Advent: week 3

The Time of JOY

The third week of Advent celebrates the good news that was first delivered to shepherds in the field. Appropriately then, the third candle is called the Shepherd's candle.

This week we will re-light the first candle, the Prophecy candle, and the second purple candle, the Bethlehem candle, followed by the one pink candle, the Shepherd's candle. We celebrate the great joy of our living Lord. (some scholars say that the shepherd's candle is pink to symbolize the humanity of the mortals)

"But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you GOOD NEWS of great JOY which will come to all the people." (Luke 2:10 AMP)

""So they went with haste..." (Luke 2:16)

"And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen..."
(Luke 2:20)

TAKE JOY

I salute you! There is nothing I can give you which you have not; but there is much, that, which I cannot give, you can take.

No heaven can come to us unless our hearts find rest in it today.

Take heaven.

No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in this present instant.

Take peace.

The gloom of the world is but a shadow; behind it, yet, within our reach, is joy.

Take joy.

And so, at this Christmas time, I greet you, with the prayer that for you, now and forever, the day breaks and the shadows flee away.

~~Fra Giovanni

A.D. 1513

The message is clear---JOY is for the taking. It is the fruit (Gal. 5:22) of the Spirit of our Living Lord. We choose to be joyful. We are NOT intimidated by the circumstances. (See Deut. 30:19 and Deut. 28: 1-14)

"But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.  12) For thou, Lord, will bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield." (Psalm 5:11,12)

Many examples of joy can be found throughout the Word of God. Two stand out mightily. The account of Job, and the chronicled life of Paul, the Apostle.

"While he was yet speaking..."BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Everything gone, in a moment of time. We cannot even imagine such devastating events. However, consider Job's response: "Then Job...fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,  21) And said, 'Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.'  22) In all this, Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly." (Job 1: 20-22)

"Thou he slay me, yet will I trust Him..." (Job 13:15)

"And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before." (Job 42:10)

"So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning..." (Job 42:12)

And what about Paul?

[while they were in prison] "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.  26) And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bands were loosed." (Acts 16: 25-26)

Paul walked the talk!

"Rejoice evermore.  17) Pray without ceasing.  18) In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.  19) Quench not the Spirit." (I Thes. 5:16-19)

The Shepherd's Path (a life of JOY)

J          Jesus first         Deut. 6:4-7          Matt. 7:12          Matt. 22: 36-40

O         others next       John 13:34           John 15:12

Y         yourself last      Romans 12:1

Remember, there are 366 instances in the Bible where we are told, "Fear not!" So, instead, let's take JOY and choose LIFE!

When you listen to the Christmas music this week, pay attention to the words in "The First Noel," "Angels From the Realms of Glory," and "Joy to the World." 

Mama made it good

I like the song, "The Christmas Shoes."  Even though it's sad, it has a wonderful message of love and giving. The little boy in the "story" says, "Mama made Christmas good at our house," and I can certainly relate to that!

Coming from a large family with five siblings, Christmas was never the extravaganza that we see today. The parents of this generation are completely exhausted from trying to "make Christmas good." Each year has to beat the previous one. It's all so sad. So many children do not have a clue what it's really all about. I hear about families who worry about the number of gifts there will be under the tree. Big sigh, little tear.

When I was growing up, we could count on one gift and then socks and underwear made up the rest of the packages. And that was just because we all needed socks and underwear!  But, let me tell you this: there was never a more beautifully wrapped package of socks! Mama knew how to make Christmas good at our house. In especially lean years, she would open the package of socks and wrap each pair individually.

I don't recall ever feeling shorted; even when we went back to school after Christmas break, I was always proud of whatever I had received. It appears that I have not suffered any permanent damage from the shortage. Instead, I am so much the wiser from the overall experience. Mama always managed to come up with that very special gift, even if it was the only one.

Mama wasn't a great cook, just fair, so we didn't have all the "goodies" that our peers bragged about, but she could make fudge! Creamy, melt-in-your-mouth fudge. To this day, a little cube of peanut butter fudge still sends the senses spinning back in time. Mama made Christmas good at our house.

One particularly lean year, we had fallen on desperate times. There would not be much of a Christmas, it was announced. But, Mama had other plans! It was only a few days until Christmas, and still we had no tree. The beautiful ornaments lay in their boxes swaddled in soft tissue paper. One night, while we were sleeping, quiet as a mouse, she crept about. I have no idea how she kept so quiet, but the next morning, there in the corner of the living room, stood our Christmas "tree." Upon closer inspection, we could see that it was actually six medium-sized tumbleweeds spray painted gold. Three-two-one, a perfect pyramid of Christmas perfection! It was decked out with all the precious ornaments and draped in shiny silver tinsel...a commodity that no self-respecting tree could do without!

Curiously enough, I cannot recall the gift I received that year, but I have vivid memories of that beautiful symbol of the holiday. Mama made Christmas good at our house.

As you gather with your family and friends this joyful season, try to remember what the Grinch finally learned, that Christmas comes even without the ribbons and bows, if it comes from the heart! Whatever you give, you'll make Christmas good, when you give it from the heart..."For God SO loved the world, that He gave..."

a perfect day

I used to tell my students that I wasn't as interested in "perfection" as I was in "excellence." In my reasoning, perfection is hard to find in this life, and when we spend too much time looking for it, it is time lost. However, on the other hand, we have excellence, and that is within our grasp. No matter what you do, it can be excellent---your own personal best---that's what excellence really is, after all.


But, this time of year, especially, I am reminded of this quote by John Wooden, "You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."


And if that's the truth, I want more perfect days in my life. Imagine the impact on this poor, tired world, if each one of us decided to be excellent in the giving of ourselves, (time and energy and money) to those who cannot possibly repay us.

I think they call it "Random Acts of Kindness" these days. Whatever it is called, let's just do it!

God gave His very best, He gave when He knew we would not appreciate the gift. He gave because it was His act of excellence to do for us what we could never do for ourselves, and He never once showed any regret over His decision. I am not a fan of "re-gifting." I think it's an awful thing to do, for the most part. Someone has taken the time (and money) to get a gift for you---it may or may not be their best effort, but it was done anyway. Sometimes, we really mean it when we say, "Oh! You shouldn't have." But, I had to face the fact one day that if they felt like they "had" to get a gift for me, maybe I had not done a very good job of appreciating them personally and all that they brought to the relationship. I have discovered that those who truly love me never choose something that I would give away to someone else. Why? Because I love them so much and everything they do for me is excellent!

But, at this time of the year, I make an exception. I resolve anew that I will definitely try to re-gift one special thing that I received...redemption! The Father gave freely and urges us to do the same. It's the one gift that we are always encouraged to re-gift! Give the good message away every chance you get: the message of His unfailing, never-ending love. Give it by means of personal excellence...in all you say or do!

Wake up each morning with this thought, "One perfect day coming up!"

Advent: week 2

The Time of PREPARATION and FAITH

You may recall that the second purple candle is called the Bethlehem candle. Now we have a "what" and a "where" in the divine mystery. What: the prophecy concerning Jesus Christ, the long-awaited Messiah. Where: Bethlehem.

This week we will re-light the first candle, the Prophecy candle, and we will then light the second purple candle, the Bethlehem candle, as we continue to prepare our hearts for the anticipated Light of the world.

"Prepare ye the way of the Lord." (John 1:23)

The prophets foretold the special place that Bethlehem would have in history. (see Micah 5:2)

Now, listen to this! "Bethlehem" literally means House of Bread. How fitting that the Bread of Life would first appear on earth there! He has prepared a feast; He has called us to come and dine; what hinders us, then?

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20)

Room for Jesus

"Have you any room for Jesus?

He who bore your load of sin...

As He knocks and asks admittance,

Sinner, won't you let Him in?"

"Room for Jesus, King of Glory...

Hasten now, His Word obey,

Swing your heart's door widely open-

Bid Him enter, while you may."

"And the Lord said, 'My Spirit shall not always strive with man...'" (Genesis 6:3)

"Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price." (Isaiah 55:1)

"And Jesus said unto them, "I am the bread of Life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." (John 6:35)

Oh, yes! Celebrate with all your heart! Celebrate with great anticipation as you truly prepare a place within your hear for the King of Kings!

As you listen to your Christmas music this week, pay attention to the words of "O Come, All Ye Faithful" and "O Little Town of Bethlehem." The Bread of Life came to the House of Bread; why should anyone, anywhere ever go hungry again!