Have a Blessed Christmas (The Christmas Story from Luke)

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.  (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor in Syria.)  And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David.)  To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 

And so it was, that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.  And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid.  And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.  and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.  And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.  And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.  But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.  And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. - Luke 2:1-38

Third Sunday of Advent - JOY in a Time of Sadness

"The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined." Isaiah 9:2

This third Sunday, Gaudete Sunday, is dedicated to JOY. 

This year, in the wake of the school shooting earlier this week, many don't feel comfortable recognizing joy. I am personally focusing on Advent being penitential and hopeful...and therefore my focus for joy is that greatest joy - our Salvation in Christ.

We are walking in darkness, surrounded by evil and despair - but God is with us, loving us, loving all of His children.

Have a peaceful and joyful week!

Making Sense of Tragedy

My title is a lie.

Why?

Because tragedy is not something we make sense of.  We do not make sense of a something like today's shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School.

"Making sense of it" presumes there is sense to be had in senseless slaughter.

Advent Meditations: Friday 14 Dec 12

I like to make little tags for my Advent wreath - one side names the theme of the week (this week being PEACE) and the other listing a few verses or a short reading in keeping with the theme. On days when I am rushing and don't have time to "be inspired", I read one of the verses on the tag and spend a moment in quiet reflection. These two verses are my "back-up" for this week of PEACE.

The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:
The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
 - Numbers 6:24-26

Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.
These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
 - John 14:23-27

Advent Meditations: Monday 10 Dec 12

" For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee." - Isaiah 54:10

Peace can be hard to find on a hectic Monday...and hectic Mondays in December can often pull us away from the true meaning of the season...

The Second Week of Advent: Peace

"Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the ways of Thine only-begotten Son, that through His coming we may be worthy to serve Thee with purified minds. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen." - Traditional Advent prayer

The word "advent" comes from the Latin - advenio - which means "coming to"... is the time when we focus on Christ "coming to" the world. The Second week of Advent focuses on Peace...the Peace of the Lord, Peace on Earth, Peace to All Mankind.

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The Lord our righteousness." - Jeremiah 33:14-16

Advent Meditations: Thursday 6 Dec 12

"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." - Isaiah 7:14

Immanuel, which translates as "God (is) with us", is the very essence of Hope...for if Hope is looking towards Heaven and the fulfillment of God's promises, Hope personified is Christ. There is much that is grievous in Isaiah's prophecies - it is not all pretty predictions of the Savior...no, Isaiah speaks to us where we are on earth, covered in our various sins. He describes a broken people and broken governments - and the wrath of a righteous God. It is the very picture of a people who NEED their Savior - whether they know it or not! It is a picture of each of us....unless we have that Hope and Faith.

Advent Meditations: Wednesday 5 Dec 12

"Hope is one of the Theological virtues. This means that a continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just th

ose who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth and you will get neither." - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

I love how C.S. Lewis explains HOPE...and our duty to Hope for Heaven as we Act on Earth...

Advent Meditations - Tuesday 4 Dec 12

Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: “And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by

the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.” - Genesis 9:8-17

What a mighty promise God makes with us here! The Covenant of the Rainbow has always spoken to my family. When my dad had a horrible auto accident on Easter Sunday 1978, the medical team who received him at the hospital told my mom that dad would not likely survive the day. Dad turned 71 this past May. Miracles, large and small, happen every day. When my dad awoke from a months-long coma, we adopted the rainbow and the phrase "We Believe in Miracles" as our family crest.

Christ renewed and enlargened this Covenant...not only "never again shall all flesh be cut off" from God and Life...but our Souls are saved by the Paschal Sacrifice!! Hallelujah!

Advent Meditations - Monday 3 Dec 12

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” - Genesis 1:26-28

Altho many begin the Christmas story with Mary and Joseph traveling for the census, our story truly begins with Genesis and ends at the Cross. God's promises - His gift of HOPE for humanity - begins at the beginning. For my family's practice, I usually choose 2 verses as inspiration for the week - 1 Old Testament and 1 New Testament...and then see where those verses take me in my daily meditation. My weekly OT verse was in Isaiah...and it pointed me right to the Creation...to the very first Promise... that we are each created to be special, in God's own image.

First Sunday of Advent: Hope

Hope is the Light that shines in dark places, when we feel most alone. Hope lends us strength and grace to bear the unbearable. Hope is the promise of the Christ-child...seemingly small and helpless...but holding our Salvation within those tiny newborn hands.

Hope is the theme of this first week of this Season of Advent.