39 results for tag: Christmas

Advent: He is Joy

I have to admit that writing about joy in this Advent season feels deeply bittersweet for me. Two years ago, when I was anxiously awaiting the birth of my firstborn son, Max, my church asked me to write a personal Advent piece also centered on joy. At that time, I talked about choosing to find joy in Max’s Down syndrome diagnosis. I reveled in the parallel between awaiting the birth of our Lord Jesus and that of Max. I wrote, “Spencer and I are filled with joy as we anticipate the arrival of our baby who we know will change our lives. And as we wait for Max, we also celebrate the Advent, and wait with great joy and anticipation for the ...

Advent: Perfect Peace

Peace. What comes to your mind when you think of this word? A solitary lounge chair on a white sandy beach under a palm tree, the waves quietly lapping the shore? A hammock gently swaying in the breeze beside a still lake with a good book? The quiet of a winter forest, boughs drooping under the weight of silent white snow? Or does peace mean something more abstract and personal? Webster defines peace as: a state of tranquility or quiet. freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions. harmony in personal relations But what if our circumstances are tragic and chaotic, and we are overcome with heartbreak and sorrow? We each have ...

Advent: The Hope of Christ

Does it feel as though God is silent or distant? Does it seem like the Christmas season only reminds you of the ache in your heart for the ones you wished were with you? Do you wonder if God will breathe life into the broken places of your heart, or if there will ever be a day where it won’t feel so dark? You are not alone in those questions, fears, and silent cries for God to not feel so silent. In fact, for 400 years the people of Israel felt those same questions stirring in their souls. The God who had guided their people through the wilderness, performed miracles, spoken through prophets, and promised a Savior would come to redeem and restore ...

Receiving Looks of Judgment? Look to Christ. {Christmas Meditation #4}

Ah-ha, there is that raised eyebrow again. They think I have done something wrong though they won’t say anything. Their expression communicates clearly the judgement they are making. It hurts to see them think, "For this to have happened to her she must have done something wrong. God is judging her." For Mary, the mother of Jesus, I think she had to have experienced something like this at least in a small way. Before Joseph, a good and caring man, had the dream from God which supplied the explanation, Mary must have seen the judgement and sorrow in his eyes. They had not come together in physical relationship yet, and here she was, pregnant. ...

The Central Significance of Christmas {Christmas Meditation #3}

December is here. The lights are going up and people are looking forward to the Christmas season again. It is the time of year that brings to mind many joyous themes and remembrances of Christmases gone by with family and friends. Along with the many joys of remembering are also times of sadness when loved ones who we wish were around the tree with us are no longer here. This mixture of joy and sadness in our memories drives us to search for a deeper meaning to Christmas. We hear themes of peace on earth, love, and the giving spirit, and perhaps how Christ exemplified these, but, however true these are they have not hit upon the central significance ...

A Sunrise, a Light from on High {Christmas Meditation #2}

Electricity is a wonderful convenience until we lose it on a stormy night. Suddenly it is so dark we cannot see the hand in front of our face. As we stumble over chairs and other furniture seeking some source of light we truly know what it is like to experience darkness. John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah refers to people who sit in darkness, and the prophet Isaiah refers to people walking in darkness. Neither of them are referring to physical darkness but to darkness of the soul. Just as we have all experienced physical darkness on a stormy night, we have all experienced darkness of the soul as we traverse the sufferings brought on by this ...

Spiritual Forces of Evil Surprised and Defeated {Christmas Meditation #1}

The agents of an ancient, wicked ruler entered her house. There stood her toddler son looking to her for care, love and protection. The agents grievously took his life in his mother’s sight. Her heart could only well up in uncontrollable sorrow and grief. Why did an evil king in a furious desire to retain power bring this about? There was no rebellion against the king in her son. She could not be comforted. This story was repeated scores of times in the town of Bethlehem and its region some 2000 years ago (see Matthew 2). One little boy had barely escaped and was now with his parents in a foreign land. Nobody at this point understood the plan ...

This God-to-us Season {And a Christmas Giveaway!}

As I approach Christmas, I can feel that there is—inherently—a sense of longing that swells this season, especially having lost my child on this earth. I have a biblical longing for all to be made right, for the gap between this world and the next to be gone, for the righteous King of all to return—not as a baby this time, but as the One coming on the clouds carrying all victory over sin and death. The reality that this world is missing what I most desire is all the more pronounced through my unique, acute, and raw awareness of how empty this life can feel. And yet—do you feel the rush of this season too? I don't mean the rush of mall ...

Christmas Day Encouragement: “I Miss Your Baby”

"I miss your baby." Are you going to hear those words today? Will someone you are with acknowledge your baby? Is anyone going to speak any thoughts to you of him or her?   Is anyone going to say the name of your son or daughter? “I miss him so much,” or “I really miss her,” or “I wish we were together with your baby too,” or “Your son is a part of this family even though he cannot be in the family pictures, see the family traditions, and eat the family meals,” or “I know that your baby is in the best place of all in heaven—but, oh, it is our loss!” I hope that someone does.   ...