May Jesus be your Father, your God, your Counselor, and your Peace this Christmas. He is the greatest gift.
It was Just a Night…
Imagine with me, if you will, what it may have been like for the shepherds on that holiest of nights, so many years ago.
The quiet hillside breathing silently under a clear, star-filled sky; the sound of their flocks settling in, like they always did, with murmurs, rustlings, and scrabbling with the occasional noisy bleat of lambs fussing for a warm spot next to the fluffy ewes.
Shepherds, ever watchful and alert, yet calm and ready for a typical, peaceful night. Perhaps they, too, scoot in close to the warm, fuzzy sheep as the night deepens and the air cools and chills.
Quiet conversations around a small fire and a simple meal, perhaps? Jokes and a recounting of the day wan and fade as the night falls deeper and silence blankets the hillside.
It was just a night until it wasn’t…
Imagine their quiet night suddenly interrupted by the sky exploding in radiant, holy light and sound, like nothing ever seen before—certainly nothing ever seen by a group of tired shepherds outside a sleepy village on a typical night. The terror and fear must have been palpable, washing over them like a terrible nightmare, until they heard the angel’s voice saying, “Don’t be afraid! I bring you good news of great joy for everyone! The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the City of David! And this is how you will recognize Him: You will find a baby lying in a manger, wrapped snugly in strips of cloth!”
Add to this amazing announcement, this supernatural display, the addition of a vast host of the armies of heaven praising God and rejoicing at this beautiful, holy, saving gift just given to all people for all time. A gift that will never be fully understood—mocked, ridiculed, and murdered—yet the only gift that will love, redeem, and save your life and mine.
Imagine that first feeling of terror turning to incredible joy, unspeakable love, and supernatural peace that in all its Divine power was quite possibly unbearable—wild and fierce.
I can feel down to my very bones the uncontrollable need to fall to my knees in reverence, awe, fear, and worship before such an announcement! A Savior, the Messiah, the Holy One come to save—a divine encounter with the King of Kings and the heavenly host. The atmosphere must have been sizzling with a supernatural, divine portent.
When the angels departed, did the shepherds stand around arguing about what they experienced? Did they try to explain away this divine encounter with the supernatural as indigestion, an atmospheric distortion, strange cloud formations, or tainted wine? Did they minimize this gift of love so deep that human minds cannot fathom it? No, they didn’t. They believed. They sought out the Savior to see him, worship him, and accept the love gift freely given to them. They accepted it and shared it with others.
I don’t believe they slept much that night. Returning to their now still and silent hillside, I wonder if they spoke. Did they attempt to recount the events they had just witnessed? Did they fully understand the impact of what they beheld in that lowly stable? How does one explain the Divine? I wonder what changes took place silently in their hearts. Mary quietly treasured all she witnessed that night in her heart, and I believe the shepherds did the same.
It was just a night on a hillside with their sheep until it wasn’t.
1. Luke 2: 10-12
Photo credit: Burkay Canatar
“Earth has no words that can convey the holy calm of a soul leaning on Jesus.” Charles Spurgeon
Read these words again. One more time, and again. There truly are no words that describe the feeling of being immersed in His peace and His presence – fully in. The mysterious calm, the supernatural holiness. The only thing I have found that begins to come close is sitting in nature allowing the creation of His hands, His breath, His heart to wash over me, and surround me, and heal me. Nature speaks of Him always. Every color, sound, and scent leads back to Him. Those who seek Him will find Him.
Photo credit: Emma Giomi
“Only when you first unwrap the gifts of blessings to you can you be wrapped up as a gift of blessings to others. Only when you are overwhelmed with the goodness of God can you overflow with the goodness of God to others.” – Ann Voskamp “The Greatest Gift”
May we be overwhelmed this Christmas season with the goodness of God. The greatest gift ever given to us is His presence. May the overflow of His gift of Himself and His goodness leak out of our hearts, our eyes, our mouths, our voices, and our hands spilling onto everyone we encounter. Blessings upon blessings, gift upon gift – ripples of peace, love, and kindness spinning and circling wider and wider. His coming, Advent, happening everywhere.
Photo by Tofros.com
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[a] (which means “God with us”). Matthew 1:23 NIV
This scripture shows up a lot during the Christmas season. A beautiful celebration and comforting reminder that the Savior came as a helpless baby into a dark world that so desperately needed Him – it still does. We still do.
If we remember this soul-deep anticipation, quickening of the heart, the feeling of something greater than us coming as the holidays pass and life goes back to the humdrum, ordinary business, trials, and victories – might we live a little differently?
I think we might.
Emmanuel, God with us.
Sit in the stillness of this, the power of this, the holiness of this, the immense love that is in this name.
Everything that humanity strives toward, desperately needs, and seeks in all the wrong places is found in this name, Emmanuel. God with us. Jesus. What more could we need?
Jesus is our hope, our protector, our creator, the One who sees us in all of our human messiness and miraculously draws even closer to us because of it. He searches you out in the dark chaos of the world, and calls you by name to just come to Him. That’s all. Just come. Just let Him love you, restore you, heal you, let you by still waters, and lead you to the cross where all that hurts, wounds, and seeks to destroy can be laid down once and for all at His feet.
What might happen if we begin each day with His name in our hearts and on our lips – Emmanuel, God with us, with you, with me. Not just during the holidays, but every single day. He never stops seeking us and finding us, healing us and loving us, delighting in us and going with us in all things ordinary and extraordinary.
May Jesus, the Prince of Peace, Light in the darkness, Healer of hearts go with you today and always. You are loved. Peace be with you. Emmanuel be with you.
Isaiah 41:13 NIV
“For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”
He sees. He knows. The fear that sneaks into your thoughts and intrudes into your daily routine. He is right there waiting for you to grab onto His outstretched hands that have your name engraved in the palms. He is God Almighty, Warrior, Defender, Prince of Peace, Lover of your soul, and Lord of Lords. He’s got you and is telling you not to be afraid. He will help you. Let Him. Release the tight grip you have on whatever that fear, worry, or wound is and let Him take it. Let Him heal you. He is faithful. He is good. He loves you. Peace be with you.
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.” 1 Chronicles 16:34 NLT
I pray you have a beautiful day today. I pray that you find joy and contentment in little things; that your eyes and ears are open to the hidden delights and glimpses of His presence that He’s scattered about your path today. You may have to pause, breathe, and take a moment to look around, but those glimmers and treasures are there waiting for you. He loves you. You are precious. Peace be with you.
I’ve been thinking about blessings lately and the different forms it can take. This excerpt from Divine Appointments… talks about blessings and the different ways it might show up in our lives.
“Some blessings come after the hurt and wounds. The Divine often shows up in miraculous ways, turning devastation into glory, failure into victory, wounding into strength, and the impossible into something to be remembered in awe and reverence because there seemed to be no good ending, yet there was.
To live blessed, we need to be alert and seek it out. It won’t always show up immediately. Blessings may not be dressed up in blissful happiness and a cute outfit. Blessings may come dirty, scuffed up, straggling, and a bit off-kilter, but they will come. I have seen them come in both forms—equally holy, sacred, and consecrated. Blessed.
I want to live with an extravagant hope expecting blessing. I want to bloom where I am planted and thrive, no matter what it looks like. Holy, divine, sacred, and blissful happiness is all around, waiting with open arms for us to slow down and seek it. What is sought will be found.”
Psalm 62:1 NLT “I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him.”
I don’t know what’s weighing heavily on you tonight. But I do know what it’s like to wait on the Lord for answers, for victory, for healing. I know the weight of fear, uncertainty, and soul deep exhaustion.
And…
I know that He is the God of healing, hope, and victory. God of the impossible!
I want to remind you tonight that you are seen. He knows every detail of what happened, what is happening, what is coming, and He is right there in the midst of all of it, working things out for your good. So calm your mind and breathe. Rest your eyes on Him, talk to Him, and wait quietly for Him to redeem, heal, save, and overcome. He has healing in His wings and a plan to prosper you, not to harm you. Be still….
You are loved. Peace be with you.
Extravagant Hope 