support the family better? Should I have Him call Joseph “daddy”? Should I tell His later siblings who He really is?

I’d probably also be reviewing all the prophecies related to the Saviour; looking to see if there is something I need to know in my rearing of Him. How else will I know if something is meant to be or not?

I’m sure I’d be driving my husband CRAZY with my fears and worries. And I’m equally sure that these worries would dissipate over time (which my husband would be grateful for). And in the midst of all the worry would exist the awesome wonder of being chosen to be a part of such a large miracle.

I am grateful to Mary for so readily accepting such a huge responsibility. I am grateful to Joseph for his willing support of Mary’s situation. And I am especially grateful to God, for sending us such a wonderful method of redemption.

Amen

Simply Christmas.

CHRISTmas.
That’s what it’s called.

Now, on Martin Luther King Day, everybody expects there to be talk about Martin Luther King.
On Father’s Day, everybody expects there to be respect and honour shown to our dads.
On Saint Patrick’s Day, everyone expects a lot of culturally Irish events to be planned.

But on CHRISTmas, which is named for Jesus CHRIST, so many people get offended that Christians want to talk about CHRIST???

Christmas is not about Santa Claus — it’s about the greatest Gift that God gave to mankind: His Son.
Christmas is not about parties — it’s about a poor Jewish couple who had to give birth to the Saviour in a lowly manger in a barn without fanfare.
Christmas is not about decorated evergreen trees — it’s about a night sky decorated with a throng of  angels announcing the birth of Christ and giving glory to God in the highest.
Christmas is not about the gifts others give us — it’s about the Gift that God gave us: Salvation.
Christmas is not about glittery tinsel and lights — it’s about a star who led some men to see the Christ child.

Don’t get me wrong: Having parties and decorating your house for the season isn’t a crime. But since this is the season of CHRISTMAS, it’s important to prioritize what is being celebrated. For the secular world, they are celebrating commercialism, gluttony, liquor, and lies (ahem..Santa Claus). However, since CHRISTMAS is named for Christ, then Christ shouldn’t be the annoying part of the celebration, He should be the CENTRAL part of the celebration!  Christmas should be filled with readings from the Biblical nativity, Christ honouring Christmas carols, manger scenes, Church services, prayers, thanksgiving to God, and meditations. Instead of fibbing to your children about Santa Claus, tell them the true story about the birth of Christ and the gift of Salvation. Instead of singing Santa Claus songs, sing nativity carols. As your kids await the gifts you can teach them about giving by volunteering with them for a charity. When having your Christmas party decorate your home with nativity scenes, stars and angels among your displays.

Don’t hid Christmas with the secular frenzy that has become the norm. Christmas is named for CHRIST, let’s not forget this very important detail.

 

Telephone Friends

First I want to explain what a “Telephone Friend” is:

A Telephone Friend is one who seems to be a close friend, but really isn’t; much like the voice on the telephone seems close to you, but the person is actually far away.

I have a “Telephone Friend”. Several years ago me and a co-worker were close friends — our kids played together, we visited each other’s homes, and accepted each other unconditionally (even if we didn’t always agree on some things). We were almost like family to each other.

Then I was hit with three major life crises at once. I was under a lot of pressure during this time and it clouded my decision making. In an attempt to focus my life on resolving the crises I dropped my job and dropped this friend — and, unfortunately, I did it very badly and very hurtfully. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I butchered the friendship. Once I did realize it, it was too late, the damage was done. And I regretted it.

Years later, crises all long resolved, I found myself re-employed at that job from long ago. And that old friend of mine still works there. It took a few working shifts to find our “place” with each other, it was a little awkward, but thankfully it smoothed out. We are friendly at work, but it goes no further than that: This person has become my “Telephone Friend”. Sometimes our conversations turn to remembering things that happened when we were real friends, but only briefly. I’ll never get that friendship back, the proverbial bridge was burned to ashes. And I was the one who lit the match.

What does this have to do with anything?

As I was pondering the state of my work relationship with this person, I got to thinking about how often we (as in people in general) often turn Jesus Christ into a Telephone Friend. To say you are close to Jesus is one thing, to really be close with Him is a whole other thing.  Simply knowing who Jesus is and knowing how to contact Him in prayer isn’t true closeness. And I’m sure it must be hurtful for Him to have so many people claiming to be His “friend”, when in reality they keep themselves at a distance from Him. He loved us enough to give the ultimate sacrifice for us, and we weren’t even born yet.  How can we not love Him in return??!!

Jesus Christ deserves to be treated as more than a Telephone Friend. His great display of love and forgiveness transcends any human thought or feeling. He did more for us than any of us have done for anyone else, ever! How can someone do so much for us, and yet many of us don’t seek the close relationship with Him that we should? Instead of diminishing Him to a passing thought and weekly ritual, we need to embrace Him as a REAL Friend, and include Him in our daily lives. And yeah, that can be hard at times, as our human tendencies just love to get in our way.

And the most wonderful thing is, no matter how long you’ve treated him as a Telephone Friend, if you begin taking the steps to draw closer He will gladly take you back –  He’ll give you second, third, and fourth chances regardless of how many times you’ve “burned your bridges” with Him! He won’t shame you, or hold it against you, He will rejoice in your return and forgive all that was past! Even when you’ve hurt Him, He willingly forgives and forgets. It’s a priceless gift, to be a friend of Jesus.

If you take a good inner look at yourself and find that you’ve place Jesus on Telephone Friend status, it isn’t hard to change that into Real Friend status. Simply hang up the phone, and approach Jesus personally. Begin by praying, but don’t stop there: Begin reading your Bible again, taking the words to heart. Do more than your Sunday session in the pew — sign up for  Bible study classes or begin volunteering at your local charity organization. Work on forgiving those who have wronged you, and work on eliminating your special personality flaws. And the whole time, continually ask Jesus to help you grow, and learn, and improve. Discontinue making the occasional “phone call”; instead make Him a daily part of your life.

He will welcome you with open arms, forgiving your past wrongs, and take you back as soon as you ask for it!

Praise God!

God’s Perfect Timing

Recently I’ve gone through an epiphany of how God’s perfect timing works, regardless of my human ignorance.

The Backstory:
Several years ago I worked a job I loved in a hospital, with good benefits, decent wages, and good co-workers. About two years into the job I was hit with three major life crises all at once:

1. My husband was suffering from the aftermath of a severe concussion

2. My teenaged son was getting into serious legal trouble with people he wasn’t supposed to be associating with, and

3. I found myself being “burned at the stake” because I actually began to lose faith in the “Christian” sect I was born and raised in. My family had turned their back on me because I decided to leave their sect, and most of my friends did the same (to this day they continue to treat me as spiritual poison; I am dead to them).

Without having a support system these crises began affecting my attitude, my patience, and my judgment in very negative ways. My work life was also becoming seriously affected, as was the relationship between me and my co-workers. I knew I was heading down a slippery slope , and I knew that if I didn’t handle things right I’d mess up my job, my marriage, and my children. I began to cling to God like green on grass. He was the only support I had… and thankfully, He was the best.

In all His mercy God provide me an opportunity to leave my job without serious financial repercussions. I reluctantly took the opportunity; I really didn’t want to leave my job but I also knew that if I didn’t  I would probably end up getting fired anyway with the way things were going. So I put in a month’s notice and quit.

Thank you God, as I needed the time to focus on resolving those issues that were crushing me.

About a year later, when things started coming back together I tried to re-apply for my old job. Unfortunately, my manager must have put something disparaging in my employee record because the recruiter I spoke to was acting very elusive about hiring me even though I knew for a fact the job was open. By this time I had already been working another  job, so I was able to “suck it up” and waited another year to try to apply to the old job again; this second attempt had the same basic result. Apparently, I had burned my bridges without realizing it. Eeesh.

I faced reality and accepted the situation for what it was and continued with the job I was already working, even though I wasn’t all that fond of it.

A couple of years later a friend of mine was hired at that hospital I used to work at, though on a different floor. After she had worked there a while she started asking me why I didn’t re-apply there again. I gave her a brief rundown of how things went and explained that I ruined any chance of ever getting rehired.  I wasn’t going to fool myself on this.

She didn’t mention it anymore until one day, last year, when I lost my job. The short version: I took a moral stand at work (in advocating for a patient’s safety), which made the wrong person look bad, and suddenly I wasn’t needed at my job anymore. It happened so fast it made my head spin — and yet somehow I inherently knew that, even though God didn’t ordain this to happen, He still allowed this to happen, though I didn’t know why at the time. So I had to get another job ASAP, and ended up working part time, minimum wage as a bottle clerk in a grocery store;I figured it was better having a low paycheck rather than no paycheck. I decided to work the job for at least six months in order to get a good reference and to have time to decide what to do next.  I was mulling over whether I wanted to continue working in health care or maybe try doing something else. I prayed to God for guidance: Should I remain a Certified Nursing Assistant (“CNA“) or should I pursue a different career path? I prayed constantly, and patiently waited for God’s answer (after all, I had at least six months before I needed to make a real decision anyway).

During this time my friend kept bugging me to re-apply at the hospital. I kept trying to make her understand how futile it was, but finally, after eight months at the grocery store, I applied for the job just to shut her up. I still wasn’t so sure I wanted to get back into CNA work (even though I had done it for the past ten years), and I was still waiting for God to direct me on what to do with my life. I submitted the application, knowing it was a complete waste of time, and never thought about it again.

Several weeks later THEY CALLED ME BACK FOR AN INTERVIEW!  In a whirlwind I was interviewed, hired, and oriented to the old floor I used to work on — I recognized God’s fingerprints all over this one! Not only did He restore the “bridges” I burned, but He also gave me the answer to my career question: I am absolutely supposed to continue as a CNA.

My first few days back on the job I was still trying to digest the fact that I was back working at the job I screwed up so many years before ! And God did me even better: This time around I was working “per diem”, which meant a higher wage, the ability to set my own schedule, and my choice of shift to work. Praise God!

Once the initial shock of being whirl-winded back into my old job wore off I realized how much it all made sense: It was a job I loved, and God knew that. But I had to leave it in order to get my family life back in order, and God knew THAT. And…even though I thought I was ready to go back to it years earlier, apparently God knew better than I did (no surprise!) and held me off from the job for seven years before giving it back to me. During that seven year period He guided me through the major issues: He taught me how to help my husband through his health issues (hubby has been successfully employed for some time now), He taught me how to use “tough love” to restore my son (who is now a responsible working married father), and, unbeknownst to me, God worked on the situation at my old job so that I wouldn’t have friction with my old co-workers.

And, once He decided that everything was the way it needed to be He restored me to that old job that I never wanted to leave in the first place!

Yes, even though my plan and my timing was seriously defective, God had His own plan that I simply did not see at the time.

Thank you God for pulling me through even when I didn’t know that You were doing it! Thank you for making me wait, even though I didn’t know what I was waiting for all that time. Thank you for not letting my impatience and reluctance stymie your perfect plan.

Lesson learned: God’s plan is always better than my plan….even when I don’t understand it at the time.

Amen.

END OF THE WORLD ON MAY 21ST???

Just over a year ago, on April 15th, 2010 we posted a blog article regarding a group’s prediction of the Rapture happening on May 21st, 2011. Since this date is close upon us we thought we should seriously revisit this teaching (If you want to read the entire article we wrote please click  here.  :

This May 21st teaching originates from Family Radio (please be aware that this is NOT the same as Family Life Radio).

Here is an excerpt from our original article:

Apparently the date is calculated this way: Jesus Christ said that The End would be like in the days of Noah (Matthew 24:37 ). The date of Noah’s flood was on the 17th day of the 2nd month on the Jewish calendar (Genesis 7:10-11 ). According to this group, Noah was prophetically given a seven day warning before the flood was to begin (Genesis 7:4 ), and a day to God is like one thousand years (2 Peter 3:8 ).  Therefore, they believe the event prophesied the end of the world occuring 7,000 years later. According to this group’s calculations, the flood happened in 4990 B.C.; add 7,000 years (minus one because there is no year “zero”), and you come up with the year of 2011 A.D. And, since, the 17th day of the 2nd month of the Jewish calendar falls on May 21st, they have declared that the great Rapture will occur on May 21st, 2011.

On the very surface this teaching can seem realistic and true.

HOWEVER, when one takes into consideration other scriptures, it becomes clear that this teaching is merely a matter of human opinion, not prophetic fact:

1. The Bible plainly states that no one  knows the time; only the Father is privy to that information (Matthew 24:36 ), and that Jesus will appear at an unexpected time (Matthew 24:44).

2. The Bible also states that the day will come “as a thief in the night” — in other words, as a big surprise (Matthew 24:42-43 ). It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if people were telling you about it ahead of time.

3. The Beast in Revelation still needs to rise and take power for a specific amount of time (Revelation chapters 13 and 17).

4. The “Mark of the Beast” must also be forced upon the global population before Christ comes (Revelation 13:11-18).

5. Satan must wage war against all Christians for a 3 1/2 year period before Christ comes (Revelation 12:6-17)

6. The Man of Lawlessness (believed to be the Antichrist in many circles) must also set up his throne in God’s temple and proclaim himself to be God (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4).

All of these things must happen and be fully developed on a global scale before Christ comes, as the scriptural context of these passages show. Obviously, the Mark of the Beast, Satan’s  3 1/2 year war, and the Man of Lawlessness taking God’s position cannot all occur within the next week. It simply isn’t possible.

Aside from this, their calculations used for this prophecy of theirs has no scriptural merit; nowhere in scripture does it say that the flood of Noah is to be used in calculating the time of Christ’s return. All it says is that the people will be swiftly taken away just as they were in Noah’s day (Matthew 24:37-39 ). There is no indication that this means to use Noah’s flood as a means of calculation — it’s simply a comparison and nothing more.

This group that is proclaiming this coming of Christ next week reminds me very much of what the Jehovah’s Witnesses did in the early 1970′s.  They, too, used calculation based on Bible events to promote the teaching that God’s Kingdom would take over in 1975.  Members sold all their possessions and gave up their jobs in anticipation of this event. They preached this to millions, wholly devoting themselves to saving as many people as they could before this great event……just to see the year of 1975 come and go with no results. And many of the members left the denomination, realizing that it was a false prophet.

Let’s pray for those of Family Radio who likewise lose faith in their false prophet when May 21st comes and goes. Pray that they find the True God, and find True Christianity. Pray that their fallen faith in their false prophet does not make them easy prey for other false prophets.

Keep shining the light of Jesus!

To My Mother:

Thank you mom for all the time you took to raise us, all the patience you had to put up with us, and all the wisdom you instilled into us.

Thank you for being the ultimate “domestic engineer”!

We numbered nine of us and yet you still found the time to teach us how to cook, clean, budget our money, and learn about God.

You didn’t let us get away with breaking the rules, but your discipline was always dished out with a healthy dose of love and forgiveness.

When you realized that any of us was developing a hobby you’d support us all the way: Whether it be sitting down to watch a whole game of pro ball with one of the boys or  teaching one of us girls how to sew, we always knew you would let us grow to be our own individual persons.

You’d welcome us home from school on cold winter afternoons with fresh, hot, home made bread and a mug of hot cocoa.

You knew how to make the “bestest!” home made spaghetti sauce in the whole wide world!

You knew how to sew home made clothes with such quality that others always complimented the clothing, asking which store they came from.

And thank you for loving our father through all these years, in spite of his PTSD caused by the war he was drafted into. You stuck through his issues, supported his business endeavors, and loved him as your best friend.

Mom you taught us domestic skills, morality, spirituality, unconditional love and commitment.

Thank you for all of it. You are a major part of who I am today, and I can’t express the appreciation I have for you.

I will always love you.