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.

As I wandered through the woods this morning, I got caught up in a woodland chorus.

An amphitheater made of oak, maple, birch, poplar, ash and evergreen pine and painted in glowing hues of gold, red, orange, brown, russet and green by the Master Craftsman. The participants perched upon their bough.

Each bird species has it’s own unique part that no other in the woodland chorus can sing. Simply it chirps its repetitive song. It does not try to sing another bird’s song, it only sings the songs God created it to sing.

It lives a life of contentment.  Content to be an ordinary bird singing it’s God-given song.

A variety of birds, each singing its part in the woodland chorus from their tree top perches.  Worship in surround sound.

What’s your song?  What has He created You to sing to the world?

Have you ever found yourself discontent with your voice in the symphony of life?  Do you find yourself wishing you could “sing” better or perhaps a different song?

Listen to the Lord’s response to your discontent.

 I love to hear you sing your praises and your sounds of joy. I am your song, and when you sing, all of creation hums in harmony. Your voice is the instrument I use to stir human souls, but it is your heart that reaches My ear. 

 There is music in great sounds of joy and jubilation! There is music in the crashing waters, in the sound of wind in the trees. But there is no music as delightful to My ear as the sound of My children; because it is your heart that I most want to hear. It makes My heart glad to hear you because your sounds are pure and true.

 My Holy Spirit springs from your spirit in the form of music, and the sounds you make are holy. They refresh and renew your soul; they bless My heart. 

 Sing to me a new song. Even in diversity, sing to Me. Even in Trials and what you think is your darkest hour, sing to Me. Sing to Me, for I am your Beloved; sing to Me a tender, loving song. I am your song.

“Sing for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones; Praise is becoming to the upright. Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; Sing praise to Him with a harp of ten strings. Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy. Psalm 33:1-3

Lord, forgive me! Oft times I attempt to sing songs that are not meant for me to sing.  Thank You for giving me a song to sing in eternity’s symphony.

Every year I look in the newspaper or Internet for things to do in our community for the Christmas holiday. I always have high hopes and dreams that this year will be different; that my house will be beautifully decorated; we will go to the Christmas events in our community; and I will bake and cook all my family’s favorites for Christmas. Unfortunately things never quite go as I hope.

On one Christmas over 20 years ago I remember I was in the hospital with pneumonia two days before Christmas. Another Christmas Jim and Karl had just decorated the outside of our home when the men of our church decided to replace the roof on our house and it took the whole month of December for them to complete the work because they only had a couple of weekends to work on the roof. These are just two examples of how my best made plans changed due to circumstances beyond my control.

In my heart I desire to have the Christmas holiday I read and hear about on TV or my friends’ blogs or letters; but each year something usually happens to halt my best made plans. At first I get a little depressed because I feel I am letting my family down. I want the best for my family just like everyone else, so how do I keep the spirit of Christmas alive when I believe I fall short of what I think I should do each Christmas for my family?

First and foremost I need to remember what Christmas is all about. It’s about celebrating Christ – my Savior’s birth. I need to read and re-read the bible verses concerning His birth and why He left the portals of heaven to be born in human form in a lowly manger.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 KJV

“When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.” Matthew 2: 10 – 12 KJV.

As the above scripture states, it’s about worshiping Him – Jesus. Christmas is not about how beautifully decorated my home is, or how many cookies and goodies I make for my family and friends, or even how many parties and events I have or attend. Christmas is a work of heart – not a work of art. Even if I could do all the things I think I need to do to make Christmas special for my family, if I do not have my heart right with Christ, then everything I do is done in vain. The best gift I can give my family this Christmas is a woman who is at peace with God and herself. A woman who knows her limits and accepts them with grace and dignity. In so doing it will not make a difference to my family if our house is not the best decorated house in the neighborhood, or that I had to buy store bought goodies this year because I am unable to bake them myself. For if I am at peace with the Lord and myself then I will have the spirit of Christmas within my heart not just at Christmas, but throughout the year, which makes a great recipe for a happy, healthy and loving family.

So this Christmas, let us not worry about having the perfect Christmas. Let us instead Worship the Perfect Christmas Gift and in so doing have the spirit of Christmas throughout the year.

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year and may you keep the Spirit of Christmas in your heart throughout the year!