Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Hear the Crying




Imagine if you will, Christmas day in history, more than 2000 years ago in the small town of Bethlehem.  Jesus is born.  Do you feel the crisp early morning air?  Do you smell the animals and the hay?  Listen.  Do you hear the newborn crying?  Can you see Mary, seated on the floor of the stable, holding her tiny son?  Can you see her rock back and forth, back and forth, to comfort and quiet this tiny babe?

Thirty years later, behold a dry and barren land.  The voice of John the Baptist cries out in the wilderness. “Make straight the way for the Lord,” he calls to any who will listen.  Now that the crying baby is grown, his cousin John cries for the repentance of his people.
Three years later it is the mother of Jesus who cries.  She kneels and weeps at the foot of a rugged Roman cross.  High above her head is the broken body of her baby boy.  The once tiny babe is grown and men have nailed him on this cross.  She cries for her son who is suffering and dying.
In just a few days, everything changes. Now those bitter tears, those agonizing cries have turned to miraculous cries of joy.  The son who was crucified on a cross is no longer in the tomb.  He is alive!
As you contemplate these cries, think about your own preparations for Christmas.  Did you spend many exhausting hours shopping, wrapping, cooking, cleaning, and baking to prepare for Christmas?  Did you cry in anger, frustration, or fatigue? 
Through your tears, remember, the babe who cried in the manger is the Lord who died on the cross.  He is the same Lord who was resurrected and is alive.  He is the same Lord who takes away our sins so that we, too, may be blameless and live forever in heaven. 
Once again we hear crying, the crying of our hearts.  We cry,  remembering our sins.  We cry in repentance, preparing our hearts for His coming and living in our lives.  We cry in grief, remembering His sacrifice for us.  We cry in joy, recognizing His resurrected life in us and anticipating eternity with Him in heaven.  We cry tears of delight, for we realize that even though all the preparations are not yet finished, we are, finally, truly ready for Christmas.



Monday, December 14, 2015

Is There Room at the Inn?



For several weeks now I’ve been busily preparing for the holidays. The house is decked out in its Christmas finery: the tree is lit, garlands cover the stairway and windows, and angels and nativities adorn the tabletops.  Holiday meals are cooked, ready to be eaten, and the pantry is stocked. Lots of high calorie treats wait for children and grandchildren to indulge. Gifts, wrapped in red, blue, and green, sit under the tree, waiting to be opened and enjoyed. After all the hard work and preparations, I’m finally ready for Christmas! Now all I have to do is wait for loved ones to arrive and the celebrating will begin!

While I’ve worked, preparing for the holidays, my mind has wondered about the preparations Mary must have made. Like all pregnant women, she must have made special plans to prepare for the birth of the wee one in her womb. Since Joseph was a skilled carpenter, Mary surely asked him to make a lovely cradle for her soon-to-be-born infant. She must have arranged for her mother and at least one other woman to assist with the birth.

I wonder how the trip to Bethlehem impacted her plans. Did it make her fret and worry? Did she cry, thinking she might have her child while on the trip? Or did she calmly prepare, trusting in God to provide? Did she pack some food for the trip? Perhaps she prepared some bread, dried fish, and some dates and figs for their journey. Surely she carried some swaddling clothes, anticipating the birth of her child.

In spite of her preparations, Mary surely wasn’t prepared when she went into labor in a town so far from home. Did she cry for her mother? Was she frightened when they could not find a room at an inn? In spite of her plans and preparations, this baby was coming! In a quiet corner of a little village, in the company of stable animals, Mary gave birth. Surely this birth didn’t happen the way she had planned. But the birth of the Son of the living God as a tiny, helpless infant happened precisely the way God planned.

In spite of any of Mary’s preparations, her baby was born in a humble stable. I suppose the real question isn’t how Mary planned and prepared for the birth of her son.  The important question is this: as I make my human preparations to celebrate the Savior’s birth, have I left room for Him in my inn? Perhaps I need a little more time to truly prepare for Christmas.

Ephesians 3:16, 17a “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”