Receiving the Gift

The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:28 NIV)

It is so much easier to give than to receive.  I know this is true of myself and I know many people who have big, giving hearts that find it very difficult to receive when people want to give to them.  We want to be the great bestowers... not the humble receivers.  We want to give from our abundance. Not accept what we are in need of.  And because of our pride, we miss out on so much grace.

Ann Voskamp talks about Mary conceiving Jesus:

"Now here in this juncture of time and space, God chooses the inconceivable - grace.  

And conceives himself to deliver grace into the world.

Conceive:  it's not passive, but an active verb.  Its root in Latin means nothing less than "to seize, to take hold of."  When grace conceives in you, you take hold of God."

 Jesus was grace in the flesh.  And Mary took hold of that grace... received it with open hands.  Do we truly understand that that is all we need do to receive grace?  Open our  - empty - hands?  Our heads may know it, but what about our hearts? Don't we keep trying to earn grace... to make ourselves worthy of grace... to give God our gifts so that we feel better about receiving his?

I think an important part of Advent is emptying ourselves to receive.  Waiting for God to fill us though we have nothing to give.  Waiting for that most amazing Grace that was ever given... Himself, and allowing Him to be conceived within our own selves... and seizing and taking hold of that awesome Grace... the Christ Child.

On this Christmas Eve eve (as my son, Daniel liked to call December 23rd when he was little) empty yourself.  Put aside your giving long enough to truly receive... humbly... in awe... the greatest Gift ever given.

Lord Jesus,
You ARE grace.  Help us to know there is nothing for us to do but receive you.  Amen.

Behind the Gate

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14 NIV)

I love the story of Esther.  In the beginning, it is like a Cinderella fairytale.  The king finds favor with the beautiful peasant and marries her.  And she lives happily ever after.... well... not quite.  But why shouldn't she?  She had a rough, poor childhood and suddenly she is surrounded by luxury.  Everything she could ever want is at her fingertips.  But her uncle reminds her of where she came from and what is about to happen.  She can cling to the wealth and security inside her gate of gold or she can step outside the gate and risk everything to help those who are helpless.

Wealth can be a really sneaky thing.  Most of the time it is not suddenly heaped upon us as in a large lottery win.  When something like that happens, it is easy... and fun!... to be generous.  But it usually doesn't happen that way.  We begin our adult lives and we struggle in our careers.  We get small increases in our income.  We figure out some money management.  As our wealth creeps up, we find ways we "need" to spend it.  A bigger house.  A better car.  More channels on the TV.  Finer clothes.  More frequent meals out.  A bigger retirement fund.

We are the people - like Esther - who live inside the gate.  We have the means to reach out.... or lock the gate of gold.  We can feed a hungry family.... or place another gift under an already overflowing Christmas tree.  We can help an uninsured cancer patient... or trade in the paid-off car for a new car payment.  We can volunteer at the soup kitchen or homeless shelter, or watch one of 500 channels on our 60 inch HD TV.

Ann VosKamp says it this way:

Esther hears her Uncle Mordecai's message and it does something to her soul. "You've got to use your position inside the gate for those outside the gate - or you're in the position of losing everything."

Like Esther, perhaps we have been given our wealth (yes, you are wealthy) or power or talent for such a time as this.  Whether it is to help the poor, or the afflicted, or the abused, or the enslaved, or the uneducated, or the hungry, or the homeless, or the marginalized.... whether it takes money, or time, or connections, or a specific talent... you have been given what you have for such a time this.  You can't keep it behind your gate of gold or you risk losing everything.

Take a small step outside your gate today.  You know of someone who needs something... who really NEEDS something.  You have the means to provide it.

Father,
We are among the wealthiest in the world, and yet most of us would say we are not rich.  Open our eyes to how much we have and how little 75% of the world has.  Help us to use what we have to help others.  Amen.

Light

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:2, 6 NIV)

"People walking in darkness."  It sounds lonely.  It sounds hopeless.  But, wait!  "They have seen a great light!"  "A light has dawned!"

The famous astronomer, Carl Sagan, speaking about the vast emptiness of space once said,

"In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves."

I highly respect Carl Sagan's work, and I understand that science needs a kind of proof that faith doesn't, but we can find those "hints" everywhere we look.  And those "hints" work themselves out in our lives every day.  Maybe it is not evidence that we can see with our eyes and touch with our hands, but the evidence is seen and felt and heard and tasted by our spiritual senses... and by the unexplained events that answer our prayers and provide for our needs.

There are times in all of our lives when we feel the darkness closing in on us.  Advent and Christmas rescue us with their light.  Advent candles, Christmas trees, houses and lawns, city buildings, flashing Christmas sale signs in store windows..... Light! Light! Light!  All of it serves to remind us that "in a land of deep darkness a light has dawned!  For unto us a child is born, a son is given!"

No more darkness.  And yes, Mr Sagan, there IS a hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves."  Hope in the darkness.  Faith.  Light.

Father of Light,
Thank you for hope.  Thank you for the flickering flame of faith that burn in each of us.  Amen.

Ugly/Beautiful

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7 NIV)

We are blinded by our eyesight.  Our eyes only allow us to see the surface and we have learned to judge things based on what we see on the surface.  It has gotten so much worse in recent years with the popularity of social media.  The bare surface of an issue is posted and the world rushes to judgement.  We see a beggar on a street corner and we think, "lazy."  We see a pregnant teenager and we think, "loose."  We see fat, we think, "no self-control."  We see someone arrested, we think, "guilty."  We see the surface and dismiss God's children without ever seeking to look below the surface.

In Ann VosKamp's JoyDare, I have been challenged to find joy and gratitude in three things each day in that day's assigned category. One of the most challenging categories has been "three things ugly/beautiful."  It challenges us to look beyond what things seem on the surface.... A messy house (because the grandchildren visited);  a rainy, cold winter day (a beautiful Spring ahead).  Those examples are pretty easy.  But the real challenge lies in learning to do that with everything we find ugliness in.  Think of it... God does not make ugly, so it must be our faulty eyesight.  Look deeper.  Examine that ugliness until you find God.  It's there.

Find three things today ugly/beautiful.  It will be difficult.  But do it again tomorrow... And the next day... And the next.  It will become easier.  And it will change the way you think about the world.  It will bring joy to your soul.

Father,
Nothing you have made is ugly.  Help us to see beyond the surface to your beauty underneath.  Amen

The End of Your Rope

You must leave this scarlet rope hanging from the window through which you let us down. (Joshua 2:18 NLT)

My Advent devotional reading today was all about Rahab.  I never realized what an interesting story it is!  To recap:

Joshua had sent spies to scout out Jericho.  They came upon the home of a prostitute by the name of Rahab.  The King of Jericho heard rumors about the spies and their whereabouts but Rahab hid them and helped them escape because she had heard about their God and had faith.  She asked the spies to spare the life of her and her family in return for her help.  The spies agreed and told her to leave the scarlet rope (from which they escaped) hanging out the window to identify them to the troops that would enter.

Ann VosKamp wrote:  "That is always the secret to the abundant life:  to believe that God is where you doubt he can be."

We've all been at the end of rope at one time or another.  And when we are there, it is so hard to believe that God can be there.  We feel hopeless.  Depressed.  Lost.  Friendless.  It would be so easy just to let go of the rope.  But that little mustard seed of faith stirs something deep down in our soul.  And where we doubted God could be, he appears and does amazing things.

A couple of interesting notes about the story of Rahab:

• The Hebrew word for Rahab's rope is "tikvah."  The same word is the Hebrew word for "hope."
• Rahab is the mother of Boaz, the husband of Ruth.  Rahab is the great-grandmother of King David.

A prostitute.  A life at the end of its rope.  Add a tiny bit of faith and a small cord of hope and we have an honored woman in Jesus' lineage.  God was there in the room of that prostitue.  He is there when you are at the end of your rope too.  Believe it.

Father,

Thank you for the uncommon stories of common people that give us hope.  Amen.

Incline Your Heart

Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever! (Deuteronomy 5:29 NIV)

I'm reading an Advent devotional book by Ann VosKamp called, The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas.  In this morning's reading, Ann likens the Ten Commandments to wedding vows.  Very appropriate if you think about it.  God has wooed us throughout time and the Church is the Bride of Christ.

Traditional wedding vows ask the couple to be true to one another in sickness, in health; whether rich or poor, forsaking all others.  And because we love our soon-to-be spouse, we have no problem promising these things with all our hearts.  God's Commandments are also meant to be kept by our hearts.  These are not 10 Super Challenges that we should have to force ourselves to be victorious over.  They are fairly simple guidlines for living for anyone who loves God and loves who and what God loves.  The verse above points out that God simply wants our hearts... and for our own good!

If any husband or wife broke their wedding vows as often as we break the Commandments, there would surely be a divorce!  But Jesus came to bring it all together... to bring our heart into the vows and make them easier to keep and to cover our slip-ups and bring us over-and-over-again forgiveness.

Live today with your heart close to God.  It will make keeping your vows to him nearly effortless.

Father,
When we fail to keep your commands it is because our heart is elsewhere.  Help us to keep our heart close to you so that we may easily follow your word.  Amen.

Choose to Find the Grace

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. (Genesis 50:20 NIV)

My favorite story of forgiveness in the Old Testament is the story of Joseph forgiving his brothers for selling him into slavery.  Maybe it's my favorite because I come from a large family and my siblings and I did our share of selling one another out for our own selfish reasons.  But the story of Joseph and his brothers is a good one no matter what kind of family you come from.  And I think the best line in the story is, "What you intended for evil, God intended for good."

God is always using evil committed by his children for good.  Look at the cross... an instrument of evil used by God to give the most incredible gift ever.  And he still does it in our lives today.  Every single time, if we only allow ourselves to see it.  We can miss it.  Joseph could have missed it.  He could have used his God-given good fortune to take revenge on his brothers.  He could have had them killed.  But Joseph chose to find the grace.

That's the thing.  We have to choose it in order to receive it.  No matter what evil is going on in our lives right now... disease, divorce, unemployment, or any other of the myriad possibilities, we need only to look for the grace.  It doesn't mean that the evil won't affect us or hurt us.  Joseph was hurt, no question about it.  But the grace raises us above the hurt.  And it is that grace that gives us the ability to forgive.  And then that ability to forgive turns around and pours out even more grace on us!

Why, why, why do we so often choose to remain mired in the evil rather than choose the grace?  Look at the evil that is holding you down in your life today.  Choose to find grace... and you will.

Father,
I choose grace today.  Amen.

War on Advent

Let the one who is wise heed these things and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord. (Psalm 107:43 NIV)

This is a very difficult time of year for those Christians who observe Advent.  It's hard eough that the world is already screaming "Merry Christmas" when Advent is not Christmas, nor is it suppposed to be merry.  The really hard part is the that the world is on fast forward - shop! party! bake! wrap! decorate! entertain! - but Advent calls us to slow down, pray, worship, study, ponder.

If we are honest with ourselves, we know what the better choice is, but come on... if we wait to do Christmas from December 24 through January 6 we will be partying those last six days by ourselves. The best we can do is to try to fit our Advent into the world's Christmas.  Choose a day... or two... to just do Advent.  No shopping, baking, parties, etc.  Wednesday would be good if your church does Wednesday Advent services.  Take the day to ponder, pray, worship, study and slow down from the madness out there.

War on Christmas?  No, I think the war is really on Advent, and Advent is losing.

Lord Jesus,
We know we have it all wrong, but we feel so powerless to stop it.  Thank you for loving us anyway and for knowing that we truly do love you.  Amen.

I'll Be Back!

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen. (Revelation 22:20, 21 NIV)

The last two verses of the Bible.  What an ending.  I can almost hear it in Arnold Schwartzenneger's thick Austrian accent:  "I'll be back!"  If you ever watch movies at all, you can see that God left plenty of room for the sequel:  "The Holy Bible, Part II."

And so we wait.  Waiting means we haven't given up.  It means that even though the world seems to get scarier and scarier, we still see hope.  Through masacres in elementary schools and cancer epidemics and wars that never seem to end and natural disasters that wipe out whole cities... we haven''t given up.  We still see hope.  We still see a happy ending to come.

I've always had the notion that we are still living in biblical times.  God just hasn't chosen anyone to write it down yet.  God's story cannot just end at the cliff-hanger of "I'll be back." God's story continues in our waiting and in the works his children accomplish as we wait.  And I suspect that even when Jesus fulfills his promise to return, the story will just be getting started!

Come, Lord Jesus.  Amen.

Where Are You?

During that day’s cool evening breeze, they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden; and the man and his wife hid themselves from the Lord God in the middle of the garden’s trees. The Lord God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" (Genesis 3:8, 9 CEB)

"Where are you?"  That is the first question asked in the Bible... and God asks it.  It seems an appropriate question for us in this first week of Advent.  If God asked YOU, "Where are you?"  What would be your answer?  Are you hiding from Him?  Are you seeking Him with all your heart?  Are you in the same place in your relationship with Him as you were 5 years ago?

Ask yourself, "Where am I?"  And answer... as honestly as you can.  If you can honestly answer that you are seeking God with all your heart, that is good!  It means you are growing in your faith and learning and giving and serving and praying.  But most likely, like me, you have much room to improve.  If you are hiding, come out from your hiding place and open your heart to the One who always knew where you were anyway.  If you are stagnant and have been unwilling to see God in new and wonderous ways, open your eyes!  God is always doing something new!  And He wants you to come along and not be left behind!

This Advent make it your daily practice to pray, study, worship and give thanks.  Find something new  in the world and find God in it.  Climb to a high place, reach up with your arms and shout to your Heavenly Father, "Here I am!"

Dear Father,
Here I am!  Please take me along on one of your new adventures today.  Keep my heart open so that I will not miss it.  Amen.

Eager Anticipation

18-21 That’s why I don’t think there’s any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what’s coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens. -Romans 8:19-21 MSG

Advent is about waiting in expectation... waiting in eager anticipation.  Do you know the feeling?  It is the 12-year-old waiting for summer vacation from school.  It is the young army wife waiting for her husband to come home from deployment.  It is falling in love and awaiting that first lover's kiss.  This kind of waiting is the kind of waiting that makes the desired thing feel so close and yet so far.  So close you can feel it, savor it, almost hold it in your hand; but so far that you have an aching yearning that won't leave you alone.  This is Advent.

We don't get that kind of Advent when we just think of it as waiting for Christmas... waiting for the Christ who came to us as a baby in a manger.  We have to get the "whole" of the waiting of He who Was and Is and Is To Come.

This first week of Advent typically focuses on "hope."  Hope is about what is yet to be and that yet to be is Jesus coming again.  Now is the time that the self-proclaimed prophets might raise their signs that say, "The end is near."  But our God... the God who BEGAN the world... the God who BEGAN new life in CHRIST... the GOD who BEGINS a new work in each of us... is a God of BEGINNINGS, not endings.

So I say to you that it is NOT the end that is near, but a beginning.  A beginning full of hope and dazzling wonders.  It is so close that we can feel it and savor it.  But just far enough that we continue to yearn for it with an aching longing.

We don't know exactly what this new beginning is all about.  But we do know that it is good.  Because God is good.  All the time.

Father,
We wait on tiptoe in eager anticipation of any new beginnings that you may have for us.  Open our hearts and fill us with hope.  Amen.