Back to Normal?

In him was life and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:4-5 ESV

Often our Christmas celebrations end on Christmas Eve. We’ve remembered the stable, the star, the wise men shepherds and Mary. But don’t forget that the next day the shepherds went back to their sheep, the angels to Heaven and Joseph probably got a room at the inn. In other words life pretty much got back to normal – or did it?

The Bible tells us that in Him was life and the life was the light of men. When did that tiny baby begin to shine God’s light? Could it have happened as Mary comforted his cries when they fled from Herod’s soldiers? Could it have begun in Egypt where they lived for years as immigrants and fugitives? The Bible isn’t specific about the details, but tells us that all through those supernatural days and every other day, God’s light was still shining in Jesus.

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So on Christmas morning, whether you are watching your children open gifts or if you are alone with a cup of coffee remember His light is still shining for you. He didn’t come just for days when the wise men opened gifts, the angels sang and shepherds wondered. Jesus came for every dark day. Jesus was born to walk through every war-zone, sit at every kitchen table and ride along in the ambulance to every emergency room. He doesn’t leave us when we fail, get in trouble, or fall ill. He stays through good times and bad. He is not only the light of the world: He is the light of our world and no darkness can ever put it out!

 

Joseph’s Joy

And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. Matthew 1:18-20 ESV

Have you noticed that are many times when God’s plan doesn’t seem at all to line up with our own? We come face to face with circumstances that seem completely unacceptable and yet: we are forced to desperately depend on God. That is exactly how we meet Joseph in his part of the Christmas story. Joseph was a good and kind man who wanted to shield Mary from what he was certain was a betrayal of their trust. But Joseph was also a just man and he knew (At least he thought he knew) that all his plans and hopes for a future life together with his bride to be were finished.

That is where God stepped in with Joseph and where he will step in with us. Whether he sends a message by an angel or if he offers the gentle counsel of His word God is always ready and willing to open the door between heaven and earth and sit down with us in our hard places. If you wait on Him you will feel a tap on your shoulder and hear a voice that says, “Do not be afraid…God still has everything in His control!”

On Tip-Toe

Today I am making available the 2018 Christmas devotional “Mary I Have News” both in a Kindle edition and in paperback. The concept for the theme this year began with a song I wrote last year for our young people to sing for a Christmas program. So often we think of Christmas on that Silent Night when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. But the birth announcement by the angel to Mary marked the moment when God came and entered the world secretly while angels stood on tip-toe to see what God would do next!

The whole creation is on tiptoe to see the wonderful sight of the sons of God coming into their own. Romans 8: 19 Phillips version

Does it seem that Christmas has become tedious or even a bit boring? I recently learned a lesson from our grandson Alex as we walked to the nearby fire station one morning. Along the way he picked up every seed and stick stopping every few feet for new discoveries. When we got to the fire station, he peered through the windows at the fire trucks and even opened their letter box to see their mail!…

Excerpt from Day 1: Mary I Have News: 30 Christmas Reflections (Kindle Locations 27-32). Kindle Edition.

Mary I Have News

Mary I Have News!