holidays

the night before Christmas

Posted on by Grace Day

There have been a lot of them – “nights before Christmas” – two thousand twenty-four such nights to be exact, since the original night when Jesus was born. Today, in many cultures, this night before Christmas, Christmas Eve, is considered sacred. It is observed in different ways around the world. One of the better-known descriptions of Christmas Eve is found in Clement Moore’s poem – “Twas the Night Before Christmas” which begins like this-

“Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; the stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.”

Sounds pretty quiet (“not a creature was stirring”) – sounds like they were prepared for the guest they were expecting (“the stockings were hung”) – sounds like they were ready to receive their anticipated guest, Santa, whenever he arrived. However, what it doesn’t sound like or describe is the first Christmas Eve when Jesus was born. That first Christmas Eve, no one was prepared, no one was even keeping watch, and it was anything but quiet. A better description of that first Christmas Eve might be-

Twas the night of the arrival of the long-awaited King, but no one watched or waited, none expected such a thing

Even though all the prophets had predicted the Messiah’s arrival, people grew weary in the waiting, focused solely on survival

because life was hard for everyone, as slaves they were greatly oppressed- they were waiting for a warrior, a baby they never would have guessed

would be the One to set them free, to deliver them from their plight – not a soldier, but a Savior, God gave the world that night.

He was born in a stable since all the inns were filled, but not a one took notice, except the angels who were thrilled –

the angels proclaimed to the shepherds this miracle of Jesus’s birth, then the shepherds hurried to worship Him, God’s gift to all on earth.

A brilliant star arose over the place where Jesus lay, guiding shepherds and the wise men on their journey’s way –

“Peace on earth, good will to men”, the angels all proclaimed – as they left, the shepherds heard their glad refrain – the world would never be the same –

Immanuel! Immanuel! God has come with us to dwell!

Peace on earth, good will to men. God’s forgiveness breaks the power of sin!

Immanuel! Immanuel! God has come with us to dwell!

“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel – which means, ‘God with us.’ ” (Matthew 1:23)

“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)

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. and He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Praise God for the gift of His Son!

sincerely, Grace Day

whose birthday is it, anyway?

Posted on by Grace Day

Did you ever go to a birthday party and not know whose birthday you were celebrating? That could be embarrassing, right? If you’re invited to the party, the assumption is that you know and have some kind of a relationship with the person whose birthday is being celebrated. You might be a family member, a friend, a neighbor, a coworker, a classmate – but you are connected to the guest of honor in some way, or you wouldn’t have received an invitation to the party.

Currently, preparations are underway all around the world for Christmas. Christmas is a birthday party with the largest guest list ever, because every single person receives an invite to the birthday party of the Christ child, Jesus, whose birthday we celebrate every December 25th. Many accept the invitation, many attend the party, many participate in some or all of the festive activities, decorating with dazzling lights, exchanging gifts, eating the food, baking the cookies, singing the songs of the season about the person they have come to celebrate, BUT – many do all these things without ever encountering the party’s guest of honor. Many never meet the person who is being celebrated at Christmas, God’s only Son, Jesus Christ.

Can you imagine showing up for a friend’s birthday party, bringing them a gift, playing all the games, eating all the good food served, singing Happy Birthday to the person you have come to celebrate, eating the cake, and yet – you never actually come face to face with your friend, whose party it is? You don’t have a conversation with them, you don’t give them a hug or even wish them a Happy Birthday. You simply enjoy the fun activities of their party and the food and then you leave. Unimaginable, isn’t it? It’s hard to believe that anyone would be so near to the guest of honor and yet miss out on spending time with the friend they came to celebrate.

However, this is all too common with the birthday celebration that is Christmas. Christmas literally means – “Christ’s mass” or “Christ’s party.” Yet it is all too easy for guests to attend the party but never meet the guest of honor. Part of the problem might be the confusion over just who it is that we are celebrating at Christmas. (even though the name of the holiday contains the name of the person whose birth we are celebrating)

Nonetheless, Santa is often mistaken for the birthday boy. And why not? Santa seems to be everywhere I look during the month of December – either him or one of his many look a like imposters. Santa’s picture is prevalent as are Santa figurines, holiday clothes that bear Santa’s image and Santa lawn decorations. If aliens came to earth, I can’t help but think that they would conclude this month-long party is all about Santa Claus. Who could fault them for this error? It would be easy for anyone to infer that Santa must be the center of our celebration based on what they observe.

And one could argue that we spend more time preparing for Santa’s arrival than we do preparing to celebrate Jesus’s arrival and to receive Him. For Santa, we prepare a tasty treat or two and leave it along with a beverage and possibly some treats for Santa’s reindeer, next to the fireplace. We clean the chimney, light up the roof so Santa can find it more easily, hang up stockings for Santa to fill, and we make room under the tree for all the gifts we expect Santa to bring with him. We make room for Santa and invite him in. Children write him letters and seek him out at the mall for an audience of one, so they can make their requests known to him.

Not so with Jesus. Is anyone getting ready to receive Him? Is anyone preparing the way for Jesus to enter in? Is anyone making room? Or is there still today “no room at the inn” for the person whose birthday we are supposedly celebrating. It seems that in our culture at least, we throw the party, and it’s a party full of bright lights, fabulous food, lots of music and extravagant gift giving BUT – we forget to invite the guest of honor. We don’t make any room for Jesus (I guess all the Santas have filled every space) We have “Christmas parties” and Christ Himself isn’t even invited! These words never rang more true-

“He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him.” (John 1:11)

Too bad, because Jesus is a far better gift giver than Santa Claus.

“Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12)

Santa brings with him toys, toys that eventually break or lose their allure and are discarded. What were the people in Jesus’s day receiving from Jesus?

“The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.” (Matthew 11:5)

Wow! And that’s not a complete list by any means. God’s gift of forgiveness of my sins and His gift of eternal life through His Son, Jesus, is the greatest gift I will ever receive. God’s gift to you and to me and to the world, Jesus, is the reason we throw this huge party called Christmas every year.

“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.” (John 3:16)

The good news of Jesus’s birth is definitely worth celebrating – our Messiah, our Savior King has come! The party is planned, the invitations are issued. The only question is – has the guest of honor, the One whose birthday we celebrate been invited to His own party? Have we made room to receive Him? Have we cleared the way (or our calendars) so that Christ can enter into our lives as we celebrate His birth?

“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)

Make way! Make room! The King is coming! Let Him in!

sincerely, Grace Day

actually, it’s always Advent

Posted on by Grace Day

Advent – “the arrival of a notable person, thing or event.” I know we call this particular season or month of the year “Advent”, I guess because we are preparing to celebrate an Advent or event that happened more than two-thousand years ago – the arrival of God’s promised Messiah, Jesus. Jesus’s birth certainly fits the definition of “the arrival of a notable person” and His birth is also the most “notable event” in human history. Must be why we continue to remember and to celebrate Jesus’s birthday or Jesus’s Advent every year for the past two-thousand twenty-five years.

BUT – it occurs to me that we (humankind) have been in a state of preparing for Jesus’s Advent almost since the beginning of time. Adam and Eve weren’t long in that perfect garden before they decided to doubt God and believe the serpent instead, taking the serpent’s advice to eat some fruit from the forbidden tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The result of their doubt and disobedience? Their sin separated them from their holy Creator and they were put out of the garden. The curse of sin and death entered into our no longer peaceful nor perfect human experience. We have been in need of a Savior ever since the serpent succeeded in getting Eve to disobey God. But even as Adam and Eve were receiving God’s punishment, His words to them contained hope for the future of mankind. God’s curse contained a promise. In Genesis we read –

“So the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this, . . . I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:14-15)

God promised that a particular offspring of a woman, “He”, would crush the serpent’s head even though the serpent would strike the rescuer’s heel. The latter would not be fatal, but the first would be, putting an eventual end to the power of sin and death.

“He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all the faces; He will remove the disgrace of His people from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 25:8)

“Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? . . . thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57)

The One born of a woman, Jesus, would have the final victory. Hope was present even in their darkest hour, the hour when they were banished from God’s good garden. They were banished, yes – BUT with God’s promise that a Savior would be sent to them to redeem what had been lost – themselves – their eternal souls. God’s redemptive plan was already in place –

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through Him you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, and so your faith and hope are in God.” (1 Peter 1:18-21)

Did you catch that? Christ had already been “chosen before the creation of the world” – God knew we would need a Redeemer. So the anticipation of Advent really started when we were evicted from the perfect paradise of God’s Garden. Mankind lived in anticipation of the Advent of Christ’s arrival from that moment on until His birth in Bethlehem some four-thousand years later.

But Advent isn’t over. We are still waiting for another Advent. We continue to live in anticipation of Christ’s second Advent, when He comes again to set all things right. Jesus’s second Advent is promised to you and to me in Acts where we read this account –

“Jesus said to them, ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ After He (Jesus) said this, He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.’ ” (Acts 1:7-11)

So the second Advent of Christ on earth is going to look very different from His first Advent’s appearance on earth. Jesus came first as a helpless baby in a manger. He will return as a conquering hero. We are told –

“So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. But in those days, following that distress, ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ 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.” (Mark 13:23-27)

That Advent will be impossible to miss! In the meantime, until His second coming occurs – it’s always Advent. We are preparing again for the arrival of this notable person, Jesus, – preparing for this once in a lifetime event. Or at least we should be. We don’t want to be caught unaware – our instructions are clear in this regard –

“Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back -whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ ” (Mark 13:33-37)

Good advice for me and for you – keep watch and wait – prepare and anticipate. These actions define and describe Advent well, I think. And we each have an assigned task! There is plenty to do in this Advent season of celebrating our Savior’s birth while simultaneously preparing to receive Him when He returns to earth to claim His bride, which is you and I and all who have longed for His appearing. And we are not alone in our longing and in our eager anticipation. No –

“The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. . . . in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but 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.” (Romans 8:19-23)

No wonder the anticipation of Advent is so great. We have been waiting long for the return of our Savior, just as those before us waited long for the birth of their promised Messiah, ever since their eviction from God’s garden paradise. Truly, it is always Advent. BUT – that is good news! With God’s promise ever before us, there is always something to hope for – the return of our Savior bringing redemption, restoration and eternal life. I definitely want to be ready to welcome and to receive Him when He comes again. After all, that’s the purpose of Advent – anticipation and preparation.

Join me at the watch party that is Advent. Together we can prepare for our Lord’s return.

“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)

The King is coming! Make way! Make room! Prepare to let Him in!

sincerely, Grace Day

Advent – preparing a place

Posted on by Grace Day

“Joy to the world! the Lord is come; let earth receive her King; let every heart prepare Him room . . . ” – those are the words of the Christmas carol, “Joy to the World”, written by Isaac Watts in 1719. It’s still one of my favorite Christmas hymns today. Interesting in the opening lines of the hymn, Watts is talking about receiving and preparing. Seems to me, that’s what Advent is all about – preparing, preparing to receive the King of kings and Lord of lords.

People didn’t do a very good job of either one of these at Jesus’s first Advent. They were unprepared and consequently, unable to receive Him properly.

“He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him.” (John 1:11)

They had not prepared a place for Him, a place in which to receive Him. They had not made any room for Jesus at all. Luke makes that clear when he says –

“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.” (Luke 1:7, italics mine)

I wonder why? Why was there no room? Why were they so uninformed about His arrival and therefore so unprepared to receive the Christ child? Their own scriptures and prophets had been talking about the coming of a Messiah for centuries. The Jewish people knew these prophesies by heart. Were they simply so busy living their everyday lives that they couldn’t take time out to prepare a place, to make a space, for the King of kings and Lord of lords to enter in? (sound familiar?)

You know what’s really ironic? We (humankind) couldn’t be bothered to prepare a suitable space in which to receive God’s only Son BUT – in a dramatic plot twist, this is exactly what God’s only Son, Jesus, is doing for you and for me right now. He’s preparing a place for us, even as I write these words! Jesus, Himself, said as much very clearly to His disciples while He was still with them. Jesus told them –

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:1-3)

These words of Jesus give me great comfort, great joy of anticipation, perfect peace and hope – so much hope! I have something to look forward to that is a certainty because the words of Jesus are true. We may have had “no room in the inn” for Jesus when He came to live with us for awhile, but Jesus has a room, a special place, for each one of us that He is preparing personally Himself even now in anticipation of our arrival. Jesus didn’t receive a proper welcome into our world, no celebration, no fanfare – but you and I are going to receive a warm welcome, complete with celebration and rejoicing, into His kingdom.

“I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” (Luke 15:7)

Jesus is creating space for me and space for you so that we can be with Him for eternity. Which begs the question – am I reciprocating? Am I creating space today for Jesus to enter in and abide with me? Or is my daily life too crowded? Am I too busy? Is my day so filled with other things that there’s no room in my life (in my inn) for Jesus? Are my affections so firmly fixed on other things that there’s nothing left of my heart for my Savior? Has all my love been allocated elsewhere?

These are the hard questions I need to answer if I am to adequately prepare for Advent – if I am to be ready for the arrival of my Savior King. I am going to have to clear some space in my calendar, in my heart and in my life to make way for the coming of the King. That’s what Advent is all about – preparing for the arrival, of the long-awaited Redeemer – the One God promised to mankind so long ago. We kind of missed Jesus’s first appearance, but we definitely won’t miss His second appearance, His second Advent, when He returns to earth to complete God’s rescue of us, His dearly loved children. His second Advent will be inescapable. It is described in this way –

“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.” (Mark 13:26-27)

No chance of that going unnoticed! But while we wait for this second Advent of Christ, we continue to celebrate His first Advent annually. We celebrate the day of His birth every year at Christmas, recalling the miraculous circumstances surrounding His birth including angels visiting Mary, Joseph, shepherds and wisemen, a special star in the sky, and angels rejoicing while the earth relegated the Christ child to a manger in a stable in a remote village called Bethlehem.

We need this celebration of Christmas to remind us just how much God loves each one of us. We need to remember to what lengths our Heavenly Father went to provide us a lifeline that would restore our broken relationship with Him. Just how far Jesus had to go to rescue us is described in Philippians –

“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.” (Philippians 2:6-11)

The first Advent is about the baby, the second is about the conquering King. But I’m getting ahead of myself. For now, I will do like the Christmas carol says and let my heart prepare Him room today and every day. I will prepare a place and let the Christ child, the newborn King in. It’s time!

“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)

let Him in! His Advent is upon us!

sincerely, Grace Day

Anticipating Advent

Posted on by Grace Day

Today I turned my calendar to December and my thoughts toward Christmas. Time to put away my pumpkins and bring out nativity scenes and Santas. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to me. I’ve had plenty of reminders that it’s time to prepare for Christmas. On my street and in my neighborhood, Christmas lights have been on for a while now – so long in fact that these lights would find themselves competing with the Halloween lights on neighboring houses if said Christmas lights dared to appear any earlier than they already do.

This is why I call Thanksgiving the overlooked holiday – we go from Halloween decor straight to Christmas decor without a pause for the fabulous food holiday that is Thanksgiving. Or maybe we are just basically ungrateful because we don’t take the time to stop, count our many blessings and give God thanks for His enduring love and ever-present mercy.

But now that I am focused on Christmas, I can’t help but feel I am already behind since other homes appear to be better prepared for the season than I am at present. I love this season of Advent. It is a season of anticipation and of preparation and of hope. I am anticipating the arrival of the Christ child and I am (or should be) about the business of preparing to receive this long-awaited child.

Jesus’s first advent wasn’t exactly what those living at that time were expecting. In fact, they were caught completely off guard, totally unprepared to receive God’s gift to them. Had they stopped looking? Had they given up on God and on His promise to them that He would send them a Redeemer? Had they forgotten the prophesies of their own scripture or did they simply no longer believe it would ever come true? It had been too long. God had been too silent. Enter the Messiah. We read this account in John –

“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)

Furthermore, not only did they not recognize Him, their desperately desired Messiah, they were too busy to make room for Him physically, which is probably why Jesus ended up being born in a stable. Luke tells us how it came about.

“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.” (Luke 2:4-7)

No room for God’s only Son? No room for the One described this way in Isaiah?

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

They were unable to make room for Jesus in their inns, in their homes, in their synagogues, in their lives and in their hearts. I wonder, are you and I any different today?

Jesus’s birth had been prophesied for centuries but when “the time was right” and Jesus “became flesh and made His dwelling among us” no one (well hardly anyone except the shepherds, but an angel had to tell them about it and give them directions to where Jesus was) but basically no one noticed, no one welcomed Him, no one celebrated His birth (except the heavenly hosts who put on quite a concert) and no one prepared a place for Him to be received. The long-awaited Savior King came into the world and the world went on as if nothing had happened.

BUT – Advent says this life changing, earth shattering, totally miraculous event of Jesus’s birth shall not go unheralded, unnoticed, uncelebrated ever again. The weather here hinted at Advent’s nearness – it’s been snowing as I’ve been writing this. My Christmas cactus, which has been green for eleven months, today is suddenly red with buds waiting to open at the proper time. How does my cactus know it’s time to get ready for the birthday celebration?

I want to be prepared for the coming of my Savior King. I want to prepare a place for Him not just in my home but in my heart. I’ve got some cleaning to do, some rearranging of priorities. There is so much more to say about this wonderful miracle that took place when God came to earth to live among us – an event described like this –

“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means, ‘God with us.’ ” (Matthew 1:23)

Yes, there will be more to say as the days of Advent continue, but for now, I need to be about the business of getting ready for the coming of my King. I want to prepare the way for His coming and I join with the Psalmist in saying –

“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)

let Him in!

sincerely, Grace Day

post Advent ponder

Posted on by Grace Day

I always miss them when they’re gone. I get used to them and then all of a sudden, they’re not there anymore. Just vanished as if on cue. And my own neighborhood street is no exception. I’ve grown accustomed to the bright lights adorning many of the yards and houses up and down my street. It’s welcoming on a dark evening to return home to so many Christmas lights and decorations all lit up.

But the lights and decorations do give me pause to ponder a very important and virtually inescapable question – what are we celebrating? I see snowmen and gingerbread men but no wise men – elves but no shepherds – plenty of reindeer but few lambs – lots of candy canes but hard to find an angel – twinkling snowflakes but not shining stars – (such as the one that guided the Wise Men) – Santa Clauses are in abundance, many so large they tower over the other decorations, stealing the “limelight” or I guess in this case the Christmas light – but it is rare to find a Nativity scene amid all the brightly lit displays celebrating this holiday.

Hence my post Advent ponder – what are we actually celebrating? For many, is it just time off from work? Although for some, this is the time to work more than usual at Christmas and many have jobs that are just at Christmas ie. all the Santas and elves and such that we see everywhere at Christmas time. Which reminds me – fun story – returning home Christmas night I was forced to take a detour. I had to leave the highway and drive through the downtown of the city in order to get home. I got to see the circle all lit up and I saw two Santa Clauses strolling down the main street, not a care in the world. Neither had a pack of toys on their back, but of course by now all their deliveries would have been made.

Of course, I digress, but in my defense the very nature of pondering lends itself to many avenues of thought, aka digressions. BUT – the original ponder – just what is being celebrated anyway? You know this started out as a birthday party, right? We were remembering and celebrating the birth of God’s Son, Jesus. Why? Because He had been promised and mankind had been waiting centuries for God to make good on that promise.

We needed a Savior and in His perfect timing, God provided One for us. He gave us His very own Son.

“But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5)

However, to say that those living at the time were a little disappointed with God’s gift, is kind of an understatement. They didn’t really have the time or the room to receive Jesus or they missed the giving of the gift completely.

“He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him.” (John 1:11)

Seems like we have the same problem today. We don’t make the time or the room to receive God’s gift or we completely miss the fact that God has given us a gift – a priceless, life changing, life giving gift – Jesus Christ. This truth gets buried under snowmen and reindeer and candy canes and Santa Clauses and so many gifts that the real gift is eclipsed, lost and forgotten forever.

However, maybe there’s still time? By now the excitement and the newness of this year’s Christmas gifts are wearing off. Some toys may have already been broken and it is a certainty that gadgets and electronics, as well as clothes, will soon be outdated or outgrown. The luster doesn’t last long with earthly gifts. If only we’d unwrapped God’s gift – the gift of His Presence come to stay with us.

“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel – which means, ‘God with us.’ ” (Matthew 1:23)

The gift of God’s presence – the overlooked gift of Advent – the only gift of Advent that counts! The star of Bethlehem and the heavenly hosts lit up the darkness on the night of Jesus’s birth. Today, we’re still trying to light up our darkness with all kinds of light displays – but until we let the one true light enter in, our efforts will continue to be in vain. God gave us the Light. Jesus said –

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

How sad that so many were not ready or willing to receive God’s gift. How sad that is still the case today.

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

Isaiah said – “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.” (Isaiah 60:1)

May the True Light, given to you and to me at Christmas, continue to light up our lives long after the Santas, the snowmen, the reindeer and such are no longer lighting up our lawns. I don’t have to live in post Advent darkness – Jesus came to stay!

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” (Isaiah 9:2)

The Christmas lights are already disappearing. BUT – God’s gift – “in Him was life, and that life was the light of men” – God’s light – will continue to shine post Advent and into eternity. This is the gift we celebrate at Advent – God’s light and life.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

sincerely, Grace Day

unopened gifts of Advent

Posted on by Grace Day

Unclaimed inheritances – I hear about them all the time and I wonder, who would NOT claim a free gift that is their rightful inheritance? Yet I’ve read that many inheritances do go unclaimed because the recipients are unaware that someone, somewhere, has willed something to them. They don’t know that this inheritance is already theirs. They don’t know that nothing remains but for them to act. All they need to do is to show up and claim their inheritance.

Even so, many inheritances remain unclaimed still today. Unbelievable but true. I don’t want to be so foolish as to leave my God given inheritance unclaimed. His gift has been given. God sent me the gift of His Son. And contained in His gift is everything – I mean everything I could ever want or need. In Colossians, the apostle Paul says this about Jesus –

“namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. . . . For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.” (Colossians 2:3 & 9-10)

Wow! You and I have been given fullness in Christ! Why would we not claim that inheritance? Moreover, in John we read what Jesus Himself said –

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

Some translations say “and have it more abundantly” and the NLT translation reads “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

Why would I leave this gift unopened, this inheritance unclaimed? It’s a pretty big inheritance. When I look into it, I discover more than I ever dreamed possible. For starters, I am definitely an heir. If not, then I couldn’t inherit anything. But I am and I can!

“But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.” (Galatians 4:4-7)

There it is – I am an heir! This means there is an inheritance that is mine – all I need to do is to claim it. Why would I not want to receive all that God wants to give me? King David wrote in the psalms about our inheritance as God’s children and all that it contains –

“Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.” (Psalm 103:2-6)

Forgiveness, healing, redemption, rescue from my circumstances, love, compassion, renewed strength, and all those “good things” which are too numerous to name, probably because they are never ending, such as His mercies which “are new every morning” – why would I not claim my rightful inheritance as a child of God, created in His image? There is so much He wants to give me, if only I would humble myself and receive it. For example, peace – who doesn’t desire peace these days? Jesus says –

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

Peace is one of God’s many good gifts, part of my inheritance in Jesus. In Philippians I am reminded this gift is mine. When I bring my needs and my fears to my Heavenly Father, He takes them and gives me His peace in their place.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

The good news about my inheritance in Jesus is that it is a sure thing. All I need do is accept God’s gift to me of His Son. Peter says of this gift –

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3-5)

An inheritance that can “never perish, spoil or fade” – lose its value or be taken from me – that’s an inheritance I want to claim! It comes with so many good gifts – like God’s infinite grace.

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

My inheritance starts and ends with the gift of the Giver’s Presence. When I claim my inheritance, I receive His promise – the same promise given to Joshua –

“The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)

As this season of Advent draws to a close, I will be sure that I have not left unopened God’s gift to me. I will claim and receive my inheritance as His child with joy, gladness and gratefulness. It is a miraculous inheritance – an inheritance that should never go unclaimed by its rightful recipients. And who are the rightful recipients, the rightful heirs of God’s gift? It is none other than you and me and everyone and anyone who believes on the name of His Son, Jesus.

“Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God -” (John 1:12)

“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 5:11-12)

I don’t know about you, but I do not want to leave my inheritance unclaimed. The gift has been given. The package has been delivered. It is time for me to reach out and receive it. It is time for me to open my door, bring my gift inside and make room for the gift of God’s Presence in my life on a daily basis. He has come to stay. My inheritance is eternal life. Yours too. Let’s not leave this gift of God unopened and unclaimed.

“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

pursuing their package

Posted on by Grace Day

Amazon delivered my package right to my front door. All I needed to do was to open my door and bring my package inside. It was literally waiting outside my door for me to open up and let it in. The shepherds had a similar experience with their gift delivery. The announcement of the arrival of their Savior came complete with instructions on how they could access their gift. The angel of the Lord told the shepherds,

“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 2:11-12)

Their gift was waiting for them, not too far from where they were. BUT – with the Wise Men, or Magi, as they were called, it was different. The Magi received the announcement, not from an angel, but from a star appearing in the sky, letting them know that God’s gift had been given, that their gift had been delivered, however, not exactly to their front door. Far from it, actually.

No, in order to receive their gift, the Wise Men would have to travel. They would have to embark on a journey without knowing how far or how long they would be traveling. But the Magi, or Wise Men, really wanted to receive God’s gift to them. They were willing to go to great lengths to see for themselves God’s gift to the world, His Son, Jesus. To this end, they traveled from the east to Jerusalem, following the star in pursuit of God’s gift –

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘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.’ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. ‘In Bethlehem in Judea,’ they replied, ‘for this is what the prophet has written:’ (Matthew 2:1-5-)

The Wise Men then continued on their quest, leaving Jerusalem and heading to Bethlehem, determined to find, to receive and to worship God’s gift to the world, His one and only Son. Their story continues –

“After they (the Wise Men) 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.” (Matthew 2:9-11)

The Magi really had to go out of their way to behold and to receive God’s gift to them personally. Theirs was a long and costly journey, taking them far from the familiar comfort of their homes. But they did not take God’s gift for granted. They followed the star God provided and pursued the package which had been delivered on that glorious night when the heavens opened up to the shepherds and the world received its much needed, long awaited Rescuer.

The Magi weren’t content just to hear about the One who had been born King of the Jews, they wanted to actually meet this child personally and have the opportunity to worship Him. After all, this child had been given to them, too, even though they lived in a land which was a great distance from where God’s gift was delivered. Remember what the angel told the shepherds –

“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.’ ” (Luke 2:10-11)

The angel said the good news was for “all the people.” That means the good news and the accompanying great joy were intended for the Magi as well as for everyone else. God’s gift to each and every one of us had been delivered and no one was left out. Some just had to travel a little further than others to receive their gift from God.

Now that the gift has been given, each of us has to decide what we will do with God’s gift to us of His one and only Son. The Magi went way out of their way to track down and to receive the gift that God had delivered to the world. But not everyone was as delighted with God’s gift nor as determined to receive it. John says this about Jesus’s arrival –

“He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him.” (John 1:11)

Jesus was delivered to their front porch, but they did not open the door. They did not even attempt to invite Him in or to make room for Him. Jesus was relegated to a stable. Even so, there were those like the Magi who were watching and waiting for God’s gift. When they saw God’s birth announcement in the sky, they left everything behind and set out in pursuit of their package, determined to receive what God so graciously had given.

When the Magi finally found their already delivered gift, Jesus, they celebrated, they worshiped and they bowed down in gratitude to God. Today, as I put away my Christmas gifts, I have to ask myself – what am I doing with God’s gift to me? Am I truly celebrating that my package has been delivered? Am I truly thankful to receive this unmatchable gift from God? Am I truly worshiping my Savior and my Lord, like the Magi did when they finally found their gift?

“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 5:11-12)

The gift has been given. The package has been delivered. Time for you and for me to pursue our package. Today I will celebrate, I will worship and I will thank God for His gift to me.

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15)

“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.” (John 3:16)

This is not a package I want to leave on my front porch. This is a package worth pursuing at all costs, just like the Magi did.

sincerely, Grace Day

your package has been delivered!

Posted on by Grace Day

Those are the exact words of the email I received from Amazon just yesterday, “your package has been delivered”, letting me know that my long-awaited purchase is finally here. My anticipation is finally over. Now all that remains is for me to open my front door, bring my package inside and open it. Or I could just let it sit out there on the front porch, ignoring it indefinitely.

If I do open it, will I be disappointed? Or will it live up to my expectations? Seems like the longer I wait for something, the more it gets built up in my mind, increasing the likelihood that it will not live up to my expectations and I will inevitably be disappointed.

This morning you and I, along with the whole world, are waking up to the same message – “your package has been delivered!” This is good news. This is great news. But how we respond to this announcement makes all the difference in the world. Our package has been delivered. Our promised Messiah, Savior and Deliverer has been born. He has come as God promised. Will we receive Him?

The shepherds were the original responders to this news, because they were the first recipients of the “your package has been delivered” message. The shepherds, however, did not receive their notice via something so mundane as an email from Amazon. No, the shepherds were informed that “your package has been delivered” by an angel, accompanied by a whole host of angels. Imagine their surprise. The shepherds hadn’t ordered anything, and yet they were being informed they had just been given a miraculous, priceless gift!

“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.’ 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 rests.’ ” (Luke 2:8-14)

What was the shepherds’ response to their “your package has been delivered” announcement? They could have ignored the news or put it off to deal with at a later time. (although angels are harder to ignore than an email) But the shepherds took immediate action. They were ready to receive God’s gift.

“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. . . . The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” (Luke 2:15-20)

I like that the shepherds “hurried off” in pursuit of God’s gift and I like that after the shepherds saw God’s gift to them, Jesus, lying in the manger as they had been told, the shepherds then became announcers to the world of the message “your package has been delivered.” Luke says, “when they had seen Him, they spread the word.” Good News is hard to contain – it begs to be spread so that everyone can share in the joy. Reminds me of the Christmas song – “Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere . . . that Jesus Christ is born!”

This morning you and I can celebrate with the shepherds that “our package has been delivered!” A couple of days before this, I got an email telling me, “your package has shipped.” I guess Amazon wanted to give me a head’s up, so I could be on the lookout for my package. Amazon didn’t want me to miss it’s arrival. Long before Jesus’s arrival, Isaiah gave the world a pretty clear head’s up about God’s future gift to the world when he said –

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

There were lots of prophesies or “your gift is being prepared” notices along the way but the “your package has been delivered” notice comes right on time, so that you and I don’t miss what God wants to give us.

“But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5)

God wants to adopt you and me into His family forever! What a gift! I don’t want to leave this gift unopened or unused or discarded or disdained or unclaimed. This gift of God is meant for me, it has my name on it. It has your name on it, too, dear readers. Let us celebrate and receive this gift together – this gift that makes us brothers and sisters, this gift that gives us a place in an eternal family!

The joy of Christmas morning – our package has been delivered! It has not been delayed, backordered, lost, delivered to the wrong address or misplaced. Our package, our Deliverer, has been delivered to us, to you and to me right on time. Let’s open the door and bring it in. Let’s make room to receive what we’ve been given. A Savior, a Rescuer, a protector, a provider, a shepherd, a Deliverer from death to eternal life. Best gift ever! Today I will open the door and let Him in!

“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)

God’s gift has been given – my package has been delivered! Your package has been delivered too! Celebrate and give thanks to God.

sincerely, Grace Day

gifts – giving, getting and re-gifting

Posted on by Grace Day

In this season of gift giving, we are once again faced with the question of what we do with the gifts we receive. Would we ever not open a gift given to us? If nothing else, wouldn’t curiosity win out? I don’t think I could leave a present unopened – I would want to know what’s inside. But what does actually happen to my Christmas gifts?

Do some get set aside to be opened later when I have more time? Does the gift then get buried under various other things and end up forgotten and unopened due to being out of sight? Or do I determine that I know what it is by its shape and size, decide I don’t want what I think it is and therefore don’t open it for that reason. How many gifts every year are given, received and never opened?

Or having opened my gift, do I reject it for whatever reason? Do I throw it away, give it away, (re-gifting is the appropriate term) or do I relegate said gift to storage in an attic, basement or closet, never to be seen or thought about again. Or maybe I am happy to receive the gift and have plans to put it to good use, whatever that might be. But I never take it out of the box and actually use it or wear it or enjoy it. I let my gift sit on the shelf taking up space and collecting dust.

When I overlook, under appreciate or refuse to receive a gift, do I realize what I am doing to my relationship with the giver of the gift? Maybe I am not aware of the time, effort or sacrifice the giver of the gift put into his present. I wonder if that’s how my Heavenly Father feels about my reaction to His gift to me, the gift of His Son. Certainly this gift required quite a bit of sacrifice on God’s part. In fact, it is a very costly gift that you and I have been given. I tend to forget just how much was required of 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!” (Philippians 2:6-8)

God provided the sacrifice for my sin. That’s God’s free gift to me, given in the form of a baby in a manger, a baby who would grow up to be the Christ on the cross. God gave me a Savior, a Redeemer, Someone to rescue me from certain death and instead give me eternal life! This gift of Jesus is exactly what I need and exponentially more than I deserve. Why would I not receive this gift with joy and gratitude?

I don’t want to overlook God’s gift of His Son. I don’t want to reject Jesus or to refuse to make room for Him in my life. I don’t want to relegate Jesus to a place on a shelf in a closet somewhere out of sight and therefore out of mind. No, Advent is about me preparing a place of honor and prominence in my heart and in my life for the coming King, God’s gift to me and to this weary world. Advent is about me realizing and remembering what this gift cost God. It cost Him everything. God gave us Himself. His Presence with us.

“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel – which means ‘God with us.’ ” (Matthew 1:23)

Advent is here. Time for me to clear away the clutter of lesser things and to make room to receive the King of Kings who is my King, my Lord, my Savior, my Redeemer, my Shepherd – God’s gift, given to me so that I might live.

“I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

May I make room to receive God’s gift all over again this Advent season .

“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)

“Let every heart prepare Him room”

sincerely, Grace Day