The Greatest News of All

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas. (Sort of makes you want to start singing, doesn't it?)

The tree is lit. The packages are wrapped. The cards are coming. The food is piled up. The plans for the holiday are laid.

Sigh. I really love Christmas.

In the midst of the season this year, I have decided I have a new favorite Christmas verse. No it is not in Luke 2, although I love Luke 2.  I love "The Charlie Brown Christmas" when Linus recites it. I love reading Luke 2 on Christmas Day.  But that is not my favorite this year.

And my favorite Christmas verse is not found in any of the Gospels. My favorite Christmas verse is found in Philippians.

"...although He existed in the form of God, (He) did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of man...humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross."                                       ~Philippians 2:6-8

Just think of the implications of that verse. Just think of what it reveals about the Savior of the world. Just think of how much He must love us to have given up so much, to have humbled Himself so greatly, and to have obeyed the Father to the point of death.


Jesus- who is King of Kings....humbled Himself to be born to a simple teenage girl.

Jesus- who created every animal....humbled Himself to being born in an animal's stable.

Jesus- who is the Bread of Life....humbled himself to needing to be feed by His own creation.

Jesus- the only One who can change us....humbled himself to needing to be changed.

Jesus- who reigns in the throne room of all creation....humbled Himself to be raised in a no-account village in a small, poor country that was ruled by a pagan empire.

Jesus- who could call Heaven down to His aid....humbled Himself to be chased from town as a baby to flee King Herod's attempted destruction.

Jesus- who is omniscient....humbled Himself to be taught by others.

Jesus- who was, and is, and is to come....humbled Himself for 33 years to be constrained by time- to have to get up in the morning, go to bed at night, to live with a clock, and to feel tired.

Jesus- who is Ruler of all creation....became Servant of All and showed it by getting on His hands and knees and washing His disciples feet.

Jesus- who is the Word....humbled Himself to be in a position to have His words misconstrued, twisted, and used against Him.

Jesus- who is the Judge of the Universe....humbled Himself to being brought before a pagan judge and offered no defense.

Jesus- who has legions of angels at His command....humbled Himself to be arrested in the night, drug through town, falsely accused, beaten, mistreated, stripped, abused, mocked and ultimately crucified.

Jesus- who is Love....humbled Himself to be subjected to lies, insults, plots, abuse, and finally an unjust punishment...death on the cross.



I love Christmas.

And I love manger scenes.

Because they are the picture of the moment of Love Come Down.
Of God taking flesh and dwelling among us.
Of the greatest love imaginable.

But this Christmas, don't forget the point of the manger.

The point of the manger is the cross!

And the point of the manger is the love and forgiveness your Creator God has for you!



He loves you and me so much HE HUMBLED HIMSELF AND TOOK ON FLESH!

That is the greatest news of all!

And to go with my new favorite Christmas verse, here is my new favorite Christmas song. Hope you enjoy it....and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Expecting Jesus at Every Turn

"The battle is not against sin or difficulties or circumstances, but against being so absorbed in work that we are not ready to face Jesus Christ at every turn...

It is not service that matters, but intense spiritual reality, expecting Jesus at every turn...

If we are going to be ready for Jesus Christ, we have to stop being religious and be spiritually real."

-Oswald Chambers

I am facing lots of "bends in the road" these days, and quite honestly that can be rather unsettling.  Stability and predictability, while being somewhat boring, can make life "easier" and more "containable".  


But all this turning and bending is teaching me something.


And it is not about how to turn and bend.


Rather it is that however and wherever my road takes me I can be, as Mr. Chambers so beautifully put it, expecting Jesus at every turn.


The story is not really about where the road goes.  On the contrary it is that at every bend along the way Jesus is already there.


At every bend.  At every turn.

However, if I am so absorbed in my work, and my tasks, and my To Do lists, and my projects, and....... all the "stuff" that clutters my mind and heart I run the very real risk of missing Him altogether.

Oh Lord.


That I may never do that.


But instead, that I may keep my eyes ahead, 
......scanning the horizon, 
......pushing toward the next turn,
......in breathless anticipation,
......and in total confidence,


that You are there.


Already.


Just around that next turn.

2011

Well, it is that time of year again.

Time for a New Year- and New Year's Resolutions.

I am a little wary of New Year's Resolutions, because frankly I am pretty much a failure at them. At least the ones that take more that 3 weeks to accomplish.

But I started thinking about last year. Last year I put my goal up on this blog and this was it:

It is this: I want to abide in Christ.
That sounds like a funny goal, even to me, and I am the one who wants to do it. I think it is that I want to go past knowing what I need to do and go to the place of doing it. And I want to go beyond doing and go to the place of being. I want to be so connected to Christ that I will decrease and He will increase. And I want to do it by His power, not by my efforts in the flesh.

Funny, but now, looking back on last year, and all that it entailed, and all the heartaches, and all the disappointments, and all the.....well, you get the picture...but looking back on all that and reading what I wrote when I thought everything was going so well, I think God was providing me with the mindset I needed and the heartset I required in order to walk through the fires He was lovingly allowing.

And all of the, um, well, let's just call it "stuff" (at home I call it "carp" because a bunch of old dead fish smell very bad, and bring flies, and generally are something you don't want around. But I didn't want to put that because you might accidentally switch the letters around in your head and it would say something I didn't mean!). But back to the stuff. All that stuff has made me so clearly aware of what I want.

I want Jesus.

I want all of Jesus.

I want to serve Him. To love Him. To reflect Him. To proclaim Him. To value Him.

Because, in the end, He is all that matters.

Because, in the end, everything else will pass away.

And the "stuff" has also made me aware of what I don't want.

I don't want lies. And I don't want false. I don't want the fake and the phony. I don't want to settle. I don't want the world.

So after having been through 2010, I approach 2011 with a little bit of trepidation. And yet with hope.

And I approach my "resolution" with trepidation as well. But having said that:

I want this to be the Year of Now.

Now is the year to give. Now is the year to invest. Now is the year to write. Now is the year to teach.

Now is the year of Whatever Lord. Whatever. For You Lord, whatever.

And here is my desire from one year ago. And it is still my desire.

So here is my non-specific, un-measurable, without a plan New Year's goal- or maybe it is better named plea- for 2010: (and now I add 2011)

Help me abide in You, my dwelling

Help me keep my feet on You, my rock

Help me be attached to You, my vine

Help me survive on You, my bread

Help me go through You, my door

Help me rest in You, my fortress

Help me obey You, my King

Help me follow hard after You, my shepherd

Help me born anew in You, my resurrection

Help me see by You, my light

Help me not get lost from You, my way

Help me learn from You, my truth

Help me breathe with joy in You, my life

God-Sized Dream for 2010

This year my dream or goal is not what successful goals are supposed to be. It is not measurable or able to be broken down to bite-sized chunks. It is not exactly specific and does not lend itself to an action plan.

But it is big.

And it most definitely requires God for me to do it.

It is this: I want to abide in Christ.

That sounds like a funny goal, even to me, and I am the one who wants to do it. I think it is that I want to go past knowing what I need to do and go to the place of doing it. And I want to go beyond doing and go to the place of being. I want to be so connected to Christ that I will decrease and He will increase. And I want to do it by His power, not by my efforts in the flesh. So here is my non-specific, un-measurable, without a plan New Year's goal- or maybe it is better named plea- for 2010:

Help me abide in You, my dwelling

Help me keep my feet on You, my rock

Help me be attached to You, my vine

Help me survive on You, my bread

Help me go through You, my door

Help me rest in You, my fortress

Help me obey You, my King

Help me follow hard after You, my shepherd

Help me born anew in You, my resurrection

Help me see by You, my light

Help me not get lost from You, my way

Help me learn from You, my truth

Help me breathe with joy in You, my life.

John 15:5-8 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me – and I in him – bears much fruit, because apart from Me you can accomplish nothing. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown out like a branch, and dries up; and such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and are burned up. If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you. My Father is honored by this, that you bear much fruit and show that you are My disciples.