Its Christmas Day night. After a whirlwind couple of days, its nice to finally sit down with nothing ahead of me to do, or some place to be. Christmas Eve saw us frantically cooking, wrapping the last of the presents, and cleaning up to attend our church's Christmas Eve celebration. This was at 4pm, and by 5:15 we were heading home for dinner. Some friends came over, and by 10:30pm we were on our way to Grayson UMC for their annual midnight candlelight service, something we've been attending for about 6 years. I think I finally got in bed about 2pm, after some Christmas "final preparations."
Today was even busier. We got up early and did our family Christmas morning together. After presents, we loaded up and drove to my parent's place on Lake Oconee. We enjoyed exchanging gifts with them, and a big Christmas lunch my mom had fixed. By 3pm we were on the road again, driving to Peachtree City for gifts and dinner with Lisa's side of the family. They are always so much fun to spend the day with. Needless to say, I was stuffed and exhausted as we finally pulled back into our own home about 10pm. We had spent nearly 6 hours on the road between destinations, and ate way too much in one day.
As I sit here tonight, the Christmas tree lights still on, the gifts all unwrapped, the leftovers in the refridge, I'm reflecting on the past 2 days. Its been beyond busy- its been downright hectic! But I wouldn't trade the time spent with people I love for anything. My wife & girls, my side of the family, Lisa's family, our church family & friends- these contribute to the warmth of the season for me. And every year the story of the Incarnation, the birth of our Savior, God coming to us by becoming one of us, is made fresh in my imagination and in my heart all over again. It never gets old with me. There is always something new to see and understand, something new to experience, in the Christmas story. Amidst all the noise, lights, crowds, etc., He can still be found, by those willing to search like the shepherds and wise men of old.
I just watched the music video of Faith Hill's "A Baby Changes Everything." What a beautiful song about the birth of the Savior! He did change everything- in the course of human events, in man's access and relationship to God, and in own life as well. The world will never be the same, whether people like it or not. And I certainly will be never be the same either.
That's Christmas.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
I'm sitting here watching our Christmas tree, still lit up before I unplug everything and go to bed. As I look it all over, I see ornaments that bring back memories, ornaments that recall stories for me. I see many old, hand-made ones from when the girls were small, in grade school and even preschool. How some of these have survived over the years is amazing to me. I see ones given to us by old friends, others given to us by friends from previous churches served, that we have lost contact with. I see a silver bell bearing the date, "Noel 1987"- our first Christmas together. I see another one given me by a friend after 9-11-01, commemorating that date in brass. We have a couple that were hand-painted and hand-carved by one of Lisa's relatives, and another that is made of gold, and shaped by a craftsman in Israel. Two of my favorites are ones with the girl's pictures in them, when Ansley was 8 and Kelsey was 6, that were made at New Orleans Seminary when I went down to graduate in 1998. And like on every parents' tree, there are the customary plaster-of-Paris, hand-painted angels they did so many years ago as well.
I've been to people's houses who have these perfect, color-coordinated, professional, cultured, sophisticated Christmas trees- you know the kind I'm talking about. Those are truly beautiful, works of art to be admired in perfectly decorated homes. I'm not knocking those who craft their trees with precision to perfection. But I much prefer our Christmas tree- it may not be the prettiest by some standards, but nearly each decoration tells a story, and each strand is hung as a family. In a literal sense, this is my "family tree", chronicling the years of our marriage and our children.
And every year, I hope we'll still find a way to hang a new memory on one of its branches.
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Today in our Children's Church hours we studied the familiar passage in Mark 2, when 4 guys busted a hole in the roof of a house to lower a paralyzed friend down for Jesus to heal. Its a great story from the Gospels, in so many ways- How Jesus forgave his sin first, how the religious leaders present thought that was blasphemy, then Jesus also healed the man physically, and he walked out in front of God and everybody. Dramatic account, no doubt.
The part I was struck with though, was the determination of those 4 guys. They were willing to do whatever was necessary to put their crippled friend in front of Jesus, and see what might happen. As I prepared earlier in the week, I noted several things. First, these guys are never named. We have no idea who they were. We do know this, however- they believed Jesus was indeed who He said He was. Second, we don't know how the paralyzed guy came to be that way. Either he was born that way, or in some tragic accident he lost the use of his legs or worse. One thing is certain- he could not possibly get himself to Jesus. I think it might have been an accident, because these guys were so determined to see him healed. Had he been born that way, I don't know, folks might have just accepted it as his fate. Just speculating...
Anyway, whatever the cause, these 4 guys knew Who held the cure. I imagine them carrying their disabled friend down the dusty streets, to the house Jesus was teaching in, only to find the place jam-packed with people; filling the house, the windows, the doors, the yard, all trying to see and hear. Most folks would have decided to wait, many would have just given up and carried him back home, but not these guys. Their desperation led to innovation. They climbed up on the flat roof, pulled their bedsheet-bound friend up, then proceeded to smash a gaping hole through roof.
Imagine being in the room while Jesus is teaching. Suddenly, everyone hears loud thumping sounds coming from above, then some dust starts falling, and in minutes, the whole roof caves in! People are screaming, diving out of the way of the falling debris, coughing on the heavy cloud of dust... and as the dust settles, there is Jesus standing over a paralyzed man who had been lowered through the roof. And the rest is history.
A third grader asked me between one of the hours, "What did they do about the hole in the roof?" Great question! Somebody would have to pay for it, somebody would have to rebuild it. I imagine these 4 guys were more than willing, given the fantastic result in their friend's life. They saw an opportunity to bring their friend to Jesus, and they threw caution to the wind in the effort. They got all they came for, and more- their once-crippled friend was not only physically healed, he was made whole in the inside, more importantly.
Then I wonder, how many of us have that kind of determination and even desperation to bring our friends to a place where they can experience Jesus? So often, I don't. I tend to think of too many reasons it won't work, or they won't want to, or the timing won't be right, etc. Bottom line, I can come up with too many excuses. Sometimes, all we need to do is simply share the love of Christ in some tangible way with people, that opens up opportunities to verbally share Him. Other times we can bring our friends, like the 4 friends in Mark 2, to where Jesus is (His Church), so they have opportunity to experience Him. Whatever the occasion, I want to have more of the guts and creativity those 4 guys had. I want to be someone who has a "whatever it takes" attitude about bringing people to Jesus. In light of all eternity, that's all that will really matter- who we brought with us along the way.
If I could write my own epitaph, I would want it to say, "He followed Christ, and brought others along." I think that's the legacy of those 4 anonymous friends, and I hope one day it will be said of me as well.
The part I was struck with though, was the determination of those 4 guys. They were willing to do whatever was necessary to put their crippled friend in front of Jesus, and see what might happen. As I prepared earlier in the week, I noted several things. First, these guys are never named. We have no idea who they were. We do know this, however- they believed Jesus was indeed who He said He was. Second, we don't know how the paralyzed guy came to be that way. Either he was born that way, or in some tragic accident he lost the use of his legs or worse. One thing is certain- he could not possibly get himself to Jesus. I think it might have been an accident, because these guys were so determined to see him healed. Had he been born that way, I don't know, folks might have just accepted it as his fate. Just speculating...
Anyway, whatever the cause, these 4 guys knew Who held the cure. I imagine them carrying their disabled friend down the dusty streets, to the house Jesus was teaching in, only to find the place jam-packed with people; filling the house, the windows, the doors, the yard, all trying to see and hear. Most folks would have decided to wait, many would have just given up and carried him back home, but not these guys. Their desperation led to innovation. They climbed up on the flat roof, pulled their bedsheet-bound friend up, then proceeded to smash a gaping hole through roof.
Imagine being in the room while Jesus is teaching. Suddenly, everyone hears loud thumping sounds coming from above, then some dust starts falling, and in minutes, the whole roof caves in! People are screaming, diving out of the way of the falling debris, coughing on the heavy cloud of dust... and as the dust settles, there is Jesus standing over a paralyzed man who had been lowered through the roof. And the rest is history.
A third grader asked me between one of the hours, "What did they do about the hole in the roof?" Great question! Somebody would have to pay for it, somebody would have to rebuild it. I imagine these 4 guys were more than willing, given the fantastic result in their friend's life. They saw an opportunity to bring their friend to Jesus, and they threw caution to the wind in the effort. They got all they came for, and more- their once-crippled friend was not only physically healed, he was made whole in the inside, more importantly.
Then I wonder, how many of us have that kind of determination and even desperation to bring our friends to a place where they can experience Jesus? So often, I don't. I tend to think of too many reasons it won't work, or they won't want to, or the timing won't be right, etc. Bottom line, I can come up with too many excuses. Sometimes, all we need to do is simply share the love of Christ in some tangible way with people, that opens up opportunities to verbally share Him. Other times we can bring our friends, like the 4 friends in Mark 2, to where Jesus is (His Church), so they have opportunity to experience Him. Whatever the occasion, I want to have more of the guts and creativity those 4 guys had. I want to be someone who has a "whatever it takes" attitude about bringing people to Jesus. In light of all eternity, that's all that will really matter- who we brought with us along the way.
If I could write my own epitaph, I would want it to say, "He followed Christ, and brought others along." I think that's the legacy of those 4 anonymous friends, and I hope one day it will be said of me as well.
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