December 5

Here we are at Day 5 - the story of Abram and how our story continues to unfold.
The blessing God is speaking about here is his reiteration of the promise to save all mankind through Abram's family tree. Jesus himself will come from this line. As heirs to this promise of salvation, we are Abram's spiritual descendants! And we are blessed …

You must feel the fullness of your own pitcher before you trust the pouring out of yourself. (40)
Our "pitcher" is filled when we immerse ourselves in the living water of his Word! When we have his word and promises on our hearts, we are filled to overflowing! Jesus said, " If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." John 7:37b, 38

Then when our eyes are opened to the undeserved blessings around us and we are overwhelmed with his generous giving, we too can be a gift. Best of all, we can share the Gift we've been given with others!

The present is His presence, and the greatest present you always have to give is His presence - looking into someone's eyes as you listen, refusing the wrong of rushing, lingering long enough to really listen - to everything.(41-42) It makes me think of Matthew 25:34-40. Verse 40 finishes with, "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' 

And final thoughts: There is no need for more: the heart is full of gifts that is full of Christ. (42) 'Nuff said.

Question #1 - He has blessed me with a Saviour too! Abram looked ahead to the One. We have met the One in Scripture through the eyes of faith.

December 4

Got your cup of tea or coffee ready to go?
The story of Noah - how many times have I read this? But man, does she have some gems of thought in this one!
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of repentance. Eph 4:30. Yes, God can grieve. And man's sin is God's sorrow (Concordia Study Bible).
Short of rewriting everything wonderful that she writes here I'm going to jump to this - While other creeds endeavour to get us out of the world and into heaven, in Christianity, heaven comes down and Christ comes into this world to get us. To suffer with us. We find favour - only because Christ feels pain. (31) Because Christ suffered for us.  She goes on. Christ comes like an ark, like a cradle over floods. And we read the headlines and wonder, If there's a God who really cares, He'd look at this world and His heart would break. 
And God looks to the Cross, that real Tree, and says, "My heart did." (31)  Go get a kleenex. I'll wait.

She finishes the chapter off with Every flood of stress …every flood of trouble …The way heaven comes down so we can rise. (32) This too is why I love the water cycle:)

Unwrapping more …
Apart from him we can do nothing. In Christ, we can glorify him in all that we do!

Question #3 - My sin causes God sorrow. And yet because of Emmanuel, God looks at me and sees not my sin but Emmanuel's righteousness. I am forgiven! Now out of thankfulness for such a gift of mercy, I don't want to cause sorrow to my God but I strive to follow his ways with the Holy Spirit's power.
I also have comfort knowing that I'm never alone even when it appears I am. God cares for me and understands my pain.

December 3

When God called to Adam and Eve, "Where are you?" he obviously knew where they were - I mean he's God after all. It was a rhetorical question meant to give them an opportunity to be repentant. But what does Adam do? Well, he doesn't own up. He doesn't admit his sin.  Rather he gives an excuse. Plays the first of many a blame game. A game I know how to play all too well.

But in all His relationships, God reaches for man.

Reaches for you who have fallen and scraped your heart raw, for you who fell the shame of words that have snaked off your tongue and poisoned corners of your life, for you who keep trying to cover up pain with perfectionism. 

Three words come through the dense thicket of failure: Where are you? (23)

Here's my call to repentance too. The life of a Christian is NOT a fluffy, free ride. The life of a Christian is one of repentance and forgiveness. We see our need - our need for a Saviour. We are lost and need to be found. 

Your God looks for you when you're feeling lost, and your God seeks you out when you're down, and your God call for you when you feel cast aside. He doesn't run down the rebel. He doesn't strike down the sinner. He doesn't flog the failure. (23)

Jesus, our Gift, has been run down, struck down and flogged - for mankind. We rightly deserved it all and more. But in his love and mercy he took our place! A gift, through faith. (Eph 2:8) Thank you, Jesus!

Unwrapping More …

He's already there with you:) Sing it loud! 

Question #2 - Loved. It's often trials and difficulties that bring me back and that remind me of my complete dependancy for him and his grace. 

December 2

In the beginning … a good way to start don't you think?

I love so many points she raises in this chapter. It begins with the always coming of Christ. (12). He was there. He's always been! The power of the words spoken - to create out of nothing. 

But you? You alone were formed by a huddle of hearts. Let us make human beings. The authority of God made all of creation. But it was the affection of God that made all His children. (12) Don't you just want to cry?!! If I ever doubted my significance or wondered if I really mattered, this just smashes those lies to pieces.
You are made of the dust of this earth and you are made of the happiness of heaven, and you are flesh and you are spirit, and you are of two worlds longing for the home of forever and Him.(12) Yes and yes!!!!!!!!! I'm crying out!!!!

I have the distinct privilege of home educating my children. And while I started out thinking I was going to impart all my adult wisdom on my little chicks, I've since been taught through reality that it is I who have much to learn.
It was when were studying science (a subject I've never been particularly fond of) and specifically earth science that my eyes were opened to some of the things she mentions in this chapter. That could be because the curriculum we used was written by her - haha! "Explore His Earth - a Child's Geography" is the loveliest way to learn about the atmosphere, lithosphere and hydrosphere. To learn of the water cycle, structure of the earth and earthquakes and volcanoes from the perspective of creation as this constant around us that declares his wonder and glory to us every day down to the smallest detail brings me to my knees! 

The answer to deep anxiety is deep adoration of God.(14)Amen and amen. As someone who has been struggling with anxiety lately, I need to hear this again and again. Change the focus from fear of what may or may not happen to a holy fear of an awesome God.

This love story you and I are reading - we love because He first loved us.

Question #1 - This may sound weird but it's the water cycle. Yep. When I think about how the water that's constantly going around is the same water that's been going around since Day 2 of Creation, that's a pretty cool thought. The same droplets that engulfed but never sank the Ark, the pool of water that Jesus was baptized or any number of events from history all over the world. Wow. As the rain comes down, when I turn on the tap or give my daughter a bath or shovel snow - it goes round and round. The water cycle.

December 1

The Jesse Tree. The family tree that Jesus descends from. Did you expect a mammoth? A thick, sturdy trunk and branches spread like a cathedral ceiling? The reality is a stump. The stump of Jesse with a tiny, little shoot. But it's there, fulfilling all of God's promises.

God keeps all his promises and shows his righteous judgement on David's descendants who so openly and arrogantly rejected God and the tree became a stump. But he shows his grace and mercy in allowing that shoot to grow! Gaze on shoots of glory to grow deep roots in God. (5)

The theology of the Tree, of the Cross, always seeks the presence of God in the belittled gifts of the world. 
The small Babe of Bethlehem, the dismissed Son of God, the stripped and beaten Messiah hanging exposed on the Tree … (5) Not what people were looking for in the King that was to come and save them. But things seldom are as they seem.

Question #2 - my answer
I'm yearning to grow in my appreciation of the Gift and grow in knowledge of the Giver.

Feel free to comment on your own answers, thoughts or something that struck you.

Your Invitation to Unwrap the Gift

What kind of gift opener are you? You may tear into the wrapping, caring little about the thought and care that went into taping the wrapping paper on straight or how the ribbon has been curled. Or you may ohhhhh and awahhhhh over the pretty paper, noticing the sprig of holly or the neatly printed gift tag adorning the top.  Another question might be - what kind of gift opener would you like to be?

Christmas often comes in the rush of too many concerts, parties, cookie exchanges and trips to the mall that by the time you get to the Holy- day you're person #1 - tearing into the day with the traditional family breakfast followed closely by everyone tearing into their presents, more traditional menus to serve throughout the day, making the rounds to family or being the hostess with the mostest in your home. Maybe a church service in there somewhere?

This year I'd like to be more like person #2 and slowly unwrap my gift. I want to learn the background of the Giver, understand why I need this gift and see with eyes wide open how carefully it's been "wrapped" not at the last minute but just the opposite - lovingly, methodically, purposefully - for me. For you.

I love Ann Voskamp's writing! You have to read her slow or you won't get it. You have to stop every now and then and reread a line, a verse, a paragraph to comprehend her meaning. Her writing is poetic and conjures up a picture in your mind or an idea to be grasped.

She is not of my fellowship and there are times her theology contradicts mine. However, I consider her a sister in the faith and look forward to our unity in heaven! Until then, as far as my comments will go in regards to this book, you'll find an emphasis on the Means of Grace - the gospel in Word and Sacraments. For more information on my fellowship of believers you can go here.

So let's get started!

She explains why we would want to be person #2. "before you ever read of the birth of Jesus, you always have the genealogy of Jesus".  If you show up just for Christmas - you'll miss the meaning! She goes on. "It's the way the Gift unwraps: you have Christ's family tree … before you have a Christmas tree. If you don't come to Christmas through Christ's family tree and you come into the Christmas story just at the Christmas tree - this is hard, to understand the meaning of his coming.
Because without the genealogy of Christ the limbs of His past, the branches of His family, the love story of His heart that has been coming for you since before the beginning - how does Christmas and its tree stand? Its roots would be sheared. Its meaning would be stunted. The arresting pause of the miracle would be lost." viii

If you've never before heard of a "Jesse Tree", don't be embarrassed! She goes on to refer to it's meaning a bit here but Day 1 will give us a chance to look at it more fully. I love how on the next page (ix) she explains what this has to do with you and me. "He grafts you into His line and His story and His heart, and He gives you His name, His lineage, His righteousness. He graces you with plain grace." 

Each day in Advent, He gives you the gift of time, so you have time to be still and wait." (x)
Being still. I can sit still. I can appear still. But my mind? It goes a mile a minute!!!! I am sure this is not what God means when he says to "be still".  But this is what I will attempt to do through this Advent, this "coming" of Christ.  Being still in the Lord, in His word each day as I read each devotion and ponder the message of grace and forgiveness. Join me?

Make sure you've download those ornaments from her website using the code found in your book! Get them ready to put on whatever you've chosen to act as your Jesse tree.
I LOVED how she closes her "instructions" - "To make a Jesse Tree is to trace the family line and heritage of your own forever family - the family of God."(xiv) My family is one grown through adoption and we are a "forever family". What a fitting picture of our adoption through Christ as His daughters! See you on Sunday!

The Greatest Gift

Dear Sister in Christ,

I invite you to join me this Advent season in preparing our hearts for our Saviour’s birth. 

Walk with me as together we read through the devotional “The Greatest Gift” by Ann Voskamp that guides us through Scripture to see the Jesse tree - our family tree through Christ - unwrapped before our eyes! Consider familiar Biblical stories in light of the only gift you ever really need. 

Purchase the book which can be found on www.amazon.ca or at www.christianbook.com and use the code in the book to access the free download of ornaments to put on your own Jesse tree. Starting with the first day of Advent, December 1, read the first devotion at your leisure. You can then read my post of that Scripture reading with my personal thoughts or doctrinal clarity when needed. Feel free to comment with your own thoughts or just follow along quietly.

As we read and share this special Advent devotional book, I pray that we, a community of Christian women, will be all the more amazed by the Greatest Gift!