Family Heritage

One of my favorite parts of this Christmas season will be watching the interplay among the three generations that will gather together in Augusta, GA. Oh, yes, 10 adults, two preschoolers and two dogs will create scenes of chaos, but when all the adults know and serve the Lord, there is "joy unspeakable and full of glory," as the apostle Paul writes. Here, Santa Granpa, Brent and our granddaughter share bedtime stories together. The routine that follows in her bedroom involves saying prayers, singing "This Little Light of Mine," and "Mary Had a Little Lamb," and giving hugs and kissess all around. Ask Little Stuff what Christmas is all about and she responds, "It's Jesus' birthday." After that her lights go out, the music of her sea turtle begins and we all slip out of her room.

Years ago, when I studied Isaiah, I chose a verse for our family. “As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the LORD. “My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever,' says the LORD." Isaiah 59:21. Whether you have Christians in your genealogy for generations or are a first generation believer yourself, latch onto this verse for 2010 and then share your faith -- by the way you live more than by a penchant to inject a verse into every conversation. Pray that the Lord will call each one in your family to a personal faith in Jesus Christ, a relationship that will change theri life forver.

Fear and Wonder

"Don't feel hurt, " my daughter-in-law told Dave. "When your granddaughter saw an off-duty Santa at Sam's Club, she was like white on rice hangin' on to my Mom." The two-year-old registered pure terror then, despite the Santa's efforts to engage her in friendly conversation. The blue-eyed toddler stole glances and kept asking her Mommy,"Where he go?" And before the shopping ended, she did say "Merry Christmas" to him.  Thus, Dave remained optimistic: after all, this Santa was her Granpa. The red suit, spats, hat and glasses came from a costume company, but the smile, voice and beard would be 100% Granpa. Dave and I arrived in Statesboro on Thursday afternoon, and Granpa tried on the outfit then because he planned to play Santa at two daycares on Friday, one being hers! "Daddy, No, I no like him!"  Not exactly a rave review!

Dave loves kids and moved slowly the next day when his granddaughter, frightened and crying, clung to Nanny Scarlet. Smart Granpa talked and then began to play ball with the four toddlers there, winning their trust and then handing out their gifts. As the picture explains, the fear turned to wonder and love.

I think about the shepherds, ones we consider highly favored to have received the sky-shattering birth announcement of the Christ child. "They were sore afraid," says the KJV; the NIV translates that "They were terrified." As I face a righteous God as presented in the law, terror fills me too. Only when He condescends to demonstrate His grace and mercy, does my fear turn to wonder.

Music and Advent

I don't know when I first sang; I only know that singing fills me with joy. And harmonies, especially in the tight chords, give me chills. Music truly communicates in ways that touch the soul. Part of the Christmas concert for the Garrett County Choral Society will include the 1991 song, "Mary, Did You Know?" The deity of Christ leaps from the words of this song, revealing acts in the baby's future that Mary, the teenage girl chosen to bear the Christ child, could never have imagined. Yes, He would one day "walk on water, save our sons and daughters, give sight to the blind, calm a storm with His hand." This Jesus would gain a huge following for the miracles He performed. However, the lyrics then make a play on words that some find offensive. "This  Child that you delivered will soon deliver you." Now Jesus steps out! Others may have startled the world with slight of hand miracles, but Jesus' claims far exceed any miracle worker."When you kiss your little baby you have kissed the face of God," and "The sleeping child you're holding is the Great 'I Am!'" I want the truth of these words to seep into every fiber of my being. Why? Because the truth conveyed changes lives from the inside out. Not just a behavioral change, but a heart change that destroys favored idols in me and allows me to bring glory to God.

I've also listened to Michael Card's The Promise today and asked for the Lord to allow me a deeper vision of Christ this Advent season. "As a sign to you, the one born today will be wrapped in rags, asleep on the hay," sings Card. The lowly shepherds got a spectacular birth announcement and sought this babe, but the vast majority in the world slept on that night. In so many ways, our world, desperate to be relevant, universal and non-judgmental, sleeps also. But we who call Him Lord also can miss the mystery of the incarnation. We decoraate, buy, feast, and scurry through Advent, worried that we will not get it all done. Somewhere, everywhere in the bustling activity, we miss the time to prepare ourselves for the amazement of God with us, Immanuel. "If God is with us, who could stand against us?" "There is no height nor depth that can ever separate us from the love of Christ." If that's Christmas ho-hum, I haven't paused to look afresh at marvelous news of Chritmas.

Then tonight a group of women from church gathered here to watch the DVD of Paige Benton Brown talking about what we must tell the next generation. Paige pleads with her listeners to really see all that Christ is-- His power, majesty, and love for us as His called children. I don't need a new idea for a gift, another recipe to dazzle the family, a two-week diet to shed pounds before the feasting begins, or a change in my circumstances. In Jesus, Immanuel, I have everything; without Him, I have nothing. May the star's light of Christmas stop me right over that humble stable so I can fasten my eyes upon the promise named Jesus. I want to hear and sing the music of Christmas with a deeper view of the Child of Promise. May this Advent give us all the time to look at the sleeping baby who is the Son of God.

Cold Dampness and Christmas

On this final day of November, the darkness outside belies the clock's 4:45 PM time. I've watched snow flurries and rain while I made oatmeal/craisin/white chocolate chip cookies to share with another couple coming tonight for spaghetti dinner. Dave managed to burn the trash and order some Christmas gifts via the internet, but the day appears pretty grim. I miss times of quiet with Little Stuff when we could just watch Veggie Tales together on the couch. Alas, I'm in Maryland and she's in Georgia.

Into this dismal day the background sounds, thanks to Cindy Bauchspies and Michael Card Christmas CDs, propel my spirit right into Advent. A day such as this one takes me to the cold dampness that I associate with the difficulties of the first Christmas. Whatever the weather that first Christmas night, the Christ child entered a hostile environment as He nestled down in a feeding trough. The Creator of the universe entered His world to find anger, hatred, and ultimately, death. No bright lights and tinsel, no blow-up reindeer or holiday buying sprees. Yet, for the likes of you and me, He gave up the splendor of heaven to walk this earth, tempted in all ways as we, and to lay down His life as a ransom for those He would call to faith in Him. I wait in this Advent season, savoring the depth of such a love.