But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting                                                                                                                                                                  Micah 5:2 (KJV)

One of the strangest and most heartwarming events of war is the story of the 1914 Christmas Eve truce on a battlefield in France. That December 24^th night, British and German troops somehow suspended the killing and terror of war, and celebrated for hours together in the “no man’s land” area. Even the death and destruction of modern war that night succumbed to the human need for a little time of peace.

The First World War was unprecedented in its tools of bringing mechanized death. Machine guns, enhanced artillery, poison gas, land mines, and airplanes were new ways of bringing mass death to the combatants. It was so ugly, so demoralizing, so hopeless, that there needed to be a way to bring some hope and cheer into the mind-numbing terror of total war. So that Christmas Eve night, peace broke out in time of war. Soldiers found a common theme of celebrating the miracle of Christmas to bring just a moment of relief to horror.

Men from opposing trenches tentatively trickled out into “no man’s land”. Christian hymns- Christmas carols- began to be sung and were picked up by men on both sides who hours earlier had tried to rain death on their enemy. Soccer games sprang up, and enemies exchanged gifts of cigarettes, brandy, and sweets. For a brief few hours, peace reigned over the killing fields.

Of course, that peace did not last.

This Christmas Eve, 2022, we in the United States are not in a general hot war fought with guns and artillery. There are, however, people in Ukraine who are in the middle of an unjust invasion, and they are suffering greatly. We all need a little peace, and a respite from the anguish of the past year.

Little Bethlehem, the afterthought of Jewish villages, brought forth the birth of a Savior who is the hope of the world. Despite the present painful circumstances, “the hope and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.” Our hope is in that deliverer, Jesus, and we welcome the remembrance of his presence once again.

Prayer: Thank you Father for the gift of the Prince of Peace as we celebrate this special birthday, Amen.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

To all of my faithful readers and followers, may all of you enjoy the blessings of this wonderful season!

 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.                                             Luke 2:1-11 (KJV)

Every Christmas, I usually insist that at some point, this passage from Luke, in the quaint, familiar language of the King James Version, be read out loud. It is the “Christmas story” in the most traditional form, and it has not lost its appeal in the centuries since it was translated in this way.

We have many traditional Christmas carols that hold dear memories as well, and they are heartwarming also. Many of those carols depict a scene that is more warming than accurate- you know, the ones about bitter cold and snow, but those songs too are comforting.

One song that never fails to touch me is this one. I print the words below for your Christmas edification. The version by Pentatonix is especially powerful. Their video version can be found here:

Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy
Has come to make you new?

This child that you delivered, will soon deliver you
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Would give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Would calm the storm with his hand?

Did you know that your baby boy
Has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little baby
You kiss the face of God
Mary, did you know?
Mary, did you know?

Mary, did you know? Did you know?
Mary, did you know? Mary, did you know?
Mary, did you know? Mary, did you know?
Mary, did you know? Mary, did you know?

The blind will see, the deaf will hear
The dead will live again
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak
The praises of the Lamb
Mary, did you know that your baby boy

Is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Would one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy
Is heaven’s perfect Lamb?

That sleeping child you’re
Holding is the great, I Am
Mary, did you know? (Mary, did you know?)
Mary, did you know? (Mary, did you know?)
Mary, did you know? Oh

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.  The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.  But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”                                                  Luke 1:26-33

I was recently listening to a podcast by Dr. Michael Guillen while on my morning walk. He is a physicist and also a strong Christian. His podcast is titled Science + God, and in the series, he reconciles scientific truth and God’s creation as a remarkable pairing. In fact, he calls science and God, not enemies, but “an awesome power couple”. He argues that science is a great showcase for the majesty of God’s creation. I agree.

Today he was discussing miracles, and, this being the Christmas season, one of the miracles of the discussion was the incarnation of Jesus. The miracle that brough him to earth was Mary’s conception without a human sexual partner.

Now truly, that defies scientific scrutiny. Yet, there are many, many things that science cannot explain. That does not make science bad, it’s just that there are things that are beyond scientific explanation. Quantum physics, for example, is recognized by scientists as truth, but the explanation of how sub-atomic particles behave is not fully understood. We accept the presence of the quantum theory of matter, but we cannot totally explain it.

Scientific thought is rigorous but imperfect. Science looks for truth and tries to find evidence of it by doing research, testing, etc. Scientists also are willing to change their mind when confronted with evidence that leads them in another direction. This is how we advance.

Scientists are also, hopefully, willing to admit that there are things that are beyond the scope of pure science, and that there is a place for transrational thinking. Transrational thinking is the willingness to recognize that purely rational thought cannot get us to the understanding of some mysteries of the universe.

So, this Christmas, we celebrate the miracle of the incarnation of Jesus, being born as a baby to come into the world to be its savior.

Prayer: Lord, we are amazed at your miracles. Thank you for the miracle of Jesus, Amen

 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he asks a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?                                                                                               Luke 11:11-13 (KJV)

The Christmas season makes us think about giving gifts to those we love. I suppose that one may need to experience parenthood to understand the depth of the desire to give good gifts to our children. How many parents in the Christmas season make a sacrifice of some kind so that their child or children can get good gifts? Indeed, as we grow older, the joy of giving gifts far exceeds that of receiving gifts.

I remember when I was about thirteen years old and had actually made my own money from a paper route. I was so excited that Christmas to actually be able to give gifts that I had bought with my own money (and yes, some borrowed from my older sister). “Mom will sure like that pen I bought her that has (the recently slain) President Kennedy’s picture on it!”; “Dad will really like this cool glass ashtray!” I was able to experience the joy of giving then, but that has been far outstripped by the joy of seeing my kids (and now grandkids) open presents that we buy for them.

Jesus knew this when he told the story about gifts he wants to give to us. He knew that we want the very best for our children, and that we would never give then anything that could cause them hurt or pain.

So, remember this Christmas season that our heavenly father sent us the best gift possible, and he enjoys seeing us receive the best gifts.

Prayer: Father, thank you for the gift of your son, which we celebrate this week, Amen.

“Being family means you are a part of something very wonderful. It means you will love and be loved for the rest of your life.”                                                                                                                                         Lisa Weed

Yesterday, we had the joy of attending my great-niece’s wedding. Actually, it was the second time this year that we celebrated the wedding of a great-niece, and it was simply a wonderful time to be with extended family again.

This year has not always been filled with joyous family reunions. We have also had two funerals, with the passing of my dear brother-in-law Lou, and then just weeks later, the passing of his precious daughter, Lori. Yes, the year has been marked by some profound family events.

However, as we were celebrating the wedding, I looked onto the dance floor, and there was my nephew, Geoff, dancing with his daughter, the bride, Jackie. He was symbolically giving her over to her new husband as is the custom of that dance. As the music played, I Loved Her First, by Heartland, there were many tears- tears of joy and sadness both.

I was struck by this beautiful scene, and then I recalled the moment, some 54 years ago, that I received the call from my brother and his wife, Pat, reporting that their first-born son had arrived- it was the man I was watching now dancing with his daughter.  

So, the circle of life and family moves on. I just wanted to take a moment to share it, because family is beautiful, and we need to cherish one another in the moments we now hold.

They won’t be here forever…

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the rich blessing of family, Amen

And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”                                                           Luke 1:28

to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:6

I do so love the Christmas season! The story of Christmas is so rich and so deep that it cannot really be understood unless one understands the nature of God- as the one who loves us and wants to give his very best to us. That is why he sent his son, Jesus into the world.

We start with a miracle. The miracle of incarnation. Literally, we understand incarnation as  –“a central Christian doctrine that God became flesh, that God assumed a human nature and became a man in the form of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the second person of the Trinity. … (Oxford Dictionary)

That, of course, is a miracle of the highest order, and it is central to Christian belief. The announcement of the angel to young Mary, a virgin, is found in Luke chapter 1, staring at verse 26. He went on to tell her that she was highly favored, and that she would be giving birth to the Savior, son of the Most-High God. She was literally to be a “God-carrier”.

In the next few blogs, I want to discuss her role as God-carrier. More importantly, I want to discuss our role as “God-carriers”. You see, the very same word that the angel used to describe Mary to tell her of her mission to carry Jesus into a broken world, is used by Paul in Ephesians as he speaks to young believers in that city. That Greek word for grace, (pronounced “charitoo”), is used only one other time in the Bible, and it is used to describe those who accept the mission of spreading grace to a broken world in Ephesians 1:6. So, we have the same role as being carriers of grace to a broken world.

 I will be talking more about this in coming days. Stay tuned.

Prayer: Father, you have chosen us for a mission that we are unable to do without your incredible gift to us, Amen.

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn                                                                                      Luke 2:7

As we get older, our perspectives on things change- a lot! I suggest that this is a good thing. When I was very young, Christmas was an incredibly exciting time, because on Christmas Eve, there would be presents under the tree -a live tree of course. There would be wonderful toys, and I could hardly hold in my excitement.

We did not have a lot of money when I was a kid, but mom and pop made it a beautiful adventure of expectation. I was allowed to help decorate the tree, and set up a winter scene around the ancient manger stable that had been passed down in the family from my grandfather. Maybe it was even from great-grandpa, I don’t know, but it was ancient wood, fragile, and it held delicate statues of Mary, Joseph, the baby Jesus, the three Wise Men, and various animals. Several of the animals were stricken with amputated legs due to their age and brittle composition.

I remember clearly my mom’s affection for that old manger scene. As I got older, I realized that it was not just the fact that it had been hand made and handed down generationally. The significance was in what that scene represented. It represented the reason for Christmas.

Gradually as the years passed, the emphasis was much less on what kind of gifts awaited me, but on the family events that surrounded Christmas- Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, and later, on Christmas Day, a pack of family members sitting around a table loaded with food, and surrounded by the comfort of family love.

Enjoy this Christmas season and embrace the nostalgia and memories of how your family celebrates it. You are passing on a legacy that endures…

Prayer: Lord, you gave us an example of a loving family in those manger scenes. Help us to show that love well to many families this Christmas, Amen

The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life. Richard Bach

I was speaking recently with a client who suffers from anxiety, and I was talking about some tools to help deal with her anxiety. I went over with her again how to use some of the tools to control anxiety, and I then brought the discussion to the upcoming Christmas season. She has recently experienced the loss of a parent, and her other aging parent has some significant health problems now. Needless to say, anxiety is running strong now in this client.

I talked with her about living in the moment during this wonderful Christmas season, and just being intentional about some moments with her own kids. I asked her to just take a pause to breathe, and then give herself permission for that moment with her family to be intentional about getting in touch with the joy she feels in the present.

Anxiety tends to make us live in the future. We anticipate what can go wrong, what surely will go wrong (so anxiety tells us), and we lose the joy of the present. So, I asked her to try several times this next week to be intentional about being in the present moment- to savor the time with her kids and husband, and to allow herself to do this. Anxiety actually gives us the message that somehow our worry is essential to making the future OK. That, of course, is the irrationality of anxiety talking.

So, in this season of Christmas, be intentional about taking time to enjoy a present moment with those we love.

Prayer: Lord, help us to enjoy each moment of the present with others, Amen

The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.                     Matthew 26:11

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free                         Luke 4:18

But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.     Luke 11:41

Yesterday, I wrote about some definitions of poor, and I talked about “poor in Spirit”. Today, I am talking about poverty- being financially or resource poor. I pulled out just a very few quotes which discuss how Jesus felt about responding to the needs of the poor around us. He made it clear that if the gospel is not being lived out by ministering to the needs of those around us, it is not the gospel.

Over the centuries, there have been responses to this from some church folks. There was, early in the 20^th century, a reaction to the “Social Gospel”, meaning that there was concern that the church should not get overly involved in social issues, but should concentrate on personal salvation. “Make sure that people make a decision for Jesus, that is the intent of the gospel” they said.

Some would even use Matthew 26:11 as justification for de-emphasizing the church’s role in helping the poor in their community. “The poor will always be with us, so trying to end poverty is pointless” they seemed to say.

It is indeed true that there will always be poverty, and that cannot be ended by money and social programs. Yet, we are called to help meet the physical and spiritual needs in our community. It is the point of the gospel- that saving grace must be actual grace displayed to others, regardless of their state.

So, our job is to live out the grace given to us so freely by God through his son, Jesus.

Prayer: Lord, help us to be channels of grace to our community, Amen.