I still remember my concern when I realized my little Granny would one day not be around to pray for me. She’d stood as a spiritual rock my entire life. As she aged, I began to dread the inevitable loss. Then, a doctor’s diagnosis and a brief illness brought me to the place I feared.
The word “If” is a tiny word with big meaning. In my Bible, it’s near the top of a passage dubbed “The Believer’s Triumph.” Paul used it when he posed what seemed to be a rhetorical question. Paul just explained the amazing gift of salvation God offered through the sacrifice of His Son. He also taught about the role of the Holy Spirit in believers’ lives. He then concluded, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Rather than a question, Paul actually stated a fact! God isfor us, and He proved it by sending His Son and His Holy Spirit.
My daughter witnessed a rare moment—a cow returning to the herd with her newborn calf. The expectant mother had wandered off the evening before to give birth privately in the scrub brush. As dawn broke, the pair stood alone under a tree. The yearlings wandered up first. They circled the calf in curious amazement. Even though the mother tried to stay between them and her baby, she was outnumbered. Each simply wanted a sniff and appeared to say, “Welcome to the herd!” When the rest of the cows arrived, the calf was apparently overwhelmed with joy. It left its mother and eagerly greeted each cow one-by-one. It seemed to ask, “Will you be my friend?”
I found it at a tag sale, painted it turquoise and added a cushion. Now it’s my favorite place for mulling things over. It’s my old wooden think-it-through rocker. The rhythmic thump-d-thump across the porch boards soothes my confusion when life comes too fast. It’s the place I go to sort things out.
Forgive me for taking this verse a wee bit out of context, but I was at my wits end. I did not think I could keep it together. Then, while reading through the small book of Colossians, these words, “by him all things hold together” immediately jumped out at me.
If you are anything like me you may not enjoy war movies. Blood and guts, people dying – just not my thing to watch. It just hurts my heart to think things like these battles have happened and are still happening.
Even though not my favorite, I have watched bits and pieces of some war movies. I think back to ones fought with bows and arrows. Though embellished for the viewers’ entertainment, I can still picture the thousands of arrows flying through the air. Many of those same arrows pierced their intended targets while others fell by the wayside.
I knew the holiday season would prove difficult for my mother. She had moved into an assisted living facility in the midst of the COVID plague and could only receive visitors through a plexiglass wall. There would be no family Christmas gathering for her.
My grandmother loved to give everyone in the family Christmas gifts. As much as possible she made them by hand. She might make house shoes, hot pan holders, or doilies. She might even go so far as to buy a pair of socks for each of the guys.
Travel, travel, travel, how many times have I complained about having to travel during the holidays? We’d pile the kids, luggage, and presents into the car and off we’d go. My bad attitude about doing it every single year probably affected everyone involved negatively.
The long-awaited day finally arrived. The Magi beheld the Christ-child. They bowed. They worshiped. They presented their gifts.
We continue our look at the Magi’s journey to worship the newborn king. “Worship” (derived from the Old English word “weorth”) means to attribute worth to something. The Magi were on a journey to attribute worth to Jesus. Would you say that is your life pursuit—to attribute worth to Jesus?
The Magi set out on a journey to worship the newborn king. This journey was no easy task. Some say they traveled over 700 miles. Tradition tells us they traveled on camels, but any means of travel in that day for that distance would have been extremely difficult.
The Magi saw the star and believed a king was born. Their belief was life changing. They left behind the familiar and began a journey to find and worship this king. Belief in Jesus is always life changing! That which is familiar pales in light of seeking and worshiping Jesus Christ. The Magi teach us about worship, but first, let’s look at what they teach us about life-changing belief in Jesus.
Tonight a rare event is happening. Just after sunset on the southwestern horizon you can witness the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. Though these planets will be millions of miles apart, they will appear to be almost touching. An alignment of these planets occurs approximately every 20 years. However, this conjunction is exceptional because of how close Jupiter and Saturn will appear. An alignment of this greatness hasn’t occurred since March 4,1226. Their closeness will create a radiant point of light that is being called the Christmas Star or Star of Bethlehem.
There is one gift left under the tree.
Can you see it there in the back, behind the tissue and the gold wrapping paper?
I saved it for last because it is just for you-- from me.
The other day our youngest granddaughter and I were visiting about her upcoming birthday party. I asked her who would be at her party and she named several children from her kindergarten class, none of whom I knew. To make conversation, I asked her to tell me about them. A couple of half-hearted answers later, she said, “Don’t tell anybody, but I like the presents more than people.” Words spoken with a six year-old’s honesty, but a sentiment we can all relate to. Who doesn’t like presents?
I don’t know about you, but my childhood Christmases weren’t all teddy bears and ballet slippers. It was also the season when practical needs came wrapped in holiday paper. One item I could pretty much count on to make an annual appearance under the tree was a new scarf.
Do you remember two-part presents? When it was your turn to select a gift to open, an adult would say something like, “You can open that, but if you do, you need to open this package, too. If they aren’t opened together, they won’t make much sense.”
For a child, Christmas is a wondrous time--with most of the wonders wrapped and waiting under the Christmas tree.
As if it were yesterday, I remember those last days before Christmas from my childhood. The tree, decorated and sparkling with lights, stood in its traditional corner. Underneath were gifts in all shapes and sizes wrapped and ready to be opened. I knew some of them would be practical; but others would delightful surprises. I would make frequent detours past the living room to catch a glimpse of that scene just to assure myself that it was all real.
“You know, it’s all about love.” A simple statement uttered by a simple man, my dad, as he lay languishing on his deathbed. After all his years of working, serving and living, he had discovered the importance of life.
