Category: Christmas

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The Birth – The Life – The Eternal God

Merry Christmas to you all!

Twas the morning of Christmas and all through the house, the only creatures stirring are Dave & I.

The coffee is brewed, and my cup is full but not nearly as full as my heart which is overflowing with love and appreciation for each of my family and friends who are reading this non-rhyming message.

A world changing event transpired over 2000 years ago when the sky was filled with an angelic chorus. A baby born affected the whole human race by introducing unconditional love in human flesh to reconcile us to a perfect and merciful God the Father.

Our prayer for you and your families this morning is that you know Him personally and that you have allowed Him to change your life. This is the life He modeled and the life He gives to us.

“Now you are wearing a new life, a life that is new every day. You are growing in your understanding of the one who made you. You are becoming more and more like him. 11 In this new life it doesn’t matter if you are a Greek or a Jew, circumcised or not. It doesn’t matter if you speak a different language or even if you are a Scythian. It doesn’t matter if you are a slave or free. Christ is all that matters, and he is in all of you.

12 God has chosen you and made you his holy people. He loves you. So your new life should be like this: Show mercy to others. Be kind, humble, gentle, and patient. 13 Don’t be angry with each other, but forgive each other. If you feel someone has wronged you, forgive them. Forgive others because the Lord forgave you. 14 Together with these things, the most important part of your new life is to love each other. Love is what holds everything together in perfect unity. 15 Let the peace that Christ gives control your thinking. It is for peace that you were chosen to be together in one body. And always be thankful.” Colossians 3:10-15

I woke up this morning thanking the Lord for coming as a baby, living a perfect sinless life as an example for us, dying in my place for sin and then rising to life again so that I could have new life in Him.

Christ is all that matters, and He lives in us!

“This is what God commands: that we believe in his Son Jesus Christ, and that we love each other as he commanded. 24 All who obey God’s commands live in God. And God lives in them. How do we know that God lives in us? We know because of the Spirit he gave us.” I John 3:23-24 ERV

May we all live a life reflecting Him and His great love!

Be merry for Christ is born!

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Filled with Wonder

This past summer it seems that the whole world was sharing a marvelous experience. For nights the sky was filled with the beauty of the aurora borealis.

The pictures of the northern lights saturated social media, local and national news reports and other media outlets. The lights in the summer night sky were gorgeous, awe-inspiring.

Now imagine if when you saw those lights they were accompanied by an angelic choir. Can you place yourself with the shepherds outside of Bethlehem? Sheep resting peacefully on the grassy plain, a warm fire burning and the quiet. Aahhh, the quiet.

“That night in the fields near Bethlehem some shepherds were guarding their sheep. 9  All at once an angel came down to them from the Lord, and the brightness of the Lord’s glory flashed around them. The shepherds were frightened. 10 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. 11 This very day in King David’s hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. 12 You will know who he is, because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay.”

13 Suddenly many other angels came down from heaven and joined in praising God. They said:

14 “Praise God in heaven! Peace on earth to everyone who pleases God.”

15 After the angels had left and gone back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about.” Luke 2:8-15 CEV

A Savior was born for you!

This story…this miraculous birth is one I have heard and told for many years. Does its familiarity and tradition dull our senses? Do we lose the wonder of that connection between God and man? Have our souls been calloused to the fact that Jesus, Immanuel (God with us) changed the course for all the world?

I hope not.

May our hearts always be stirred, may hope always rise, may faith always increase and may we always be filled with wonder!

Merry Christmas to all.

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Regifting

My oh my this has been a busy week. Four full days of baking and candy making, three days of our son visiting, two Christmas parties and one family night. Every day was a delight!

I’m normally one of the first to get my annual Christmas letter and cards in the mail but not this year. I just finished the Christmas letter yesterday so it will arrive late. I told Dave yesterday that I just needed to sit by the fire last night and relax. Friends dropped over and although our conversation was short, it filled my heart with love and gratitude.

Then the evening ended with us enjoying my favorite Christmas movie, White Christmas, for the 51st time as a married couple. It’s what we do!!

With every activity, every cinnamon roll and banana bread made, I have been grateful for the Father’s wonderful love and our many, many blessings. I’m thankful that He has given us breath for this life and provided us with eternal life to follow.

This morning I am recycling and regifting a writing from years ago. I hope its meaning touches your heart.

I saw a segment on the news about re-gifting and it got me to thinking. Have I ever re-gifted? There have been more times than I would like to admit over the last 50 years that I have certainly been tempted too but to actually do it – yes, I have!

But then I realized that every day I live should be an act of re-gifting. My life is a precious gift from the Father. But even my life is a “re-gift”. Jesus came to give us the gift of life – He gave His life for us.

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 KJV

I want my life to be a re-gifting of what Christ has given me – forgiveness, love, joy, peace. Then I want others to re-gift those same things as many times as they would like.

“And so faith, hope, love abide [faith—conviction and belief respecting man’s relation to God and divine things; hope—joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love—true affection for God and man, growing out of God’s love for and in us], these three; but the greatest of these is love.” I Corinthians 13:13 AMP

Let’s all take the gifts that we have received from the Father and re-gift them to others.

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Forgotten – Forgiven

I saw an image similar to the one I’m using this morning on a friend’s FB page yesterday. I had never seen this verse like this before.

“For unto us a child is born, and unto us a Son is given.” The reason the Son came was to forgive!

As I lay in the dark this morning so many thoughts came swirling through my mind.

“In Christ, he chose us before the world was made. He chose us in love to be his holy people—people who could stand before him without any fault. 5 And before the world was made, God decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. This was what God wanted, and it pleased him to do it. ” Ephesians 1:4-5 ERV

In Christ we were chosen by God the Father before the world was made! In Christ, we can stand before the Father and He sees us as faultless. We are forgiven.

“And I will forgive the wrongs they have done, and I will not remember their sins.” Hebrews 8:12

“ Because we broke God’s laws, we owed a debt—a debt that listed all the rules we failed to follow. But God forgave us of that debt. He took it away and nailed it to the cross.” Colossians 2:14 ERV

“Christ died for us when we were unable to help ourselves. We were living against God, but at just the right time Christ died for us. 7 Very few people will die to save the life of someone else, even if it is for a good person. Someone might be willing to die for an especially good person. 8 But Christ died for us while we were still sinners, and by this God showed how much he loves us.” Romans 5:6-8 ERV

In God’s eyes I have no past. He has forgotten my failings, my sins. He sees me completely cleansed by the shed blood of Jesus.

“His love for his followers is as high above us as heaven is above the earth. 12 And he has taken our sins as far away from us as the east is from the west. 13 The Lord is as kind to his followers as a father is to his children.” Psalms 103:11-13 ERV

Completely cleansed, forever forgotten.

That’s the message of Christmas. “For unto us a child is born, and unto to us a Son is given.”

We are forgiven and our sins are forgotten because of Christ. His gift to us is forgiveness. I pray you have received it and are sharing this wonderful gift with others.

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No Room

Have you had those moments when a simple conversation has become a profound lesson?

We had moved back to Arizona from Montana, and we lived close to a small artisans’ community called Tubac. It became my favorite place to shop. We were decorating our home, and I found so many unique pieces there.

For years, I have collected angels and nativities. The shops had a myriad of those two items, but I found one thing very strange. In one particular shop there were nativities from around the world but there were no baby Jesus’.

Then I saw a small handwritten sign. “Please ask for the baby Jesus.” So, I did. I asked Max, the shop keeper, where’s the baby Jesus? He told me they had to keep them under the counter and in the back area of the store because people would steal the baby Jesus.

Steal the baby Jesus! Yes. Who would steal the baby Jesus? I couldn’t imagine that.

“ While they were there in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to give birth to her baby. 7 Her first son was born. She put cloth around Him and laid Him in a place where cattle are fed. There was no room for them in the place where people stay for the night.” Luke 2:6-7 NLV

I was taken back by the thought of someone stealing Jesus but I shouldn’t have been. Remember, that first Christmas when Jesus was born? There was no room for them except in a stable.

If the Innkeeper had known that Mary was carrying the Messiah would he have evicted one of the other guests and given her a room? But there was nothing about this young expecting couple that set them apart as holy and God-chosen. They were just weary travelers.

No room.

A stolen baby Jesus.

People have been taking Jesus out of the picture for years. He’s been replaced by Santa, stolen from society by the Grinch and an Elf. Yet, He still comes to each heart looking for a place to stay.

“See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and we will eat together.” Revelation 3:20 NLV

Don’t let Jesus be stolen from your Christmas celebration. May we always have room for Jesus!

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The Best Gifts

This morning my heart is filled with gratitude and joy.

God has graciously blessed every one of us with so many wonderful gifts.

“ He gives us everything we need for life and for holy living. He gives it through His great power. As we come to know Him better, we learn that He called us to share His own shining-greatness and perfect life. 4 Through His shining-greatness and perfect life, He has given us promises. These promises are of great worth and no amount of money can buy them. Through these promises you can have God’s own life in you now that you have gotten away from the sinful things of the world which came from wrong desires of the flesh.” II Peter 1:3-4 NLV

My heart is filled with gratitude this morning; God’s amazing love is overwhelming; His peace passes all understanding (that means I can’t figure out how I can have so much peace when things seem anything but peaceful) and His grace (giving me what I don’t deserve) is so marvelous!

Each day I have the opportunity to receive these gifts anew; each day I have the opportunity to share these gifts with others; each day I have the joy of saying thank you to my wonderful Father who has given these gifts to me!

“But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” Ephesians 4:7 KJV

The gifts we have been given are not for our benefit alone. We have the opportunity to share them with others. The Holy Spirit is the giver of these gifts. He empowers us so that we become a blessing to others.

Just as our hands help our feet by putting on our shoes and socks or our sense of smell helps to keep us from eating something that is spoiled, our Spirit-given gifts help others in the body of Christ to grow and mature in the things of God.

“The Holy Spirit works in each person in one way or another for the good of all. 8 One person is given the gift of teaching words of wisdom. Another person is given the gift of teaching what he has learned and knows. These gifts are by the same Holy Spirit. 9 One person receives the gift of faith. Another person receives the gifts of healing. These gifts are given by the same Holy Spirit. 10 One person is given the gift of doing powerful works. Another person is given the gift of speaking God’s Word. Another person is given the gift of telling the difference between the Holy Spirit and false spirits. Another person is given the gift of speaking in special sounds. Another person is given the gift of telling what these special sounds mean. 11 But it is the same Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, Who does all these things. He gives to each person as He wants to give.” I Corinthians 12:7-11 NLV

We receive our gifts from God and then we use them for His glory.

No one is left out. Everyone receives. Share what you’ve been given. It will be a wonderful blessing to those around you!

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Jesus Came

Growing up our mom always had an Open House at Christmas. We didn’t live around family so she would bake and then invite our friends to just drop in for a while and spend part of their Christmas with us. When I grew up and had a home of my own, I continued the Christmas Open House tradition for many years because I love entertaining and filling our home with the love and laughter of friends.

Christmas can be a lonely and depressing time for some. Missing a loved one, being far from home…so many reasons. Think of that first Christmas night when God’s Son came to earth; separation for both Father and Son.

Now here’s the good news!

“Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: Behold, the young woman who is unmarried and a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel [God with us].” Isaiah 7:14 AMP.

Jesus came to those who were often left alone.

The shepherds were all alone in the fields when that first announcement came. The leper was alone in the crowd when Jesus reached out to him and healed him. The prostitute was left alone and uncovered in the presence of Jesus when her accusers slipped away. Zacchaeus was alone in a tree when Jesus invited him to come down. The thief was alone on the cross when Jesus took him to paradise. Mary was alone in the garden when Jesus called her name.

Jesus came. Immanuel, God with us, still comes to the lonely.

“ Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation]. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (renewal, blessed quiet) for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29 AMP

Even when we are by ourselves, we’re not alone! God with us, He has promised to never leave us or forsake us…God with us!

“for He has said, “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!” Hebrews 13:5b AMP

This year if your home is filled with family and friends or quiet and few, remember Jesus came to join you and that’s more than enough reason for a celebration.

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Christmas Traditions

What brings a smile to your face as you remember Christmases past? What things do your children request that you did with them when they were small?

In our decorating there are a few items that MUST be put out. Each person has their own personalized Christmas stocking, some of them made by my mother and now the rest that I have made.

Movies and books. I’ve been watching White Christmas since I was 8 and there are books at stories that were always a must.

What’s meaningful about the traditions of Christmas is not how big or expensive the gift but the memories that bring us together, things we share from the heart.

“Teach your children right from wrong, and when they are grown they will still do right.” Proverbs 22:6 CEV

The one tradition that is center stage is the reading of the Christmas story from Luke 2. When I was little, my daddy read it each Christmas morning. When Dave and I married and we took our kids to my parents’ home, my daddy read it. All the years that we had the kids at home Dave has read the Christmas story and even when they were all gone, the two of us sit and open the Bible and read before we do anything else. One year he read the story with our oldest daughter and family via Google Chat.

So many distractions try to rob our traditions, the constants in our lives, the things that bring us hope and peace.

Traditions are important reminders of where we’ve been and what God has done for us. The Jewish people had Passover to remind them of their deliverance from Egypt, something they were told to always remember and to teach their children about God’s goodness and power.

This year I pray that everyone would return to the joy of that first Christmas. The awe, the wonder and that hearts will declare with the angels:

“Then suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host (angelic army) praising God and saying, 14 ‘Glory to God in the highest [heaven], And on earth peace among men with whom He is well-pleased.’

15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying one to another, ‘Let us go straight to Bethlehem, and see this [wonderful] thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.’” Luke 2:13-15 AMP

Like the shepherds let’s seek this wonderful thing the Lord has made known to us.

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Prince of Peace

15 days to Christmas…shopping, wrapping, baking, cards to write, parties to attend, dinners to cook, family to prepare for and the list goes on.

Are you feeling the faster pace, the hustle and bustle? It’s something I have to resist every year. Time to put the brakes on – slow the roll, take a deep breath, spend a few more minutes in prayer and breathe in peace.

“ For to us a Child will be born. To us a Son will be given. And the rule of the nations will be on His shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful, Teacher, Powerful God, Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 NLV

Prince of Peace. What a wonderful name, what an amazing kingdom to rule – the kingdom of peace.

His path was set, His course was laid hundreds of years before His birth and then it was announced by angels.

“Today, One Who saves from the punishment of sin has been born in the city of David. He is Christ the Lord. 12 There will be something special for you to see. This is the way you will know Him. You will find the Baby with cloth around Him, lying in a place where cattle are fed.”

13 At once many angels from heaven were seen, along with the angel, giving thanks to God. They were saying, 14 “Greatness and honor to our God in the highest heaven and peace on earth among men who please Him.” Luke 2:11-14 NLV

Christ came to bring peace on earth, not the kind of peace we think about with no wars or conflicts but peace with God.

“ Even when we were God’s enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by the life of his Son.” Romans 5:10 CEV

This child, the Son of God, came as the Prince of Peace. He’s the one who said “Peace, be still” and the winds and waves ceased. He’s the One who rescued a prostitute from stoning and brought soul peace to a man named Saul, who had been arresting and persecuting Christians.

This Prince of Peace has invited us into His kingdom to experience this amazing peace.

“ I give you peace, the kind of peace only I can give. It isn’t like the peace this world can give. So don’t be worried or afraid.” John 14:27 CEV

“I have told you this, so that you might have peace in your hearts because of me. While you are in the world, you will have to suffer. But cheer up! I have defeated the world.” John 16:33 CEV

Take a few more moments. Let the peace of God wrap around you like a soft blanket. Close your eyes, take a deep breath and make a silent prayer of Thanksgiving. “Thank you Lord for bringing me to a place of peace with You. Let my heart rest, knowing you are in control of my day and show me how to be an ambassador of peace to others. In Jesus name.”

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Undone by Love

I’m sure you all have a favorite Christmas movie and/or book, It’s a Wonderful Life, White Christmas, Christmas Vacation, Elf, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Did I list your favorite movie?

I have several Christmas books that have wonderful stories but one in particular stands out from the rest, “The Selfish Giant” by Oscar Wilde.

I first read this story 51 years ago. I remember the exact place. It was December 1973. We were living in a small trailer on West Van Buren Rd in Phoenix. It was our first Christmas as a married couple. The Arizona Highways Magazine published it in their December issue. Since that year, I have reread it many times and recounted the story to groups large and small.

The story in a nutshell – is a selfish giant walls his beautiful garden so that children can’t come in and play. As a result, the garden remains in a state of winter all year round and the giant becomes grumpier. Then one day in the corner of his garden he notices that the birds are singing, and the trees are green…the children found a break in the wall and came in to play. The giant is so glad to see them that he runs out to welcome them.

All the children see the giant running in their direction and scurry out of the garden. All except one little boy who doesn’t see the giant coming because his eyes are filled with tears. You see he is too small to climb up in the tree and it makes him so sad. The giant lifts the little boy into the tree and the little boy rewards him with a hug and kiss.

On that day, the giant broke down the wall and the children were welcome to play there again. The children came to play with the giant in the garden but the little boy whom the giant had loved was never seen again and no one really knew who he was or where he lived. Years passed, the seasons came and went, and the giant became old and feeble and each day he looked for the little boy.

One winter’s morning, in the far corner of the garden the giant saw a tree covered in blossoms and underneath it stood the little boy, the giant could barely believe it eyes. He ran to the boy and as he got close to him the giant’s face filled with anger. He could see that in the boy’s hands and feet were the prints of nails. “Who wounded you, I will slay them he shouted.” But the child told him “No, these are wounds of love”. Then the child told him “You let me play in your garden once and today you shall come with me to my garden, Paradise.”

The giant gave love freely to one small child and it changed his life forever. Christ gave His love freely and He changes our lives when we accept it.

Today, we can share God’s love with someone, and it will not only change their life but ours as well. God’s love is the undoing of a selfish heart.

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