Ten Years

Ten years ago I walked down the aisle to meet my groom.  We said our vows and promised to love one another and be faithful to one another for the rest of our lives.  We joined in the covenant of marriage, "...for better or worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health..."

How thankful I am to the Lord for blessing me with a godly and faithful husband.  Thank you, Will, for staying by my side these past 10 years in sickness and in health, or as we often joke, "in sickness and in more sickness."

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, friends!  I hope that you have a wonderful day of celebration.  This truly is a day for celebration, so feast and rejoice and have a party!  The Savior has come for you and for me

One of my favorite songs this month has been "Here With Us" by Joy Williams.  It is absolutely beautiful, and the words express the wonder of God coming to earth as a baby. If you are reading this in an email, please click over to see the video. It is well worth the five minutes.

Here With Us

It's still a mystery to me 
That the hands of God could be so small, 
How tiny fingers reaching in the night 
Were the very hands that measured the sky

Hallelujah, hallelujah 

Heaven's love reaching down to save the world 

Hallelujah, hallelujah 

Son of God, Servant King, here with us

You're here with us

It's still a mystery to me,

How His infant eyes have seen the dawn of time 

How His ears have heard an angel's symphony, 

But still Mary had to rock her Savior to sleep

Hallelujah, hallelujah

Heaven's love reaching down to save the world 

Hallelujah, hallelujah 

Son of God, Servant King, here with us 

You're here with us

Jesus the Christ, born in Bethlehem 

A baby born to save, to save the souls of man

Hallelujah, hallelujah

Heaven's love reaching down to save the world

Hallelujah, hallelujah

Son of God, Servant King, here with us

Hallelujah, hallelujah

Heaven's love reaching down to save the world

Hallelujah, hallelujah

Son of God, Servant King, here with us

You're here with us

You're here with us

What Child Is This?

What Child Is This? What Child is this who, laid to rest On Mary’s lap is sleeping? Whom angels greet with anthems sweet, While shepherds watch are keeping? This, this is Christ the King, Whom shepherds guard and angels sing; Haste, haste, to bring Him laud, The Babe, the Son of Mary. Why lies He in such mean estate, Where ox and ass are feeding? Good Christians, fear, for sinners here The silent Word is pleading. Nails, spear shall pierce Him through, The cross be borne for me, for you. Hail, hail the Word made flesh, The Babe, the Son of Mary. So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh, Come peasant, king to own Him; The King of kings salvation brings, Let loving hearts enthrone Him. Raise, raise a song on high, The virgin sings her lullaby. Joy, joy for Christ is born, The Babe, the Son of Mary. Words by William C. Dix, 1865                 Painting by Gerard van Honthorst

I Wonder....

As a child I loved to play with the nativity scene during the Christmas season.  After I finished playing, I would set everything back in the stable in the way I imagined it would have been.  Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and even the animals, were all crowded around the manger.  They all wanted to be as close as they could be to baby Jesus.  When I arrange our nativity scene today, I still crowd all of the people and animals around baby Jesus.

I wish I could take a peek into the stable on that first Christmas night. What would it have been like?

I wonder...

Did the animals crowd close to the manger to see baby Jesus? Did they know that something special was happening? Did they know that their Maker was right there in the stable with them?

Were Mary and Joseph able to sleep that night? Or did the wonder of having the Son of God in their arms keep them awake in amazement and delight?

Did the shepherds crowd close to the manger? Or did they stand back in reverential awe?

I wonder...

What were the angels thinking as they saw their God in the manger? Were they watching in amazement as the mystery of God's plan of salvation began to unfold before their eyes? If we could see the spiritual realm in the stable on that first Christmas, would we see angels crowded around the manger, along with the shepherds, to catch a glimpse of their God as a baby?

What were Satan and his demons doing? Did they know that God had come to earth? Did they shriek in terror when He was born? Or did they cower in fear, unable to make a sound for the knowing that their doom was coming?

I wonder...

Were the Old Testament saints watching from Heaven as the angel announced the birth of Christ? Did they sing along with the angels in praise to God? Did they gaze in awe at the baby in the stable, thrilled that God's promise to send a Savior was being fulfilled?

I wonder...

What was it like that first Christmas night? I wonder...how could God love me, a sinner, so much that He would come to earth to save me from my sin?

I wonder, and I stand in amazement of His great love and mercy.

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till, ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep"
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men."

 

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

 Sharing today with The Sunday Community at Jumping Tandem.
 

Photo Credit: gb_packards

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

One of my favorite Christmas songs is, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel."  I love the beautiful, haunting melody. I love the way it expresses Israel's longing for her Messiah. It is a reminder to me that God fulfilled His promise to send His Son, and that He will fulfill His promise to return.

Emmanuel means "God with us." God came to dwell among people! It never ceases to amaze me that the God of the universe chose to come to earth as a baby, live among fallen people, and save us from our sins.

Isaiah 7:14

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. (NIV 1984)
  

Matthew 1:18-25

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” - which means, “God with us." 

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. (NIV 1984)

Last week at church my husband, Will, and I sang "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" in church. The special music was video taped, and I am sharing it with you today. It isn't perfect, but we pray that the King will be glorified. (If you are reading this in an email you will need to click over to my blog to see the video).

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here,

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer

Our spirits by Thine advent here;

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,

And death's dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O Come, Thou Wisdom from on high,

And order all things far and nigh;

To us the path of knowledge show,

And cause us in her ways to go.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Desire of nations, bind

 All peoples in one heart and mind;

 Bid envy, strife, and quarrels cease,

 Fill all the world with Heaven's peace.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Emmanuel has come, and He will come again!  Are you ready for His return?

O Little Town of Bethlehem

O little town of Bethlehem,

How still we see thee lie;

Above they deep and dreamless sleep

The silent stars go by.

Yet in they dark streets shineth

The everlasting light;

The hopes and fears of all the years

Are met in thee tonight.

For Christ is born of Mary,

And gathered all above,

While mortals sleep the angels keep

Their watch of wondering love.

O morning stars together,

Proclaim the holy birth,

And praises sing to God the King,

And peace to men on earth!

Words by Phillips Brooks 1835-1893

Photo Credit: Kyle Taylor

A Special Friend, A Special Gift

One of the first friends I made after moving to Minnesota was a sweet, godly lady named Arlene. She understood me well because she had a chronic illness, too, only she was more sick than I am. She was a godly example to me of what it means to suffer well. She lived Romans 12:12, "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer" (NIV 1984).

Arlene was a prayer warrior. She had hundreds of cards with specific names and prayer requests on them. A few years ago she heard about a friend of mine who was sick, and when we moved here this spring we found out that Arlene was still praying for my friend! Her faithfullness in prayer has been a great challenge and encouragement to me.

 

Arlene was homebound, and since I am mostly homebound we didn't get to visit with each other very often. Will would go to visit her when I couldn't, and I would hear about how she was doing and what she was praying about.

 

One specific request that was on Arlene's heart was a lift chair for me. She knew that I was having trouble with my muscles. There were days that I really struggled to get around our small house, sit down, and stand back up. She prayed faithfully that the Lord would provide a lift chair for me.

 

Last month Arlene went home to be with the Lord. I really miss her, but I am so happy for her! She is no longer suffering terribly as she was here on earth. She is with Jesus, right where she wants to be.

 

 

 

Arlene no longer needs her lift chair, and her husband, Gary, generously gave it to me. "It's what Arlene would have wanted," he said. What a blessing this chair has been to me! This particular lift chair doesn't just lift me up when my muscles need some extra help; it also reclines all the way. I can lay down completely flat or even have my feet slightly elevated above my head if necessary!

 

Adelaide calls it my "elevator."

 

As I sit in my new chair, I remember the godly woman who used it before me.  I am reminded of her faithfulness, her love for the Lord, and her love for people.  I am challenged to be "joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer" just like Arlene.

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

Come, Thou long expected Jesus,
 Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s Strength and Consolation,

Hope of all the earth Thou art;

Dear Desire of every nation,

Joy of every longing heart.

 

by Charles Wesley

Photo Credit: Benjamin Nussbaum