Messy Miracles

 By: Lauren Thomas 

Miracles are rare. But if you’ve ever experienced one, you know it doesn’t always look the way you might have expected, and it doesn’t always turn out the way you would have chosen. I think about this a lot at Christmas time.

I think of Mary pregnant with the very Son of God. If you’ve experienced pregnancy, you know that pregnancy is uncomfortable, and even painful and unpleasant at times. Did Mary expect her pregnancy to go differently carrying God’s son?

 

I think of Mary giving birth in a messy manger, away from home, away from female family and friends to usher her baby into the world.

 

I think of the King of Kings being born among animals and worshiped by social outcasts, shepherds.

 

I think of the Messiah. The Jews expected their messiah to have military might, to set them free from foreign governments and oppression. But he was humble and submitted to death on a cross.

 

These were all messy miracles by our measure. We might have planned a painless pregnancy for Mary, a pristine palace and a mighty Kingdom for a King. But these messy miracles still manifested the marvels of God!

 

*Trigger Warning* I know a little something about messy miracles. At 14 weeks pregnant, I was told I was losing my baby, that it was “inevitable.” But without medical intervention, my loss was reversed – God sustained my pregnancy. God gave me the miracle. I expected that miracle would carry to term, a full 40 weeks. But at 23 weeks I was hospitalized and at 24 weeks I delivered by c-section. My baby boy remained in the NICU for 5 months before we got to take him home. The first 2 years at home involved 10+ medical specialists and therapists, almost weekly appointments, and a handful of hospitalizations. It was a messy miracle.

 

But the miracle is not just that we now have a healthy toddler, but the marvel of what God has done in me through it all.

 

I want to look into your eyes as I type now, tears welling up in my eyes, and tell you this: If what you are facing is messy, don’t for a minute think that God isn’t in it. Miracles are messy. AND God will still manifest himself in the marvels he is working along the way. Don’t give up, because God’s not done. Just because it doesn’t look how you would expect, or it doesn’t feel the way you imagined, God is working. And it will turn out for God’s glory and your good.

 

May we only respond to God the way Mary responded to the angelic announcement:

 

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Luke 1:38 ESV

 

And believe that God’s marvels are manifested even in the messiest of miracles.

 

Reflection:

Can you think of other examples in Scripture of messy miracles? (Example: Wouldn’t it have been easier if Lazarus hadn’t died in the first place?)

What messy miracles have you experienced in your life? How has God manifested himself in those miracles?

What “messy miracles” are you in the middle of right now?

5 Ways to Keep Christ in Christmas

By: Jenifer Metzger

Christmas time is one of my favorite times of year. However, it is so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle and forget the true meaning of why we even have Christmas, even while chanting Jesus is the reason for the season. Today I want to share 5 simple ways to keep Christ at the forefront of your Christmas.

Do an Advent study. Advent started on November 30th, the Sunday following Thanksgiving, but honestly, it is never too late to join in. I'm currently doing Awakening Wonder from The Daily Grace Co and love it. They have this study in a digital download for immediate access, just click HERE. Another thing you can do is read through the book of Luke. Luke has 24 chapters so often people will read a chapter a day from December 1st until Christmas Eve, since we are already 10 days in, you could read 2 chapters a day.

Post Scripture in your home. I am really big on having Scripture in my home. Each room in our house has Scripture posted somewhere. At Christmas we add a wooden piece that says A Savior is Born. It is the focal point in our living room which is a great reminder every time we look at it.

Set up a Nativity. My grandkids love to look at our Nativities and I love the reminder of Jesus coming to this world for us. Place your Nativity somewhere that you and your family are going to see if often and when you look at it, pause and think of Jesus.

Look for ways to serve. Look for ways that you can use your time and give of yourself to serve others. It could be babysitting for a single parent so they have time to Christmas shop, maybe purchasing gifts for a family who can't afford gifts this year, buying groceries for a family in need, or finding someone who doesn't have family nearby and inviting the, over for dinner.

Attend a Christmas Eve service. Jesus is the entire reason we have Christmas to celebrate. He is the reason we are alive this very moment. It's all about Him! If your church offers a Christmas Eve service, attend. If your church doesn't have a service, find a nearby service to attend. There is something very special about spending Christmas Eve with the body of Christ as we worship the birth of our Savior.

Discussion:
1.What are other ways you intentionally keep Christ in your Christmas?
2.Do you do an Advent study at Christmas time?

Names of God Series: Bowing Down to the King of Kings

 By: Rebekah Hargraves

Photo Courtesy of: Daniel Gutko

"In the presence of God, who gives life to all, and of Christ Jesus, who gave a good confession before Pontius Pilate, I charge you to keep this command without fault or failure until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. God will bring this about in his own time. He is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see, to him be honor and eternal power. Amen."

~1 Timothy 6:13-16

In our series on the names of God, we come next to the name King of Kings, which signals for us the fact that He is our Supreme Ruler, that Jesus reigns above all earthly rulers.

While this might sound like it goes without saying (and while it should!), unfortunately it oftentimes doesn't seem to in the way we as Christ-followers actually live our lives.

Down throughout history we have seen this to be true, and it is true again in our current day and age. All too often professing believers will, essentially, "bow down" to earthly rulers instead of holding their full allegiance only for the King of Kings Himself.

This has been done in a multitude of different ways over the course of history all the way up to today. We see proof of it anytime someone idolizes a certain party, President, King, or other political leader above Christ and His ways. It occurs anytime someone sacrifices allegiance to the "Jesus Way", as Phil Wickham calls it, on the altar of political expediency or toeing a party line. We see it when the government is used as a sword against those who differ from us (crusades, anyone?). 

This is never the right course of action, no matter how tempting it might be. There is but One true King, the King of Kings, our King Jesus, and to Him alone belongs our ultimate allegiance, worship, surrender, and support. While God did institute earthly governments, and we are to obey earthly rulers He has set up, that obedience is to stop the moment that earthly ruler calls for us to do something that is contrary to the way of Jesus. 

Take heart, though, dear sister. Though it may seem scary to let political expediency go in favor of following Jesus even when it is hard and not politically correct to do so, it is worth it. Our King of Kings isn't just the ultimate Ruler. He is a holy, all-wise, loving, kind, good Ruler. And He can be trusted every moment of every day.

Reflection Questions:

1) Have you ever been guilty of bowing to lesser kings?

2) How might the Lord be calling you to bow the knee ultimately only to Him as your King of Kings? What would that look like in your life?

3) How do you see havoc being wreaked when we get things backwards and bow to earthly kings rather than to our heavenly One?

Ornaments & Christmas Conversations

 

My mind goes back several years and to a conversation with my then 4YO granddaughter.

She sat coloring what would become Christmas ornaments. As she colored, she asked a few questions about Christmas and baby Jesus. There is nothing like conversations with a four year old to open our eyes anew.

“Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, 
and they shall call His name Immanuel,” 
which translated means, “God with us.” 
(Matthew 1:22-23, NASB) 

As she colored, she said, “Jesus is in heaven, up there.” A few seconds later, she stated, “Jesus is in my heart too,” and I replied, “Yes, Jocelyn, you are right. He is.”

And the question came, “Mimi, what does He say?”

With the Christmas music softly playing in the background, her head yet bent and focused on coloring, I answered, “Some days, He says:

• “I love you!”
• “You are special.”
• “Always be kind to your family and friends.”
• “Be sure to share with everybody.”
• “Obey mommy and daddy and your teacher too”
• “You are beautiful.”

She was quiet for a few seconds, intently coloring. It was then, I heard her soft voice say, “I like when He says, ‘I love you’ best.”

“Yeah, me too, Jocelyn. Me too.”

She continued coloring Mary and Elizabeth, the circle indicating both women were with child. As she colored, I prayed for the Lord to seal the truth of Jesus within her and His deep love for her, searing it on her heart and mind.

Immanuel. God is with us in our messes. He is with us each and every day because He is within us. He is present with us right where we are. Today. He came not only that day in the stable but He comes each and every day to us, to be with us.

We can so forget His Presence with us in the messes of our daily routines. Maybe it is because we forget the simple truth – He lives within our heart.

Immanuel.
Christ came to live among us and within us.
May you hear Him whisper in your heart, “I love you!”

 

Reflection: 
During this busy time of year, find a place to quiet yourself and be alone with God. Embrace the truth of His love for you.

 

Image by Mariya Muschard from Pixabay

 

God's Presence with Us

By: Lauren Thomas 

One of the most famous Christmas verses is found in Isaiah and ascribes a name to Jesus: Immanuel. This verse is quoted in the New Testament by Matthew who adds the meaning of this name: God with us.

 

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us).

Matthew 1:23 ESV

Through the Old Testament, we see that there were times when God’s presence rested among his people. When the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, God’s presence dwelled with them in the tabernacle, the tent of worship. When the Israelites made camp, the tabernacle was literally at the center of their camp with all the tribes situated around it. God’s presence dwelled in the midst of his people. God later allowed his glory to fall on the magnificent temple that Solomon had built for him.

 

But the incarnation of Christ marked a new era for us to experience the presence of God. He is Immanuel: God with us.

 

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

John 1:14

 

John 1:14 tells us that the Word, Jesus, came to dwell among us. But the original language puts it a little differently: the Word…tabernacled among us. This is an allusion to Exodus where God’s glory “tabernacled” in the midst of Israel. Then, it was God’s glory. But with the incarnation, it was God in flesh and blood, someone like us who could sympathize with our weakness (Hebrews 2:17; 4:15), someone whose compassion had hands and feet to go and touch our brokenness.

 

Could it be that we have something far greater now?

 

Between Jesus’s resurrection and ascension into Heaven, in Matthew 28:20, he told his disciples “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” In John 14 and 16 he told his disciples of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who would only come to them if he went away. Jesus is still Immanuel because we now have the Holy Spirit. Whereas incarnate Christ could only be with one person on Earth at any one time, the Holy Spirit can be with every believer at every moment. Immanuel ushered in a new era of God’s presence for us today: the omnipresent Spirit of God.

 

What a gift! The greatest present of Christmas is God’s presence with us!

 

Reflection:

If you have ever longed for Jesus to wrap you in his arms, how can you invite more of God’s Holy Spirit into your life? How can you become more aware and tuned in to his presence in your life? If God’s presence is a present to you, how can you open that gift this season?

Consider journaling about Jesus as Immanuel and what this means for you.