AN EMPTY MANGER When
our oldest granddaughter was about two, a friend gave her a miniature manger
scene from Peru,
called a retableau. Our granddaughter was enchanted and carried it everywhere
with her. It was not long before her mother noticed that the baby Jesus was
missing from the scene. She looked everywhere trying to find the tiny little
figure before she realized that our granddaughter had the figure of the baby
Jesus clutched tightly in her hand.
Many
of us are much more comfortable with Jesus when He is safely ensconced in the
manger. But if we go looking for our Savior in the manger, we will find that He
is not there. The path of faith leads from that manger to the foot of a cross.
Then the path leads us onward to a tomb. Our faith is based on an empty manger,
an empty cross, and 'thanks be to God…who gives us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ,' (I Corinthians 15:57[KJ])
there is also an empty tomb! We need to make sure that we not only take the
Christ Child out of the manger, but hold Him even closer than our granddaughter
did when she held that figure so tightly in her precious little hand. We need
to hold Him in our hearts.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
CANDY CANES
During
a children's sermon our pastor took a shepherd's crook Chrismon ornament from
one of the decorated trees as he talked about the significance of lighting the
shepherd's candle during Advent. As he held up the ornament, he asked the
children what it was. The almost unanimous response was: Candy Cane! While
admitting that the ornament resembled a candy cane, our pastor explained the
meaning of the shepherd's crook and the role that the shepherds played in the
Christmas story.
I
have heard and read some delightful legends about how candy canes came to be associated
with Christmas, but they are not generally considered to be part of the sacred
celebration of the season. And, even in a predominantly rural area such as
ours, it is no surprise that today's children would not be able to identify a
shepherd's crook or staff.
In
a similar way it is difficult for us to identify with the long-deferred
anticipation of the Jews for the coming of the Messiah. Sometimes it seems
almost impossible to separate our culture's commercialization of Christmas from
the worship of the magi at Jesus' feet, or the repetitive jangle of mindless
Christmas songs at the mall from the glorious song of the angels announcing the
Savior's birth to the shepherds long ago.
Just
as our pastor took the time to patiently explain to the children that Sunday
morning, we need to make sure we take time to reflect on the wonder of the
greatest Gift ever given. Instead of treating ourselves with candy canes, good
as they are, we need to follow our Lord's example, using the shepherd's crook
of ministry.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
CHRISTMAS BOW
Part
of our Christmas decorations consisted of big red bows on the garage coach
lights. One morning, after an uncharacteristically severe storm passed through
during the night, we noticed that one of the red bows had apparently blown
away. When the wind and rain finally stopped, we went out to see if we could
find the missing bow. Around the corner and down in the yard, we spied
it—perched in the branches of a Leyland Cypress tree we had planted several
years before to use as a Christmas tree in a future year.
So
often in our Christmas celebrations, we try to artificially create the spirit
of the holiday with elaborate decorations or gala social occasions. And then,
lo and behold, something unexpected will happen that will touch our hearts with
wonder or lift our spirits in such a way that the true spirit of Christmas
occurs. Just as our swept-away bow ended up in an appropriate place, decking a
bare tree with unanticipated glory, so can we be touched with the glory of the
realization of what God did so long ago with the birth of a tiny baby.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
CRECHE
Our
younger granddaughter, not quite six, asked if she could rearrange the figures
in several of the crèches that I have collected over the years. Now you have to
understand that I have a ‘thing' about not putting the wise men close to the
manger scene, assuming that they were not present on the night that the
shepherds came, following the directions of the heavenly host. But our
granddaughter arranged every one of the crèches in exactly the same way—every
single figure clustered tightly around the manger.
As
I have walked past the various manger scenes since she worked on them, I have
been struck by how appropriate her arrangement really is. Regardless of the
traditions or ‘things' we have about how we decorate, what we cook, or when and
how we open gifts, if we celebrate Christmas without the Christ Child at the
center of things, we have missed the point. The wonderful Gift of Love that was
given to all of us on that night so long ago should draw us all to worship and
adore, not forgetting afterwards to go and tell the Good News.
'He
[Christ] is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.' Col. 1:17
(NIV)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
IT'S
CHRISTMASTIME
It's Christmastime, I'm
sure you know; just ask the Mom with tot in tow
Who sees the toys piled
row on row and asks with voice pitched not so low,
'Which one's for me?'
It's Christmastime,
what shall I do? I've gifts to buy and dollars few;
The house to clean;
then right on cue the guests arrive; and bills are due --
Oh, woe is me!
It's Christmastime,
there's much to bake; a tree to buy and decorate;
Rehearsal
time -- I'm running late! I volunteered and set a date --
Oh, my! Oh, me!
It's Christmastime!
What did you say? Slow down and take some time to pray,
To meditate that on
this day the One Who lay on bed of hay
Came to earth for me.
It's CHRISTmastime!
That sacred night makes my heart sing with joy. I might
Not get each thing just right, but done with love and in
Thy sight,
This day will honor
Thee.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
‘MIDST
THE NOISE
'While
they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son,
her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because
there was no room in the hostel.' Lk. 2:6 (TM)
In
Helsinki, Finland, there is a very unusual
church built into a rock outcropping on the top of a hill. When we entered,
there was a small sign requesting silence in a place of worship, but its
message was ignored by most of the folks who were there were seeing it as a
tourist site—not as a church—and the noise level was quite loud. We were
fortunate to be there on a Sunday, and as my daughter and I sat quietly,
reverence and the presence of God seemed far away. Gradually, however, the tour
groups moved on and as time for a service neared, we were blessed with the
taped sounds of organ music.
The
old Christmas carol 'O Little Town of Bethlehem' speaks of the silence and
quietness of Bethlehem's streets, but it occurred to me that those streets were
probably as thronged with ‘tourists' as the Rock Church in Helsinki. Yet, in
the midst of those crowds a miracle took place—the Lord God of hosts was born.
Just so, that day in Helsinki,
and in the busyness and noise of our daily lives, the presence of God can be
sensed—the One Who came to the manger of Bethlehem
comes wherever a place (our hearts) is prepared to receive the Lord.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
MY BULB WON'T LIGHT!
'In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God….In
Him was life, and that life was the light of men.' John 1:1,4(KJ)
One
Christmas season I heard noise in the sanctuary as I was walking by, so I stuck
my head in. The sanctuary was abuzz with activity as the decorating committee
worked hard to deck the sanctuary with boughs of greenery. One of them was
putting the finishing touches on a window arrangement, festive greenery
centered with an electric candle. I admired Joy's handiwork, but she disclaimed
the compliment with a characteristic chuckle, saying, 'But my bulb won't
light!'
As
I left I thought about how often our Christmas celebrations are put together
very carefully: decorations are just right, parties are planned, baking is
done, presents are bought and wrapped, special donations made to church and
charity; somehow the busy-ness of the holidays takes on a life of its own. In the
hustle and bustle of all that needs to be done, there will be a hollowness if
we lose focus on the fact that the Light of the world needs to be burning in
the midst of all that we do.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
THE
EMPTINESS OF CHRISTMAS
'The
angel said, ‘Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event
that is meant for everybody, worldwide. A Savior has just been born in David's
town, a Savior who is Messiah and master.'' Luke 2:10,11(TM)
Our
choir sang a Christmas anthem a couple of years ago that is a setting of 'O
Holy Night' and uses 'Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts' as the accompaniment.
One of the lines of text from the latter says, 'from the best bliss that earth
imparts, we turn unfilled to Thee again.' The Christmas season is one that can
leave us with full calendars, flat pocketbooks, frazzled nerves and an
emptiness that aches. It is easy to lose sight of the reason behind that holy,
divine night when the love of God reached down through time and space in the person
of a tiny babe.
There
is no way to have a Christmas experience overflowing with love, joy and peace
without the One whose birth we celebrate. Just as the accompaniment in the
anthem undergirded the melody we sang, just so our Christmas festivities need
to rest on the foundation of the coming of Christ to live and die for us.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
THE GIFT CACHE
'The
next servant said, ‘Here's your money safe and sound. I kept it hidden in the
cellar.'' Luke 19:20(TM)
When
our girls were growing up I had a special place where I hid their Christmas
gifts. It was a wonderful hiding place because they never discovered it. Even
when they were old enough to go poking around looking for secret places, and to
ask all kinds of questions trying to trick us into telling them, they didn't
discover it until they were grown and asked—then I was willing to tell them. It
always gave me a warm feeling to think of those gifts, sitting there so
carefully stowed away, as I anticipated their response to what had been
selected for them. I always, of course, opened the hiding place when they were
not around and got out the gifts and gave them, so their pleasure was realized.
The
Lord has given each of us gifts that are to be used in God's service. Many of
us do so. But some of us take those gifts and cache them away in a secret
place. Thinking about those gifts and how special they are brings us a warm
glow. But as long as the gifts sit in their hiding place, they don't serve the
purpose for which they were intended: to honor the Lord. We don't honor God by
allowing our gifts to lie quietly in a safe place; we honor God by using those
gifts to serve the Lord and to serve others in God's name.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
THE GIFT OF GIVING
'Every
desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of
light cascading down from the Father of Light.' James 1:17(KJ)
I
truly enjoy giving gifts. I buy Christmas gifts all year long and eagerly
anticipate the opportunity to see someone open a gift, hoping to see a telltale
sign that I have chosen aptly. Sometimes I do better than others, and with some
people—have you ever noticed how easy it is to buy gifts for some folks than
for others? But the difficult-to-buy-for-folks just present more of a
challenge—a chance to look harder or more creatively for something to please
them. Occasionally I have selected a gift that I am sure will be just perfect,
only to realize that I have missed the mark. Other times I have picked up something
almost off-handedly and brought great joy to the receiver.
Our Lord surrounds us with gifts, both
spiritual and otherwise. These gifts are always just right for us, even if we
don't realize it at the time. The spiritual gifts God gives to us are given to
equip us for the tasks meant for us to do, so we should never question what we
have been given, just put it in the Lord's hands for service. And the other
gifts we receive (peace that passes understanding, joy in the midst of pain,
beauty in spite of ugliness, light in the darkness and on and on the list goes)
are always given when we need them most and often when we least expect them. As
we walk along life's path, we need to acknowledge both the gift and the Giver,
and give back to God by giving to others.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
WHO
WOODEN NOSE
'Glory
to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men [and women] on whom His favor
rests.' Luke 2:14(NIV)
Our
oldest granddaughter loves to sing, especially Christmas songs. When she was
three-and-a-half she particularly liked to sing 'Up on the Housetop.' With
great joy she lustily sang, 'Ho, ho, ho, who wooden nose! Ho, ho, ho, who
wooden nose!' Now that she is older she has learned the correct words and is
embarrassed to be reminded of her incorrect version that we, as the indulgent
grandparents that we are, thought was perfectly charming.
Our
granddaughter's distortion of the words of a song is illustrative of how we
have distorted the meaning of Christmas. We have taken the celebration of the
greatest Gift ever given and turned it into a commercial extravaganza. We have
perverted the glorious song of the angels into the raucously repetitious
bombardment of store and mall sound systems. The promise of peace and good will
is lost in this war and strife-filled world of ours. A three-year-old's
misunderstandings can be smiled at, but the Lord above must weep at what we
have made of Christmas.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS
(with apologies to
Clement Moore)
‘Twas the day after
Christmas and all through the house
There were boxes and
paper stacked up by my spouse.
The tree looked so
barren bereft of its gifts
Just like our spirits,
which all needed lifts.
All the energy, time we
had spent took its toll.
We just needed to rest
or go out for a stroll.
It's the day after
Christmas—oh, what a letdown.
The company's gone on
their way out of town.
The red and the green
that looked festive before
Now clash with the
burgundies, navies and more.
We worked very hard to
make everything right
So that even the silver
is shining so bright.
When dinner is eaten
and leftovers stashed,
When each gift's been
opened and all the trash mashed,
We sit back in wonder
as at my heart tugs
The magic of love shown
in gestures and hugs.
The hustle and bustle
of excited small feet
Have left us with
hearts full of mem'ries so sweet.
No package or gift
could come even close
To meaning as much as
that kiss on the nose.
That very first
Christmas touched so many lives
That we dare not forget
that it's His love that thrives
On the day after
Christmas as well as all others.
And peace and good will
to our sisters and brothers
Should carry the spirit
of Christmas on through
To touch all our lives
with His glory, too.
God's gift to us, His
wonderful Son
Inspires us to give,
when all's said and done,
All that we are and
could possibly be—
Then the day AFTER
Christmas will shine, too, you'll see. |
