Arise my darling, my beautiful one, and follow Me.

-Song of Songs 2:10














Monday, December 26, 2011

Firstborn






While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.
-Luke 2:6-7




Firstborn holds a lot of responsibility.

He is the one who leads the way. A trailblazer. Icebreaker. He sets the bar for those who come after, and is who younger ones look up to.

The road is unclear. There are no maps that direct which way to turn, where to go, when to get there. So the firstborn must forge a trail previously never stepped upon. And when the path proves a bit overgrown, He looks to His Father to show the way.

From the firstborn many appear. Bloodlines thicken, populations multiply. When you see one, others are sure to follow.

The firstborn is strong. He must hold his own and take on the world that is so unknown to eyes that see land and life for the first time through flesh. He is resilient. If something doesn’t turn out the way it should, He continues on to make it right.

He is caring, gentle, patient and kind. He looks after those in His care. When they hurt, He bleeds, too. When they smile, His heart rejoices. He encourages the downcast and propels them to a sky of dreams. He will make even the most stubborn of hearts crave His approval.

Love lives inside Him. Light spills from His eyes. His touch soothes. He knows His destiny, and steps towards it with determination. And from afar, His Father watches, waiting until the day He returns home, task completed, and has set the world in motion. In His Son, this firstborn, this selfless servant, the Father is well pleased.

And what pleases the Son, the right and true firstborn? Knowing the lives He’s cared for are well secured and safe.


Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You came into a cold, cruel world to mark a life of love, to set an example we are to follow. You were the firstborn, in every sense of the word. In life, in sacrifice, and for caring about my heart. You are the reason for the season of reflection. May I walk in Your steps and blaze like You. Amen.

Not About Me






Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.
-Isaiah 7:14



Christmas is a giving time. It is the season of selflessness, the joy of an undeserved but eternal gift. The month of miracles.

So why am I being so selfish? Why do I take it as I see around me- brown, dull, looming skies, and not for the feeling that once stirred so much inside me? Why do I look for a sign to see that this season is going my way? It’s as if I have this cookie cutter idea of what I expect the holiday to be, and the actual event is a fraction of an inch different than my expectations, I moan and marvel at how it just doesn’t seem like the way I knew before.

If I step back and assess my actions, it appears I am trying to make the season about me. It’s different for me this year, for various reasons. My schedule’s changed; it doesn’t allow time for gifts or greetings or even, dare I admit it, reflection on the origin of the celebration in the first place. I may have even reshaped my heart a bit, whether conscious of it or not. Somehow, in my twisted, self-absorbed brain, I’ve made it about what I can get from the hustle and bustle. How did I get my worship so warped?

I don’t have snow? It’s likely the first family of faith wasn’t greeted with flurries, either. But a storm stirred inside the manger that night, anyway. The storm of our salvation.

I don’t have time to take a breath? I doubt Mary did through all the months she carried our Savior, past the stares and jeers and endless travel on a donkey as she longed for a place of rest yet not to find it in a foreign land.

I have preconceived notions of the holiday? The first Christmas had no agenda or structure, other than a newborn to sleep quietly and build His soul’s strength before starting the quest to conquer death.

A star appeared. The angels sang. Wisemen journeyed across countries by camel. There’s the sign- God’s divine destiny. It all happened. As planned, according to the Father’s design, smoothly and without worry. And it was the best CHRISTmas ever.

Perhaps I have been too occupied with my to-do list rather than my to-Who list. After all, we wouldn’t even have a holiday to humble ourselves before had it not been for that silent night many years ago.

It’s time for me to slow down. Time for me to reflect and repent, and to fall at the tiny feet of Him who gave me the greatest, most freeing gift of all. The gift that granted me the right to celebrate life- His life, my life, our life- in the first place.


Prayer:
Sweet Jesus, how quickly I forget what Christmas is all about. How easily I get distracted and think the world’s turned upside down if the season doesn’t go as I planned. Help me remember why I am here amongst the twinkling lights, why I kneel at the small bed of my Savior. Amen.

A Simple Obedience




When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him.
-Matthew 1:24



It came in a dream.

An order. In the middle of the night, in the middle of a deep and stirring sleep, from a heavenly herald.

To a laborer, who lived by the harvest of his hands. Who studied for years in the craft of carpentry and built sycamore chairs and sanded stables. Who earned just enough to get by and worked diligently to provide for the young girl he pledged to marry.

Joseph was favored in his town, looked upon as a good and honest man. Everything lined up in a row for this tradesman. Everything looked to continue as planned.

Then, an announcement. A whisper from the lips of his betrothed. Gabriel’s appearance. Late night cravings. The swelling of her stomach.

He, being a decent, honorable man, determined to make things right, to do the decent thing so as not to shame her. He weighed the options, probed his possibilities and prepared to divorce her as quickly and quietly as possible. She would not be bothered, they would not be disgracing one another. A simple solution.

That night after his decision, as he lay down upon his straw mattress, Joseph prayed to the God of his fathers. For strength, for guidance, for His will to be shown. When he finished, he slipped into his blanket and drifted into the world behind his eyes.

A voice rang through the silence. Someone called to him. Knew him by name. Joseph, son of David. His lineage, leaked into his subconscious. And a light that filled the span of his mind’s space. Brilliant. Determined.

Joseph tossed between the sheets, terrified. But the messenger’s next words stilled his shaking heart. “Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”

Do not be afraid. The Lord’s angel mentioned Mary by name, too! And the peace that flooded through him told of truth, that the little one inside her belly was indeed inserted by the Spirit.

Take her home as your wife. God was not calling him to let her go. He was calling him to hold on tightly, to walk with her and shelter her and stand beside her, amidst the people’s stares. And how they would stare, no doubt. But Joseph was a man of courage. Beneath his humble demeanor was a thick skinned warrior who served the Lord no matter the cost, no matter the instruction. If he was called to love this girl and father the incoming Messiah, then he would embrace this direction with dedication.

As the angel faded from his dream, the morning sun filled the corners of his room. Joseph roused, blinked in the new day and set out to obey the angel of the Lord’s command. He found Mary, bid their families farewell and set out for Bethlehem. And when the arrival of a Son appeared, he smiled at the King in his arms and loved as he never had before.

A dream. A calling. A simple man with a simple obedience. No fear. No question. Just trust and acceptance.

It takes great faith to hear the Lord and act upon His direction. Even when it means denying yourself comfort and stability. Especially when it doesn’t make sense to those around you. But it makes sense to God, and, like Joseph’s acceptance, it is enough to step forward and carry out His good and perfect plan.


Prayer:
Father, I thank You for Joseph’s obedience. That when he heard from You, he chose to obey and follow Your lead. I pray I may have a faith like his, a trust like his and the knowledge that You are in control, and whatever it is You have planned for me, it is growing me and bringing me closer to You. Thank You for carrying out your Christmas plan through a simple man’s heart and his obedient bride. Amen.

Unchanging




I the Lord do not change.
-Malachi 3:6



The sky has hardened into an iron atmosphere, layering itself with blankets of clouds thick and full of snow, which will no doubt spill to earth within days. As I inhale the air into my lungs, it no longer soothes; it stings. I dig my hands deeper into my pockets, attempting to corral the last remnants of autumn that have slipped into the seams of my coat, clinging for dear life.

Bare branches. Signs of the color that once graced the world mere weeks ago, now turned to an ashen state, cowering close to the ground. Empty parks, void of laughter and light. Waking and falling to sleep in darkness. And that endless chill that tears right through the seven layers I pile on. Farewell, Fall. Welcome, Winter.

Yet with the exit of harvest hopes enters the dreams of December. Silent, snowy walks. The scent of crackling wood exiting through brick laden chimneys, filling the already spice spilled space in my heart with an aroma of warmth and kindling excitement. Cookie decorating that ends with the majority of frosted sugar treats in my mouth instead of the storage tin.

With the dip of the temperature, so comes the rise of star studded nights and cozy couch sittings where I can sprawl with a cup of hot chocolate and let melodic Christmas songs bathe me in the comfort of our coming King.

Seasons change. It’s inevitable. We can prepare ourselves and hold onto the memories of warmer, brighter times, but the change is still going to greet you in the morning, when you slip outside to take on the morning and a billow of crystallized breath erupts from your lips. We cannot control the fluctuating weather, our attitudes, our circumstances that come along with each moment, but we have a God who stands solid and steady, month after month, year after year.

He is unchanging. He is completely aware of all that happens. He sees your struggles, your pain, the tears you bottle in your heart, too proud to let spill. He is the One who casts a silver sheen on the midnight moon, dancing off the fresh powder sprinkled over your yard.

If the God of all seasons dictates when they fill and fade, how much more does He involve Himself in your life? He wants to stroll with you this holiday season, wants to take your hand and show you all the beauty you may have missed in years past. This time, you will have Someone beside you who won’t let you miss tiny details as they develop into overwhelming delights.

So listen to the whistle of the wind as it glides across your face and tucks a strand of hair or two behind your ear. God is singing to you, beckoning you to see what He is bringing your way this month of magic.


Prayer:
Lord, You are steady and unchanging. The shifting seasons may bring cold and busyness from commercial satisfaction, but You have meant it as a time to slow and see the world through Your eyes, to view the beauty around us in this seasonal transition with awe. Thank You for Your presence as we roll through the seasons and months, pressing forward for You. Please light my heart to feel Your glow as I reflect upon what this time of year really means. Amen.