Laced With Grace

“I will extol Thee, my God, O King; And I will bless Thy name forever and ever. Everyday I will bless Thee, and I will praise Thy name forever and ever. Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Thy works to another, and shall declare Thy mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of Thy majesty, and on Thy wonderful works, I will meditate.”  Psalm 145:1-5

When do you take down your Christmas tree and decorations?  For many, it all comes down this week. We pack them all up and put Christmas back in the box until next year. The warm fuzzies fade, and the reality of the present glares at us come January 2nd when everything goes back to the “normal” routine — back to work and school, appointments and paying the bills.

I don’t like packing Christmas away for another year. But I also don’t like keeping Jesus as a baby or in a box.

Yes, there is something simple about the birth of Jesus. We think of the story of a sweet baby laying peacefully in a manger and it somehow feels safe and warm. Visualizing Him as helpless and small makes Him seem easy to control.  I don’t need to deal with how big He really is, His greatness, majesty and power.

Jesus doesn’t want to remain a baby in our lives, nor does He want to can He be put into a box. In the beginning of Luke 2, we see Him as the baby in a manger, but by the end of the chapter we see He grew in wisdom, stature and in favor with God and men (Luke 2:52).  He was born full of grace and truth (John 1:14) and we can trust and follow Him in every circumstance of life. He came to be our Savior and He desires for all of us to see His majesty and awesome power, to fall to our knees and worship Him as our Savior and Lord. To put Jesus into a box would negate His grace that’s given to us freely, grace upon grace (John 1:16).  To relegate Jesus to a box of our own choosing, (i.e. legalism or humanism) is like thinking we have life under our own control.

The past few years I’ve started keeping one Christmas decoration or ornament out of the box, and place it somewhere where I least expect it. It serves as a visual reminder to not put Jesus in a box, but to see Him for Who He truly is, our Savior and Lord. This year, I’m keeping out one of my Moravian star ornaments to remind me of His splendor and majesty and His mighty works. It will also remind me to “shine like stars in the universe” before this sin sick world. (Philippians 2:15)

As you’re undecorating this week, pause and reflect upon His majesty, power and mighty works. Reflect upon His grace upon grace in your life. Don’t put Jesus in a box.

Prayer:

Lord, I love the presents and the lights. I’m not looking forward to taking it all down, but I’m most grateful for You sending Your Son as the Light of the World.  The simple, uncluttered way I decorated this year gently reminds me I don’t have to be all decked out in beautiful array to come before You; You are more concerned with what’s inside.

I don’t ever want to put You in a box. I pause right now and recognize you as my grown-up Savior and Lord, out of the feed box and on the throne of my heart.  Please help me to always keep You there.  May I continually mediate upon Your glorious splendor and wonderful works.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

Two thousand years ago, on a night lit brightly by a heavenly star, a young mother gave birth to a Holy Child. In a humble manger in Bethlehem Love entered the world in human form. Angels announced it, shepherds welcomed it and wise men celebrated it. The long anticipated arrival of the Savior, whose birth had been foretold centuries before, had finally come.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). 

But was Christ’s arrival in Bethlehem the final climax to centuries of anticipation? Was the work completed on that starlit night? Though Jesus’ birth was the culmination of a miraculous and holy pregnancy, God’s plan didn’t end as Mary held Jesus in her arms for the first time. That moment was only the beginning.

As Christians, we celebrate Christmas because it is the beginning of God’s plan of salvation for us. Jesus Christ, God and Man, Father and Son, entered the world to save us from our sins. And in the years that followed His momentous birth, God walked with us and talked with us. He brought Light to a dark world as He taught the Truth of the Scriptures. He healed the sick. He comforted the hurting. He fed the hungry and He ministered to the multitudes. He faced every challenge and temptation that we have ever or will ever experience. And through it all, He did not sin. He understands us, not only because He created us, but because He lived as one of us.

Why would our Creator do this? Because He loves us. So great is His compassion that Christ lived a life on earth and then willingly went to the cross to die for us. He saved us from eternal separation from God and gave His life so we could be with Him forever. His ultimate sacrifice, 33 years beyond Bethlehem, is a gift of love and of life that should always be celebrated.

Though yesterday was the day we celebrated Jesus’ birth, let us also remember that Christmas doesn’t end on December 25th.  It is only the beginning of the journey to the cross – a journey willingly taken by our Savior because of His incredible, sacrificial love for us.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Celebrating His Love,

Oh come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
oh come ye, oh come ye to Bethlehem…

I love Christmas carols especially the old hymns that we sang in church when I was growing up.  Somehow, when the musicians started playing and the choir began singing you “felt” Christmas.  The words of the songs brought to life the true meaning of the Christmas season.  They lifted your spirits and took you on a journey… a journey to Bethlehem.

Come and behold him,
Born the King of angels;

Somehow in these moments when you lose yourself in the words of the songs and allow them to minister to your heart nothing else matters.  It doesn’t matter if the house isn’t perfectly cleaned, the Christmas tree doesn’t have very many gifts or the table isn’t as lavishly spread as in years gone by. What matters is the one whom the season is all about. 

Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning,
Jesus, to thee be all glory given.
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing:

Old Christmas carols such as Oh Come all Ye Faithful, Hark the Herald Angel Sing, Joy to the World and others like the remind me that the Christmas season, is not about me! It’s all about Him, Jesus Christ, the one who left the comfort of heaven to come to earth just because we needed a savior.

O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O Come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6 (KJV)

Thank you Heavenly Father, for the gift of your precious son, the gift that keeps on giving, the gift that I keep falling in love with over and over again.