Two family conversations today have alerted me to the pressure and demands of Christmas, and also to its sense of mystery and wonder...
How often do we expect to pull of M&S perfection, perfect gifts perfectly wrapped, perfect food served to everyone's taste, perfect home decor, perfect, perfect....perfect....perfection....
How often do we place ourselves under pressure to deliver the perfect, and frankly the impossible?For lets face it, even if all looks right, if everything glitters and sparkles our hearts might well be far from that place, encrusted with worries about cost...
How often do we fail to relax, fail to appreciate the turmoil and questions in out hearts, and as we strive for just the right thing, do we miss the truth?
A small voice in the background on a phone call today revealed with wonder that it was getting dark... it was getting dark and she wanted to go to bed...
She is expecting something....
Expecting that in the dark, in the depths of the night, a gift will be given....
And of course, because she is fortunate enough to have loving parents it will be....
But to each of us, young and old, rich and poor, believer and sceptic a gift is given, a reminder this night, that in the depths of time a gift was given for us. A gift more precious than tinsel and trinkets, a gift more wonderful than all the gold on earth could purchase...
God come to us in human form, an infant, frail and vulnerable...
God; placing himself into our hands, and asking us to care for him, that he might reveal himself to and in us...
God; turning the world upside down for our sakes, countering war with peace, power with purity, and the lust for more with a message of generosity...
"a child has been born—for us!
the gift of a son—for us!
He'll take over
the running of the world.
His names will be: Amazing Counsellor,
Strong God,
Eternal Father,
Prince of Wholeness.
His ruling authority will grow,
and there'll be no limits to the wholeness he brings.
He'll rule from the historic David throne
over that promised kingdom.
He'll put that kingdom on a firm footing
and keep it going
With fair dealing and right living,
beginning now and lasting always."
(Isaiah 9)
"If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.
27-29"Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
30-33"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
34"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
(Matthew 6: 25-34)
a child has been born—for us!
the gift of a son—for us!
He'll take over
the running of the world.
His names will be: Amazing Counsellor,
Strong God,
Eternal Father,
Prince of Wholeness.
His ruling authority will grow,
and there'll be no limits to the wholeness he brings.
(Isaiah 9)
