Shepherds and Angels. They've become such a common fixture of the Christmas story that I must admit to often overlooking them at this point in my life. I'm finding it's important for me to stop and take another look at their significance in all this.
I thought it was interesting when the author noted the possibility that the shepherds knew that some of their sheep would be used as sacrifices in the temple. The shepherds knew that for every lamb that was sacrificed, another would have to be raised, because guilt and sin and the need for blood payments remained year after year. And now here was the Lamb of God in flesh and blood ...
God's Word compels us to action ... not a motivational speech, not a guilt trip, not peer pressure. God's Word.
I love that the liturgy includes the "Gloria in Excelsis". What a wonderful chance to sing with the angels this side of heaven! What a wonderful opportunity to imagine what that song will sound like at Jesus' second coming, when we will join the angels in their song of worship!
Beautiful thought - For the rest of her life, she (Mary) would never stop peeking under the wrapping of her heart to wonder at the treasure within. Praying that the Lord helps us mother like this!
*I would LOVE to hear more from you, dear readers! My stats show that there are hundreds of hits so far this past week! I understand that there are valid feelings that keep you from sharing what's on your heart. I'd like to encourage you that YOU have something worth sharing that can build up and encourage others. Full disclosure? I could use some building up! We already have so much in common - a love for Jesus and a love for the Body of Christ! Just like Elizabeth, there is much wisdom to be found in maturity and life experience. Just like Mary, there is a fresh outlook from those "in the trenches of motherhood". I am so grateful to all of you! I am praying for you ...
7 comments:
How has your Mom’s death affected the way you celebrate Christmas?
My Mom passed away July 2nd 2015, the Lord had answered my prayer to be with her right to her last breath.I was so blessed and my heart sings because of it. Not saying it was easy but he Lord gives you strength. He had prepared me and was with me every inch of the way. I will celebrate Christmas the same as I always have, she is in my heart, so really she is with me. How could I be sad, she came to faith just 3 years before her passing, she’s the “lucky one”, she’s in heaven celebrating! She must be amazed! I can only imagine…………. For now!
Thank you for sharing the comfort you have in knowing that your mom is with Jesus! Praise God for carrying you through it all and providing the strength that you need! God bless you, dear sister-in-Christ.
Shucks, I'm late to the party. I had to do some catch-up reading on Rachel's posts and the comments on the previous chapters. Wow--hearing from you other mothers is so encouraging in my own role as mom! Thank you to those who have posted comments.
What never ceases to amaze me (in a bad way) is that I can immerse myself in writing a book about Mary and Jesus and still flub up as a Christian mom in so many ways. What's up with that? If that isn't proof of the sin under my skin, I don't know what is! It just goes to show how important it is to "make like Mary" and find some time every day to stare into the face of my sweet and mighty Savior. Thank you, Rachel, for making that one step easier for all of us with your Advent book study!
Thanks for stopping by, Sarah! What a blessing your book is to all that are reading it this Advent season! Thanks for the opportunity to look at the Christmas story in a fresh way, for comforting us with the good news of why Jesus came for all of us, for reminding us of solid, Scriptural truths and for encouraging us as mothers. Praise God!
Wow! A visit from the author! Too bad this isn't a face-to-face book club, or I'd ask you to sign my copy. :-)
On the top of page 48, "No, if there is to be any hope at all, it is the hope that 'begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come.'" Aaaagghhh! Stubborn hope... just show up... try to do the right thing... This is the siren's song of our generation, I think.
And not just our generation. Jesus told his disciples to be on their guard against the work-righteous teachings of the Pharisees and Saducees (Mark 16).
I looked at the note and found that the quote was from Anne Lamott. I'm not familiar with her writing. Do you think she believes that the road to fulfillment is about stubborn hope, showing up, trying to do the right thing?
There is a part of my psyche (that I fight against) which believes this. When things are going badly, it says I am responsible for fixing it. If I'm not successful, it must be because I was stupid or lazy. If things aren't quite how I want them to be, WORK HARDER! (Of course, the other end of the spectrum isn't where the truth lies either - the attitude that says I can't change my circumstances at all, and that if things go badly, I'm a helpless victim.)
Thanks be to God that “the light that broke into the empty tomb on Easter Day was not the result of any stubborn striving on my part or yours.”
Oh, the paragraph that spans p49-50! "Do we, like dim sheep, tune in only briefly to the wondrous news in our midst before going back to whatever distraction we were nibbling on? That’s no fault of the good news. That is the fault of our hearts, which we have trained to delight in drivel. Forgive us... Fill us, Lord, with that divine, angelic joy. A joy that stands tall even when it is pummeled by earthly sorrow. A joy that shakes off the shackles of shame and guilt. A joy that runs headlong into the Savior's arms. A joy that sings." AMEN!
I think you've pegged Anne Lamott pretty well. I read her book "Bird by Bird" a year or two ago. Don't get me wrong - she's a great author! This particular book is her advice about writing and she's got some real gems in there to be sure. The downside is that she swears like a sailor and yep - her worldview is pretty typical of the culture today.
I found the prayer hit home with me, too! Praying with you ...
Post a Comment