Advent is a season, a season that always seems to require a journey from me. Advent started with a journey, a journey chosen by God for those brave enough, believing enough to follow. A journey that always ends with humbled hearts, bent knees, bowed heads, songs of praise and words of worship.

That first journey was Abraham’s. God called Abraham and Abraham responded in obedience and in faith. That was the beginning of Abraham’s Advent journey. That was the beginning of the human lineage that would lead to the birth of the Savior of the world, Jesus. It happened in this way.

“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’ So Abram left, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him.” (Genesis 12:1-4)

Abraham set out on his journey, not knowing where he was going, trusting God to show him the way to this unknown destination. Mary and Joseph had quite the arduous Advent journey of their own before they arrived at precisely the place picked by God to be the birthplace of the Messiah. The shepherds had their own Advent journey on the night Christ was born. They left their sheep in the fields and set out for Bethlehem. These shepherds wanted to see God’s gift, the promised Messiah, with their own eyes. And so their Advent journey led them to a manger in a stable in Bethlehem. And there they bowed, these seeking, skeptical shepherds. Finding themselves in the presence of the Almighty, they bowed in wonder, overwhelmed with the miracle of Emmanuel.

Others had Advent journeys far longer than those of the shepherds. There were Wise Men or Magi who traveled from distant lands to see Jesus. At one point on their journey, their search for God’s Messiah, they inquired of King Herod,

“Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” (Matthew 2:2) (the desired destination of the Advent journey is a place of worship)

After their encounter with Herod, the Advent journey of the Wise Men continued until they reached their desired destination. We read this account of the end of their journey in Matthew 2:9-11,

“After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.”

The journey of the Wise Men ended when they came into the presence of God’s Son and were able at last to bow down, worship Him and present their offerings and gifts to Him. The purpose of the journey of Advent is to bring me into the Presence of my Savior, God’s gift to me, God’s gift to the world. But I confess – I have to be willing to leave the comforts of my home behind in order to embrace the journey before me, unknown and uncomfortable though it may prove to be. (it was no piece of cake for Mary and Joseph, the Wise Men, (who were gone traveling for a few years) or even the shepherds, who had to leave their sheep behind and hope they would still be there when they got back)

This Advent journey requires that I, like Abraham, be willing to get up and to go wherever God asks me to go, even if it is an unknown destination, as it was with Abraham. The faith to follow where God leads, is what I, like the Wise Men, must have. They faithfully followed God’s star until it led them into the very Presence of God’s only Son, Jesus. That’s where the journey of Advent leads me every time – into the hushed, holy, divine, life-giving, sin-shattering, heart- healing Presence of Christ.

To reach the destination of the Advent journey is to find oneself in the Presence of the Holy God of the universe and to be filled with the wonder, the joy, the hope, the peace, the comfort, the sense of being home at last, that only His Presence provides. Those that came into the Christ child’s presence on that first Christmas night, experienced what was spoken of in these words from Philippians 2:9-11,

“Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

And that night, that sacred, silent, holy night when Jesus was born – that is exactly what happened. For everyone who entered in to see for themselves the newborn Savior, bowed both knee and head in His presence as they confessed His Lordship and His deity with their tongues, worshiping Him with their words and their gifts. Light had come into our dark world, God’s light, and everyone bowed in the Presence of such pure holiness, power and might.

“In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5)

The Advent journey of following God’s star leads me into the light of His Presence where I too, along with shepherds, Wise Men, Mary, Joseph and all of creation will bow in the face of the overwhelming wonder that is the love of God for the people He created. We are not forgotten. Our Redeemer has come!

“Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the Lord comforts His people and will have compassion on His afflicted ones.” (Isaiah 49:13)

My Redeemer has come! My Redeemer is coming back for me! My Advent journey is leading me straight into His Presence.

sincerely, Grace Day

Today I am dealing with an age old dilemma, “if a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one around to hear it, does it make a sound?” This is personally relevant for me today as I continue my decoration a day Christmas preparations while asking myself, “if I decorate and no one sees my decorations, did I really decorate?” And so I am back to where I started on December 1rst, who am I preparing for this Christmas?

Whom am I preparing to receive? Not family or friends, as in years past. This year, due to COVID restrictions, I have no expectation that I will be receiving any guests into my home. Which has left me with no reason to decorate from the very beginning of this Advent season. And yet I have been preparing anyway, despite the tree in the forest reality being ever present in my mind. Preparing for what or for who? I ask myself this question anew each day of this ongoing Advent season.

Meanwhile the countdown to Christmas continues as does the dominance of COVID rules and regulations in my daily life and in our lives corporately. I am missing Christmas parties, Christmas concerts and yes, even crowded malls filled with frantic Christmas shoppers. All are a typical part of pre-Christmas preparations.

Maybe a “field of dreams” mantra would serve me well during this Advent season? You know, “if I build it, they will come,” translated “if I decorate, Christmas/people will come!” After all, Advent is about hope and faith. I imagine that first Christmas the people were a little short on both, as they had experienced four hundred years of silence from their God and were still waiting for the prophecies they had been given to be fulfilled. God had made promises to His people through the prophets, like Isaiah, but none of the promised events had happened yet. The Israelites were still waiting.

Or were they? Or had they given up any hope of a Savior being sent and were just going about their lives without any expectation of God’s intervention on their behalf? This loss of expectation, the loss of hope, the loss of faith in God – all are tied together – when we lose faith, we lose the hope our faith contains. Advent is all about eager expectation. It is about hope. It is about faith.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Another translation uses these words, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)

Jesus has come to earth! We are celebrating that promise kept even as we wait in expectation for His promised return. John 1:14 described Jesus’s first coming with these words,

“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

But now we have been waiting for over two thousand years for Christ’s return. We can identify with the people living at the time of Jesus’s birth. They weren’t exactly on high alert. They weren’t waiting with any sense of immediate expectation. Consequently, they weren’t prepared to receive their promised King. Jesus would later ask this important question of the people as He taught them,

“However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8)

In other words, will I still be watching, waiting, preparing and believing for Jesus’s return? Will I still hope in His promised return because by faith I believe every promise in His word? Will Jesus find me faithful? Will He find me decorated and ready for His return? These words from Matthew 24:42-44 and Matthew 25:13 are good advice,

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. . . . So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him. . . . Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

I’m sure Noah felt a little foolish building that big boat during a drought and no where near a body of water. Still he prepared as one who believed what he could not see. So who am I not to prepare, even though this Christmas there would appear to be no reason to prepare?

Still, I now have to confess – I have had an unexpected visit from friends, brief but so welcome! So there are witnesses after all to my Advent preparations! (at least to what has been done thus far) Which did not include baking cookies because who would eat them if no one came? (well, that is a rhetorical question but the answer would be me if there was no one to share them with and that would not be good but . . . )

So, today I will play some Christmas music as I continue to prepare my home, my heart, my gifts, (still feeling like the little drummer boy in that regard, but my toe makes it hard to get out and shop) maybe even food, so that I am ready to receive whoever this Advent season brings into my life.

The Christmas song “Joy to the World” says,

“Let every heart prepare Him room” that’s the purpose of the preparations of Advent . . .

I don’t want to make the mistake of the first Christmas when,

“He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him.” (John 1:10-11)

Not this time! This time, let the whole world rejoice!

“Say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns.’ The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity. Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy; they will sing before the Lord, for He comes, He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His truth.” (Psalm 96:10-13)

Our Redeemer has come! Our Redeemer is coming again! Remember, rejoice and give thanks!

sincerely, Grace Day

Why does it take Advent to teach me this lesson all over again? It is all a gift. It is all grace. Every breath, every moment of every day, every sunrise, every sunset and every opportunity in between those two events each day, full of possibility, promise and potential is a gift – a gift bestowed by the all encompassing, all surpassing, all sufficient Presence of the Living God in whom I live and move and have my being. He is inescapable and He is all sustaining. “He who fills everything in every way.” “In Him all things hold together.”

And so it is all God’s grace. It is all His undeserved, unappreciated gift to each of us as His dearly loved creation. I am the recipient of His gift of grace whether I acknowledge it or not. The sun shines on me, though I do nothing to deserve its warmth or its light in my life. All is God’s grace – from intact toenails, to redeeming pardon for my many sins, “every good and perfect gift is from my Heavenly Father.” (James 1:17) Every moment is full of God’s grace – waking up, working, every hug, every handshake, every note of every melody, mercy, manna in the desert, a cool breeze on a hot day, hot tea, ice cream, a friend’s listening ear, tears, laughter, spring flowers, fall colors, the dazzling, blinding beauty of an icicle, a purring cat, a flying falcon, pounding waves, encouraging words, second chances, fireflys on a summer night, star filled skies, faith filled hearts, voices singing in harmony, words of truth finding their way, courage coming forth overcoming every fear, freedom to gather together to worship our Creator, – every moment is grace unmerited, unacknowledged and unappreciated until . . .

until the toenail is gone and the church is closed. Then the gift of grace and protection each one of them has been in my life is revealed and recognized for what it has always been, a gift of grace from God. I confess – I seldom fully appreciate and value something until it is taken away from me. Then, too late, I truly appreciate what I had and I long for it to be restored to me. This is true for my big toenail and it is true for my church and the churches across our country. How could I not have valued the important role or function each played in my ordinary, everyday life?

Turns out, my toenail plays a pretty important (if unseen) role that contributes to my physical body operating well as a whole. In the same way, my opportunity to be a part of a community of faith, enables me to thrive and grow as a part of Christ’s body of believers here on earth. I am important to the overall operation of the body just as I am sustained by virtue of belonging to the larger body in the first place. When my opportunity to worship, learn, serve, grow and gather with others is denied, I suffer and the whole body suffers. We need each other.

I don’t want to take God’s gift of daily grace for granted anymore. Today is a gift just as it is, nothing more needs to happen to make it more of a miracle than it already is. God has already given His gift –

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, (me) so that in all things at all times, having all that you (I) need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8)

That’s a lot of alls! All grace, all things, all times, having all I need . . . it is all a gift of God and the gift of His Son is the gift of His grace to each one of us.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” (John 3:16-17)

” But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ ” (Luke 2:10-12)

God’s gift of grace – a Savior! The angel told Joseph concerning Mary,

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)

The Savior has come! The Savior is coming again. Advent advances. Prepare to receive Him.

“Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is He, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty – He is the King of glory.” (Psalm 24:7-10)

sincerely, Grace Day

Today’s rediscovered decoration is a glass wreath. I know most Christmas wreaths are typically made of evergreen but this particular Christmas wreath is made of stained glass. It hangs in my kitchen window, a thing of beauty as the sun shines through its green glass. Like the other decorations, my glass wreath has her own story, her own history of how she came to be with me.

I must confess – this glass wreath is not a hand me down decoration. I chose her for myself so many years ago, while shopping with my sisters. We were on a “sisters retreat” in San Antonio, Texas at the Riverwalk, a well known shopping district. Within the Riverwalk there is an enchanting place called “La Villita.” Ascending many tiled stairs, one enters into this community of artisans and their shops and it was there we found ourselves in a shop surrounded by stained glass creations of every kind.

Although it was summer, the Christmas wreath is what caught my eye. This was not a Christmas shopping trip by any stretch of the imagination. But it was this stained glass Christmas wreath that I brought home with me from my getaway adventure with my sisters all those years ago. Today as I continue my Advent preparations, my stained glass Christmas wreath reminds me of the summer adventure I shared with my sisters, as we explored a new place together.

I should mention that we each live in different states, my sisters and I, so time together doesn’t happen unless there is a plan. This time we had made a plan and we had carried it out. As I enjoy my glass wreath every December, I remember and relive our adventure in my mind and feel close to my sisters even though distance separates us.

Advent is about remembering. We remember Jesus’s birth story, all of it. How it came to be that the Son of God came to earth as a baby, born on that cold Christmas night some two thousand twenty years ago. What is so remarkable about the story of the baby in the manger? Pretty much everything, as it turns out.

In hearing the Christmas story I am reminded once again that Jesus gave up everything to come here. In fact Philippians 2:6-8 tells me that Jesus,

“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!”

Jesus gave up everything He had to come here and suffer. He left His position, His power, His comfort, His glory, His ease and painfree limitless form – to submit Himself to our earthly limits. Infinite in being, Jesus took on finite form. Jesus shared in our hunger, thirst, fatigue, pain, loss, (remember Lazarus?) separation from the Father (why He prayed) and our loneliness.

Timeless in being, Jesus entered into our history – taking on our time constraints, our hours and our days, our sleepless nights and special moments, encounters with eternity among ordinary hours of seemingly identical days. Jesus came here knowing He would experience loss, loneliness, betrayal, – that He would be misunderstood, lied about, blasphemed and put to death even though innocent. And still Jesus came.

That’s why we celebrate Jesus’s birth. The infinite became finite for a moment and walked with us and bore our burdens. We celebrate the arrival of our Deliverer. We celebrate God’s promise to Abraham kept. That promise was also God’s promise to you and to me. Isaiah 53:4-5 is reason to rejoice in God’s great mercy –

“Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”

God’s promised Messiah arrived that first Christmas night. A man named Simeon understood the miracle that is Jesus’s birth. We read his account in Luke 2:28-32,

“Simeon took Him (Jesus) in his arms and praised God, saying: ‘Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to Your people Israel.’ ”

Jesus is God’s salvation for me and for you. The celebration of Christmas is more than a birthday party, it is the acknowledgement that God’s gift to mankind has been given and now it falls to us to prepare, to make room to receive this gift so sacrificially given, this gift that I don’t deserve but nonetheless has already been given. Jesus offers me Himself. Nothing remains for me but to let Him in.

The Savior has come! The Savior is coming again!

“Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is He, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty – He is the King of glory.” (Psalm 24:7-10)

sincerely, Grace Day

A quiet, sunny day in the season of Advent that is upon us. I ponder all that remains on my Advent “to do” list, thinking it will require a Christmas miracle to successfully complete my list. One thing about Christmas though, it will come whether I am ready or not for its arrival. The story of the Grinch reminds us all of that fact, no one can steal or stop Christmas from coming. Not even COVID. Maybe this Advent season, COVID is our Grinch, trying to steal Christmas or to stop its celebration, but COVID cannot stop Christmas from coming! Jesus has come! Jesus is coming again! Both of these irrefutable facts are worthy of the most joyous rejoicing and celebrating that we can offer up to God.

Who throws a better party than heaven? Just ask the shepherds. They heard the heavenly hosts celebrating on the night Jesus was born. The party had started and the shepherds were allowed a glimpse into the eternal celebration that surrounds the birth of the Christ child, God’s gift to a sinful world. So COVID has no power to stop what God has ordained from before the world began.

As I maintain my brisk, a decoration a day, Advent pace – I am reminded of the outdoor hide and seek game we used to play on summer nights. You know the final words shouted by the person who was “it” right? They are “here I come, ready or not.” I am playing this same game of hide and seek with Christmas and she is “it”. Christmas will come, arriving on time, whether I am ready or not. And Christmas will find me, too. She will find me prepared or unprepared, but she will find me. As the saying goes, I can run (well, actually I can’t run right now, with my injured toe and all) but I can’t hide.

So, the question is not “will Christmas come this year?” but “when Christmas comes, in what state will she find me, ready or not ready?” Still, today I think I will take my time and unwrap a few more gifts of Advent. She has already given me so many, what’s a few more gifts unwrapped early? One of my favorites is the joy of anticipation. Advent is all about anticipation. I am looking forward to celebrating something, something big, something life changing, something life giving.

I am looking back on an event that changed the course of human history, while at the same time looking forward to an event yet to come that will change the world once again for good. Jesus has come! Jesus is coming again! What we are looking forward to with great anticipation pretty much defies description but I can read these words from Revelation 21:1-4 which give a hint at what awaits us,

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. . . . I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ ”

Anticipation is pure joy when I am waiting on something so glorious as just described in Revelation 21. Romans 8:19-25 talks about this gift of anticipation I receive as a part of God’s creation saying,

“The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. . . . we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. . . . But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

We, along with the rest of the world, the rest of creation, wait in eager expectation as Romans says, for the promised return of Jesus. Mark 13:26-27 describes this future event like this,

“At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And He will send His angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.”

Today, as I am enjoying the anticipation and the preparations that go into getting ready to celebrate Jesus’s first appearance here on earth, His birthday, I can know I have something even better to look forward to when Jesus returns. In the meantime, in the anticipation there is joy, there is hope, there is comfort that something better is coming, there is peace in knowing that He is a faithful God who keeps His promises.

We all need the hope that anticipating a joyous event brings with it. This Advent season is full of the hope that Jesus brought to this despairing world two thousand years ago. Today, Jesus still holds out that same hope to anyone who would receive it. We can be filled with hope, even during this time in history some would consider more hopeless than at any other time. Hope is one of Advent’s best gifts.

I just have to make room to receive all that God wants to give me through His gift of Jesus Christ, His Son. That’s what Advent is for, to get prepared, to make ready to receive my King – to let Him in.

Jesus has come! Jesus is coming again!

“Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is He, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty – He is the King of glory.” (Psalm 24:7-10)

sincerely, Grace Day

Today I unpacked my childhood Christmas stocking. I know it is mine because it has my name on it. It is a hand knitted, one of a kind, made by my mom, Christmas stocking. Actually, she made nine of them, including mine. One for each of my sisters and one for each of my six cousins. They are all identical in pattern, the only difference being the name knitted into each one. Well, actually there is one other very critical and readily apparent difference to discern, if all nine stockings could be viewed side by side. It is this. size My stocking is significantly smaller than the others, which seemed to grow bigger as the years went by.

I am the oldest of the nine of us. My stocking must have served as the test case, as it were because the stocking of my youngest cousin is huge by comparison. Now, I would go so far as to say this is not fair. But I am no longer a child and I am over it. Can you tell? Was that convincing enough for you, dear readers?

But the lesson of the Christmas stocking doesn’t depend on its size, it is something else entirely. We hang them up empty on Christmas Eve trusting that Santa Clause will find them and fill them with good things. Although there was always the ever present possibility that if I had not been good enough there would be a lump of coal or switches in my stocking, instead of treats and gifts. (this was standard Christmas lore at the time anyway) So my sisters and I were sure to be on our best behavior for the month of December every year. (although I have to confess – this incentive/threat really wasn’t very effective the other eleven months of the year)

Advent preparations involve preparing to receive Christ but also seem to involve preparing to receive all manner of unexpected gifts and surprises. We prepare to receive people into our home and maybe into our lives that have been heretofore overlooked or excluded. We make time and room for special foods and music and gifts that are not present with us the rest of the year. That’s why we hang up empty Christmas stockings, we have made room for the new gifts that we expect will fill them. We have cleaned house to make room for the new gifts of Christmas.

Now with Santa I am taking a bit of a chance. I am assuming these gifts will be good gifts, but those stories of coal and switches still loom in the recesses of my mind. The gifts of Christmas from my Heavenly Father are always good, however. James 1:17 tells me this saying –

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadow.”

Santa would seem to be the quintessential giver of gifts but these words of Jesus in Matthew 7:9-11 give a different perspective on the subject saying –

“Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!”

Yes, God is the giver of every good and perfect gift. Whatever my wishes and longings are this Advent season, I can rest assured that this promise is true –

“And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

Jesus Christ, God’s Christmas gift to me and to you, brings with Him all the other gifts my Heavenly Father wants to give me. The question is, will I be ready to receive them? Is my stocking hanging empty, ready and waiting to be filled with His good gifts? All God’s good gifts are found in the person of His Son, Jesus. Colossians 2:2-3 says this about Christ –

” . . . that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

Jesus’s appearance and presence here on earth brought so many gifts to us. He brought light into our darkness, hope into our despair, healing into our illness, comfort into our grief, forgiveness into our overwhelming debt of guilt, peace into our strife, an offer of life everlasting to replace our sentence of death, and all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge plus joy unspeakable in His Presence!

The gifts of Advent are many and they are all good. I think they are more than my childhood Christmas stocking could ever contain. I surely can say along with David on this day in the season of Advent, as I prepare my home, my heart and my gifts for the coming of my King –

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:5-6)

Jesus has come! Jesus is coming again!

“Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy; they will sing before the Lord, for He comes, He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His truth.” (Psalm 96:11-13)

sincerely, Grace Day

Today is a quiet day. How ironic! The days of Advent, being days of preparation, are typically busier than normal days, having all those extra tasks added on top of everyday routines and responsibilities. Maybe that is the gift of my toe injury plus my illness (I have bronchitis) – I cannot participate in the pre-Christmas hustle and bustle. Which also means, I am behind on my Christmas shopping. Yes, I am confessing – I do not yet have gifts fully prepared and ready to give.

I have been writing in these past few days about preparing my home for Christmas, about preparing my heart to fully receive the gift of Christmas, Jesus, God’s Son; but something else that I typically prepare are gifts to give to those I love. Gift giving is synonymous with Christmas, probably because Christmas started with a gift – God’s gift to the world – Jesus. Then the Wise Men showed up with gifts of their own for the newborn Jesus, expensive gifts to show Him honor and respect.

In the quiet of this Advent morning, a favorite childhood Christmas song plays clearly in my mind. We sang this song in children’s choir for the church Christmas program when I was maybe first grade? I identified so strongly, so closely with the speaker in the song, that I carry its impact with me yet today. The song “The Little Drummer Boy” tells a story I identified with then, that I identify with still today. Maybe it was because I was a small child at the time I first sang this song, that I felt so close to the small child whose story the song tells.

He tells his own story, this little drummer boy, starting with the invitation he receives to go with the Wise Men to worship baby Jesus. “Come they told me . . . A newborn King to see . . . Our finest gifts we bring . . . To lay before the King . . . So to honor Him . . . When we come.” So there he was, this young boy, having accepted the invitation from the Magi, he now found himself in a tough place. The Magi were presenting their rare and expensive gifts to Jesus’s parents and the little drummer boy had no such gift to give. His story continues –

“Little baby . . . I am a poor boy too . . . I have no gift to bring . . . That’s fit to give our King.” With those words I knew the truth. Neither did I. I had nothing of value to offer the Baby in the manger, the King of all Creation, the Savior of the world. I shared in the little drummer boy’s plight, I shared in his poverty. I, too, found myself standing before the Lord of Lords with nothing to give. For me, that is as true today as it was all those years ago. I still come before my King, poor, empty handed and all too aware of my lack. But I learned a lesson from the drummer boy as his story continued when he asked,

“Shall I play for You . . . On my drum . . . Mary nodded . . . the ox and lamb kept time . . . I played my drum for Him . . . I played my best for Him . . . Then He smiled at me . . . me and my drum.”

A happy ending! The little drummer boy offered Jesus what he did have to give. He offered back the very gifts God had already given him – his drum and his ability to play it for God’s glory. He played his drum as an offering to God and God was pleased. God accepted his gift! The song says the Christ child smiled!

What great reward! That’s all I could ever desire – that my offering, my gift, would be accepted by my King.

to that end my prayer today is simply this,

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14)

What joy that my gift might be found acceptable like the drum beats of that long ago little drummer boy, who found favor in the sight of God.

Although this Advent season falls during this time of COVID, COVID does not rule. The Ruler of the universe, the God whose Advent we are preparing to celebrate reigns supreme. Lord, grant that I walk through these Advent days, every step surrendered, every thought captured (the ladies in my bible study will get that one, we are learning about taking every thought captive and we are finding out how hard that actually is!) heart humbled, hands open . . . that I will sing Your praises with the angels, make haste to obey with the shepherds that I might behold Your precious Gift personally, journey with the Wise Men though it take me far from home, in order to find and worship You, and may I offer up whatever gifts You have graciously placed within my hands, may I give them back to You, just as the little drummer boy did.

The King has come! The King is coming! Prepare the way! Advent is upon us!

“Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is He, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty – He is the King of glory.” (Psalm 24:7-10)

sincerely, Grace Day

I confess to you openly, dear readers, I am still in the decorating phase of my Advent preparations. And now my progress is impeded by my toe injury, which wouldn’t be a big deal except that my toe is connected to the rest of my body. So I am suffering in solidarity with my big toe today. However, today’s decoration is a favorite of mine, bringing with her lots of memories. Unpacking boxed up Christmas decorations is like pulling out old friends and reconnecting all over again.

Today is no different. Today I pulled out a small, red, green and white striped, china Christmas pixie. She is standing upright and has an expression on her tiny face that while admittedly angelic, belies the fact that she is always up to some Christmas mischief. She has seen a lot of Christmases and I know she could tell me many stories if she were but willing to part with her secrets.

One thing is obvious when I examine her closely. She has been glued back together no small number of times over the years. She still bears the scars, the fault lines where the breaks once occurred. We go back, she and I. This pixie was maybe my first Christmas decoration that was mine alone. I can’t believe I never gave her a name, but I didn’t. I mean she only came to spend time with me one month out of the year. Still, she had her own special place in our house.

It was in the bedroom I shared with my sisters. You see, in addition to the very large, live tree that filled our living room, Mom put a small, glittery white tree on a table in our bedroom. It was a real pine tree that had been sprayed and put on a stand. It was probably about four feet tall. It was beautiful, all glitterey, with a magic all its own. When silver icicles (remember those?) were added to her branches she became even more lovely, if that were possible. And the best part? For a tree skirt, Mom put down a roll of cotton batting (I guess) smooth and full of glitter on its surface. It was on this soft, glittery tree skirt that my Christmas pixie was placed each December, to hang out under the glittery white tree and keep watch over me.

So today, as I pull out my Christmas pixie, I am filled with memories of childhood Christmases. There was something else special about our little, white glitter pine tree. After Christmas, mom would set it outside in the backyard in the snow, with food hanging from its branches for the birds. Then we would watch and wait to see which birds showed up. The thing is, as I write this, I am remembering bacon hanging from the branches. But birds don’t eat bacon, do they? Sometimes memories from early childhood are not all that accurate. My pixie is the keeper of these secrets and she is silent for now.

When I set out my Christmas pixie, I am connected to my Mom and sisters and Christmases past. Advent is about remembering and about connection. We are remembering that first Christmas, Jesus come to dwell with us for awhile. And in the remembering we are connected to all who rejoice with us at His birth, knowing that a way back to God has been given. The whole world celebrates God’s gift of His Son, together.

Something else we do together is wait for His return. We are remembering and rejoicing while waiting with eager expectation for Christ’s return. Christmas is a celebration of both events. One has already taken place, the other is yet to come.

That first celebration was a small one, shared only by shepherds, angels and wise men. The rest of the world would find out later just who Jesus is. Here’s how that first celebration of Advent happened –

“And there were Shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. . . . Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rest.’ ” (Luke 2:13-14)

Heaven was already rejoicing at Jesus’s birth. It would take a number of years before we, the slumbering people of earth, would join the angels in their celebration. But we would come around eventually, when we came to understand what the angels already knew. The living Word had become flesh and come to live with us for awhile.

This is no small thing. Consider what 2 Corinthians 8:9 tells us about this miracle of Christmas.

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your (my) sakes He became poor, so that you (I) through His poverty might become rich.”

Philippians 2:6-11 sums up the Christmas story in these words, saying that Jesus –

“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

That’s the miracle of Christmas – that the Creator of the universe, being limitless in every aspect of His being, entered into our limited world of time and space, taking on our physical limitations and time and space constraints as His own. The angels were rejoicing on the night of Jesus’s birth because they knew God had brought salvation to His people at last!

During this Advent season, we prepare to receive Jesus all over again. Perhaps other things have been crowding out Jesus’s place and presence in my life. Now is the time for me to clean house and to make room for Him all over again.

“Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is He, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty – He is the King of glory.” (Psalm 24:7-10)

Jesus has come! Jesus is coming! prepare ye the way of the Lord!

sincerely, Grace Day

Mary and Joseph were on an adventure. Well, a journey anyway. Maybe the difference is an adventure is something we choose to embark upon, whereas a journey may simply be the path put before us and where it leads us. Mary and Joseph didn’t choose the path they found themselves on as they journeyed to Bethlehem. That had been chosen for them by a ruler named Caesar Augustus. Actually, Mary and Joseph hadn’t chosen any part of their current path, except their engagement and intention to marry. God had chosen their journey for them when He selected Mary to give birth to His Son, Jesus, and chose Joseph to be the earthly Father of Jesus.

You could say Mary and Joseph were on an adventure but it was certainly nothing of their own choosing. This was the first Advent. Having been told by the angel that Mary was carrying Jesus, the long awaited Messiah, both Mary and Joseph were awaiting His birth as any expectant parents would, yet knowing it was so much more. They were busy preparing for Jesus’s arrival, I am certain, when they were called away to Bethlehem because of a required census ordered by Caesar Augustus.

Kind of hard to get ready for an important event when you are traveling far from home. And this travel was on foot. Well, Mary was riding on a donkey. That couldn’t have been too comfortable for her, being nine months pregnant as she was. But this was not a fairy tale. This was the real life adventure of the first advent – the countdown to Jesus’s birth.

Why am I reminiscing about this now? Because today I unpacked and put out my nativity. Well, one of them anyway. So naturally I am remembering the story of the first Christmas and how it all went down. (the proper wording would be “came to pass”) This is what we are preparing to celebrate, the first coming of Jesus to earth. As we take this time of Advent to reflect and remember, we have a reason to rejoice when we realize all God did for us in sending His Son.

I am doing some remembering today, as I place the figures of my nativity in their proper places. This nativity is from Zambia. It looks very different than some of my other nativity sets and yet they are all the same. Shepherds, wise men, a stable, a star, a manger, a baby, some sheep and an angel, Mary and Joseph and maybe a camel? It is a universal scene portrayed again and again down through the ages. This nativity connects me to my sisters and to Zambia and the people living there. It doesn’t seem that long ago that my sisters and I were there and yet it could have been in another lifetime. Such are the times we live in.

Mary and Joseph were living in difficult, dark times when they made their journey to Bethlehem. They lived under an oppressive Roman rule. They were waiting for a deliverer who would set them all free. That’s how they ended up on their Advent adventure in the first place. Luke 2:1-7 explains how it happened.

“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. . . . And everyone went to his own town to register. 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. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

Far from home, no place to stay, no room except where people kept their animals – not exactly plan A or plan B or any plan at all for Mary and Joseph. Except this was God’s plan, a plan the prophets had spoken of centuries before. Just look at what Micah 5:2 says about where Jesus will be born –

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for Me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

Mary and Joseph didn’t choose Bethlehem as Jesus’s birthplace, God did. I don’t know about you, dear readers, but I have to confess – I’ve looked at this year more as a journey than an adventure. (a fearful, stressful journey rather than an exciting, thrill-filled adventure) Probably because I didn’t choose any of what has happened to me or to those I love this year. I bet you didn’t sign up for any of this either? It has felt like a laborious, uphill climb with no summit in sight. A climb that I didn’t sign up for.

How similar this Advent season is to the first advent. Both take place during dark and difficult times in history. Edicts are being made that we must follow, just like Joseph had to leave his home, his work, his daily life behind and journey far on foot, simply to satisfy the whim of a Roman ruler. Our businesses, schools and places of worship are closed down as are other gathering places like gyms, restaurants, museums and theaters. We are living in fear of disease and death, separated from family and friends when we most need each other. What a perfect time for this Advent season! Dietrich Bonhoeffer explained it this way –

“The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come.”

Advent is a time of anticipation. We are anticipating and preparing for the coming of our King! Light is coming into our darkness. This year more than ever, I would imagine that out of our weariness, out of our longing for peace and light to enter into our turmoil and darkness, we would be intentional in our Advent preparations to make ready for our Savior’s arrival.

He has come! He is coming again! I am remembering His first coming as I set out my nativity today. That first announcement from the angel to the shepherds –

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ “

good news, great joy, all people oh, the anticipation, the adventure of Advent!

“And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:5)

sincerely, Grace Day