Advent Mary

  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

 

There is nothing sweeter than the feel of a newborn in your arms. I often envy Mary that God honored her with the privilege of holding the Savior so close. Knowing him so intimately, feeling his movement in her womb, experiencing the pain of his birth, then lying back in exhaustion, a smile of pure joy as she looks into the eyes of the one God has entrusted into her care. This child so frail, so fragile, dependent on the nourishment of her breast, looks back at her with complete trust for his wellbeing. All the while the chaos of the world ensues.  Joseph had traveled with his pregnant betrothed  because of the task at hand.  The Census, the count was to be taken and a baby waits for nothing when the time has come. The new mother finds herself in an dirty stable, in a strange city, cold, dark, alone.  And here she welcomes the Light of the World.   Was she scared? I suspect terrified.  Did she imagine this going a totally different way when God told her she was to birth the Savior? Perhaps.  There was no hesitation, as babies allow none, so it was out of her hands at the moment of his arrival.  The pain, the screams, the tearing, all for the Son of God.  She didn’t ask for this, I assume she didn’t fully understand what was happening, but there was a bond, a knowing, and intimacy, she knew this child within her and every instinct kicked in as she birthed the newborn.  And then with his tiny cries, it was over.  The pain miraculously gone replace by joy and a love only a mother knows in that moment after birth. And there in the dirt Mary held to her the Son of God.  Right there!! That’s what I envy.  That closeness.  Flesh touching flesh.  The smell of him, the softness of his skin, the sweetness of his new face.  Can you imagine? She knew him and he knew her.  The long awaited Child was nestled in the arms of a girl and he had known her from before the foundation of the earth.  And there was no fear.  How could there be?  To know the Savior is to know no fear. 

 

But we live in a tumultuous world, fear is everywhere.  And why?  Nothing has changed since the time of His birth.  Evil and good both exist. There is a fight for your attention and the control of your life.  The evil distracts you, wants you to feel comfortable and safe, evil keeps you on the sidelines, tucked out of the way, just plodding through life, not making waves, just existing.  But the Good, He gave His son and when he did, he meant business.  He will stop at nothing to have you.  He wants only good for you and promises to never leave you but requires faith and trust. He tells you from the very start of the relationship that it won’t be easy, but he’ll be with you.  GOD WANTS YOU!  Take a cue from Mary. God told her she was to bear His son.  She trusted.  She knew there would be pain. She trusted.  And with great anticipation she carried the Son of God for nine months of pregnancy through to an excruciating birth and then stood at the foot of the cross as the Savior of the world fulfilled the promise.  How could she stand it?  Did she remind herself of the purpose as the tears flowed?  Could she still feel him at her breast in need of her for life as he hung in death to give her live? The pain of this moment is too much to bear, but necessary in order to understand.  He died that we might have life. 

 

As we walk through this life, we anticipate His second coming.  The world is lost, darkness is closing in all around us.  But we must not be content to sit this fight out.  This is our time.  No matter what lies ahead or the pain we must endure, He has a plan for us, right here, right now.  What is holding you back?  Let God have it.  What fear are you holding onto?  He is greater that it.  Whatever he is calling you to he has already paved the way. Mary did not know the detail of God’s plan, but she knew God.  In that knowing, she trusted, and through that trust came the blessing. Trust Him.  There is something beautiful that awaits. 

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Help me to set aside the fear that keeps me from knowing you fully.  Thank you for the gift of your son and the promise of eternal life.  Help me to be the light in the darkness of my world.  Help me to see that no matter how great or small the calling when it is from you I must act and step out in faith.  Thank you for never leaving me and for a love that surrounds me so completely. 

 

In your Son’s precious name, Amen

Advent-expectancy

 Every year we look back and say, "Where did the time go?" Surprised that another year has gone by. The Christmas season is a time of contrasting emotions but this year in particular finds us with unique challenges. Our gatherings with friends and family look different. Feelings of loneliness and isolation have increased. Hope may be mingled with dread, anticipation with despair. Even in a 'normal' year, our inner voice can be drowned out by superficial distractions, leaving us drained and frustrated as the busyness robs us of the deeper meaning of the season.

 

We are living between the first Advent of Jesus Christ and the second Advent - His return. The essence of Advent is expectancy. A watchfulness. A time of hope and expectation. Christmas is about a promise fulfilled. Within the manger lies the cross, and the hope of redemption and resurrection. We look with fresh eyes at who Jesus is and are astonished anew at this amazing story. God is faithful. His plans prevail. In fact, it is only in God's coming that the Bible itself is given value.

 

God waited a thousand years after King David to bring the Messiah. 700 years after the prophesies in Isaiah. 400 years after the last prophet, Malachi. And then God showed up in the most amazing series of surprises. That's the thing about love. It will take you to surprising places. It will take many forms. The Father brought that love to a young, frightened girl in a backwater town called Nazareth on the outskirts of society. Then He caused a worldwide census to position her in Bethlehem. And God gave the message to uncouth, dirty shepherds that His love had been born in a barn and placed in the feeding trough of the cattle. Then He brought from the east Magi, pagan astrologers to the Christ child. How utterly bizarre. And then He caused the Messiah's flight to Egypt through the threat of Herod - the very place He had rescued His people from slavery. That love became a carpenter who became homeless and spent His time with the sick, the lame and the outcasts. He became despised while continuing to love those who despised and wished to hurt Him.

 

We long for a love that lasts. A love that is brave, not shaken. God offers a supernatural love, a love that compelled Jesus to leave His home in Heaven and take on human frailty as 'Immanuel', God With Us. 

 

We hear a lot these days about 'Intersectionality'. How race, class, gender, etc. intersect and overlap. A framework for understanding how identities combine. We live in parallel worlds. One consists of mountains, beaches, lakes, oceans, farms, deserts, politicians and shepherds watching over their flocks. The other consists of angels and sinister forces, places called Heaven and Hell. As scripture says, "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together". One night among the hills of Bethlehem those two worlds came together, but the eyewitnesses simply saw a newborn infant struggling to use brand new lungs.

 

Can you even imagine if those events were to play out in this tumultuous world we are living in today?  Think for a moment that you are going about your day and God himself appears to turn your whole world upside down in a way that will astonish, annoy and then amaze you if you choose to see He is doing it out of a love we can never comprehend. While we typically celebrate birth with joy and excitement, the reality of his birth is that it was necessary to fulfill the promise of eternal life brought by his death and resurrection. When the two worlds collided that night in Bethlehem, love was born.  As Mary held the infant close, the sound of a hammer rang out in the near future, the sound that would bring him to ultimate suffering for the love of us all.  The time is now for us to examine the world we live in and our response to the sacrifice of the cross. Are we living with expectancy this advent season?  Are we open to allowing God to show us more? As we approach the celebration of the ChristChild’s birth and the coming of a new year, let’s take a closer look at the responses of those whose lives were upturned by the events that unfolded. 

 

I am thrilled and honored to have collaborated on this devotional with my friend June Somers-Caudill.  I hope it blesses you this Christmas Season. ~Jenny