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12 Gifts of Christmas / 10th gift – Humility

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments 
What can I give Him,    Poor as I am? 
If I were a shepherd    I would bring a lamb, 
If I were a Wise Man    I would do my part,— 
Yet what I can I give Him,    Give my heart.   
Christina Rosetti   A Christmas Carol

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. Luke 2:20

I love Christina Rosetti and this poem of hers in particular, but in all actuality the shepherds did not bring a lamb. None of us would have even picked shepherds to invite to the outdoor maternity room. God had chosen Mary for her purity, Joseph reflected obedience and the wise men revealed the royalty of Christ. So what else could be added to that first Christmas? What the shepherds gave was a gift of humility. That gift of their humble praise echoed in the heart of Mary long after the sound of their footsteps vanished back into the night. Their joyful shouts even woke up the villagers and soon the good news of great joy spread throughout Bethlehem. Their very humility lent an authenticity to their message that no strangers bearing costly gifts could bring.

In fact throughout the earthly life of Jesus, that same humility tells the story of God’s love. We see it in a sinful woman’s tears washing Jesus’ feet at the home of a self righteous rich man. And there it is again in the humility of a Samaritan leper’s praise rather than his nine friends who never returned to give thanks. At the end of John’s gospel, Mary Magdalene waits outside the tomb weeping and asking someone she thinks to be the gardener if he knows where Jesus has gone. But when she hears that gardener call her name, she immediately knows that it is Jesus, and she falls in humility at His feet.

And what can we offer Him this Christmas? Costly gifts only reflect our lack of understanding of what matters most to God. He waits for simple shepherds, forgiven sinners, cleansed lepers and the broken hearted of every race, tribe and tongue to come. But if, as Christina Rosetti tells us, we give Him our heart, we will find Him delighted to welcome us for He is at most home with those who most reflect the humble heart of Jesus Christ.

12 Gifts of Christmas / 6th Gift – Joy

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments

In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children. Luke 10:21

At His birth shepherds rejoiced – And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God 

At His touch the leper rejoiced – and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks.

At His sight a sinner rejoiced – So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.

In His arms children rejoiced -And he took them in his arms and blessed them, 

At his son’s return a father rejoiced- Celebrate and be glad… your brother was dead, and is alive

When He called her name Mary rejoiced – “Mary!” Jesus said. She turned to him and cried out,

For bread and fish on the fire the disciples rejoiced – Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish.

At His return to Heaven His Father rejoiced – For the joy that was set before Him He endured

For Joy

From birth with straw and angels
 Through every up and down
 To death with thieves and strangers
 In joy He bore the crown
 And now He's gone to Father’s house
 For us to make a place
 So why not serve with joy right here
 Till when we see His face

For Joy by Peter Caligiuri 2020 All rights reserved
  

Mary’s Treasure

/ pastorpete51 / 8 Comments

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.  Luke 2:19 NIV

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

I fumed in frustration as we sat on the tarmac awaiting clearance for take-off. I could see from my window two mechanics working on the jet engine hanging from the wing on my side of the plane. It wasn’t just the forty-five minutes of waiting that bothered me but also the worry of missing our connecting flight and the feeling of things being out of control in my life.

As Mary pulled the blankets up around her hoping to get some sleep while Jesus dozed in the manger on that first Christmas night, we would certainly have understood if she had felt that way too. After all, she had just traveled 90 miles by donkey while being nine months pregnant. Then, after they arrived in Bethlehem no one had any room for them to stay, so she was forced to give birth in a stable. Finally, just as her newborn baby had settled down and to sleep, a crowd of shepherds stampeded in and began singing and shouting something about angels. Wow what a night! Maybe some of us would have just simply broken down in tears at that point. But the Bible tells us that instead, Mary took time to think about all those things which, were entirely beyond her control. Then instead of complaining, she treasured them in her heart. Mary remembered that everything that had happened that night was because God had promised her a miracle child and on that day she had said, “May it be according to your word.” She knew that even though she wasn’t in control: God was. She knew that regardless of what things looked like from the outside; God was working everything for good. By the way, we had a safe flight; our plane still landed right on time and God taught me that every day is a treasure when we trust in His control.

Mary’s Treasure by Peter Caligiuri 2020 All rights reserved