A Heart Like Mary

It’s hard to think of the nativity without thinking about Mary. Over the past month I’ve reflected on Mary’s posture of obedience, worship, and welcome. Today I’m thinking about her posture of sacrifice. No mother wants to outlive her child or see them suffer.

We know the whole story, a story Mary could only guess at. It begins in Bethlehem with a mother’s welcoming arms, under an earthly father’s protective eye, with the proclamation of angels and welcome of shepherds. It ends with the baby grown up and hanging on a cross outside of Jerusalem. His mother still nearby, but out of arms reach. His disciples scattered like sheep.

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

John 19:25-27

As a mother it’s hard to think about the pain Mary endured seeing her son mocked and suffering, unable to comfort him or stop it. Some of Jesus’ last words were instructions for the care of his mother. She was with him at the beginning and with him at the end. It must have cost her a great deal to love her son, and then release him to his destiny. We don’t have any reason to think she tried to stand in his way. She let Jesus be Jesus.

It’s easy to think of a cozy stable and sweet family at this time of year and forget all of the sacrifices involved in the advent. Jesus sacrificed his privileged, eternal position and power, limiting himself to life as a human. Mary sacrificed her comfort, reputation, and her heart. Everyone who encountered Jesus, and were faced with the decision of embracing him as the God/man, faced their own sacrifice, whether it be reputation, comfort, change of career, humility, financial loss, or loss of family. To love is to risk.

Mary unflinchingly leads the way. From the first moment she responded in obedient submission and embraced the sacrifice that would mark her journey. If she could have known how painful it would have been, would she have responded without hesitation? Often it’s a mercy not to see the end at the beginning. Each step of faith is enough, met with power and grace from our generous God.

We have the same invitation set before us. The baby has come, he grew up, sacrificed his life as a ransom for us all, rose to take his position of authority over all created things, and invites us to lay everything down to embrace him. Will we? Sacrifice will be involved; death to pride, trusting God with what we treasure most, acknowledging his authority, embracing humility, facing misunderstanding, walking out of step with this world and in step with his kingdom.

But the sacrifice is worth it. The Bible doesn’t record a post-resurrection meeting between Jesus and his mother, but it does say that he appeared to over five hundred of his followers at different times. (1 Corinthians 15:5-7, John 21:14, Mark 16:12-14, Acts 1:3) Considering her position and presence among his followers throughout the gospels I can only imagine that Jesus certainly appeared to his mother. What must she have felt? Her obedience and worship, trust and sacrifice had paid off! Her son was alive! Not only that, he had purchased life for the whole world.

Are we willing to obey like Mary? To worship, welcome others in, and sacrifice like Mary did? We may not see the fruit of our obedience right away, but the testimony of Mary and Jesus’ followers give us hope and courage that our sacrifice will be rewarded. We will experience life, whole and restored, and shared with Jesus himself.

 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John 20:30-31

What are we willing to lay down, for Jesus’ sake, in order to embrace all he has for us?

A Warm Welcome

This advent season I’ve been reflecting on Mary’s posture of receiving and praise. Today I’m thinking about the way God positioned her to welcome.

I vividly remember the experience of becoming a mother for the first time. The hours and days after I had delivered our son were so sweet. I loved introducing him to the dear friends who came to the hospital. The day after he was born was a Sunday. I was glad of the quiet while everyone was at church to take time to study his tiny face, pray, and rest.

I can’t imagine how I would have felt if strangers had come to my hospital room or house to see my infant son! But that’s what happened to Mary. Shepherds came with an audacious story, wanting to see the Savior. Although after all that had happened and the angelic encounters she was probably surprised by very little anymore!

Once the shepherds had seen Jesus they told more people, who may also have wanted to see him for themselves. Later she had foreign visitors show up unannounced. Even Anna and Simeon wanted to hold and prophesy over her baby.

What was Mary’s response? The Bible doesn’t say explicitly, but given her initial answer to Gabriel’s announcement and her song of praise, we can imagine she took these visits in stride. Mary understood that Jesus was for everyone. She contemplated what was happening around her, but she didn’t stand in its way.

 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 

Luke 2:19

Mary understood God had a plan of redemption that centered on Jesus and included her. She didn’t protect her child from the shepherds, wealthy easterners, or old sages. She gave them access to their Savior, recognizing her role was to deliver him and then trust God.

Do we allow the people around us access to Jesus? Strangers, rich, poor, old, young? They may show up in our lives at inconvenient times or be unconventional seekers, but if Mary could welcome strangers and give them access to her child, so can we. Keeping Jesus tucked securely away, a private treasure to guard, ignores his purpose. He was born to be shared.

“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about”… When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.” 

Luke 2:15,17-18

Who are you welcoming into your life so that they can see Jesus?

Leaders of Lament

News broke today of at least 600 bodies of indigenous children discovered buried at the Marieval Indian Residential School in Canada, following the discovery of at least 215 bodies last month at another school in Kamloops. The finding is a gruesome reminder of the quiet suffering indigenous people in North America have endured over many decades. A painful reminder of the church’s culpability in forcing assimilation in the name of faith.

After a while it’s easy to feel numb to the story; a strong person, group, or society abuses and dominates a weaker person, group, or society. Nothing is new under the sun. When we hear of such injustices how do we respond? And by we I mean those of us who follow the Jesus way.

I think the answer is found in lament.

It is appropriate that governments, institutions, and individuals confess specific sins committed against people, families, and groups. But beyond that, in the larger community, when violations against humanity come to light, it is appropriate for us to raise our voices in corporate lament. The people of God should always lead the way – because we know the value of all human life created in the image of the God we worship and serve, because we know the way of grace and our own desperate need for it, because we love humility and the fruit of reconciliation it brings.

Today I had a tough conversation with my thirteen year old, unrelated to the news from Canada. She told me she wondered if she could believe in an all powerful God who would allow suffering and people to be so unkind to each other. I told her it was a good question. A question a God as big and just as I believe ours is, can handle. She is the reason we followers of Jesus should be the first to lament. Her cry is as old as humanity. Why God?

Lament is good for those suffering; being heard and believed is a step in the path of healing. Lament is good for those of us witnessing suffering; it keeps us tender and accountable. Lament is good for the next generation; full of questions, they need our example.

In the face of injustice no one wants pat answers. Not even God, if the book of Psalms, Job, and Lamentations are any indication. Lament is a posture. It wards off defensiveness, excuses, and tidy answers. It welcomes space for messy emotions, the process of healing, and the active presence of God.

Lament isn’t something we think or talk about often, but maybe it should be. Here are a few observations I have about lament.

• It is work. A few I’m sorry words aren’t going to cut it. As I said before it’s a posture that takes time to cultivate and intention to live out. Followers of Jesus should be in the practice of grieving sin and its affects on the world.

“Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4

• It’s a season. It would be hard to live in lament all the time, constantly grieving. But there are appropriate seasons for grief and godly sorrow balanced, as we see in the Psalms, by times of joy.

“Why, my soul, are you downcast?
    Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
    for I will yet praise him,
    my Savior and my God.” Psalm 43:5

• It is empowered by God. All humans have the capacity to feel sad and raise their voices over injustice. But I believe the truest and best lament happens when we ask God to give us a love for mercy and justice like his.

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

It’s tempting to want to leave the past to the past, but when people today are living with consequences birthed from past actions, compassion insists we respond. A good place to start is with a listening and open heart. It’s the least we can give to people who have stories that need telling, and perhaps we can learn from history important lessons that will guide us in the future.

We can also commit our response to prayer. Asking the Holy Spirit to guide our response is a good way to align our hearts with God. He will show us where we need to repent, comfort, or reconcile. One of the things that endears Jesus to me most from his time on earth was his willingness to bend low and listen to the stories happening around him, to touch the people who were suffering, to cry with and comfort the grieving.

Let’s be like Jesus.

Does Justice Matter?

What is justice and why is it so important?

That’s the question that’s been on my mind lately. For those of us who love Jesus the outrage and pain we see boiling over in the world around us should grab our attention. When seeking understanding it’s good to listen to a variety of voices and experiences, to history, and even to stories that make us uncomfortable. Ultimately we need to seek the meaning of justice in God’s word. What does justice mean to God?

I’ve always loved the beautiful passage found in Micah 6:8

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

We love that verse, don’t we?! Simple, clear, lovely. It’s important to understand that these words ring out in direct contrast to the rest of Micah’s book.

In the first three chapters God’s anger at his people is poured out. He calls them out for their faithlessness. They’ve mixed their worship of him with the worship of other things. Idols yes, but also a commitment to their own comfort. However God’s disgust is just as harsh, maybe more so, over their injustice. He calls their leaders haters of good and lovers of evil because they oppress the weak, take advantage of widows, cheat, take bribes, lie, are violent, use people for their own gain. Equity, justice, cannot be found in Israel. God is angry, heart broken. 

The unjust rulers of Israel are warned they’re in for trouble. They will be conquered by a foreign power. Being carried off to a foreign country is more than punishment, though, God’s purpose is to refine them and make them the people they’re supposed to be. People who reflect his character. In chapter 5 we hear words of hope, the promise of the coming Peacemaker, the mighty ruler who will sit on David’s everlasting throne. The coming Messiah who will bless the entire world with his shepherd-leadership. God’s people had been short sighted but God hadn’t lost sight of his goal.

What is God’s goal?

“God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.”

Ephesians 1:9-11 sums up the plan of God in just a few verses. From Genesis to Revelation every single word of the bible points to one thing: Unity! The eternally existing, communal God had one purpose for creation, for everything and everyone to be united under his loving rule.

I don’t think it’s inconsequential that the last day of Jesus’ earthly life his prayer focus was for unity. He prayed in John 17 that,

“they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.”

These words are explosive! Subversive! Revolutionary! They are the heart of the gospel. The gospel is the good news of oneness. An invitation to oneness with God and each other. If heaven is the presence of God, then hell is his absence. That is what he’s saving us to, his presence. The good news is that the Father loves us as much as he loves his Son! Wow!

So what does unity have to do with justice?

Justice is the pathway to unity. When the Israelites behaved unjustly God was furious. Not because he’s a vindictive God on an ego trip. But because they had risked and damaged the pathway to unity with God! Micah is a picture of God’s response to injustice because of his love. It’s a hint of his promised Savior to restore unity. And it’s a picture of what a unified creation can be.

Justice is at the heart of the gospel. If we, as God’s people, do not reflect his heart of justice then we stand in the way of the gospel.

Think of justice as a road. If the road is well paved, smooth, free of potholes and debri we can travel easily on it. But if the potholes of inequality, the roadblock of dishonesty, the looting of exploitation, the burden of perfection, the debri of indifference damages the road it becomes impassible. God takes unity seriously, and we should as well. Unity cannot exist where there is injustice, because then the God of the bible is not being worshipped, our own idols of pride and comfort are.

Justice matters because unity matters.

It’s in this context that the life giving words of Micah 6:8 ring out:

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

In these verses he’s offering the pathway of salvation. Not a religious system. Not sacrifice or songs, gifts or traditions. Actions of justice and mercy, and a humble walk with God. Simple. Costly. Impossible. Unless we value unity with Jesus, through the power of his Spirit, as our prize. No idols of comfort, status, knowledge, or even good works.

In this moment of racial and economic inequality what does that mean for us? I believe it starts with seeing the entire scope of the Bible as an invitation to unity. It’s a generous offer we’ve been given but we have to let go of pride, success in this world, staking a claim on earthly territory. The world’s kingdom is incompatible with God’s kingdom. But what we gain! A place of belonging in the trinity and his family!

When we understand God’s kingdom women don’t need to seek equality with men; black people don’t need to settle for equality with white people; poor people won’t need to focus on the equality of wealth or education. Because unity with Jesus himself is on the table! Access to his heart, his resources, his power, his love, his name, his family! He legitimizes our very being. For believers in Jesus there is absolutely no room for racism, exploitation, or pride in that understanding. We can humbly stand side by side, maintaining the road of justice, in loving acts of service.

“O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”

Let’s be the embodiment of Jesus!

 

Good Friday – An Invitation to Grieve Broken Unity

What was Jesus’ highest priority?

What is ours? Do they match?

Freedom, I would argue, may be our highest priority. But that wasn’t Jesus’. From what I can see in scripture unity was, and is, his highest value. Freedom, is just a tool.

We were made for God. Independence isn’t an option. We will give our allegiance to someone. Autonomy is an illusion.

God himself is a united being. Eternally one with himself. Such a strange concept! One I think the western church struggles to understand.

The unity of God is better illustrated on Good Friday than any other day. Jesus’ death was a brutal, bloody one, but people have died gory deaths since the beginning of time. Two people died alongside Jesus in the same manner that day. It wasn’t the horror of Jesus’ death that saved us, it was his separation from the Father.

For the first time in all of eternity God was separated from himself.

We focus on Jesus ‘personal sacrifice for me.’ But Jesus sacrifice wasn’t individualistic, it was communal. Jesus took his freedom and laid it on the altar of obedience to his Father, in service to his brothers and sisters. Ultimately he drowned his freedom at the bottom of a dirty wash basin when he washed the feet of his disciples. Setting the example for every disciple to come.

This day is all about community. It’s is a powerful reminder that devotion to personal freedom can rot the heart right out of the gospel.

Jesus spent his earthly life focused on unifying mankind with God. That is the kingdom. A common unity among brothers and sisters focused on the glory of God for the good of one another.

In a season of isolation maybe we can identify a little more closely with what Jesus was truly losing. Of course the physical suffering hurt him. But it was the isolation from those he loved, rejection from the Father, that was the real wounding. At the cross Jesus was stripped of intimacy with his Father, and fellowship with his earthly community. Unity was broken.

You can hear it in his words from the cross “At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” Matthew 27:24

What does that mean for us?

Perhaps this time of distance from one another is an invitation to reevaluate what common unity was meant to look like. How did hot headed Peter and tax collecting Matthew get along with the political zealot Simon? All of their priorities were overshadowed by the overwhelming priority of being part of Jesus’ kingdom, which looked completely different than the kingdoms they had been serving and creating.

Our churches are made up of Peters and Matthews and Simons. We are exactly the same. With our political bents, social ideologies, fears, paranoia, ambitions. We all have kingdoms we serve and build. It’s our nature. Unity kills every one of those things.

We can’t serve ourselves and be united to the priorities of another. We can’t walk in step with the Holy Spirit and each other if we walk our own path.

I really believe the only thing to do is get out the wash basin. Unity doesn’t mean we agree on everything. It means our single focus, Jesus and his kingdom, binds us together. We agree with him so that we can love and serve one another.  

I don’t know exactly what that looks like day to day. I struggle with jealousy, resentment, and pride far too much to have practiced unity and sacrificial love enough to know how to tell you how to do it. 

But I do think it means not being consumed by the news of the world’s temporary kingdoms. I think it means not identifying people as an enemy but as the beloved, even if they don’t act like it or realize they are. I think it means instead of weighing in on every issue we go to God and lift up the world that so desperately needs to throw off the shackles of sin to walk in the freedom of submission to God’s loving authority.

Jesus set us free from the bondage of sin, darkness, and self to live in the joy of unity with him and one another.

Good Friday invites us to grieve the brokenness of unity.

This year is a unique opportunity to feel the heaviness of separation. Grief can do a powerful work in our hearts. It strips away the superfluous and highlights the critical. It births gratitude. It forges resolve to devote ourselves to what is of value. It drives us to the heart of God.

Let’s thank Jesus that he endured rejection and suffered broken unity in our place, so that we could be re-united with God and one another. How great our celebration will be when we can be physically present as a community again! 

A Prayer for God’s Presence

This past week has been a strange one, on a global and personal scale. So much has changed in just one week. Like many others, my family has spent the last seven days at home, keeping our distance from the outside world. It has been both peaceful and unnerving. I’ve had ample time to read and watch – the Bible, articles, books, documentaries.

I’m reminded of two things. Terrible, frightening, life altering events have happened in our world before, many times over. And, God has always stepped into those moments. Always. Most dramatically he stepped into the mess of the world in the person of Jesus centuries ago. He put on skin and came to a country occupied by the Roman super power, a world full of conflict and suffering.

Whenever humans suffer God is willing to draw near. It’s our responsibility to call out to him and look for him. It’s also our responsibility to be willing to reflect him, giving the world a glimpse of his merciful action. That is what the world needs now more than anything. The presence of God.

It may seem that there is little we can do in this situation. The best place to start is in prayer. Prayer can change the dynamic of any circumstance.

God we pray that you would be moved to act in mercy for your world. For people suffering, may your presence bring comfort. For those in need, help them, by your Spirit, to call on your name and rest in your goodness. For the grieving, we ask that you sit with them in their grief, and that their grief would bend their hearts toward yours.

God we pray that your presence would give strength to the helpers. For the doctors, nurses, first responders, and anyone else bearing a burden of care, will you renew their energy and give them hope. Help them to give care with your wisdom and compassion. And would you make their efforts effective.

God we pray that you would be present with those of us at home. Help us to set the tone of hope and peace for our children, parents, spouses and friends. In unplanned circumstances enable us to see the underlying gift of time. Let our homes be a place of refuge that you fill with your presence.

God we pray for grace for the high school seniors who had expectations and hopes. Help them to grieve honestly, to be creative in their response, and to see the big picture. We pray that they will not be defined be disappointment or defeat, but that they will embrace the challenge to be resilient, problem solvers, and compassionate. May the world be better because they were launched in a season of crisis, and they decided to be brave instead of bitter.

God we pray your power for the church, that you would animate her with your presence. When the world is afraid may we live with bold faith. When others are self preserving may we be generous. May our voices be joyful, our actions kind, our hope eternal, and our example encouraging. May the world know your love because of us.

“You will show me the way of life,
granting me the joy of your presence
and the pleasures of living with you forever.” Psalm 16:11

In these first days of altered social interactions how have you seen God working? What do you need prayer for?

Advent Week 4 – An Invitation

I struggle with the word Christian. When Jesus started his earthly ministry he didn’t invite people to a new religious order. He didn’t come as a spiritual leader in the traditional sense.

He came as the way back to the Father. When he began his ministry he simply asked people to “follow me”.

Jesus extended an invitation.

The first disciples, Peter, James, John, and the rest, weren’t Christians. They were Jesus followers. Disciples.

When Jesus was born, the people inhabiting his world, up close and far away, received an invitation. The first invitation was to come and see. The shepherds were invited, and they invited others. The wise strangers were invited. We can only presume they carried stories of their wonderful meeting home with them. As Jesus grew he continued the invitation.

As is typical of humans we’ve added policies, traditions, systems, and formula to the act of following Jesus. It’s in our nature to do. I fall into that habit and live inside the framework too. But sometimes when I take a good look at Jesus I find him at odds with the framework we’ve created.

Jesus didn’t come to establish a new religion. He came to extend an invitation. To lead us home to the Father. 

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?” Luke 14:26-28

Strange verses for an advent reflection, perhaps. But even at the moment of his conception Jesus was asking people to lay down their lives in response to his invitation. Mary had to despise her own reputation and risk estrangement from her family to welcome Jesus. Joseph risked being laughed at for accepting Marry’s story and raising a baby that wasn’t his. The shepherds were unclean, and often unwelcome in polite society. They risked showing up. The magi risked a long, costly, dangerous journey in response to their invitation.

Jesus will always invite us to lay down our lives, our rights, our possessions, our status, even our relationships to embrace the superior worth of himself. He invites us to count the cost of the journey, a lifelong pursuit of him. Ultimately, Jesus invites us to die.

I’ve often wrestled with this reality. I told my husband recently, “He’s always asking me to die! It seems like all I’m ever doing is dying!”

That’s what discipleship is. A death to our own rights, agenda, preferences, fears, opinions, timing, and even needs. All in order to pick up Jesus’ worth, agenda, values, strength, understanding, and character. Who wouldn’t want that?! To have access to such a valuable thing as God’s nature! But pride’s the enemy. Humbling ourselves, submitting, yielding – it’s not in our human nature.

A heart that counts the cost, dies to self, and responds to the invitation of Jesus – that is absolutely the greatest miracle of all time.

There is nothing sweet about Jesus in the manger. His humility was fierce. It set a precedent for the way we are to live. Personally I’m still figuring out what that looks like. I will be until my last breath.

This week I didn’t choose humility. I didn’t die to my rights or my flesh. I shared an opinion I didn’t need to share in a place I didn’t need to share it. Life presents continual opportunities to practice humility, to join Jesus in laying down our life. Life seems to be one big practice session, exercising our faith muscles, trimming away the fat of self! At each step Jesus invites us, come, keep following.

Maybe Jesus follower is a better descriptor than Christian for what I want to be. The word Christian has picked up a lot of baggage over the centuries. Baggage I want to be rid of. To be honest, I wouldn’t die for the sake of Christianity. Jesus on the other hand, I’ll die for him.

How will you respond to the invitation? Is Jesus worth dying for?

Let’s pray: Jesus, thank you for your example of humility. Thank you for calling us to something better than a life of allegiance to ourselves. When you ask us to give up our rights, possessions, and comfort help us to see what we gain, not what we lose. And forgive us, please, for the times we haven’t responded to your invitation to follow with lives of humility. Thank you for the humility of the manger, we love you for it. Amen.

Advent Week 3 – An Invitation

How often do we close the door to our messy bedroom when company comes over, or scramble to straighten up when an unexpected visitor is on their way? I’ve stuck dirty pans in the oven before! We know we’re really comfortable with someone when we let them see our mess, and maybe not even feel embarrassed!

Advent is God’s invitation to us to draw near to him. But maybe it’s also our invitation to God to draw near to us in our mess.

Jesus was born into a mess. A Roman occupation. A poor family. A crowded Bethlehem, filled with travelers, with everyone having to make space.

Jesus isn’t put off by our mess. He’s not surprised by it. Our personal and global messiness is why he came. He’s not a Savior standing at a heavenly distance. He’s a Savior who got his feet dirty, wading right into our need.

Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. Ephesians 1:4-5

If you’re anything like me, the messiness of your life occasionally embarrasses you. I’ve even been embarrassed by my need of God. Ephesians 1 says that God isn’t at all put off by our need of salvation. He doesn’t resent us. Didn’t even feel begrudging, weary, or put out by our need to be rescued. He was pleased to step into our need and meet it with the gift of his dear Son.

We can lament our brokenness. We can grieve the wrongs we’ve done, and that have been done to us. We can even feel sorrow at the cost Jesus had to pay to fix our brokenness. But we shouldn’t feel shame. God is not ashamed of us. In his perfect wisdom and justice he deemed the price of his Son to be worth paying to buy us back.

So don’t hold Jesus at arms length this Christmas, worshiping him at a heavenly, gilded distance. Invite him in. Even if your heart and home are a little chaotic and messy. He wants to be near. Close enough to get dirty.

Take a moment to sit in the quiet. Even if there are things to be done, or you have to move laundry off the couch to sit down! Ask Jesus to meet you in the mess of your holiday season, in the mess of relationships, disappointments, fatigue, even the mess of unbelief. He will meet you there. He’s come to a mess before, and he’ll do it again. Gladly. Willingly. With great love and patience.

His presence was worth the wait, and it’s worth pursuing now.

Let’s pray: Jesus thank you for entering into our mess. Thank you for making us whole and washing our dirty feet. We’re so thankful. Help us to welcome you in again this season, without embarrassment or hesitation. Amen.

Advent Week 1 – An Invitation

In the last year or so I’ve become interested in the enneagram personality profile. No personality test is perfect, but what I like about the ennagram is that it focuses on motivation, which is deeper than behavior. I’ve learned a lot about myself.

I’ve always had a gnawing ache, this feeling that I’m looking for a place of belonging. It’s as if I’m waiting for my invitation, but it got lost in the mail. I’ve learned that’s a common sensation for 4s, my enneagram number. I’m wondering, though, if more people struggle with a sense of belonging than actually let on. Advent is, I believe, the answer to that longing.

I love the season of advent. The celebration of Christmas can be stressful, present buying, a full schedule, but setting aside time to remember the coming of Jesus, the God man, is special to me.

For years I’ve written advent reflections. This year the word on my heart is invitation.

In Luke 1 we meet sweet Mary. She lived in a time of turmoil and conflict. Roman occupation, and the silence of God to his people, painted a dreary landscape for Israel’s inhabitants. It’s in this moment that Gabriel has a conversation with Mary. He paints a pretty incredible picture. Her well laid plans are changing.

Mary’s been noticed by God, and he’s pleased with her! He has a mission. She’s been invited into the eternal plan. The plan to bring estranged humanity back home. The garden was a failed experience of relationship between God and people, but distance isn’t acceptable. Human’s had to leave the garden (Genesis 3) so God is bringing the garden to them. He’s determined to live with his people. Even at great cost to himself.

In this context the angel speaks to Mary of pregnancy, God’s Son, holiness, a king. Mary’s response? “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” Luke 1:38

John records the coming of Jesus like this. “So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son… No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.” John 1:14, 18

The glory of God was incubated in a young woman’s womb. If you’ve birthed children you know there is nothing more intimate than a shared living space for two people. Have we considered what God was conveying in his choice to identify with and be a part of humanity? God’s tenacity is clear in the arch of scripture’s story. He will be with us! From Eden to the New Heaven’s and New Earth, God’s goal is union with people.

Humanity’s problem is that we pursue our own glory, even when the glory of the One and Only is right before us.

There is no greater invitation! God showed up on our doorstep. He came to us. If we let him in, truly, fully. Not just acknowledge him, but welcome him inside of our most intimate places, he will inhabit us, just like he did Mary. Let’s respond like she did, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”

We have been invited to be a part of the advent story. It’s not something that happened long ago, and far away. It’s still happening. “He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:10-12

Will you recognize him, accept him, and be a child of God? It’s quite an invitation! Nothing satisfies the ache of wanting to belong like going from being an outsider to becoming an insider through Jesus!

Let’s pray:
Jesus, this advent help us to hear your invitation to enter into your story and be present. Thank you for coming to us and transforming us from outsiders to insiders. And help us to pass on the invitation to others. Amen.

Gratitude – What the World Needs

Almost three years ago my husband and I adopted a preteen girl. The first year was much harder than she, or I, thought it would be. She’s thirteen now and we were just recently talking about the early days of our relationship. Perspective is a beautiful thing! We were both able to own our struggles and confusion, and give thanks for the way we’ve grown as a family.

What does adoption have to do with gratitude? As we’re closing down national adoption month adoption has been on my mind. I think November is the perfect time to highlight adoption. It’s the abundance of our own lives, recognizing God’s amazing kindness to us, that makes space for another in our homes and hearts.

Ephesians 1:4-6 tells us the gospel, at it’s heart is adoption; ^“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.”

The beauty of adoption is that it’s the physical preaching of the gospel. 

I’m not saying that all of God’s people who are thankful for their salvation need to go out and adopt. I may have said that a decade ago in naive enthusiasm! Not now. Adoption is as beautiful as it is hard. A lot goes into that decision. God will guide and provide at just the right time if that is what he has for a person, we need only keep our hearts open.

What I am saying is that God’s love should so profoundly affect us that our lives are lived in an outpouring of gratitude that honors him and blesses others. In Genesis 12 God told Abraham he was going to make him great, famous even, he was going to bless him, all for the purpose of blessing others through him. Does that principal not stand? God loves the world, so much that he spent the life of his Son to buy humankind back from the decay of sin to walk in life. Through his Son he’s invited us into the blessing. We’re now on mission with him to bless others, to point to the generosity of the Son.

I don’t know how God has gifted you, but I do know he has given you tools to make you a blessing. It may be material wealth or influence, it may be a platform of suffering, it may be a strong family, intelligence, creativity, or humor. Whatever it is the gratitude of Jesus’ love for you can release amazing blessing in this world.

Here are a few ways you can prepare your heart to bless others:

• Start by giving thanks for the love of Jesus and the blessings you’ve received through him. If you have a hard time seeing how you’ve been blessed ask him to show you. I’ve learned that in the hands of God even suffering can turn into a gift. You can even use the Psalms to jump start your thanksgiving, David is highly relateable!
• Ask God what he’s given you that he would want you to share with others, and to help you see the people he’s brought into your life to bless. It’s easy, in the business of life, to miss the people he has for us to love. Allow him to have access to your heart, your material blessings, and your time.
• When gratitude to Jesus pours out of your heart in acts of service to others it can be a really encouraging experience, it can also be very stretching! Allow him to grow you. Ask him to shape you and give you his character. God’s economy is amazing, he can bless others and grow us at the same time!

As our daughter has become more at home with us and we’ve grown into a family, my favorite aspect of her adoption is that she has grown a grateful heart that wants to serve. I know God will use the pain of her past and redemption of her story to bring glory to him and comfort to others one day. I’m excited to watch her become a blessing. That wouldn’t happen if her heart stayed wounded and shrunken in bitterness, it’s only through the perspective of gratitude to God that her story has power.

How has God blessed you? How can you give him thanks by blessing others? Our world is in need of grateful people.

{This post is shared with permission from our daughter}