the 7th day of Christmas

On the seventh day of Christmas my True Love gave to me, seven crazy feelings, six proclamations, five broken dreams, four upset parents, three gifts from wisemen, two speaking prophets, and a great big herd of bleating, dumb sheep.

What were things like for you when your children were infants and you had to be somewhere?  I imagine things were rushed, hectic, kind of crazy. And how did your husband respond?  Did he help change that last minute wet diaper?  Get exasperated because the baby woke up early for feeding right as it's time to go? Or did he help you get things ready and not complain when your schedule had to change at the last moment?

I've often wondered what things were like for Mary the day they headed to the temple for the purification rights and Jesus' dedication. Was it a crazy, rushed morning?  Was she still too tired and exhausted to desire to see anyone? Was she concerned about taking such a small thing to the busy, crowded temple?  And then to have a man come up and take her child, and say the following things:

1. I can now die. The person holding my baby is talking about dying.  WHAT?
2. I have seen God's salvation.  What does this mean? Has he seen Gabriel as well?  Will everyone believe me now?
3. He will be the Light to the Gentiles.  Ummm....that can't be good. Gentiles are unclean. Not sure that's who I want my boy hanging out with.
4. He will be glory to Israel. YES!!! 
5. Your child has is the chosen one to make many fall and rise in our country. Are you saying he'll be in politics?  A political planner?  A rebel?  A soldier?
6. He will be opposed. A rallying point for the oppressed. Oh my poor boy.
7. A sword will pierce your soul (was he talking to Mary or Christ here? I've never been totally certain.) so that others THOUGHTS will be revealed.  The power to reveal thoughts is kind of cool, but the shivers at the word sword have not stopped, yet.  A sword in his SOUL? Will that kill him or just severely maim him? 

I can't help but wonder what on earth Joseph and Mary were thinking during Simeon's proclamation. You know how people make statements to you that make you gasp inside and you're not quite sure how to take it?  A part of me thinks they must have felt that way. Uncertain. Elated. Angry. Confused. Saddened. Scared. Amused.




As warped as this may be, I find it somewhat reassuring that God's statements and plans are still the same. They still create mixed emotions in our lives and are still often unclear to our blinded eyes. I find it comforting that God doesn't ask us to jump for joy and obey with eager anticipation.  He simply asks obedience and tolerates our questions and confusion. And I love and appreciate Him for that. I'm glad he doesn't simply squash this lump of clay, but keeps molding and forming me. He's such a cool Creator!

the 6th Day of Christmas

On the sixth day of Christmas my True Love gave to me, six proclamations, five broken dreams, four upset parents, three gifts from wisemen, two speaking prophets, and a great big herd of bleating, dumb sheep.

It may be that there were numerous angel visits on earth during ancient days that we simply don't have records of. After all, the Old Testament is full of recordings about the "angel of the Lord" coming to earth and speaking with people, and the Apostle Paul warns us in the New Testament that we could be attending angels unaware.
But it does seem that in a short amount of time, there was a flurry of angel activity in the middle eastern part of the world. In no particular order, here's the known listing of angelic activity during a two year period:

1) Luke 1 - angel Gabriel to Zacharias
2) Luke 1 - angel Gabriel to Mary
3) Matthew 1 - the angel to Joseph
4) Luke 2 - angel  to the Shepherds
5) Luke 2 - a "host" or battalion of angels singing praises in front of the shepherds
6) Matthew 2 - the angel to Joseph

All my life I've heard stories of people seeing the death angel before they die.  Some of them see him (or them) several times, some a few weeks before, others a few minutes before. It always made me a little fearful and yet excited at the same time.  But can you imagine seeing an angel and it NOT being a premonition of death? I think that would scare me half to death. And yet, what better way to convince a person to attempt or think the impossible?  I mean, would you believe you were going to have a baby without have sex?  Would you believe it if you saw an angel and they told you the impossible about your old barren cousin and it turned out to be true?  God often uses circumstances to "make" things happen. And other times, I guess you could say he sticks his finger in the pot (like by sending an angel) to stir the water. 

How cool is it that we serve a God who not only uses the (by my definitions) impractical, unorthodox, and impossible methods of seeing His will accomplished.  One has to admit, God has a very unique way of doing things. I don't know whether or not the angelic flurry of that time period was unusual or just another routine work assignment for them, but from our point of view, it's both exciting and neat. If Pastor Mike or my Dad told me something bizarre like Mary heard, I'd think he was mental.  If an angel told me, I'd probably be more prone to believe it. May I be as faithful in proclaiming my message as the angels.

the 5th Day of Christmas

On the fifth day of Christmas my True Love gave to me, five broken dreams, four upset parents, three gifts from wisemen, two speaking prophets, and a great big herd of bleating, dumb sheep.

Our Light has Come!  One of the hardest songs to sing from the Incredible Moment cantata, but the words in this song gave me absolute chills!  

We have seen the Messiah (our deliverer & Savior!), Promised One (He is FAITHFUL!), Mighty God (He can't be shaken, overthrown, overpowered, blind-sided, nor overwhelmed!), Prince of Peace (He's not the ruler of chaos! That is so comforting!), Heaven's Son! Our Light has come!

 Do ever wonder the depths of God's disappointment with us?  Oh, we often think about our disappointments with Him when things don't go as we think they ought, but do we ever think about it in reverse? If I spent my time and energy on a quilt, and it turned around and cut up its stitches, allowing the batting (the stuffing) to fall out, I would be quite irate!  And yet so many times that's what I've done with God. I look at His plan, His creation, and then I ignore His rulebook and try to make things work my way. Is it any wonder that things fall apart?
I will never know on this side of heaven the depths of God's sadness, frustration, and anger at his creation (and I may not even grasp it on the other side, either!) We know he was unhappy enough in the Garden to stop Adam & Eve from obtaining eternal life in their present form. We know He regretted creating earth's humans at the time of the flood, and He was angry enough with His chosen people in the wilderness that had Moses not intervened He would have destroyed them as well. We know Christ wept at the death of Lazarus, and some people speculate that He didn't weep then until He saw the people wailing and the depravity of mankind.  We know when Christ looked upon Jerusalem that He was heartbroken for it. And yet, despite it all, God sacrificed a part of Himself to correct what we messed up.
Broken dreams, broken hearts, broken souls...that is what Christ came to fix.  (Matthew 9:11-13)  As I so often allow the cares of this world to pull me down, I also get excited when I'm reminded that I have a hope and a future...because my light has come!
p.s. and I recognize there are WAY more than 5 broken dreams in this world, but it seemed to fit!



 

the 4th day of Christmas

On the fourth day of Christmas my True Love gave to me, four upset parents, three gifts from wisemen, two speaking prophets, and a great big herd of bleating, dumb sheep.

Okay, four upset parents is probably an understatement.  My guess it was more like two upset families, multiple upset extended family members and friends, and a horde of gossip-mongering neighbors. Pregnant before marriage?  That's a stoning offense buster! Can you imagine Joseph trying to explain that one to his parents and friends? His clients?  What upstanding person in the community wants to buy a kitchen table from someone guilty enough to be stoned? And Joseph wasn't the only one encountering all sorts of questioning and rude comments.
Mary goes to visit Elizabeth (sorry, but I didn't look up their familial connection) { Luke 1} and comes home about the time she'd start showing. I think we can all imagine what types of conversation that spawned.  I find it cool that after Mary's news, she immediately ran to the first person the angel mentioned to her.  Was she seeking proof or validation?  Understanding?  Or was she simply desiring to help out an older friend in her time of need?  Who in her family traveled with her?  Did the news of Elizabeth's pregnancy travel back with Mary and ease the gossip about her situation? And how did Joseph's parents react when he decided to give Mary another chance (or take a really big risk by marrying such an unscrupulous woman)?

The reality is, I'm sure the parents of these two were about the same any parents would have.  They probably had a roller coaster of emotions.  We know that both Joseph and Mary were concerned about honoring the law, which makes us unnecessarily assume their parents were as well. Either way, I like what Mary had to say to Elizabeth in Luke 1:

His mercy extends to those who fear him,
   from generation to generation.
⁵¹ He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
   he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
⁵² He has brought down rulers from their thrones
   but has lifted up the humble.
⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things
   but has sent the rich away empty.
⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel,
   remembering to be merciful
⁵⁵ to Abraham and his descendants forever,
   just as he promised our ancestors.

She recognized her pregnancy as the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham by God, the I AM! I've often wondered just how much Mary understood about what was to come with her little boy. The Bible says after his birth and all his visitors she "pondered these things in her heart". But regardless of how much she grasped about the situation, we have to surmise that both she and Joseph had great courage and obedience, as well as a recognition that all they had been taught about the law and its giver, the I AM, was TRUE!!, even if it didn't make their parents very happy.

the 3rd day of Christmas

On the third day of Christmas my True Love gave to me, three gifts from wisemen, two speaking prophets, and a great big herd of bleating, dumb sheep.

One of my favorite songs from our church's cantata was "We Will Find Him" . Of course, I love most pieces done by an all men's group, but I was thrilled even more when I looked in the book today and saw this was written by Michael Card (one of my many favorite music authors).  Every time our men's group sang this song, I could close my eyes and envision a music video playing out the lyrics. The following video doesn't portray everything my imagination does when I hear the song, but it's very similar.
 


I was always taught that according to Matthew 2, the Christ child was no longer in the stable when the wisemen found him (it says he was found in a house).  Others say based on Herod's order to kill all the baby boys 2 and under, it's possible that Jesus was at least a year old before they found the child.

Can you imagine searching for someone you didn't know, all because of ancient writings and star formations? Can you imagine their frustration at their discussion with Herod and finding his ignorance and such an important event?  What kind of wise ruler would have to call all his scholars and counselors, to find out a prophecy that any scholar should know?  And not only was he ignorant, but unaware of the event!

How much money did they spend on their journey?  Was it a mere pittance or their life's savings?  Was this the journey of a lifetime, or just another academic research trip? And how did their life change after the journey?

We always assume it was only three men because of the three gifts, but I often picture this as a caravan of scholars and priests.  And we'll save the symbolism of their gifts for Easter, but I am always intrigued by this whole aspect of the Christmas story: the three wisemen, or three gifts brought by a group of wise men. Hence, our third day of Christmas.

the 2nd Day of Christmas

On the second  day of Christmas my True Love gave to me, two speaking prophets, and a great big herd of bleating, dumb sheep.

Luke 2: 36-38 (NIV)

There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. 

I love this passage of Scripture.  In church we hear a lot about the men of the Bible, but seldom are we taught about the numerous women mentioned. I have always found it interesting that a widow, and not just a widow but a barren widow is mentioned in the Christmas Story. We always hear about the other prophet, Simeon, and how he blessed the Christ child, but did any of you even know Anna's name?

She wasn't a Levite.  Anna had no historically assigned role (by birthright) in the temple.  And yet after being married for only 7 years, that is where she chose to spend the rest of her life. A small part of me marvels at that.  The temple - not just the place of prayer and sacrifice, but also the place of rituals...such as purification rites (or in modern terms, baby dedications). I often hear widows discuss how difficult it is when a spouse dies. They no longer fit in with the married couples they & their spouse hung out with, feeling like a third wheel. Imagine what that would be like to a young woman with no children.  While all her friends are celebrating anniversaries, birthdays and weddings of their children, she's just there.  And other widows?  They're older. And most of them probably had children.  So they get together and discuss: financial concerns (which she could easily relate to), old age problems & children. I totally get why the temple was an appealing place.  It was a place of refuge from being the oddball, a place where she could interact with people and yet still not be "out of place".  It would be perfectly natural for her to be there.  And yet, I imagine the temple, like today's church, was also one of the most difficult places to be.  Purification rites (the baby dedications, the celebration of "cleanness" from monthly cycles or intimacy with spouses), I imagine those were emotionally difficult for her to witness.  Happy for her friends and fellow citizens?  Yes.  But with it a twinge of sorrow and aloneness.  How many times do you think she recognized the beginnings of a baby dedication and headed the other direction to conceal her tears?  How often was her fasting the outcome of begging God to remove the pain in her heart?
And yet, despite her own personal turmoil, she "came up at that very moment".  We're not told whether or not this was a morning she sighed when she got up, whether or not she debated rejoicing with others or having her own private pity party, whether or not this was a day when she prayed to God begging for strength to focus on others and their blessings and not herself.  We're just told she came. She came and was THANKFUL. And then she proceeded to tell everyone she knew was looking for the Messiah. She recognized this child as the "redemption of Israel"!  In all her years of serving/living in the temple, how many purification rites for babies had she witnessed? And yet, she recognized this routine she had seen enacted out hundreds, maybe thousands, of times was different.
I love the story of Anna.  Only three small verses out of the whole Bible, and yet they speak volumes.  She is such an inspiration and challenge to me, a role model. And her story is also a reminder to me of how the birth of Christ is truly incredible, how he came for everyone, and how his birth was truly awe-inspiring and the gift of hope.

on the 1st day of Christmas

For the next 12 Days Leading up to Christmas, I'm going to highlight things that have been on my ever crazy mind this holiday season.

On the first day of Christmas: sheep

Sheep are stupid.  Sheep stink. Sheep are dirty.  As a child, when I heard comparisons of people to sheep in the Bible, I thought it was a wonderful description.  After all, what could be better than to be a white or black fluffy animal, all soft and cuddly?
Then one day in China while biking with my students in the countryside, we encountered a herd of sheep. There was no shepherd; they roam freely. They saw us on our bicycles, and then decided to follow us. My students told me to ride uphill, quickly. Did I mention I don't bike very well, especially on a bike with skinny wheels? So I took the lower path, and the sheep overtook me.  Literally.  I came to a stop, and all these dirty, stinky, ugly animals that are as tall as my thigh are bleating and bumping me and then decided not to follow me and surrounded me.  I was starting to get a little scared.  One of my students yelled out "ride fast!" so I did, fearful of running over a sheep the whole time.  But it worked.  It spooked them, and they all ran off.

I thought about sheep again this week as our choir did the cantata from Max Lucado's writings and Tom Fettke's music. 

There is one night that describes the night He came - ordinary....The sheep were ordinary. Some fat. Some scrawny. Some with barrel bellies. Some with twig legs. Common animals. No fleece made of gold. No history makers. No blue-ribbon winners. They were simply sheep - lumpy, sleeping silhouettes on a hillside...

An ordinary lamb. Ordinary animals that provided warmth, material, food - sustenance.  And when a "perfect" animal from this ordinary group was found, it became salvation and forgiveness for one year.  I had never thought about the fact that the sheep, who were present with the shepherds to hear the angelic proclamation, were hearing that the ultimate sacrificial lamb had arrived. I doubt they realized or even understood (although the donkey did understand and see the "invisible" angel long before its master did!), but this fact stood out to me.  It's these little details that I love about Scripture. You read them, don't truly think about them, but when you start thinking about all the implications of a passage it is really neat and astounding.

On the first day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me, a great big herd of bleating, dumb sheep.