December 12th: by Anonymous

When it comes to Christmas cards, I have three strategies from which I choose every year: Proactive, Reactive, and inactive.

Proactive means I take the initative. I make a list, check it twice and then get cards into the mail. Reactive means I tear off the return address shoot off a card to the person who has sent it to me. Inactive means I open the card and think fondly of the sender, but the only greeting she or he gets is the telepathic kind.

This year I find myself thinking about the whole concept of proactive, reactive and inactive. I'd like to make new friends at the church. Which strategy will I use? And what about everyday acts of kindness? Are they only reciprocal? How will I handle our community's new emphasis on recycling and "living green"?

God, of course, has only one strategy. You might say that He's the most proactive of all. In fact, that is what Christmas is all about: "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and nothing would ever be the same again."

Kind of makes you want to share the good news. I think I'll send a few Christmas cards, but before I do I am going to thank the Lord that he reached down to us by sending us his Son.

Author Unknown

December 11th: by Jody Phillips

AN ADVENT AWAKENING

Have you ever experienced several seemingly disconnected events that finally come together to open your mind and heart to a new understanding, and you won’t ever be quite the same? Tonight I’ve had just such an experience. Through it I realized that I had been looking at something so familiar that some of the joy had been overlooked.

It began with John the Baptizer speaking through Pastor Lynn’s heart on Sunday; talking about playing with his cousin, Jesus, and staying for a time with Aunt Mary and Uncle Joseph. I never considered that John and Jesus may have had a relationship before that fateful day at the Jordan River. Maybe they did, maybe they didn’t, and it doesn’t matter. It just helps me see them as more human.

Then on Saturday evening, George and I went to granddaughter, Jenny’s, 16th B.D. party. My great-grandson, Dennis, was there, all blonde haired, blue eyed, 19 months of him. He found Grandma Carol’s Christmas ornament balls and was carrying them around until his mom caught him. As she approached him to get the ornaments out of harms way, he threw them across the room, one going to the left and one to the right. A moment I, and probably most parents, remember having experienced with their own children.

Later that night I was looking on-line for something to put in our Christmas cards rather than the usual Christmas letter. I came across the following poem:

Wonder
There is faint music in the night, And pale wings fanned by silver flight; A frosty hill with tender glow Of countless stars that shine on snow. A shelter from the winter storm, A straw-lined manger, safe and warm, And Mary crooning lullabies, To hush her Baby's sleepy sighs. Her eyes are rapt upon His face, Unheeded here is time and space; Her heart filled with blinding joy, For God's own Son--her little Boy!
Author unknown

And finally, my grandson, Logan’s, 14 B.D. celebration tonight. Another blonde who is a sensitive, happy, loved young man – just as I’m sure Jesus was at 14.

Mary’s little boy….. Now I know Jesus wasn’t a little blonde, blue eyed bundle of fun, but he was 19 months old at some point. He was probably caught with something he shouldn’t have, perhaps one of Joseph’s carpenter tools, and I bet he threw it just like Dennis threw those Christmas ornaments. For his 14th birthday, he probably didn’t get a tool box full of tools, at least not ones with green and black rubber handles, and I’m sure he did not get a video game, but he was without a doubt a sensitive, caring, happy, much loved boy.

So, all of this came together for me this Advent evening. Mary’s little boy at 19 months, checking things out, doing mischief, challenging the boundaries; Jesus at 14 years, interested in many things, sensitive to the people and world around him; Jesus as cousin, teen, young adult, and finally teacher, friend, Savior, God.

Thank God for new insight and people who can help me open my eyes to the mystery and glory that I sometimes miss because it is so familiar.

Jody Phillips

December 10th by: Larry Baker

The R-U-RDY theme helps me remember that as innovation and technology continue to boggle my understanding, the centuries old message of Advent is never out of date. The world has changed in so many ways, just since this century began. It is hard to even imagine how much it has changed in the last 2,000 plus years.

I once met a woman who had moved from Kansas to California in a Conestoga wagon. She said the children walked alongside the wagons so in reality she walked. In days before roads and with limited trails, families made the trek from one coast to the other searching for a new and better life. As they moved from one area to another, they brought their faith traditions with them. Some of the activities we observe this season were introduced to us by those ancestors. They in turn learned them from their ancestors. So as we observe Advent, we continue the traditions that began centuries ago.

An advent devotional that I have often used during my ministry centers on the Christmas tree. There are many opinions about whether a Christmas tree is a valid Christian symbol or just a worldly marker of the season. I personally appreciate those who introduced the Christmas tree to our celebrations as the tree reminds me of many things which point me to Christ.

• The Christmas tree is usually an evergreen which reminds me of the eternal life Jesus promises.
• The tree is most often triangular in shape reminding me of the Holy Trinity.
  The branches represent the safe haven God provides as we rest in God’s presence and promises.
• The lights on the tree are reminders of Christ being the light of the world.
  The colors of the lights have meaning in that red represents the blood Christ shed for us; blue represents the night he was born; green is for the earth God created and came to save; and yellow represents the sun and stars, evidence of God’s greatness and provision.
• The tinsel and ornaments reflect the lights on the tree and remind us that we are to be reflections of Christ’s light to the world around us.
• An angel on top of the tree again reminds us of that glorious Bethlehem night when angels sang and shepherds came to worship their new king. Or if there is a star on top, it reminds us not only of the night but also of the Wise Men who followed the star.
• The gifts under the tree remind me of the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh brought to the infant Jesus by the Magi. These gifts were appropriate for a king, a prophet and a priest.
  

I don’t know your family traditions of Advent and Christmas trees, but as you reflect on this season I hope you will look at Christmas trees wherever you encounter them and remember their beauty is best enjoyed when it points you to the birth of the Messiah.

Merry Christmas,

Larry Baker

December 9th by: Linda Nudd

All right, I will admit it, I am old. I just don't understand the text messaging craze, it seems like talking to each other would be so much easier. I have seen people messaging the person they are sitting next to--what is that all about? Plus the short cut "code" gets really annoying. Some of them are easy to figure out such as:

BFF Best Friends Forever

LOL Laugh Out Loud

WTG Way To Go

GJ Good Job

SWAK ( I remember this one) Sealed with a Kiss

Some are a little harder such as:

GRATZ Congratulations

FTBOMH From the bottom of my heart

DKDC Don't know , Don't care

Some are almost impossible without help such as:

SHID Slapping head in disgust

SMHID Scratching my head in DIsbelief

LSHMBH Laugh so hard my belly hurts

And my new favorite: SNERT Snot nosed egotistical rude teenager

I have tried to text message but I am so slow. I have to have everything spelled correctly and have proper punctuation and grammar. Meanwhile the SNERT I am messaging keeps coming back with W RU? Or ADN any day now!

The whole point of text messaging is to save time. So, what is time? Webster defines it as; the measured or measurable period during which an action, process or condition exists or continues. Why would an infinite God give us the gift of time? God knew our minds could not fathom the thought of eternity so he gave us a lifetime so that we could bracket this process of learning about God and making our own choice to believe. We are limited to our life span and like they say, life is short.


What does all this have to do with Advent? As we make preparations for Christmas we need to keep our thoughts focused on the birth of the Christ child not the preparations themselves. We need to remember to keep our relationship with God healthy too. I am studying the Bible with the help of Chuck Colson's book, ‘The Faith’ in it Colson asks, “Do you know what you believe and why you believe and does it matter”?

I do; and I also believe we are here to show others how to have the same faith. In fact, I believe it is my responsibility to share it with others. Salvation is a gift, but you have to choose to accept it.

The Bible says:

1. Romans 3:23 For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

2. Romans 6:23 The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

3. John 3: 16 For God so loved the world He gave His one and only son that whosoever believes on Jesus should not perish but have everlasting life.

4. John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life...no one comes to the God the Father except through me."

5. Romans 10:9 If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Does that include you? If not, do you want to accept the gift of eternal life?

The reason for the season is just the simple fact that humans can't reach God, so God had to come down to man. The babe in the manger, Jesus, Is GOD. Now U R RDY!

In closing, RYB (read your Bible), ask yourself WWJD (what would Jesus do) and MGB (may God Bless) you. Merry Christmas!


YSIC (Your sister in Christ),
Linda Nudd

December 8th by: Joann Briggs

His name is Benson Nyaga. And when I was in Nairobi, Kenya he was the equivalent of a physician assistant in a clinic operating out of the Marthe Worship Centre on the edge of the Marthe Valley slums. He worked tirelessly to bring health care to those who otherwise would not have had it. He seldom received a paycheck and went without until he reluctantly had to leave the clinic to take a job with a regular salary. We recently received word that Benson was in a terrible car accident in October and was badly injured. Surgery was necessary and the bills mounted up. His employer decided not to hold his job for him and Benson didn’t know where to turn, so he contacted our family.

Over the last few years instead of receiving a gift under the tree several adults in our family have requested a donation to a favorite cause or charity. On Thanksgiving Day we had a family meeting to re-think how we will celebrate Christmas this year. Scaling back the cost and number of presents was a given, but we wanted more. We were longing to leave the secular trappings behind and focus on the heart of the real meaning of Christmas and what that would look like for our family. Benson’s unfortunate circumstances made the decision easy, at least for the adults. We pooled all the money we would have spent on each other and agreed to wire it to Benson for his medical bills.

With a desire to further instill the true meaning of Christmas in the kids, we decided to follow a pattern that David and Colleen have used in their family for some time. On Christmas Eve, when we are all together, the kids will receive three gifts known as gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The grandparents will give the gift of gold. Gold stands for something special that you would like to have; myrrh stands for the gift of clothing and will be the gift from the great aunt and uncle. All other aunts and uncles will give frankincense, which will stand for charity. The six grandchildren have all had exposure to people less fortunate than they are and are sensitive to their needs so they will choose the charity.

A voice cries out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord.” Isaiah 40:3
As soon as we had made our decision I felt an immediate sense of relief. No fighting the crowds, endless nights of wrapping presents, stress filled times trying to figure out what to buy for those who really don’t need anything. Yes, choosing to give to those who have needs feels good! It feels right! It feels Christian! And it frees me up to read the Christmas story in the beautiful language of King James, spend time in prayer for Benson and others who are hurting, sing the beautiful Christmas carols and enjoy the sights and sounds of the season. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11. What a heritage we Christians have. Let the verses soak into my soul and fill me with thy love, Oh Father. Prepare my heart for the wonder of the babe born in a manager who grew to become a man, and anyone who is willing to believe in him will have eternal life. “Joy to the world the Lord has come, let earth receive her king.”

Joann Briggs