I'd like to share a few notes from my husbands Sunday sermon as a reminder to keep a place for Jesus in your Christmas.
When They Saw The Star One evening after Thanksgiving I was putting up Christmas lights outside. It had been a busy day we had started early done some shopping, I don't remember all that went on but it was one of those days where you go, go, go. It was 4pm when I started and I had a bunch of lights to put up. I was racing against the clock. Because night comes early at the end of November...you know. I worked hard straight through till dark. I was up and down the ladder, climbing back and forth all over the roof. I was focused on all those little bulbs, trying to get it all just right. Sometimes Id find some bulbs that were out and so Id pull out the little bulbs and thread the little wires through carefully clicking a new one in place trial and error. Focus, focus, focus. Head down, get it done get it done! I had a purpose. I wanted it to look nice the kids love the lights and the wife does too. I wanted to make them happy. Then as I worked along the gutters I saw they had collected leaves so I tried to multi task, cleaning the gutter at the same time I put up lights. Thus I made more work for myself as I threw all the soggy, muddy leaves down to the ground and I had to clean them up. Go, go, go focus, focus, focus and I finally finished just as it was near complete darkness. I got in the house and my wife. (who as far as I know had been inside the whole time) said, What did you think of that sunset? And I was like, what sunset? Was there a sunset? It was now dark so obviously there had been! Then she showed me a picture that she had stepped out on the patio and taken. She was busy too working on this and that back and forth in the house, multi tasking but she had a different viewpoint than I. She somehow kept an awareness of what was going on outside. She used the windows and had a better awareness of time than me. And when the time was right and the sunset was in prime beauty she stepped out and took her shot. All the while I was on the roof with the best seat in the house completely unaware with my head down focus, focus, focus. Hurry, hurry, hurry. And I missed it! I was kind of like the Jews that missed the significance of the star and the coming of the Messiah even though their lives had been consumed preparing and giving lip service to an expectancy of this very event. His brightness, beauty, & birth was lost on them all. Yet through the prism of history these gentile strangers (The Wise Men) have schooled them so well just as they did me when I finally stopped to think about it. Very briefly, I want to give you in a nutshell what God seemed to whisper to me in this little thought on the wise men and the star. It would be wise of us to take a lesson from these fellows and learn to appreciate what's most important. Surrender Your Schedule Thrill In Your Journey
Arrange Your Priorities Renew Your Worship I. Surrender Your Schedule Doubtless these wise men had busy lives much like we do today. Do you think on any level it took a sacrifice for them to set life aside and follow the star? I strongly believe that it did. (wife, family, business, powerful positions) But somehow their vision & purpose is captured and drawn into this passionate quest. Contrast their sacrifice with what little we need to put out to truly appreciate the Christ of Christmas. They were stepping out on untried, unproven theory on the chance that they would witness history in the making. We have Gods proven, time tested word and the ready reality of Christ's mark on history today. Ask yourself, What excuse do I have tonight for not being thrilled and captivated with the Christ of Christmas? None, just like I had none for not seeing that great sunset. It would have taken me all of 10 seconds to notice it and I still could have gotten the job done. What is it? I need to Surrender My Schedule. This Christmas and as we enter a new year, determine to take the time to know Him better. Take the time for it to be real! Surrender Your Schedule! II. Thrill In the Journey We touched on this in the program. The context of the story strongly hints at a romance in this quest. These men were committed and in this for a reason! The Holy Spirit stirred in their hearts a passionate call. They were drawn by that star. They were hungry to know this Newborn King and see what a difference He could make in their lives. Each weary mile of the long, long journey was fueled by anticipation and excitement. We could spend so much time on this. Wow, does the church need a revival right here?! How long have we carried the gospel? Do you think the church is taking it for granted today? How much moss have we allowed to grow over our testimony today? I am convinced that journey transformed the lives of those wise men. In the story of the Magi is the imagery of journeying in the ways of God. A great deal of the Bible is made up of journeys. The first thing God said to Abraham was, Go to a land that I will shew thee. (Genesis 12:1.) Israel came to be a nation by a journey from Egypt through the wilderness to the Promised Land. Even the coming of Christ from heaven to earth is presented as an awesome, mysterious journey. The journey of the Magi is in the same vein.
Most of us want predictability. I want knowing God to be safe; I want to know the outcome before I start. But these travelers took an enormous risk. They didn't know what they would find. And they have become sterling examples of the life of faith. One of the simplest of Jesus parables comes to mind (Mat 13:45) Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:(Mat 13:46) Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. This is the way God invites us toward him, the way he shapes us and strengthens us. He offers us treasure that must be valued above everything else. The Magi could have stayed in their libraries and palaces and kept on observing the sky. But some of them decided that if God had sent a King for the Jews and for the world, then they would go. The kingdom of heaven is like that. Discovering what is worth having and letting go of everything else to have it is the wisest choice we can ever make. We need to Thrill in the Journey! III. Arrange Your Priorities Once again, returning to my opening illustration, if my priority had been on the journey, not so much the task at hand that night in late November, I too could have enjoyed the blessing of seeing an extraordinary sunset. In retrospect I knew it really was an extra nice one when a couple days later at work a couple people at the office brought it up and were talking about it. And again, I was reminded Id missed it. Someone said, each sunrise is a message from God and each sunset is His signature to end the day. You might say, but what's another sunset? It happens every day. But I could counter that with this. What's another faithful token of Gods watch and care over us? It happens every day. We aren't any more special than any other of Gods children. He's demonstrated that same Grace a million times over. Why wouldn't we take it for granted after a while? Yet in reality He makes us feel we are special! He really, really wants to include you and me in an intensely personal relationship with Him. In fact, He makes it a priority. And its the LEAST I can do to honor that this Christmas (and always) by making it my priority also. God demonstrated a personal, far reaching priority of His Redemptive Plan when he extended the vision of the Natal Star far beyond the boundaries of Ancient Judea. The wise men came from the ends of the earth as it were at that time. They answered the call. They arranged their priorities. And I can tell you with certainty that they were not sorry for it. They were immensely blessed! Arrange Your Priorities.
IV. Renew Your Worship This story plays out the fact that these men were not what we could call heathens I don't believe. I think they could be called ignorant in a few things, but they were not heathen. It seems they had been walking in as much light as they had for a long time. It seems the journey was much more than the several months it took to journey to Bethlehem. I think they had been searching for truth for many, many years. And their openness to the God of Heaven prepared them for the appearing of the Star to indicate the time of Messiahs birth. Although these fellows could be viewed as novices in the eyes of the Jews & perhaps even in the view of the modern Christian Church, I think the final lesson they can teach us today is what it takes for personal revival & renewal of worship-no matter how long you have been serving the Christ Child. If you want to make it all the way through to your Heavenly Home, you will have to get gutsy at times. You will have to do some things that are daring. You will have to launch out on faith every once in a while. There will be times, just like the wise men had where it seems you are slogging along through a dry, barren desert land in a sand storm and you will wonder if there is really anything to it. You will wonder whether you can even make it. But remember the star, it may be obscured for a time but you'll know its still there. It will shine again in your heart and your mind. Just hold on. Push onward! (Mat 2:11) And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: Wow, it says they fell down. That's dramatic. They were struck so strongly by the fact that they had finally found Him that the FELL down! All the years of searching and seeking the tiny glimpses of His glory. The study of the prophecies the glimpses of the star and now this. They were overcome, overwhelmed, and overjoyed! Would You Determine today to set out on a journey like theirs? Renew Your Worship
Closing Comments:
Jesus birth, under that bright star, in that tiny town of Bethlehem was just the beginning of a much bigger story. Its the story of a preacher who, never having a church or even a home of his own, traveled the countryside healing the sick, performing miracles, and revealing the mysteries of the kingdom of God. Its the story of how that man was without sin. Its the story of a Son on earth whose life perfectly reflected the great light of love from his Father in heaven. Its the story of how God himself hung on a cross and suffered the death that we deserved so that we wouldn’t have to live in darkness. Its
the story of how he rose from the grave, conquering death and darkness with everlasting light. Its the story of how we can experience forgiveness and peace through him. This is the journey of faith in Jesus. God gave us a star a marker, a promise, a guide. We just have to make the wise choice to follow him.
When they saw the star they followed it. It captured them & drew them in. Their hearts, their thoughts, their imaginations, their hopes & dreams were caught up in the Desire of Nations, the Hope of the Whole Earth, The Son of the Highest, The Prince of Peace, The Bright & Morning Star, The Great Emanuel.
May the Lord Be With Us All As We Follow The Star!
Arrange Your Priorities Renew Your Worship I. Surrender Your Schedule Doubtless these wise men had busy lives much like we do today. Do you think on any level it took a sacrifice for them to set life aside and follow the star? I strongly believe that it did. (wife, family, business, powerful positions) But somehow their vision & purpose is captured and drawn into this passionate quest. Contrast their sacrifice with what little we need to put out to truly appreciate the Christ of Christmas. They were stepping out on untried, unproven theory on the chance that they would witness history in the making. We have Gods proven, time tested word and the ready reality of Christ's mark on history today. Ask yourself, What excuse do I have tonight for not being thrilled and captivated with the Christ of Christmas? None, just like I had none for not seeing that great sunset. It would have taken me all of 10 seconds to notice it and I still could have gotten the job done. What is it? I need to Surrender My Schedule. This Christmas and as we enter a new year, determine to take the time to know Him better. Take the time for it to be real! Surrender Your Schedule! II. Thrill In the Journey We touched on this in the program. The context of the story strongly hints at a romance in this quest. These men were committed and in this for a reason! The Holy Spirit stirred in their hearts a passionate call. They were drawn by that star. They were hungry to know this Newborn King and see what a difference He could make in their lives. Each weary mile of the long, long journey was fueled by anticipation and excitement. We could spend so much time on this. Wow, does the church need a revival right here?! How long have we carried the gospel? Do you think the church is taking it for granted today? How much moss have we allowed to grow over our testimony today? I am convinced that journey transformed the lives of those wise men. In the story of the Magi is the imagery of journeying in the ways of God. A great deal of the Bible is made up of journeys. The first thing God said to Abraham was, Go to a land that I will shew thee. (Genesis 12:1.) Israel came to be a nation by a journey from Egypt through the wilderness to the Promised Land. Even the coming of Christ from heaven to earth is presented as an awesome, mysterious journey. The journey of the Magi is in the same vein.
Most of us want predictability. I want knowing God to be safe; I want to know the outcome before I start. But these travelers took an enormous risk. They didn't know what they would find. And they have become sterling examples of the life of faith. One of the simplest of Jesus parables comes to mind (Mat 13:45) Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:(Mat 13:46) Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. This is the way God invites us toward him, the way he shapes us and strengthens us. He offers us treasure that must be valued above everything else. The Magi could have stayed in their libraries and palaces and kept on observing the sky. But some of them decided that if God had sent a King for the Jews and for the world, then they would go. The kingdom of heaven is like that. Discovering what is worth having and letting go of everything else to have it is the wisest choice we can ever make. We need to Thrill in the Journey! III. Arrange Your Priorities Once again, returning to my opening illustration, if my priority had been on the journey, not so much the task at hand that night in late November, I too could have enjoyed the blessing of seeing an extraordinary sunset. In retrospect I knew it really was an extra nice one when a couple days later at work a couple people at the office brought it up and were talking about it. And again, I was reminded Id missed it. Someone said, each sunrise is a message from God and each sunset is His signature to end the day. You might say, but what's another sunset? It happens every day. But I could counter that with this. What's another faithful token of Gods watch and care over us? It happens every day. We aren't any more special than any other of Gods children. He's demonstrated that same Grace a million times over. Why wouldn't we take it for granted after a while? Yet in reality He makes us feel we are special! He really, really wants to include you and me in an intensely personal relationship with Him. In fact, He makes it a priority. And its the LEAST I can do to honor that this Christmas (and always) by making it my priority also. God demonstrated a personal, far reaching priority of His Redemptive Plan when he extended the vision of the Natal Star far beyond the boundaries of Ancient Judea. The wise men came from the ends of the earth as it were at that time. They answered the call. They arranged their priorities. And I can tell you with certainty that they were not sorry for it. They were immensely blessed! Arrange Your Priorities.
IV. Renew Your Worship This story plays out the fact that these men were not what we could call heathens I don't believe. I think they could be called ignorant in a few things, but they were not heathen. It seems they had been walking in as much light as they had for a long time. It seems the journey was much more than the several months it took to journey to Bethlehem. I think they had been searching for truth for many, many years. And their openness to the God of Heaven prepared them for the appearing of the Star to indicate the time of Messiahs birth. Although these fellows could be viewed as novices in the eyes of the Jews & perhaps even in the view of the modern Christian Church, I think the final lesson they can teach us today is what it takes for personal revival & renewal of worship-no matter how long you have been serving the Christ Child. If you want to make it all the way through to your Heavenly Home, you will have to get gutsy at times. You will have to do some things that are daring. You will have to launch out on faith every once in a while. There will be times, just like the wise men had where it seems you are slogging along through a dry, barren desert land in a sand storm and you will wonder if there is really anything to it. You will wonder whether you can even make it. But remember the star, it may be obscured for a time but you'll know its still there. It will shine again in your heart and your mind. Just hold on. Push onward! (Mat 2:11) And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: Wow, it says they fell down. That's dramatic. They were struck so strongly by the fact that they had finally found Him that the FELL down! All the years of searching and seeking the tiny glimpses of His glory. The study of the prophecies the glimpses of the star and now this. They were overcome, overwhelmed, and overjoyed! Would You Determine today to set out on a journey like theirs? Renew Your Worship
Closing Comments:
Jesus birth, under that bright star, in that tiny town of Bethlehem was just the beginning of a much bigger story. Its the story of a preacher who, never having a church or even a home of his own, traveled the countryside healing the sick, performing miracles, and revealing the mysteries of the kingdom of God. Its the story of how that man was without sin. Its the story of a Son on earth whose life perfectly reflected the great light of love from his Father in heaven. Its the story of how God himself hung on a cross and suffered the death that we deserved so that we wouldn’t have to live in darkness. Its
the story of how he rose from the grave, conquering death and darkness with everlasting light. Its the story of how we can experience forgiveness and peace through him. This is the journey of faith in Jesus. God gave us a star a marker, a promise, a guide. We just have to make the wise choice to follow him.
When they saw the star they followed it. It captured them & drew them in. Their hearts, their thoughts, their imaginations, their hopes & dreams were caught up in the Desire of Nations, the Hope of the Whole Earth, The Son of the Highest, The Prince of Peace, The Bright & Morning Star, The Great Emanuel.
May the Lord Be With Us All As We Follow The Star!
(Isn't he an amazing pastor/preacher?? I wrote our little program and he just got right under the burden and picked up where the program left off.)
Meanwhile, as we all know there are things that must be done to prepare for the season. Below are some of the things we are doing.
These are gift baskets for our church people. The baskets themselves were collected throughout the year in an *ahem* economical fashion. I hesitate to say "thrift stores" but they were completely cleaned and sanitized before we loaded them up with canned goods such as cinnamon pickles and jalapeno jelly. Each basket is especially made with each family in mind. They also included a Christmas card and a calendar magnet including church/pastor contact info and a small Christmas ornament.
Kaderick is preparing mostly by running and being hyper and constantly asking what he can eat to earn an extra Christmas sweet. Here he was actually being a wise man on top of camel Kammy. He had a little map of the United States and was searching for baby Jesus. I certainly hope and pray that America will indeed make room for him this year and if not, that he will at least be found in the hearts of my children, always.
This is actually prep for next Christmas! We had a snow day last Saturday and Kayla had a final so rather than send her off for it in her little Cruiser and worry the whole time, I took her in and passed a little time browsing ShopKo. I found this giftwrap 50% off so I stocked up for next year. We always do one certain wrap for each kids gifts and then I don't use gift tags just place them all under the tree and let them wonder whose is whose until Christmas day. Then sometimes they find a scrap of that paper in their stocking or as we plan to do this year, they try to guess. If they open the wrong persons present they think it's pretty fun to guess whose it is.
These guys are probably the ultimate example of how to enjoy and relax in the season. At the moment, they are also a pretty good picture of "Peace on Earth" although it isn't always so peaceful between these two.
Treat trays like this one are going out to our friends and neighbors, doctors, care centers, etc. They are made with love and prayed over before going on their way.
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