The Word Made Flesh

“When the Maker of time, the Word of the Father, was made Flesh, He gave us His birthday in time, and He, without Whose divine bidding no day runs its course, in His incarnation reserved one day for Himself. He Himself with the Father precedes all spans of time, but on this day, issuing from His mother, He stepped into the tide of years. Man’s Maker was made Man that He, the Ruler of the stars, might nurse at His mother’s breast, that the Bread might be hungry, that the Fountain thirst, the Light sleep, the Way be tired from the journey, that Truth be accused by false witnesses, that the Judge of the living and dead be judged by a mortal judge, that the Teacher be beaten with whips, the Vine crowned with thorns, the Foundation be suspended on wood, that Strength might be made weak, that the Healer be wounded, that Life might die

He became Man in order to suffer these and similar undeserved things for us so that He might save us, who are undeserving of being saved. He, Who on account of us endured such great evils, Himself merited no evil, while we, who through Him are so bountifully blessed, have no merits of our own, except for those He chooses to give us, to show for such blessings. Therefore, because of this, He, Who before all ages and without any beginning determined by days, was the Son of God, saw fit in these latter days to become the Son of Man. And, He, Who was born of the Father but not made by the Father, was made in the womb of the mother whom He Himself had made, that He might be born here on earth of her who did not exist except through Him. She was the one who conceived Him in her heart before conceiving Him in her womb” (St. Augustine).

Happy Winter Solstice!

Apparently, today is the Winter Solstice, a fact that almost slipped by. It’s 11:16 pm and I only just realized today is the shortest day of the year. After today, the amount of daylight starts increasing again with a view to Spring 2018. So, that means that it won’t be getting dark at 4 pm for much longer.

Today is also Short Girl Appreciation Day for any girl who’s 5’5″ or under. If you qualify, I definitely think you should celebrate. After all, some reach perfection earlier than others, right?

I confess that I don’t feel ready for Christmas. Not in the least. I have nearly all my presents bought and wrapped, but I don’t feel like my heart is prepared for the coming of the Child born in the manger.

I blinked and it was already Advent season. I blinked again and it’s 3 days until Christmas. I blink again and it will all be over until 2018.

I wish that it would all slow down for a little while. I want to take the time to relish and savor this Christmas season before it’s all over.

Today is also the first official day of winter. In the usual ironic twist of Tennessee weather, we’re having a bit of a warm spell. Not warm in the sense of breaking out the speedos, but in the sense of wearing lighter jackets. It could almost be spring (or early fall).

So, happy Winter Solstice/First Day of Winter/Advent!

May you truly come to the true heart of Christmas this season and celebrate the Child in the manger who still does not live in the hearts of men and women one day of the year but all the days of all the years.

 

 

Missing Our Princess

I finally got around to seeing the latest installment in the Star Wars franchise, The Last Jedi. It’s not the absolute best or the absolute worst Star Wars movie I’ve ever seen. It does entertain and tell a good story, which is what these movies have always been about.

It was bittersweet seeing Carrie Fisher one last time as Princess Leia. She passed away on December 27 after suffering a major heart attack on a flight.

There was a touching tribute in the credits that read, “In loving memory of our princess, Carrie Fisher.”

It still feels like part of my childhood has passed away. I wonder how they’ll address her absence in Episode IX, which probably hits theaters in 2019. I know for certain that the movie won’t be the same without her. I for one hope they don’t try to insert a CGI-Carrie into the movie.

In keeping with tradition and respect, I won’t give away any spoilers here. I will say to go see Star Wars: The Last Jedi as soon as humanly possible. It’s definitely a movie that needs to be seen in a movie theater.

In the mean time, she will never be truly gone. Her movies will still be around to remind people of just what an amazing actress and human being she was.

RIP, Princess Leia. We will always miss you.

 

 

A New Bucket List Item

I spent the evening at one of my favorite places– the Opryland Hotel.

What makes this place so special is how they will spend 6 months putting together all their Christmas lights and decorations. The results are more than worth it.

As usual, I put in over 20,000 steps walking around from one conservatory to the next. It’s impressive. It’s ridiculously over the top in the best way possible. It’s overwhelming at times.

I think I have a new bucket list item. I want to stay in one of the rooms overlooking the Delta Atrium during the Christmas season (or at least when the lights are all up). I think I’d prefer to stay on either the very top floor or the one just below it. Either would work just fine for me. I think a weekend stay would suit me just fine.

I’d also like to dine at the Old Hickory Steakhouse. Even though I’ve never dined there, I always imagine it’d cost me at least one of my vital organs. Or just an arm and a leg.

I’m refraining from looking up how much all of this would actually cost. I don’t want to ruin my perfect little fantasy.

At the very least, I get to spend a couple of hours every year taking in all the holiday glory that is the Opryland Hotel in December.

Merry Christmas to me, indeed!

A Borrowed Advent Blog Post

“… so yeah, amidst the noise of everything, that’s what it comes down to: Be silent stress, be silent worries, be silent fears,
just hush all worry, hush all hurry — & hear Him in the stillness:
“Know that I am God … Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at Me, your High God, above politics, above everything.” Ps.46:10, MSG
Sadness is never the end of the story. Jesus is the end of our story – and the beginning of our story and the best part of our story.
Above the pressures, above the pace, above the politics, above the news, above the rushing, above the deadlines, above everything — take a long, loving look at Him — your High God who is above all that is pressing in on you — & press into Him.
The Lord God Almighty is here among us, the Lord is Here —
so Peace is here among us,
& brave praise rises from amongst us,
& there are arms to carry us through all this here
because knowing that He is God means knowing we are His Beloved and we will always be held” (Ann Voskamp).

www.TheGreatestChristmas.com
bit.ly/GreatestGiftforyou

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to read the above paragraph at least once a day for as long as it takes to sink in and become reality in your mind.

Also, to drink lots of egg nog (or whatever substitute you choose if you’re not an egg nog fan) and have a Merry Christmas!

 

Holding On to Hope

“And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,

 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
    for he has visited and redeemed his people
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
    in the house of his servant David,
 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old” (Luke 1:67-70, ESV).

This was part of the text from today’s sermon at The Church at Avenue South. As I heard these words, I couldn’t help but think of how utterly incredible and miraculous the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth was.

Think about it. Both were well beyond their child-bearing years. In ordinary human terms, they were way past hope. But in God’s story, nothing and no one is beyond hope.

That’s my takeaway for whoever needs it tonight.

No one is beyond hope in God’s story. The fact that you and I are still here means that God’s not done with us.

It also means that some of those dreams that seem lost and dashed to pieces might not be so dead after all. Just ask that elderly couple who gave birth to John the Baptist.

My hope isn’t in my dreams. It’s in the God who makes dreams come true. Or who has something in mind way bigger than my mind and dreams could ever conceive.

If you’re still waiting on a dream or a promise, trust God in the meantime. Learn to be completely content in where He has you right now, believing that God still knows what He’s doing.

 

Resting in the Reality of Redemption

“If you put your faith in your experience anything that happens–toothache, indigestion, an east wind, incongenial work–is likely to upset the experience, but nothing that happens can ever upset God or the almighty reality of the Redemption; once based on that, you are as eternally sure as God Himself” (Oswald Chambers, Run Today’s Race).

If you live your life based solely on your emotions, you will be as unstable as the east wind, blowing one way one moment and blowing the other the next.

If you live your life based solely on your own understanding, you will soon get frustrated with how your life isn’t meeting your expectations, never mind how realistic those are.

But if you live your live out of the reality of God’s redeeming work in Jesus, then you find yourself much more stable and secure. You can cease striving and live out of the strength and joy that Jesus provides.

That becomes especially vital at this time of the year when it’s easy to let other people’s impatience and rudeness upset our Advent and Christmas experience.

Once you base your joy on the unchanging and unceasing reality of God’s work of redemption in your life, then nothing can steal it from you. No one or nothing has the power to take away the eternal surety of God’s promise to you to finish what He started.

 

 

Advent Sneaking Up

Every year, I say that I will experience all the fullness of Advent and Christmas and not one little moment slip by, yet increasingly each year I find that the days in December slip by so quickly that I hardly have a chance to catch my breath before it’s all over.

I don’t feel ready or prepared, yet Christmas Eve is only 9 days away. Back when I was a kid, 9 days would last forever, but these days when I sneeze, 2 days go by.

The first Advent and Christmas snuck up on people. Those living in Israel were expecting a Messiah, but almost none of them were looking in the right place at the right moment when He arrived.

Few would have ever suspected tiny Bethlehem to be the birthplace of the King of the Universe. Fewer would have expected Him to be born in such a lowly place — whether it was a stable or a room for the animals attached to a house– and had His first crib be a feeding trough.

It seems we’re still missing Him today. He gets crowded out by lights, gift wrapping, tinsel, and all the hustle and bustle that comes with the season. These are all good and well, but not when we’ve forgotten the reason why.

It’s good to make time to be still and meditate on the true meaning of Christmas, remembering that the Child we celebrate lives in the hearts of people not just one day a year but in all the days of all the years (to semi-borrow a line from Dickens’ A Christmas Carol)

“Lord, sometimes You come quietly and with no disturbance. Babies threaten no one, and no memorials are raised to mark their significance. May my life bring Christ quietly into the circle of human need so that those who need You will not be frightened by Your presence but enveloped in it” (Calvin Miller, The Christ of Christmas).

Stepping Inside a Movie

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen the 1954 Christmas classic White Christmas. It remains my absolute all-time favorite holiday movie ever.

Each time I watch the part where they get to the Vermont Inn run by the General, I wish for a moment that I could step into the TV screen and live there.

I know it’s not real. It’s most likely a set built on a sound stage at Paramount Studios in Hollywood. Still, it looks and feels warm and inviting.

It’d be amazing if there were actual places like this. They’d almost have to be in the New England area or it would spoil the illusion.

Anyway, now you know my little secret. I want to live inside the movie White Christmas. With or without the floor show.

Thankful for Being Well

“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver” (Mahatma Gandhi).

“Health is the thing that makes you feel that now is the best time of the year” (Franklin Pierce Adams).

I’m slowly but surely on the mend. The fever’s gone, the energy’s returning, and the cough . . . well, as the great philosopher Meat Loaf once said, two out of three ain’t bad.

I never fully appreciate my good health until after I’ve been sick. It’s a lesson I have to re-learn over and over. The pattern goes like: 1) me taking my health for granted, 2) me coming down with a nasty fever, 3) me feeling like death warmed over and wanting to hibernate until spring, 4) me finally mending and getting well, 5) me being grateful for my heath– for a little while.

Then I read about someone who’s way more sick than I ever was. Or someone who’s been fighting chronic illness for years. Or someone who’s life expectancy went from years to months or weeks or even days.

In a culture where we have some of the most advanced medical technology and knowledge, it’s the norm to not give a second thought to your health. It almost feels like a given for most of us that we will live out our 80 years in relative comfort.

But lately, it seems like death has touched so many of my friends’ families. Even some of my friends and family. Sure, some lived to a ripe old age, but too many departed this life much too soon.

So, thank you God for my health. I’m grateful for each day, knowing that tomorrow is neither guaranteed nor promised. I will do my best to appreciate and enjoy and savor this one life as much as I possibly can and never take anyone in my life for granted.