The 12 Words of Christmas

 The 12 words the angels proclaimed as they first announced it—“A Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord”—thereby ending the apparent silence of God for the prior 400-plus years. With the birth of Jesus, each and every person could now know and have a real relationship with God.

    As he is relating the account, Pastor Louie Giglio maintains that the first Christmas was chaotic and came at the busiest time of year—on tax day. With that, the circumstances surrounding Jesus’ birth were also less than perfect. He states that the only perfect things on the night that Jesus was born were the baby, and the message the angels gave announcing His birth.
(The Twelve Words of Christmas part 1, Louie Giglio)
(The Twelve Words of Christmas, part 2)
(The Twelve Words of Christmas, part 3)

  Mr. Giglio emphasizes his point well, that Jesus, the Savior of the World, had come for exactly that very reason—to land right in the middle of chaotic humanity and be the very presence of God. Giglio takes that particular thrust of the story and brings it to the forefront of people’s lives everywhere today. 








  Christmas is not necessarily a perfect time of life, but the perfect One Himself has come, and He is available and reaching out to each person in every kind of circumstance. 
   







  As some friends of ours reminded us:

       In the Christmas story in Matthew 1 and Luke 1-2 the angel that appears to the main characters of the story addresses all of them by saying, "Don't be afraid". 
      Today fear is gripping our world like a strong man grips a small boy's hand to hurt him. 
     We all feel it everyday. 
     BUT, the message of the Christmas story when personally believed releases us from fear and gives us a lasting inner peace forever! 
     The message is simple - The God of the Bible truly wants to "walk among us and be our God" , Leviticus 26:12.

Merry Christmas to all of you today!
(With a little scenery thrown in for those of our family
who live in the south!)

Longings and Disappointment

So it's coming down to a matter of hours now - 3 days = 72 hours.

 And if you aren't super busy and chaotic it can creep in - the Longings of times past and "the way it used to be".

This little book brings up some thoughts to muse on...

"Even in laughter the heart may ache." Proverbs 14:13

"Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day, ...

is one who sings songs to a heavy heart." Proverbs 25:20

Think back on your Christmas past - 

when you were a kid and didn't know what a Credit Card was...

When you were a teenager and were invincible...

When your kid's faces lit up with the gifts you bought them...

And now...

the chair now empty

the family member who is only in a photo

the words you wish you could take back

"Each heart knows its own bitterness,

and no one else can share its joy."  Proverbs 14:10

Or maybe it's the elusive goal of Christmas Contentment...and the Disappointments that come instead.

Read the book of Ecclesiastes - that other book that Solomon had a hand in writing. The author who had everything still wonders what it's all about and why he even bothered.

So, this Christmas - don't, don't, DON'T forget that we have someone much better than Solomon and all his riches and wisdom to CELEBRATE!

   Looking forward to that 
Happy Birthday Jesus Party!!! 

Christmas - A time for forgetting self.

"He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." Proverbs 11:25

"He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done." Proverbs 19:17
  

  This past Thursday, Howard and I went to the Lethbridge Correctional Center and brought Christmas to the inmates who are there during the holidays. They were given a paper bag colored by children from local schools, filled with cookies and treats, a tube of toothpaste, some Irish Spring soap and a bottle of Gatorade. Given in the name of Jesus with Christmas Carols sung and many handshakes given.

This coming Monday, December 19th, we will celebrate Christmas with our Amazing Kids and their families. It will be a packed house I am sure. We will sing, and eat - CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN ANYONE?,  and learn a bit about Jesus through the story of his birth. 


  Next Tuesday I will go again to the Lethbridge food bank and help hand out Christmas hampers to those in our area who are out of work during this time of year, or just need a little extra to make it through the month. I have been volunteering there since last June when a group of folks from Tennessee helped us get acquainted with their work. I meet so many great people and hear their stories.



  
    Tomorrow morning I will ask the kids of Amazing Grace Community Church what they think they need for Christmas during the lighting of the Advent candle. Pastor Rohan will share a message called Christmas is about A Savior – “Fulfillment of what you Need” 

 What do I really need for Christmas?   I need to get out of the house and move into the neighborhood....
  Just as Jesus did those many years ago.

The Word became a human being

and lived here with us.

We saw his true glory, 

the glory of the only Son

of the Father.

From him all the kindness

and all the truth of God

have come down to us.             

John 1:14 

Do I have to it "IT ALL" Done before Christmas?

What is this mysterious "ALL" that I am trying to get done before Christmas?  

Is it those Christmas Cards that haven't been sent? 

(You will be getting them before New Years!)

Is it our special holiday cookies that only make an appearance at Christmas? 



(I finally found the Andes mints and the cookies are baked and hidden)

Is it the preparations for those Christmas programs? The shopping that still needs to be done? The home-made gifts that are half finished. The dinner party to plan? The parties to attend?

Whatever it is, I know that each year I feel the same crunch in the week before Christmas. So it was refreshing to re-read the "little book" this morning where Steven Estes talks about Perfectionism.  I loved his reminder "God has bigger plans for you than the perfect dinner. That's why he lets things go wrong. He's saving your appetite for the perfect eternity"

"You can make many plans, but the Lord's purpose will prevail"?  Proverbs 19:21

I may have designs for what I want my Christmas to look like, but I need to CHILL and let the unexpected happen - or not.

Kids and Christmas!

     Day 4 in our little holiday book with musings from Proverbs has the theme of Children. Beginning with the familiar "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it" Proverbs 22:6

      Every Monday afternoon here in Lethbridge a small group of us bring together local children and spend time with them.  The Amazing Kids program has us sharing time, food, fun, and the gospel message with these kids. We are working on training children in the stories of Jesus.  

      This Monday the Kindergarten to 2nd graders donned costumes and practiced our little Christmas story to share with our parents next week at our annual Christmas Party.

      Enjoy some of our "dress-rehearsal" photos -  Remember to pray for our Amazing Kids and their families during this Christmas season. 

Mary, aka Selena

King Herod, aka Jigme

Soldier, aka Justice

Magi, aka Zakyra

Angel, aka Akayla

Angel, aka Chloe

Shepherd, aka Hader 

Joseph, aka Josie

"I don't want to be in the play", aka Kiya
(2nd year for her to say this - ha)

       

Inn Keeper, aka Loxie

Gifts

Proverbs 20:14 - "'it's no good, it's no good!' says the buyer - who then goes off and boasts about the purchase"

Shopping - I love to shop - for a good deal!

I rarely go to the full price rack, I know where all the sale racks are at our local stores.

And thrift stores - there are 4 great ones here in Lethbridge, and I visit them every other week or so. lately it has been to get some puzzles for our winter evenings.

But Christmas shopping?  It has become less enjoyable as I get older, maybe because of the same reason I see other people "of a certain age" posting this saying:

As you grow older, your Christmas list gets smaller; the things you really want for the holidays can’t be bought.

It's true!  

So I was thankful that our kids suggested that for Christmas this year we get the grand-kids some "time". I will be taking them places and making memories when I visit after Christmas. Howard will be taking them places and making memories when he travels home at the end of January. 

Mary Kate

Charlee Marie

Finn

Carson

Emily

Things will pass away, memories and time will not.

"Two things I ask of you,
O Lord . . . .
give me neither poverty 
nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much 
disown you . . 
Or I may become poor and steal."
Proverbs 30:7-9

15 Days!

 You all know it too - there are only 15 days left until Christmas.  

     As part of our holiday season, today we start reading our little holiday book - A BETTER December by Steven Estes. We picked this little gem up a few years ago and shared it with our small group and our family.

  These thoughts from the book of Proverbs have calmed me down the last few years - helped me to put this whole busy season into perspective, helped as Mr. Estes says "give an arresting twist on our modern Decembers gone crazy".

  The perspective that - YES, it is important to celebrate the arrival of Jesus on the planet earth. But NO, I will not be caught up in all of the hype and hoopla to the detriment of my health and sanity.

  That being the hope again this year, I am setting a goal of sharing a thought each day from what we read in our little book with you. As we move through these last two weeks before the 25th, enjoy some thoughts and photos to lighten your load.






  Solomon was the writer of Proverbs, and Steven proposes that he wrote about Christmas 1000 years before the first one occurred.

   "The coolness of snow...refreshes the spirit"    Proverbs 25:13 
 

    Well, not maybe when it's snow and below zero temps - way below - like, get up early and start the car 20 minutes before you can go to the YMCA each morning cold.



   But, as I told Howard the other day - the snow is still beautiful - every time, even when you have to drive in it, and even when the cold causes the windows on the inside of the new church building to ice over while the heat is trying to keep the building above freezing.

 












 
"an ornament of fine gold" 

                  Proverbs 25:12 

 I still love putting up a tree and hanging our memories on the branches - the little reminders of times past and homemade gifts. The sparkle and lights brighten up the short days during winter

  


 "perfume and incense bring joy to the heart"                                                  Proverbs 27:9 

  And then there are the candles and cookies!  All those great smells that fill the house. Good smells bring joy to my heart every day.  Whether it is the vanilla and cinnamon candle or the smell of the pot roast cooking in the oven.


   Slow down this year - stop and look at the snow, the lights, and enjoy the smells of the season. God's gifts are all around us.