1st Day of Advent: Christmas Day

{FOR WEDNESDAY, CHRISTMAS DAY}

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2nd Day of Advent: Worship

{FOR TUESDAY, DEC 24th}

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3rd Day of Advent: the Shepherds

{FOR TODAY, MONDAY, DEC 23rd}

Simple.  Ordinary.  Unimportant.  Those were the qualifications of the first people invited to worship Jesus.  

Life has picked up pace at our house this week.  In the quiet moments, I want to make a point to worship Jesus in my simple, ordinary, unimportant ways.  He invited you to do the same!

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4th Day of Advent: Redemption

Today's verse is the verse I continually pray as a blessing over Rhet.

I've already poured out my heart on this subject here, & here.  (I love how adoption brings us face to face with God's character, His heart for us, His experience with us...)

What is broken in your life? 

Someone once said, "Everything will be okay in the end.  If it's not okay, it's not the end."

For those who hope in the Lord, that statement is anything but trite...

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5th Day of Advent: the Wise Men

{FOR SATURDAY, DEC 21st}

How far would you go to offer a gift to your First Love?

I love this little story from O. Henry...

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6th Day of Advent: Waiting

{FOR TODAY, FRIDAY, DEC 20th}

For today's thought, I leave you with a link to this post from December 2010, when waiting was my all-day-everyday activity.

(Quote from the post:)

"For many people, waiting is an awful desert between where they are & where they want to go...[yet,] all the figures who appear on the first pages of Luke's Gospel are waiting...waiting with a sense of promise...Active waiting means to be present fully to the moment, in the conviction that something is happening where you are, and that you want to be present to it...The spiritual life is a life in which we wait, actively present to the moment, trusting that new things will happen to us, new things that are far beyond our own imagination, fantasy, or prediction. That indeed, is a very radical stance toward life in a world preoccupied with control."

- Henri Nouwen ("Watch for the Light")

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7th Day of Advent: Emmanuel

{FOR THURSDAY, DEC 19th}

What was it like to hunger for God's presence?  To be limited in your contact with Him?  To send someone else into the Holy of Holies for you, behind that heavy curtain, to communicate with God on your behalf?

And then...

He stepped out from behind that curtain and became one of us.

Beginning that day, in the dirty manger, with the shepherds & angels rejoicing, we received the gift of His presence.  He gave Himself.  What better gift can be given?  It is a gift we can receive daily.

Pleased as Man with men to dwell...Jesus, our Emmanuel.

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8th Day of Advent: Manger

{FOR WEDNESDAY, DEC 17th}

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.  When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went & sold all he had and bought that field." (Matthew 13:44)

Would you sell all you had to buy that field?  

Mary & Joseph, desperate for a place to bring the King of Kings into the world, were met with a "no."  Too busy, too full.  Sorry, go elsewhere.

If Christ came to your door today, would you have room for him in your home, in your schedule, in your finances, in your heart?  Or would life be too busy, too full...?

Let's make some room.  Let's free up our lives for the purchase of that field.

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9th Day of Advent: Joy

{FOR TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17th}

Let earth receive her King.

Every ounce of misery, desperation, gloom, sorrow, grief we experience in this life is counterbalanced, no, even more...OUTWEIGHED by the hope of glory.

This is sometimes difficult to perceive, when the weight of this world is crushing us.  

It is in these times that we remember.  We remember the Ebenezers we've placed along our journey--the Lord has helped us THIS far.  (As I think back on God's mighty help in my life, this story always brings tears, gratitude, and strength for new challenges.)

In the meantime, He gives peaces that is beyond what we can understand.  He gives joy that is strength.

Let every heart prepare Him room.

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10th Day of Advent: Loving God & Others

Sorry I'm getting this a bit late to you today, friends!  

{FOR TODAY, MONDAY, DECEMBER 16th}

He came near.  He lived on this earth.  He woke up each morning, went to work, completed each day with family.  He was without sin.  He never missed the mark!  And this is what he said was most important (with His words and His life):

Love God with every fiber of your being.

Love others so much and often that it's as if that love happens by instinct.

In the season celebrating His birth, what will you give the One who has everything?  

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11th Day of Advent: the Angels

{FOR SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15th}

How often do you listen to God?  I preach daily to my young daughter about the importance of listening and obeying, but when it comes to my own life?

God told Mary to do a difficult thing.  Sometimes the Lord asks us to do hard things.  What difficult thing has he asked you to do?  Are you listening?  Are you obeying?

What is happening in your life to which God is whispering, "Do not be afraid..."?  What is He asking you to do that will bring good news to others and cause great joy among those around you?

Pay attention!  The messengers sent in advance are singing:
"Praise, honor, & thanksgiving to the baby King!
Peace will reign among the nations!  He will extend tender & gentle mercy.
He is making a Way back to us!"
 {personal translation of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing"}

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12th Day of Advent: the Star

{FOR SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14th}

How many years in advance did God create the star that would shine out across the universe toward man's wandering eyes on earth to announce His coming?

The deliberateness this star required awes me.  Perhaps months, years, decades, centuries in advance, our Creator formed His own birth announcement.  The light went forth, into the darkness, for months, years, decades, centuries and finally reached eyes that were curious...searching...inspiring worship.

Who are the people He placed in your life months, years, decades ago to shine light into your darkness?  For whom has He prepared YOU to be His Light?  How long will it take for your light to reach their curious, searching eyes?

"...Let it shine, all the time, let it shine..."

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All Things Bright & Beautiful

You know what annoys me?  People shaking their fingers at the general public through social networking.  I fear my own tone could have been misinterpreted as self-righteous yesterday--please forgive me, friends.

Dear Mom-at-the-playground-on-your-iPhone...

Dear People-writing-blog-posts-to-moms-on-their-iPhones-at-playgrounds...

Dear Mom-of-young-children-who-needs-to-enjoy-every-minute...

Dear People-writing-blog-posts-who-forget-what-it-was-like-to-parent-young-children...

Dear People-who-use-Elf-on-the-Shelf-in-overly-creative-ways...

Dear Elf-on-the-shelf-haters...

*sigh*

No one can do anything right these days.

This is what fatigues me about writing words anywhere on the world wide web.  Those words are inevitably torn to shreds by someone else.  (Don't read too far into this--no one tore my words to shreds.  Well, I guess *I* tore my words to shreds later when I re-read my post and thought how differently it sounded than when I was writing it.)  So many of these "open letters" to people that offended us are written in defense of ourselves.

Since when did living your life mean you were living it "against" someone else?  (I love this incredibly freeing (and humorous) blog post by Glennon Doyle Melton about how sometimes we can feel as if people are living their life "at" us.)  Since when was there ONE RIGHT WAY to do ALL THE THINGS?

So, Advent.  The first one occurred in a religious setting where some people (the Pharisees) thought there was only one way to do all the things.  That is back-breaking and spirit-crushing.  Sometimes Christmas can feel that way today.  That is what I love about Charlie Brown Christmas--poor ole Chuck is so burnt out on commercial Christmas, and he's just searching and lamenting until he finds something of substance and meaning.  (Isn't that what Christmas IS all about?)

There are essentials and there are non-essentials.  Essential: worshipping Christ the King, who was, and is, and is to come.  Non-essential: how you want to do that.  With presents busting out the four corners of your house, elves playing nightly shenanigans, annual family photo holiday greeting cards, trees and lights and twinkling, and Santa Clause coming down your chimney with Rudolph to boot.  Or some of that.  Or none of that.  These are the non-essentials.

We should be challenged to think about this.  We should be convicted to be intentional.  We should not feel guilty (or self-righteous) about what we decide versus what others decide.

What moves you to worship?  What stirs your heart with joy?  What captures wonder?  What quiets you with peace?  These are the bright and beautiful things I place before myself and my family at Christmastime.

Are you feeling burnt out and weary or behind on all of it or feeling judged?  Let go of the one right way to do all the things.  Embrace the One who came near to us and gave Himself.

----

I'm sharing tomorrow's (Saturday's) 12th Day of Advent tonight at 6p to give you time to plan/prepare if you are so inclined.  It's my non-essential way ;) of focusing on the bright & beautiful with my family, and I'm happy to share it with you!  

God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlepeople

Our 12 Days of Advent begin this Saturday.  I will post a verse that you can meditate on alone or pray over together as a family, and I will post a little family activity for the day.

Some of the activities are gifts.  Some of the activities are things we do together as a family.  We make these part of what we give at Christmastime.  If you don't have time or money to fit these in, CHANGE THEM to fit your schedule and budget.

Items given during the 12 Days of Advent:
(these can even be items from around your house that you wrap up as a surprise!)
- Holiday PJ's
- Puzzle
- Gift for others (we usually give a donation)
- Stocking stuffers
- A gift that shows the recipient that their life is precious to you (I decorate ornaments)
- A gift that helps the recipient draw near to God
- A gift to give away

You guys, this season is not about breaking our backs so our kids can have special memories.  We forget what can be memorable & meaningful in a child's eyes.  We forget that special memories can be made without the extravagant and exhausting moving of mountains.

Let's all take a deep breath and just focus on the Gift that came...the Gift that is to come.  By all means, let's make some cherished memories & traditions with our family--in a peaceful and unhurried way.

For me, this means saying "no" to a lot of holiday invitations.  I love twinkle lights and ornaments, so we decorate a tree.  I am not big into playing Santa/shelved elves, so we bypass a lot of that.  I love writing handwritten notes to friends, so I send cards.  We have a limited budget, so we "give" experiences as well as things. What does being fully present during this Advent season look like for you?  Undoubtedly, it will be different.

I love Christmas carols--especially the old ones.  I have a friend from Colombia who leads worship in our church and is always lamenting how difficult these carols are to understand and memorize.  This is very true.  But they are also so beautiful, and with a little time spent dwelling on their poetry, we are able to draw so much meaning from them...

I pray the Lord gives you rest, celebrating friends.
Don't let your hearts be troubled--
remember! Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day
to save the world from Satan's power
when we find ourselves lost & wandering.
I pray for comfort over you.  I pray for joy within you.
(My translation of "God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen")

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

A dear friend passed away at the end of last week.  I am processing and grieving and making room in my heart for the space it needs to do those things.

In the midst of this, I feel the weight of a weary world longing for the return of its Redeemer.  I cherish the season of Advent, because it meets us where we are, in any emotion.  Grief, pain, fatigue...joy, anticipation, hope...often intermixed.

A few years ago, we created a "12 Days of Advent" tradition for our family.  I'd love to share it with you, if you'd like a little break from the hustle and bustle and emptiness.

I'll explain how it works tomorrow, and I'll begin posting on our "12th Day" this Saturday.  Whatever you are experiencing in this season, I hope it brings you closer to our Emmanuel.

"O Come thou dayspring*, come and cheer
our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
and death's dark shadows put to flight
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel"

*the beginning of a new era or order of things