Merry Christmas! Day 17: Luke 2:20

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. -Luke 2:20

This is why we are still celebrating Christ's birth, even if it isn't the same time of year as His actual birth and even though it has become a commercial monster.  Just like the shepherds who glorified and praised God after seeing and hearing all that they did, so do we as Christians.  Our birthday is the day that everyone we know gets to celebrate the fact that God made us, and Christmas is the day that we get to celebrate that God made Jesus.  So, celebrate like crazy!

For those of you who don't know me personally or who have been out of the loop for whatever reason, I've had a rough go of things health wise for the last six months or so, and on December 16th, I had a hysterectomy and have been slowly recovering since.  The timing was practical because I had exceeded my healthcare deductible, but it has been a real drain on me this Christmas season.  The first part of the month was spent crazily getting everything ready for Christmas and from the 16th on, I've been in the hospital, then in bed, and I'm finally making my way down to the couch.  For us, this has meant no Christmas baking, no Christmas cards, no going to look at Christmas lights and no going to holiday events.  I wasn't even able to go to church this past Sunday.

While in some ways it has put a kink in our holiday celebration, it has also been a huge blessing.  While I was in the hospital there were wonderful people who showed us love and what it means to be in a church family.  I've had a lot of time to think and pray and contemplate the meaning of the season.  Instead of going out to different Christmas events, we've spent the holiday having lots of movie nights watching Christmas movies together.  I can still listen to Christmas music even if I can't sing it (my tongue is numb from the anesthesia and breathing tube during surgery).  And no matter what, I still have Jesus.  No matter what happens, I'll always have Jesus.

I hope all of my readers have had a meaningful and enjoyable advent time and are having a wonderfully merry Christmas.  I write (and preach) because Jesus tells me to, but it is such a rewarding experience to have an audience and to know that God is using me to speak truth and encouragement into the lives of others.  Thank you for all the kind words you've given me when one of these devotions touched you in a special way.  My faith and your encouragement pair together to motivate me in a huge way.  Thank you!

So like the shepherds, take some time to glorify the newborn king!  Especially when tensions rise, people get tired and grumpy or if you reach your saturation point with people, parties and get togethers, praise God.  When you remember that Jesus is everything, the problems we experience crumble and we are left with the peace that only He can give us.  Peace and joy to you all.  Merry Christmas!

Day 16: Luke 2:19

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. -Luke 2:19

Think back on Mary's plight through this Christmas story.  An angel comes to her several months ago and says she is pregnant with God's son, who is going to inherit the throne of King David and reign over all of Jacob's people (the Jews) forever.  I can imagine throughout her pregnancy, Mary imagining dreams of her son being King and being a great ruler.  I can even imagine her trying to figure out what exactly it meant that he was going to be the son of God.  Would that mean he would be king over all the earth?  Would that mean that he would be able to see God face to face?  Would he become one of the great heroes of the Hebrew faith?

Then she gives birth to this son away from home in the dark, dirty corner of the barn.  

That would be enough to make anyone question what the angel said.  

But Mary knew of an important way to keep her faith strong when it seemed like God was no where to be found...she "treasured up these things and pondered them in her heart."  In other words, she was keeping track of the things that showed God was keeping His promises and kept them in the forefront of her mind.

There are a number of ways that we can apply this method in our life.  Choose a particular thing to keep a running list of and when a time comes when you are feeling discouraged in whatever way, pull the list out and remind yourself of all the times in the past that contradicted the way you are feeling at that moment.

For instance, when people are struggling having faith in God, I encourage them to write out a list of times when they felt like God answered their prayers, provided for them or showed up in some other powerful way.  That way, in times of discouragement, when it is hard to have faith, you can pull that list out as a way to remind yourself of how God has worked in your life before.

Dr. Phil, who I don't endorse, does have a saying that makes a lot of sense, "The greatest indicator of future behavior is past behavior."  And especially in matters involving God, we are told God is the same yesterday, today and forever.  And that is why this sort of faith building and encouragement works so well...if it's happened in the past, save it up and use it as encouragement for the future!

So my encouragement to you, if you have some quiet time among all your holiday festivities, is to make a list or two of past events to have on hand when you need that boost of encouragement in the future.  Here are some suggestions to get you started:  "times when God was faithful", "times when plans went wrong but things still turned out okay", "times where I had strength to push through to the end", "times I had a conflict with someone and it worked out okay", "times that I particularly loved my spouse", and "times when it has been okay that I let someone help me".  Do as Mary did.  Treasure up these times and ponder them in your heart.  That way, when the time comes, negative feelings and thoughts of discouragement can be put in their proper place.

Day 15: Luke 2:17-18

When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. -Luke 2:17-18

Last year, my most viewed Christmas devotion was one titled "Free Bacon".  I started it with a story about how one morning I went to the grocery right after I got the kids on the bus and outside the store there was a truck giving away free samples of bacon and really good coupons for that bacon.  I was so excited, I wanted to call everyone I knew and tell them that if they needed to go shopping, to go now because grocery shopping is way more fun to do if you get free bacon while you are doing it.

Now, not everyone may be as enthusiastic as I am about getting free bacon, but what if it was something else?  What if you went shopping for a car and when you got to the dealership, they were giving a car to everyone that walked in the door?  What if you went to the bank and everyone that walked in got $5,000 in cash?  Would you not want to call everyone you knew to tell them to get down there so they could get those amazing gifts?

Now put yourself in the position of the shepherds in the verses above.  You've just seen this amazing spectacle with the angels out in the field, they tell you that the Messiah that your people have been waiting thousands of years for has been born and this Messiah is in walking distance of your house.  You rush there and find the baby...what do you want to do next???  Go and tell everyone you know!!!

I read an article yesterday about a PR representative of a company who posted a fairly offensive, racist tweet about AIDS in Africa and how she won't get it because she is white.  She tweeted it just to her personal friends AND just before boarding an international flight that had no wi-fi.  Before her plane landed, not only was her name the top trending hashtag on twitter, but various news outlets across the world had already been reporting on it.  What was just a joke to a few friends before she boarded the plane had turned into international outrage by the time she got off the tarmac.

Imagine if there was a "twitter" at the time of Jesus' birth.  I can only imagine what some of the trending hashtags would be.  They would range from the serious, such as #Messiahisborn and #birthofourking, to the sarcastic, #crazyjewsatitagain, or #thingsdrunkshepherdssee.  

People give Christians a lot of grief about wanting to "share" Jesus with people.  Some of it is deserved, like the people who go door to door at 6 am wanting to tell everyone why they are a horrible person that is going to burn in eternal hell fire unless they start going to a particular church.....um, no thank you.  Or the people who, instead of leaving a couple dollars on the restaurant table for the waitress' tip, they leave a business card that says something along the lines of, "This tip is more precious than gold," and is followed with John 3:16.  Again...no thank you.

But for people who have really had Jesus Christ transform their lives, how can you not talk about it?  If you've been given the gift of eternal life, how can you keep from sharing about it?  While we should be sensitive to how the Holy Spirit is guiding us when we share Jesus with people, we should not be afraid to share.  The shepherds couldn't contain themselves, they were so excited.  We should be the same way.  Our Savior has been born!  Shout it from the mountain tops!  Don't share with an agenda.  Share out of joy!!!  And word will spread, just like it did with the shepherds.

Day 14: Luke 2:15-16

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”  So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. -Luke 2:15-16

I've spent a lot of time this morning thinking about what it would be like to be one of the shepherds in this situation.  You are a shepherd out in the field taking care of your sheep, it's the middle of the night and you are probably half asleep.  Out of nowhere an angel appears, who, if he looked the way the scriptures describe angels, looked intimidating and beautiful at the same time.  He brings you a decree from God telling you that the great Messiah your people have been waiting for has been born and that He is lying in a food trough in a little podunk town.  Then the skies break open and thousands of angels sing in a huge angel chorus praising God.  And since this was 2000 years ago, these people had never seen a huge choir or symphony orchestra or possibly have never even see thousands of people gathered in the same place, much less huge spirit beings from God.

So, this craziness all happens to these shepherds, whether it was a few minutes or a few hours, we don't know, but now the angels have left.  If you are a shepherd, what do you do?

The adventurous side of me likes to think I would go looking for this baby that the angel talked about.  God has led me on lots of crazy adventures, and none of them ever involved something as cool as an angel choir.  Adventure, curiosity and love of God would motivate me to check this out.

Another part of me thinks I would just shut down from sensory overload.  I appreciate aesthetic things and I can't imagine how overwhelmingly awesome it would be to hear an angel choir.  I'm not sure if I would just stand there for hours, staring at the sky or if I would do one of those "I'm crying, but I have no idea why" things (I'm a girl; we do that).   Either way, I think I would turn inward and shut down.

And as much as I hate to admit it, there is a part of me that I could see either convincing myself that I didn't see what I just saw or just pretending like it never happened and going about my day.

When it comes to the supernatural things of God...miracles, seeing angels, prayers being answered, hearing God's voice...we can choose to react in those same three ways.  The adventurous part of us can get excited by those things and cause us to want to go and seek out Christ in greater and greater ways.  They can cause us to shut down and freak out at the realization that this who God thing really is real and we let the implications of that overwhelm and scare us.  It's kind of funny to see someone who has believed in Jesus their whole life experience a miracle for the first time and be shocked by it.  Seriously, the Bible is full of this stuff...did you think they made it up?  Or we can write off these supernatural things by trying to explain them away or pretending like they don't really happen.  In an ever increasing world of scientific understanding, it can be easy to say, "That doesn't fit in with my perception of the universe, so it must not be true."

As we get closer to the celebration of our Savior's birth, I encourage you to embrace the supernatural characteristics of God more and more.  It may involve admitting to yourself that something you experienced in the past really was a work of God.  It may require you write your prayers down in a journal for a month and cross them off when they are answered (every time I do that, I'm shocked to see God answer almost every prayer).  You might need to lay hands on someone that is ill and pray for their healing, even if it seems kind of hokey.  It may require you simply asking God to do something supernatural in your life, not for the sensational side of it, but to know Him more deeply.  Channel your sense of adventure and set out in search of Jesus.  The journey will change your life.

Day 13: Luke 2:13-14

 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest heaven,

    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” -Luke 2:13-14

Many Christians have a screwed up idea about what worship is.  Somewhere along the line, we've started to believe that worship is what we do at church on Sunday morning during the singing part.  We've been taught that worship is like the video below.

We think of worship as some sort of great musical offering to the Lord.  And I don't doubt that the scene in the field with the angels and the shepherds were along these lines, except hundreds of times more beautiful.

Most of us miss out on the opportunity to worship the Lord, though, because we wait for these kinds of times.  We wait until church on Sunday morning, when the music is good enough for us and we feel okay singing.  We miss hundreds of opportunities to worship the king because our focus on worship is so narrow.

God made each of us to be worshipers.  He made us each unique so that we can worship Him in the specific way He desired.  No one else has ever been like us and no one else will ever worship like us.  

Our approach to worship should be more like the clip below:

While we're at it, do you want to know the meaning of life?  The answer is simple.  To worship God in the way He designed us specifically to worship Him.  And to find out how to do that, we simply need to do what the little drummer boy did in the video above....look upon our King and let our admiration come bubbling out.

But we need to realize that God didn't just design us to worship Him when we decide we are going to sit down and sing.  He designed our whole lives to worship Him.  The jobs He gave us to do need to worship Him.  The way we spend our time needs to worship Him.  The family He gave us needs to operate in a way that worships Him.  The way we spend our money needs to worship Him.

We were designed to be worshipers and will always be worshiping something.  What we need to ask ourselves is are we worshiping God or are we worshiping something else?  It's easy to focus on God when we are in church on Sunday morning.  But what about when you are at work, does your work worship God or money?  Does your time at home worship God or ESPN?  Does what you choose to eat worship God or worship your own stomach?  Does the way you treat other people worship God or worship yourself?

My personal belief is that Christian maturity is measured in our ability to worship God over worshiping other things in our life.  If we focus on worship as something we only do on Sunday morning, we will never move past a very infantile relationship with Christ.  It is through worship that we get a clearer picture of who we are and who our God is.

Day 12: Luke 2:12

This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” -Luke 2:12

God has a funny way of using the least expected thing to serves His purposes.  All throughout the Old and New Testament, God uses people who are less qualified, less intelligent, weaker, and less skilled to do the work of His Kingdom.  Sometimes the people He used were sinners:  murderers, adulterers, liars, and cheaters.  Some people seemed too old, some seemed too young, some suffered with depression, and others were show offs.  The history of God's people is not a list of highly gifted saints.  The history of God's people is a ragtag, motley crew of prostitutes, shepherds, tax collectors, and warriors, who looked more like Duck Dynasty than the Elizabethan Dynasty.

There are two likely reasons for this.  The first is God is the one who should get the glory for everything.  He doesn't want there to be any question in anyone's mind about who it was that did the amazing work.  If God picked someone incredibly talented and educated, there might be some question as to who the glory should go to.  If He picks the least qualified and it is obvious that the person would not at all be capable of doing this thing on their own, then God is the one who should be praised.

Second, God wants to remind us that His ways are not our ways and what He sees as glorious is not always the same as what we see as glorious.  Where we would look down on a prostitute, Rahab is listed among God's most faithful people.  Where we may discount Abraham for trying to achieve God's promise on his own by trying to conceive a baby with his servant Hagar instead of waiting to conceive with his wife Sarah, God still blessed him as a father of many nations.  What God sees is our hearts and it is by our hearts that we are judged.  He is more capable of using someone who has a passionate heart for him than using someone who is indifferent but has a resume that can't be passed up.

Because of this, it is no surprise that the Savior of all would start off life in a feeding trough wrapped in scraps of cloth.  It is only by the power of Almighty God that a baby born in these circumstances could be the King of Kings.  In fact, His weakness, being born into such poverty, became one of Jesus' greatest attributes...He could connect with the poor and wealthy just as well as anyone else.

So what are your weaknesses?  What weaknesses could God use for His Glory?  Is there some area of your life that is so incredibly miserable that only God Himself would be able to redeem it?  Pray that God shows you a way in which He wants to use your weakness for His glory.

Day 11: Luke 2:11

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. -Luke 2:11

There was an 11 year streak in my life where every Christmas I sang in some sort of performance of Handel's Messiah.  And now that it has been 9 years since the end of that streak, one of the few pieces that still rings through my ears at Christmas time is "For Unto Us a Child is Born".  The text is from Isaiah 9:6:

 "For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

The Jews had been prophesying the coming of a Messiah for a long time, Isaiah 9:6 above being one of those prophecies.  The Jews had been persecuted and enslaved, yet they knew they were God's chosen people and they awaited this great Messiah who would free their people.  Those who were still faithful waited in eager anticipation for the one promised to them and the declaration of the angel in the verse from Luke 2:11 tells us through the details given that, yes, this is the Messiah that they've been waiting for.

What is sad is that most of these Jews missed the signs pointing to Jesus being the One sent by God to save them.  They had so many preconceived notions about who it would be and what He should look like that they missed who He actually was.  Even though they may not have had angels showing up to them in their fields, they have volumes of scripture that should have made it obvious.

We still do that same thing today, and I believe the description of our Lord from Isaiah 9:6 can still reveal characteristics of Jesus that we would miss.  How do we see a "wonderful counselor" show up in a line of Christians standing outside of a strip club, spewing hatred at the girls who work there?  Would the "wonderful counselor" instead want to sit down and build a relationship with them?  Care for them?  Listen to them?  Love them?  And when they finally want a way out, point them in the direction of Jesus?

How do we see a "mighty God" among Christians who are terrified at the thought of a supernatural God showing up and performing some unexplained miracle?  Where is "mighty God" in a church too afraid of God not being who He says He is to never trust Him to do anything bigger than what the church can do on its own?  Would mighty God instead be mighty and do things that require supernatural strength and effort?

Is the Lord we worship really THE Lord if instead of trusting Him to be an "everlasting Father", we envision Him to be a taskmaster, waiting to whip us the minute we step out of line, or to be finite and run out of time, patience or energy in loving us and drawing us near to Him?

Is the spirit that leads Christians to blow up an abortion clinic really the "Prince of Peace"?

Don't let our preconceived notions of who Jesus should be cause us to miss the Jesus that is described in scripture.  He is coming again and we want to be sure we recognize Him.

Day 10: Luke 2:10

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. -Luke 2:10

Do not be afraid.

The NIV translation of the Bible has the phrase "Do not be afraid" or some close permutation of that over eighty times throughout the scriptures.  Yet fear among Christians is still ubiquitous.  We can try to tell ourselves that we are not fearful people and that fear does not rule our lives.  But if we reach deep down, we each have fears that threaten to control various aspects of our life.

What is it that you fear?  Failure?  Loss of control?  Loneliness?  Not being liked?  Poor health?  The unknown?  Being fearful?

Without hope in something greater, we can't hope but to succumb to our fears.  And we can make that "something greater" a number of different things.  Some put all their hope in their own greatness, others put their hope in their government and still others put their hope in their bank accounts.  Any earthly version of "something greater" that someone puts their hope in will eventually disappoint them and become anything but good news.

So what exactly is this "good news" that allows us leave our fears by the wayside?  It's that we now have a Messiah, a Savior, someone who will go to the Cross for us in our place, even though we deserve to be crucified because of our sin.  We can now have eternal life and have access to a "higher power" that is worthy of our hope and who will be worthy of that hope for all eternity.  We need not fear anything because our God is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords.  There is no one greater than Him and there is nothing we should fear when we submit to Him as our King.

But still there are many of us who have, at least in some areas, submitted to Jesus as our King, yet have fears controlling us in other areas.  How do we follow this admonition to not fear?

It comes down to risk, faith and trust.  Is it worth the risk, based on our amount of faith in Him, to trust Him to protect us, bless us and turn all things into good for us?  Trust in the true Almighty God cannot coexist with fear.  If we trust in God and still fear, then we aren't trusting God to be who He says He is.  Sure, life will not always be pain free, but God does promise it to be for our good.  He may not give us everything we want, but He will give us everything He wants us to have to do and become who He wants us to be.  And He promises that His way is always perfect and that His plan for us is always better than our plan for us.

Take a risk, exercise your faith, and trust God in a way that makes your fear seem illogical.  The eternal Savior that gives us hope and allows us to trust God in a way that destroys all fear is the good news that will bring us great joy.  It will set us free and give us liberty in Christ to live the life He wants us to walk.

Day 9: Luke 2:9

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. -Luke 2:9

We can get really comfortable with practicing our religion.  We go to church, pray before each meal, give 10% of our income in the collection basket and read our bible every time we feel like we need guidance.  The more schooled of us find stability in our catechisms and systemic theologies.  We cling to our morality and virtues and treat our relationship with God as if it were ruled by some sort of predictable cause and effect relationship.  When we're comfortable with our religion, then we feel at peace with God.  

Christians can be be extremely protective of this comfort and peace.  Everything about their faith is safe, understandable and predictable.  They look honorable and respectable to everyone around them, and that is proof enough that they are doing this Jesus thing the way they are supposed to.

Everything seems stable and right...until an angel of the Lord shows up and night sky breaks open and reveals the devastatingly glorious reality of a realm beyond our own so beautiful and so infinite we destroyed down to our very core.

What the shepherds saw that night wasn't just awe inspiring, like a meteor shower or even the Aurora Borealis.  It terrified them.  What they saw made them feel vulnerable and scared.  It made them feel tiny.  It made them feel at the mercy of whatever it was they saw.  Strapping, rugged men suddenly were overwhelmed by their frailty.  And what is amazing is the thing that made them feel that way wasn't ugly or nightmarish.  It was enchantingly and unspeakably beautiful.

Any time we get a glimpse into the spiritual world, at least while we live on the earth, a big part of us will be terrified.  It will rip away any facade we have built for ourselves, or any coping mechanisms, and it will reveal how tiny we are, how little we know about our world and how we are totally at the mercy of our Lord.  It will assault our worldly sensibilities, make us worry about what other people, especially other Christians, think of us.  It will make us question ourselves and our understanding of who we are and who God is.  

Unfortunately, many of the "religious" things we do cloud our vision of the spiritual and end up lulling us into a spiritual sleep.  We think God is about going to church and reading our Bible and saying grace before meals and we lose sight of the fact that those are just a means to an end and that end is something terrifying to the earthly part of who we are.  Getting a glimpse into the spiritual world will shake up every part of us that is not of God.

There are Christians, myself included, who believe they have seen angels, demons or even Jesus Himself.  There are Christians who have seen miracles, not just coincidences that someone could explain away, but who have seen the supernatural do a miraculous and explainable work in our world.  There is a huge risk in believing what they have experienced is real, because to maintain the peace and status quo in the lives of some, they have to avoid any and all mention of anything supernatural.  Their terror would overwhelm them and the lives they have created, especially their religious lives, would crumble to the ground.

Today, and during the rest of this Advent season, pray that you see something along the lines of what the shepherds saw, a glimpse into the spiritual world.  Maybe God will reveal it to you as a miracle or a prayer miraculously answered.  Maybe it will be through a prophetic word from God, either in scripture or given to you by someone else.  Maybe you will see an angel or demon (pray that it is an angel!).  Beg God to shake you up by showing you what is beyond this earthly world.  And practice sharing about it by telling another person about your experience.

Day 8: Luke 2:8

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. -Luke 2:8

Isn't it interesting that there are only three kinds of people mentioned in the Bible that notice something special is happening at the time of Jesus' birth:  the Magi, King Herod, and the shepherds.  Everyone else around them seems to be clueless to the miracle happening right before their eyes.

The Magi had an intellectual knowledge that something special was going to take place.  They were religious leaders who were knew for their knowledge of astrology, which at the time was considered a science.  They knew about the Hebrew people and the Hebrew scriptures and when they noticed the star, they went to investigate what it meant.  They were intellectually curious and sought Jesus because of that.

King Herod knew something special was going on, but he knew it because he was threatened by what the star meant.  He was appointed King of Judea by the Roman government and because of the high Jewish population of that area, he referred to himself as "King of the Jews".  Herod, actively watching out for any threats to his power and throne, knew that the Jews believed that the star in the sky that the Magi saw would be a sign that the real "King of the Jews" was coming.  He pretended to want to worship the newborn King and tried to convince the Magi that worshiping the King of the Jews was his motivation, but it was obvious that he was more concerned with his own self-interests and actually wanted to destroy this threat to his throne.

Lastly, the shepherds knew that something special was happening.  They spent most of their time outdoors, in the quiet, watching their flock.  They lived a routine, mundane existence.  Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and the shepherds became witnesses to a heavenly sight praising God and telling them to go seek the Christ child.  Because of the incredible sights they had seen, they sought the child and then told everyone in town what had happened, and then worshiped some more.

At times, we react to the gift of Jesus Christ in each of these three ways.  There are times in our Christian walk where we let our intellect drive us.  We become very focused on the scriptures and on what we have been taught and we seek him out of curiosity instead of devotion.

Then there are times when even the best of us seek out Jesus in the same manner as Herod.  Our eyes are focused on ourselves and we only want to see things about Jesus that affirm our own sense of self.  Giving to the poor, serving others, being the least...those are threats to our pride and either consciously or unconsciously we try to destroy those notions so that they can't convict us and put us back in our place.  Just like Herod called himself "King of the Jews", we call ourselves "God", and just as Herod was put in his place by the real, God appointed "King of the Jews, we are put in our place by our real, God appointed "God".

Lastly, and hopefully, we respond to Jesus like the shepherds did.  

Have you ever wondered why the angels appeared to the shepherds and not to another group of people, such as tax collectors, soldiers, townspeople, etc.?  The Bible doesn't say specifically, but my guess is that the shepherds had a few things going for them that the other people didn't.  First of all, it would be hard for a shepherd to think themselves to be better than anyone else.  Being a shepherd was hard, manual labor and was usually the equivalent of a lower-middle class job.  Second, they were out in nature, in the quiet.  They weren't so rushed and so busy that they would miss or discount something they saw in the sky.  They were calm and in a place where there was little commotion.  Lastly, they were simple in their thinking.  They saw angels, found the Christ child, told people about it and then went back and worshiped again.  They didn't stand around for twenty minutes debating whether or not what they saw were angels or some abnormality in the night sky or some delusion that they got drinking too much.  Then they didn't spend more time deciding what the best way to go to the manger, which path was the longest, how would they find it, what would they need to take with them.  They didn't stall and fret about who to tell about Jesus, who would be offended by it or whether they should pass out pamphlets on pink paper or green!  They saw a miracle, knew it was from God, did what they were told and then told everyone else about the incredible news they had.

We can learn a lot by trying to mimic the shepherds.  If we want to hear from God, we need to make sure our hearts are right, which generally means reminding yourself that you are small and God is big, that you are a servant and God is your master.  Then, we need to get some quiet space worked into our lives.  It doesn't mean that we need to become shepherds, but when can you take time to really listen to God.  It could be anything from a quiet time in the morning to using the time you mow your grass to pray and listen (it's not like you can hear anything else over the sound of the mower).  And lastly, and most importantly, when God tells us to do something, we need to just go do it.  We can get stuck spinning our wheels trying to plan out every little minutia of the plan and never actually go and do what God wants because we lost our opportunity.  Planning isn't a bad thing, but at some point, you need to get up and go and do and leave the rest to God.  Let us all respond to God more like the shepherds and have the faith in Him to go and do!

Day 7: Luke 2:7

and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. -Luke 2:7

When the angel first came to Mary to tell her she was pregnant with the child, he said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:30-33)

After the initial shock that she, a virgin, was about to have a baby, I'm sure there was at least a little excitement in Mary's heart at the prospect of getting to be the mother of the "Son of the Most High" and that her son will be given the throne of David by God Himself.  That sounds like that would involve some sort of royal appointment and since royal appointments often come with power and wealth, I'm sure Mary pictured that in her mind, living the life of wealth and prestige.

I'm sure, while giving birth in an animal stable, having to wrap her newborn in scraps of leftover cloth and having to lay him in a food trough to sleep, Mary thought back to what the angel had told her and at least once thought, "What the heck?  Did I understand this wrong?  Was that even an angel or did I imagine it?"  Even if she had the greatest faith in the Lord and His goodness, I'm sure in the throws of contractions, she thought, "God, really?  This is how you want the future King to be born?  In a stable like a donkey?"

From time to time we all have WTF??? moments with God:

-"God, we've been doing so well budgeting our money and getting out of debt.  Why the freak did you let our car break down, put my child in the hospital and have the roof start leaking all at the same time???  There is no way we can pay for this."  

-"God, I felt like you told me to take this job even though it wasn't the one I really wanted.  Now my reward for following you is a boss that treats me awful, getting my hours cut back and tons of added responsibilities.  What the freak are you doing???"

-"God, I feel like I've done my best to raise my children to know you and to be strong Christians.  Now my kids leave the house and they are sleeping around, getting in trouble with the law and act like the last thing they need is you.  What the freak???"

-"God, I prayed that you would heal this person.  I got other people to pray for them.  We had a healing service.  We anointed them with oil, just like the Bible tells us to.  But they still died.  Why the freak did you have us do all that if you were just going to take them in the end?  Are you trying to kill our faith in you?"

When we have these WTF? moments, we have three choices we can make.  First, we can either decide there is no God or decide that He isn't who He says He is and turn away from Him.  Second, we could let the WTF? question overcome us and spin our wheels by constantly asking God "Why?" and let anger, resentment and self-pity rule our relationship with Him.  Or third, we can trust God to be who He says He is and keep chugging forward.

The second option, even though many people take it, doesn't make any logical sense since it will keep you stuck in a state of emotional turmoil.  So the only logical options to take boil down to the decision between trusting God or not trusting God.  And if we want to reap any blessings or reward from our walk with Christ, we have to trust Him.  By not trusting Him, everything in our life hinges on us and our power and our reason and God can't do a whole lot with that.  We'll never be more than what we can do on our own.  But by trusting Him, we've now tapped into the infinite Creator of all things, who knows all, who sees all and is the only source of unconditional and infinite love.  He welcomes us as His Child and ordains our every step before we take it.  Some of those steps may be uncomfortable for us, but we know it is for our greater good and for the good of His Kingdom.  It doesn't make any sense not to trust God.  Mary walked the uncomfortable steps God laid out for her and 2000 years later her Son is still being recognized as one of the most influential people in history, and will be for all eternity.

God's promises and miracles are especially for our WTF? moments.  Those times when we hit a crossroads of uncertainty with God, that is when we need to cling to what He has promised us and remember times in the past where He kept His promises to us.  You aren't the only Christian that has WTF? moments with God.  Make sure, though, when you have those moments to choose the path of trusting God.  It is the only path that guarantees a return on your investment.

Day 6: Luke 2:6

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, -Luke 2:6

When I had my kids, I had two C-sections, one unplanned and one planned.  With my first child, we were told the approximate due date, and even though I kept telling myself there was only a 1 out of 20 chance the baby would come on the actual due date, throughout the nine months, that was the day I held in my mind that the baby would likely be born.  And then that day came and past, and I was in day to day anticipation, "Would today be the day?"  And even when I was far enough past my due date that they induced labor, for the next 26 hours, the questions were, "Is the baby coming yet?" and "How much longer will these birthing pains last until this baby is finally born?"

My second child, the planned C-section, was, as my son would say, "easy-peasy, nice and squeezy".  I knew the day, the time, we had a baby sitter lined up and my husband had work already scheduled off.  We knew he would be born about 8:30 in the morning and he was born at 8:26...almost like clockwork.

It's interesting that several times in the Bible the time period leading up to the second coming of Christ is referred to as "birthing pains".  Just as Mary experienced birthing pains prior to Jesus being born the first time He came to earth, in the end times the whole world will experience birthing pains leading up to Christ's triumphant return.  And while there are Christians and non-Christians alike who attempt to pour through scripture so that Christ's second coming can be planned, like my planned C-section was, Jesus tells us that no one will know the exact day or time, and, like my first C-section, we'll see some signs, but we will have to wait in eager anticipation not knowing when Christ will come again.

Many people ask, "Are we in the end times?" and the answer is a definite yes.  Does that mean the world will end any time soon or that it will end in our lifetime?  Who knows.  Regardless, we are seeing signs of the "birthing pains" all around us and the following is a sermon I recently heard given by a pastor in South Carolina that was the most Biblically sound explanation of how current world events line up with what Jesus said about the end times.

End times Sermon

So, as we celebrate this time of Advent, the time leading up to our celebration of Jesus' first coming, keep closely in mind that we are living through a second Advent right now, the birthing pains leading up to Christ's second coming.  As someone I know recently said, "Keep your eyes on the skies."  Think about what preparations you want to make for Jesus' second coming.  Do you know Him well enough that you will recognize Him when He comes?  Will He recognize you?  What can you do to grow your relationship with your Lord and Savior? (Hint: prayer and scripture play a huge role in your relationship with Him!)

Day 5: Luke 2:5

He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. -Luke 2:5

It would have been a huge disgrace for Joseph to be seen in public with a pregnant fiancee.  The Jewish leaders of the time were obsessed with making sure they looked righteous to everyone.  They would stand on the street corners praying lengthy, pretentious prayers so that those in the village would view them as holy.  They would fight to have the longest tassels on their robes and would make a big show of fasting so that everyone around them would think that they were the greatest and most sanctified among the Jews.  In a culture where appearances were everything, being seen with an unmarried woman that was nine months pregnant would have social suicide.

Matthew 1 tells us that Joseph didn't believe Mary's story about the Holy Spirit conceiving the baby inside of her.  In fact, his plan was to divorce her quietly.  But then an angel of the Lord came to Joseph and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit."  Then it continues, "When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. "

So at the time of the census, while Mary and Joseph were already married, anyone who could do simple math would know that she was pregnant before the marriage.  The judgement and ostracism they would have felt from people who were supposedly experts in God's will and intent would have been enormous.  Just imagine if Joseph would have been more concerned with what his friends, family and people in the community thought about him than what his God thought of him?  What if he was more concerned about looking righteous by following the traditions of the Jews than listening to the angel of the Lord and following their directions?

We all struggle with the desire to be liked and accepted by those around us.  And those desires are not necessarily a bad thing when they are put in their proper place.  The problem comes in for us when we begin to desire that acceptance so much that we choose to follow the crowd before we follow Jesus.  Even for those Christians who are willing to sacrifice the acceptance of others for God's will, we can be tempted to allow other's judgement of us steal our joy and Godly confidence and this can lead to resenting the Christian life and allowing ourselves to feel like martyrs instead of victors.  

The Gospel of Grace tells us that even the smallest sin makes us unacceptable to our Holy and perfect God.  Even the person that spends their entire life doing good is unacceptable to God if they've told the smallest lie or had the slightest impure thought.  The only thing that makes us acceptable is by accepting Jesus' death and resurrection as the payment for our sin.  We must have the humility to say that not only are we in a situation where we need to be saved due to our sin, but that we are unable to save ourselves and see that Jesus is the only hope for salvation.  Once we do that, we are all on a level playing field...we were unacceptable to God, then by the grace of Jesus' death and resurrection we become acceptable to Him.  If you have accepted this gift of grace, then you have the acceptance of Almighty God, creator of all things, the source of all love, all light and all good.  Why do we let the opinion of others determine how loved and accepted we feel?

While I'm sure it was a struggle for Joseph and Mary to keep their eyes and hearts focused on God's love and acceptance of them and not focused on the judgmental eyes of others, they still were able to connect strongly enough with God's acceptance to follow through on what He was asking them to do...being the earthly parents of the Son of God.

So, in what areas of your life are you letting the acceptance of other's overrule God's acceptance of you?  Where are you putting more effort into pleasing others than in pleasing God?  Where are you letting other's judgments about you steal your joy and Godly confidence?  In what areas are you passing judgement on another Christian and feeling superior to them instead of seeing them as your equal as in the eyes of God?  Are there any instances in your life where you are condemning someone who may actually be following the will of the Holy Spirit?

Day 4: Luke 2:4

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. -Luke 2:4

The life of Jesus Christ fulfilled many of the prophecies given to the Jewish people.  These prophecies often told the Jews that they should put their hope in a Messiah that was to come to them, who would save their people and restore Israel.  Jesus' birth is foretold in these prophesies and many of the details around his birth are given to show that this is the Messiah God promised the Hebrew people.

One such prophecy that was fulfilled by Jesus' birth is given in 2 Samuel 7:16 during a revelation God is giving to Nathan, who is then to go and share this revelation with David.  Nathan is to tell David, "Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever."  How else would David's kingdom and throne be established forever without one who lives forever being in that lineage?  

Here in Luke 2:4 it is noted that Joseph was in the line of David and in Matthew 1, it goes as far as to show the entire lineage of Jesus, from Abraham, through David, to Joseph and then Jesus.  This is something Joseph obviously knew, since he knew he needed to go back to Bethlehem to register for the census, but seeing as how he was a simple, poor carpenter, his lineage had little influence in his day to day life, or so he thought until the angel of the Lord came to him and announced his soon to be wife was pregnant with the Son of God.

Today, access to information about our lineage is easier to obtain than ever before.  Not only are there extensive birth records, but it is even possible to see pictures of our ancestors who lived 150+ years ago.  We have a working knowledge of DNA and are beginning to understand how we are hard wired to have certain traits and characteristics simply because similar copies of DNA have been handed down through families.  And as more and more information about people is being recorded and passed on, we can sometimes get a glimpse into the personalities and values of those who have gone before us.  Even though this information is often interesting, it doesn't have much impact on most of us...or does it?

Today, start off praying that God reveals to you any connections or associations between you and your ancestors that may give you insight into the person you are today.  Then, take some time to think about or look at your ancestors and try to discern where your lineage may be impacting your life.  Do you have similar personalities?  Do you struggle with the same issues?  Are you repeating similar patterns in your life that they experienced in theirs?  Are there health issues that you may share?  The Bible talks about generational sin and how the same sin can impact 3-4 generations or more in a family.  Are there any generational sins, such as alcoholism, adultery, greed, etc. that you should address?  

Regardless of what you find, remind yourself that you are also part of the royal lineage of our Lord.  If you have become a Christian, you are now an adopted son or daughter into that family.  What responsibilities and characteristics come with being part of God's royal family?  Which lineage is more important to you, your earthly lineage or your spiritual lineage you are now a part of?  Then decide one one area where you can create a stronger bond to your spiritual lineage.

Day 3: Luke 2:3

 And everyone went to their own town to register. -Luke 2:3

Christmas time has a funny way of dragging our past out of its shadows and into the forefront of our mind.  Some times this is a good thing and sometimes it can be a trial.

For Joseph, during the census, he had to return to the town of his birth.  In some ways, this may have been great.  He may have seen old friends or family members.  He may have been able to take his soon-to-be wife to places where he used to hang out or show her things that he has told her stories about.

But we know in at least one way that having to return to the place of his birth was a difficult thing.  He had moved away from the town of his childhood and established a new life in Nazareth.  He had a woman that was about to become his wife and had a home and a carpentry business established there.  Now he had to travel back to his hometown and his new life was not fitting together well with his old life.  He was soon to find out that he no longer had a home there.

As we grow as Christians, there are defining times for us that remind us that we no longer have a home in our past.  Someone who came to Christianity in adulthood may go back to their childhood home and see how Jesus has changed the kinds of relationships they have and how the relationships of their past don't really fit into the new model Christ has built in them.  Some who have grown up in the church their whole lives, may have grown up with a very legalistic view of Christianity or came from a church that put more emphasis on outward appearance than on the condition of your heart.  As that person has grown in Christ and has come to understand the true meaning of grace, going back to that old ideology, even if just for a few days during the holidays, can seemingly become uncomfortable or even blasphemous.  Or we may have put a past full of sin or a past that embarrasses us far behind us, only to have that past smack us in the face as soon as we return to "our own town".

Try not to let the conflict between the you of the past and the you that you are now bring you down this holiday season.  We are told repeatedly in scripture that what matters most is the new creation that Christ begins in us.  We should be looking at the present and looking forward, not focusing on the past.  And we should make a mental note to ourselves to deal with our issues in our past throughout the whole year so that we aren't suddenly bombarded with them at the holidays.  Our past effects us both positively and negatively and whether it is in the forefront of our mind or not.

Deal with your ghosts of Christmas pasts, and your Christmas present and Christmas future will thank you for it!

Day 2: Luke 2:2

 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) -Luke 2:2

This verse may seem of little importance, but it is one of the most hotly debated verses between Biblical scholars and archaeologists/historians in the Christmas story.  According to the accounts of Jesus' birth in the Bible (found in Luke and Matthew), at the time Jesus was born, Herod was king, Caesar Augustus had power to declare a census be taken and Quirinius was governor of Syria.  Biblical scholars, believing in the inerrancy of the Bible, take this to be exactly how the political structure of the time looked.

Archaeologists and historians say that this scenario is impossible.  They say based on ancient documents, there is no evidence of Caesar ever declaring a census be taken, they say that Quirinius could not have ruled the same time as Herod, and that Quirinius' rule was much later than Bible scholars believe was the time of Jesus' birth, which is commonly thought to be around 4BCE.  Furthermore, they say there would have been no reason for Joseph to travel back to Nazareth and there certainly was no reason for Mary to travel with him since women were not counted in the census.

So does that mean the Christmas story is wrong?  Was it just an elaborate allegory?  Was it fabricated to beef up the myth surrounding Jesus?  Should we as Christians believe something that modern researchers have so clearly decided is wrong?

People that know me personally know that I am definitely not anti-intellectual.  I have a lot of respect for mathematics and the sciences.  I believe that there is no need for theology and science, theology and reason, or theology and historical evidence to be divorced.  But as the secular studies of the world choose more and more to initiate this divorce between themselves and the theological studies, especially Christian studies, I find myself asking over and over again..."why does the theological view always have to be wrong?"  And why are we as Christians expected to take the word of secular archaeologists and historians over the word of theological archaeologists and historians?  What is it in our rational that puts more weight on secular experts than Christian ones?  Do both not have an agenda and a bias toward a certain outcome?

Christian experts in archaeology and history have offered up several possible explanations as to the seeming discrepancy.  First, in the original Greek, the phrase used to say "first census that took place while" can also just as accurately be translated to say "the census that took place before".  Second, there is much historical evidence that describes a governor that specifically lead only the military of the region during the time of Jesus' birth, while the other governor focused on social and economic issues.  This military leader is described in a way that suggests strongly that this man may have been Quirinius, thus meaning that Quirinius ruled as governor twice, the first time only in charge of the military and the second time as full governor.  Lastly, it is easy to refute the idea of the census not happening by simply asking if there could not have been some way that the documentation of that census was at some point lost or destroyed?  And since this census is not documented, how do we know whether the rules for it were different and required everyone to travel to their hometowns and made an effort to include women in the count? 

So, why bring this argument up in a discussion about Christmas?  This is the time of year when Christians are front and center in the attention of society in general.  Even when the spirituality of the season is stripped away, it is hard to ignore the fact that Jesus is the reason for the season.  People who don't attend church the rest of the year flood the pews for Christmas services.  And for non-believers, questions about why we would worship a guy that died 2000 years ago crop up around every corner.  When faced with these questions about whether or not our faith is ridiculous, are we really secure in the accuracy of what we believe or are we a little embarrassed to believe something that seems so far-fetched to an advanced society as we have today?

This is when we as Christians need to have a deep enough relationship with the Father and enough faith in what we believe to push back and say, "Why does the Bible have to be the source that is wrong?"  Can both we and secular proponents be intellectually honest enough to not discount each other's research and conclusions because they are from "the other team"?  During this season where more people than any other time of year focus on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, let us be confident in the Holy record that the Father has provided for us.  Let us pray that God shows us how real and accurate His scripture is and how it takes just as much faith to believe in secular archaeology as it does biblical archaeology.  But most of all, let us remember that our focus should be on our risen King, on the eternal life we hope for and on the receiving the love the Lord lavishes on us and sharing it with a dark, scary and hopeless world.  Proving your position on a historical discrepancy won't save you, but God's love will.

Christmas Devotional 2013! Day 1: Luke 2:1

Last year's Christmas devotional series made such an impact on my readers that I've decided to do another series this year!  This year's devotional series will go verse by verse through a section of scripture that we hear read so often this time of year, that we forget to stop and realize what it is really saying.  We'll be focusing on Luke 2:1-20, the traditional Christmas story.  Each day I'll take a verse from this scripture and use it as the basis of that day's devotion.  Enjoy!

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.  -Luke 2:1

We don't think of the Christmas story as having any sort of political undertones in it, but this very first verse describes a political climate of the Hebrew people.  Caesar Augustus was the first Roman emperor and many historians believe that Caesar Augustus's rule was the foundation of a 1400 year regime that ended with the fall of Constantinople in 1453.  His rule was so historic that in many languages, the word for "emperor" is some derivative of the name Caesar, including the German word "Kaiser" and the Russian word "Tzar".

This time period was also the birth of the Zealot movement (Simon the Zealot, who would later become one of Jesus' disciples, was part of this movement).  The Zealots were primarily Jews who were protesting Roman rule.  They advocated violence against the Roman state, the Jews that collaborated with the Romans and against the Sadducees, who were a sect of Judiasm that were known for their affluence and their blurring of religious, political and social lines.  The Zealots were seen as a rough and ragged grassroots movement with an "inviolable attachment to liberty".

The census mentioned in this verse was actually a change in the tax code for everyone living inside the Roman empire, whether Roman citizens or not.  Many Jews saw these taxes as being a legal form of slavery to a pagan government who oppressed them and held them hostage through acts of violence and a terrorist dictatorship.

So, we have a government that is overstepping its bounds, primarily through taxes and elite social and political contacts, and a grassroots movement demanding liberty, less taxation and who are willing to resort to violence if need be.  Does this sound like anything we may be experiencing today?

It helps us to understand the amount of hope that Jesus' birth brought to the world when we understand the truly dark, scary and confusing times in which these people lived.  He would bring clarity to this world by reminding God's people that everything in this world is temporary, that there is a Father in Heaven whose love is more powerful than any oppressive government, unfair taxation, or violent uprising in the streets.

Jesus will make a way for God's people to have an intimate relationship with the Father and provide a means for us to share in eternal life.  Jesus' sacrifice for their eternal salvation will allow God's infinite nature to fall on them and suddenly shift their perspective and free them from the day to day trials of this fallen world.

And Jesus' sacrifice still does the same for us today.  In a world of crazy politics, oppressive governments, ethnic cleansing, and rampant crime, the hope that Jesus created 2000 years ago is still the only hope we have.  The problems of the world will terrify and paralyze us unless we keep our hope completely focused on Him.  Congress will never make the right decision.  Dictatorships will never willingly give up their stronghold.  People will continue to debase themselves more and more until society itself will have nothing good in it.  Jesus is our only hope.  It's okay to put all our eggs in one basket as long as it is in His basket!  In fact, if we are Christians, it is ridiculous to hope in anything else.

Today, keep your eyes focused on Jesus.  Forget about the rampant evil in the world, the corrupt government and the ineptitude of the world around you.  Of course they are screwed up.  Jesus promised they would be.  Put all your hope in Him and His promises and take rest in His love for you!