Words from the Heart

Anticipation. We see it everywhere. It’s probably most alive and sparking in children as they anticipate absolutely everything about the holiday – vacation, cookies and candy, parties, pageants, and Christmas morning. We sometimes see it in the tired faces of merchants, teachers, and parents. It’s also seen in the care-worn lines and wrinkles of those who’ve lost much over the years. We all anticipate something.

For many, yesterday was the beginning of Advent.

Dictionaries define advent as “the coming or arrival of something important, the period of preparation for Christmas, the coming or birth of Jesus Christ.”

The Holman Bible Dictionary notes the celebration dates back to the fifth century, soon after the origin of the celebration of Christmas, but its primary definition states, “Advent designates the coming or second coming of Christ.”

How often do we relegate Advent to just Christmas?

As we anticipate celebrating our faith on a day-by-day basis, what better way to begin than by remembering Advent as looking toward the second coming of Christ? That should give us more than a small measure of joy, not only during December but also throughout the year.

For as the lightning lights up the entire sky, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. And they will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send forth his angels with the sound of a mighty trumpet blast, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven. Matthew 24: 27, 30-31, New Living Translation

Christmas Blessings, Francine

Keeping Christmas in our hearts all year long is as unadorned as a manger filled with hay, as natural as a mother giving birth, and as down-to-earth as shepherds keeping watch over their flocks. It’s unpretentious and clear-cut. These are the ordinary things God used on one extraordinary night to bring forth the Hope of the world.

We try to glamorize the holidays when we should simplify our lives. Sometimes I think we are much like the Pharisees. We’ve added so much to this celebration that we’ve lost the wonder and glory of it all.

If you are looking for an awesome and moving presentation of how ordinary becomes extraordinary, you might want to find a special episode of Touched by an Angel, called “A Christmas Miracle.” It not only gives viewers a glimpse of a heavenly touch, but it also shows how easily we can be led astray when we focus on anything other than our Lord.

The goal isn’t to put Christ back into Christmas, but instead put Him back into our hearts. Imagine the remarkable lives we would live if we remembered the extraordinary images of that one ordinary night.

And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men “with whom He is pleased.” Luke 2:13-14, New American Standard

Christmas Blessings, Francine

Christmas pageants, addressing cards, office parties, shopping, baking cookies, relatives visiting, decorating the tree, meal planning, church services, work, more shopping, choir practice, school programs, movies and television specials, wrapping presents, stringing up lights, caroling, visiting friends and family, grocery shopping – just looking at the list is exhausting.

For most us, these time-consuming activities don’t begin or end with the holidays. It’s life. While the holidays may be filled with a few more parties and a few more relatives, we’ve become a society that barely has time to breathe.

The truth is that it’s hard to have clarity when there’s chaos all around us.

To begin celebrating our Savior, we don’t need anything other than God’s word and our time. Regardless of how busy we are, we can make time to focus on Jesus. You see, when we begin to do that, we've begun a relationship. That’s how we celebrate every day.

The more we seek Jesus, the more of Him there is in our lives.

“As they continued their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home. She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word he said. But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. Master, don’t you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand. The Master said, “Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it – it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from her.” Luke 10:38-41, The Message

Commentaries tell us that Martha worried a lot. She wanted to please and serve others – in other words, she was focused on doing. Maybe, as the oldest, she was concerned about meeting certain expectations. Rather than relax and enjoy the presence of the Master, she was fussing around and obviously frustrated that her sister wasn’t helping.

If only we could have Mary’s priorities in this Martha-like world, we’d be enjoying the presence of the Master.

Christmas blessings, Francine

Has there ever been a Christmas morning when you received that one perfect gift? It was the one thing you most wanted, never expected, and certainly didn’t deserve. But there it was, wrapped in shiny paper and topped with a magnificent bow.

Or maybe there is a memory of some grand toy – a wagon, a doll, or a bicycle – standing before the tree as twinkling lights cast a soft glow.

Remember how that felt?

In order to understand the magnitude of God’s gift of His son, it might help to understand the nature of God. Wait … I’m not going to expound on all God is. First of all, I doubt I could. Second, that’s not the point.

God’s nature is sinless. In simple terms, that means he cannot look on sin. And, that being the case, we cannot be reconciled to God because we have all sinned.

The Creator, in His infinite love and mercy, prepared the way by which we could experience His presence, both now and for eternity. You see, God’s nature requires atonement for sin. You can find the Creator’s guidelines throughout the Old Testament.

But He also knew his creation. As always, we had to put our spin on things. We put certain guidelines and regulations into the law – in other words, we complicated something simple.

God changed all that with Jesus.

And you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins, Matthew 1:21, New American Standard

Christmas Blessings, Francine

Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God, Matthew 5:8

While the teaching in this beatitude seems a lofty goal, the promise is even loftier. Some would say, “Only the pure in heart can see God.”

But I think that the blessing and the promise are intricately woven together, and the obedience of our hearts brings a continued blessing of seeing God.

Some might think this a promise only fulfilled when we come face-to-face with our Creator. I don’t.

I think, in this teaching, seeing means experiencing God’s presence.

In order to allow God to totally and completely have His way with us, regardless of the outcome, we seek Him above and beyond anything else. Through reading His word, prayer, worship, praise, and obedience, our focus is both magnified and refined. When we do this, God’s spirit will speak to us and give us new insight and revelation of His word. As we are attuned to God, it’s as if He lifts a veil and reveals new truths to our circumstances.

Have you ever read a familiar scripture and found new meaning that undeniably applies to your circumstances? I’m not talking about picking up your Bible, allowing it to open at will, and then, with eyes closed, place your finger on the page and look at the words for some revelation.

If we are pursuing God, we read His word out of only one motivation – love, rather than seeking an answer or quick fix to a situation. This is where the promise is tied to the blessing. In our obedience, God speaks.

To experience God’s presence is an awesome thing. Sometimes a pastor’s sermon will touch our spirits in such a way that we know God is speaking to us. Often times, we see God in the beauty of His creation, be it nature or through unselfish acts of love. Sometimes it’s in the darkness of heartache, when we hear God’s whispers of comfort and hope. Or maybe, through music and song, our spirits sense our Creator’s presence.

God is available to anyone who seeks Him. It’s our choice. I pray that if you don’t know Him, you will choose to accept a heavenly invitation to allow His son into your heart and life.

Endings

While many commentaries and bibles define the Beatitudes within the parameters of Matthew 5:1-12, I’ve chosen to end with verse 8. My goal has been to address those teachings that could be applied on both a spiritual and personal level as they relate to how we grow spiritually and show how we can live out that teaching. While verses 9 through 12 are not any less important, my deepest desire is that readers might receive a new insight into loving God and loving others. I believe verses 1 through 8 are a point from which to begin.

Beginnings

As to beginnings, many are focusing on Christmas. Celebrations range from mild to chaotic and from excess to naught. In the midst of tradition, seasonal hustle and bustle, and meeting others’ expectations, we too easily forget the significance of the reason for the season.

Oh, we remember the baby in the manger and the Christmas story. However, I think we too often forget that Jesus was God incarnate. Think about that.

How can we possibly incorporate the truth of Christmas into just one day? To even imply it can be done in these twenty-five days is presumptuous. The truth is, if we could but capture a glimpse of our heart-felt desire to focus on the true reason for the season every day, we might encounter Jesus rather than Santa Clause as church bells proclaim Christmas morning.

I would invite you to return each of these twenty-five days. Maybe some verse of scripture or song will touch your life. That is my prayer.

There is a most wondrous scripture with which to begin.

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

Even in the most imaginative minds, who could have known the eternal ramifications of this prophecy and promise? God’s gift would shake this world from top to bottom and irrevocably bind us to the Creator of the universe.

Blessings, Francine