While Joseph was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, the baby that Mary will have is from the Holy Spirit. Go ahead and marry her. Then after her baby is born, name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” So the Lord’s promise came true, just as the prophet had said, “A virgin will have a baby boy, and he will be called Immanuel,” which means “God is with us.”

 After Joseph woke up, he and Mary were soon married, just as the Lord’s angel had told him to do. But they did not sleep together before her baby was born. Then Joseph named him Jesus.

Matthew 1:20-25 CEV

My favourite line in this evening’s gospel passage is “So the Lord’s promise came true, just as the prophet had said…”  I love it because it reminds me that God is good to His word. He makes promises and keeps the promises He makes. Not always as quickly as I might like, and not always in the ways I expect, but he ALWAYS keeps His promises.

The people of Israel expected the Messiah to be a strong king with a sword in his hand, not a little baby. They had waited for the Messiah to arrive for at least 600 years. They must have wished, and hoped, and prayed that it would happen sooner than it did.

But God’s timing is different from ours. And like His promises, his timing is perfect. Jesus came at the right time, and so the Lord’s promises came true.

What promises has God made to you? Have the come true in the time and the way you expected, or have they taken a different route entirely? Spend some time in prayer today thanking God for his faithfulness, his patience, and his creativity in fulfilling the promises He had made.

I am thinking tonight about the fact that when Jesus was born, it wasn’t into a nice, neat, acceptable sort of family. I am thinking about the fact that he was born under slightly awkward circumstances.

The Bible says:

This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

Matthew 1:18,19 NLT

See? It’s just kind of awkward. Poor Joseph – what do you do when your fiance tells you she’s pregnant by the Holy Spirit? Imagine the shame that would have gone alone with this.

But I have to admit, I like Joseph’s heart. He does not want to embarrass the woman he is planning on marrying, so he plans to quietly end the engagement. To minimize the damage to her reputation. There is kindness in that.

I find it endlessly comforting that when God steps down into human history he doesn’t come in a nice, neat package. That instead he steps into messy-ness and confusion and awkwardness. That when God becomes a human, he becomes FULLY human, not some cleaned-up-and-perfect version of human.

That’s the kind of God that I get excited about. One who doesn’t stay separate from our mess, but actually comes down to be part of it, and then – as only God can do – redeems it and makes it holy.

Next time you find yourself in an awkward, messy situation, I encourage you to turn it over to God. It really is amazing what He can do to change something awkward into something beautiful.

 

Today has been a crazy-busy day. A wonderful day, but absolutely exhausting. Just the thought of writing a blog post is almost more than my poor body and brain can handle.

So I am not going to write much today. Instead I give you this Scripture:

And you, my little son,
will be called the prophet of the Most High,
because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
You will tell his people how to find salvation
through forgiveness of their sins.
Because of God’s tender mercy,
the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
and to guide us to the path of peace.

Luke 1:76-79

This is part of Zechariah’s song of praise on the occasion of the birth of his son, John (the one who would be come known as John the Baptist, who would prepare the way for Jesus’ ministry).

And this picture:

And this reminder:

That God is the one who shows tender mercy to us. Even now, the morning light of heaven is breaking upon you, giving light to those who have been in darkness and guiding us to path of peace. Praise God!

The second half of Mary’s song goes like this:

The Lord has used
his powerful arm
to scatter those
who are proud.
He drags strong rulers
from their thrones
and puts humble people
in places of power.
God gives the hungry
good things to eat,
and sends the rich away
with nothing.
He helps his servant Israel
and is always merciful
to his people.
The Lord made this promise
to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his family
forever!
Luke 1:51-55 CEV

What I find amazing about Mary’s words is the way that God is always for the disenfranchised or the marginalized. He takes power away from the powerful and gives it to the humble.

There’s a Casting Crowns song I love (ok, there are a LOT of Casting Crowns songs that I love…if you don’t know who they are – youtube them to find out…they are one of the best things out there in Christian music today!) called God is With Us. The lyrics to the chorus are:

Love is raining down on the world tonight
There’s a presence here I can tell
God is in us, God is for us, God is with us, Emmanuel
He’s the Savior we have been praying for
In our humble hearts He will dwell
God is in us, God is for us, God is with us, Emmanuel

I find that one phrase “God is for us” going through my head a lot, lately. It’s what when through my mind as I read the second part of Mary’s song in order to write this post. Have you ever felt overlooked? Less than powerful? Hungry? Do you think of yourself as just an ordinary guy or just an ordinary girl?

Yeah, me too.

The good news is that God is for US. The good news is that Christ was born for US. Because God is always merciful to his people.

And that is the truth that keeps me going. May it also be the truth that keeps you going.

After Mary was visited by the Angel, she went to visit her cousin Elizabeth in Judea. Elizabeth had received her own miracle when God made it possible for her to bear a child in her old age. While they were talking, Mary burst out with some words of worship…often these words are referred to as The Magnificat or Mary’s Song.

Mary said:
With all my heart
I praise the Lord,
and I am glad
because of God my Savior.
He cares for me,
his humble servant.
From now on,
all people will say
God has blessed me.
God All-Powerful has done
great things for me,
and his name is holy.
He always shows mercy
to everyone
who worships him.

Luke 1:46-50 CEV

Tonite I am thinking about worship. I had the most unique experience I’ve had in years this evening. The choir from my church sang back up for an Elvis impersonator. It was…amazing. SO MUCH FUN! We oohed and aaahhhed our way as Elvis’ back up through a number of Christmas songs and classics (Burnin Love was my personal favourite!). And then, right near the end of the concert, Elvis stopped the song he had just started. He said he wanted to hear the audience sing, because they had been listening to us all evening and he wanted to spend some time listening.

The band began to play O Come All Ye Faithful softly. And the audience began to sing. And all of a sudden, we were standing on holy ground. It was a moment of worship, right there in the Rose Theatre in Brampton, ON. With a guy in an Elvis jump suit.

God is everywhere. And worship can happen anywhere. In a conversation between two women or in a crowded theatre in Ontario.

As the season roles on, I encourage you to find moments when worship breaks out around you in unexpected ways. It could be when you pick up the strains of a favorite carol while you rush through errands at the mall. Or when you hear the story told by Linus in Charlie Brown’s Christmas. Or when you see a star shining high atop a tree.

…or when you are backing Elvis up with your church choir. 🙂

Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”

Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

Luke 1:34-38

 

It should come as no surprise that Mary had questions about what the Angel told her. But it should also come as no surprise that the Angel’s answer concluded with the line “for nothing is impossible with God.”

That line sums up the reason why I have faith. Because time and time again I have seen God move in ways that should be impossible. I have seen broken relationships put back together, I have seen incurable diseases disappear, I have seen the most broken, addicted, empty life become a thing of beauty.

For nothing is impossible with God.

I know this, and yet I need to be reminded of it. It is so easy for me to find myself in a position of trying to carry the weight of the world, trying to solve the impossible, trying to heal all brokenness by myself. As if I am the saviour of the world. I am not. And thank God for that.

But there is a saviour of the world and nothing is impossible for him. Thank God for that, too.

 

 

I jumped the gun a little yesterday. I started us on the journey to Bethlehem before the angel had announced the birth of Jesus to Mary and Joseph.

That’s actually not a bad thing. I think so often we make the nativity so neat and tidy. I love my nativity set, but I know the wise men weren’t there at the same time as the shepherds and the angels. I know that the animals weren’t all lying calmly down, heads turned towards the peaceful baby in the mother’s arms.

The truth is a lot more messy than that…

“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth,

a village in Galilee,  to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married

to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.

Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman!

The Lord is with you!”

 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.

“Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!

You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.

He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High.

The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.

And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!””

Luke 1:26-33

When the angel appeared to Mary, she was confused and disturbed. It wasn’t the easiest moment of her day. The whole story from beginning to end was full of moments that were difficult and messy, because the truth is, God comes into the middle of our mess. And by his grace and mercy, God makes our mess holy, turning it to his purposes.

Thank God for that!

 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place whileQuirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.

Luke 2:1-3 NIV

I know I’ve mentioned the busy-ness of the season in previous posts. Maybe I’m becoming a little one-note-ish on this blog, but the hectic pace of the season seems to be ramping up as each day passes. Today is no different.

And in the midst of thinking about that, I am also thinking about a long, inconvenient journey. From Nazareth to Bethlehem. Mary didn’t ask for this. She didn’t need to be traveling by donkey through the desert while pregnant. I wonder if she complained or got cranky, the way that I do.

It always looks so pretty in the pictures…but I wonder what that journey to Bethlehem was really like. I wonder about how dirty and dusty it was. How cold at night and how hot during the day. I wonder if I really have anything at all to complain about.

I wonder if Mary and Joseph understood how momentous their journey was, if the recognized it as a world-changing event, or if it was just one more thing that they had to do in a busy time.

And I wonder what important moments I’m missing out on as I rush from one thing to another. So let me end this night with a prayer: Lord, help me to be present, not to be future and not to be past. Help me to know life – your life – in each moment. Help me to enjoy the journey, busy as it may be, as much as the destination. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).

Isaiah 7:14 NLT

I wrote earlier about the idea that advent is about points of light in the darkness. Today’s scripture has me thinking that it is also about relationship – God’s relationship with us, ours with Him, and our relationship with those around us.

The name “Immanuel,” given to Jesus means “God is with us.” You don’t have to be in church for very many Christmases to come across a message about this name. Usually, those messages focus on the word “with.” Usually, those listening are reminded that God is not distance, that God is WITH us. And that is a good and valid point.

But last year I heard a message that focused on the “US” part of that phrase. God with US. The reminder is that we are meant to be in community. We are meant to be in relationship with other Christians and with those who do not share our faith. We are meant to do life with others. As individuals, we are stronger when we are part of a team. I found that profound and moving.

It is not always easy to be part of the church. The church can hurt you. It is, after all, made up of imperfect people. Conflicts arise and are dealt with poorly or swept under a rug.

At some point, we must wonder why we bother.

But I think God with US, is at least part of an answer to that. We bother because as much as it is imperfect, the church is the US that God is with. Sometimes we get it wrong. But sometimes we get it right. And when we do –  there is nothing more beautiful.

 

Today is the Advent Sunday of Peace. It is a time for seeking God’s peace in the midst of a busy and chaotic world. For me, this has been an extremely busy weekend. I have rushed from one activity to another with barely the time to breath or eat or rest in between them.

Life is sometimes like that. Especially during this season. But we are called to remember that Jesus is the prince of Peace. That following him means that we are meant to be a people of peace. That his peace should surround us and flow through us to others.

So this evening, I’m sitting in my livingroom. The dog is sleeping on the couch, the cat is curled up on her chair. My folks’ dog (parents are visiting right now) is sleeping in another room. And my parents have taken my brother to the subway so that he can  make his way home.

There hasn’t been much peace  for me in the last few days, but right now, in this moment – I am at peace. I am taking a deep breathe and reflecting on today’s Scripture:

 For a child is born to us,
a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

May you, too, find time for peace today and in the days to come.