Make Room...

Christmas Eve

~~~ 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8B-12, 14A, 16 ~~~ Psalm 89 ~~~
~~~ Luke 1:67-79 ~~~

“My kindness is established forever”;

in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.

Mary and Joseph confirmed 

their faithfulness in humble surroundings.

They had faith in God...they had faith in one another.

The Inn was crowded. They shared space with smelly live stock.

The straw strewn ground was far from sanitary.

The heavens opened up with songs of rejoicing bursting forth.

We are invited to join in this wondrous chorus.

The Lord is kind and merciful forever.

O Radiant Dawn,

splendor of eternal light, sun of justice:

come and shine on those who dwell in darkness

 and in the shadow of death.

Let every heart prepare room in silence and stillness.
The silent light of the child Jesus
 seeps into every hidden space of our heart.

We long for his light
to break the chains of darkness.

This is the holy night of our Lord's birth...
the silent night when the world in stillness lays waiting.

This is the eve of our dear Savior's birth.
In the hustle and bustle of last minute details
let us pause for a moment to be still.
Make room, not just in your heart
 but in your day to welcome Jesus.

Imagine the joy of Mary and Joseph as they
eagerly anticipate the birth of their baby, Jesus.
They have waited patiently for nine months.
They have been faithfully obedient to God's plan
 for the salvation of all peoples.

We have been Blessed beyond comprehension
by those who have gone before us.

The Breath of Heaven is very near to us once again.
In stillness we wait for his coming.
Let us rejoice and be glad.
There is no greater love.
God sent himself to be one of us...
to be with us.
~~~Peace~~~

By His Stripes...

~~~ Good Friday ~~~

~~Isaiah 52:13-53:12~~Psalm 31~~Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9~~John 18:1-19:42~~

 ...he was pierced for our offenses,
crushed for our sins;
upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole,
by his stripes we were healed.

The prophet Isaiah reveals in detail the gruesome evidence
 of how Jesus suffered for each of us.

Jesus was pierced, crushed, and chastised.
His horrid brokenness makes us whole;
for we came into this world already scarred.

His torn bleeding flesh slashed by brutal soldiers
result in our healing.
Not the healing of our physical bodies, but the healing of our souls.
For it is not the healing of the body
that allows us to enter into heaven. but rather the healing of our soul.

We had all gone astray like sheep,
each following his own way;
but the LORD laid upon him
the guilt of us all.
I am not sure if we can be compared to sheep who are docile creatures.
Yes, it is true that when we turn away from God we are like the lost sheep.
We sin even when we know better; we make the choice to sin.
When we follow our own way it is because we think
we know what is better for us.

I have often reflected on how it was possible for Jesus to be silent
as false accusations were hurled at him one after the other.

Most of us today would be eager to defend our innocence.
We would have the best legal representation available to us.
We would be coached; to choose our words carefully.
...he was silent and opened not his mouth.

Jesus stood in humility while they humiliated,
scorned, and mocked him.

Sometimes the best we can do is to keep silent.
But can we?

...he was cut off from the land of the living,

Jesus came down to the land of the living to save us
who call this land our home.
This 'land of the living' was never the home for Jesus.
His home has always been in heaven with the Father.
This is where he also wants us to reside.
Our home is also in heaven with the Father and the Son.

...because he surrendered himself to death
and was counted among the wicked;
and he shall take away the sins of many,
and win pardon for their offenses.

We give you praise and adore you...
For you have set us free...
you have redeemed us.

Jesus suffered and died once for us;
he sends down his saving grace and blesses us each and every day.

The bleeding stripes upon his precious body heals our soul.
He suffered and died for you.
There is no greater love.
Amen.

Selective Hearing: Do You Hear His Voice?

~~~ Jeremiah 7: 23-28 ~~~ Psalm 95 ~~~ Luke 11: 14-23 ~~~

"If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts."

"Listen to my voice...
walk in all the ways that I command you...
listen to the voice of the Lord..."

"Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters."
(Luke 11:23)
If you are constantly doing all of the talking you cannot be listening. You may be able to hear if you are talking, but you are not listening. Hearing and listening are not the same, the former requires your attention. 
The same letters are used to spell listen and silent.
Did you ever notice that before?

I find the story of young Samuel disturbing, because he heard the voice but was not able to recognize it as that of God. What if you hear but are confused by what you hear? How do you determine the voice of God?

"Listen, my children." (cf. Proverbs 7:24)

Have you ever gotten a phone call and as soon as you heard the voice you knew it was your friend or someone else you know well? Each person's voice has unique qualities. Your voice is like your speech print.

I believe there was something most unique about the quality of the voice of Jesus. I believe that when you heard his voice you would leave your nets and walk away from your monotonous life. Jesus walked along the seaside and said, 'Come, follow me' and men did just that.

Sheep learn to recognize their owners voice and will come when called. What happens if you hear the voice, know it is God, and do not respond? God will not wrestle with you, he will wait until you can hear his voice. When the time is right you will be able to really listen. It is only when you can listen that you can respond accordingly. Spending time in silence creates an environment
more conducive to being able to listen.

The words of God cannot take root in a hardened heart. If you have decided you are not going to listen for God, because it is a waste of your time most likely
you will be right....you will not hear him.

I do wish I could have heard his voice. I wonder what it sounded like? Was it a strong commanding voice? Or was it a loving kind voice?
You tell a lot about a person by just listening to how they speak to others.

 It is interesting that in the gospel Jesus is curing a mute...
this man was not able to speak until the demon was cast out of him.
Jesus uses his voice to restore the man's voice.

The words we speak effect the people who are listening to us. Once words have passed your lips you cannot recall them to return to you.

Sit in silence this week and listen for the voice of the Lord.
Make yourself available to recognize his holy voice; then you will walk 'with him'.
Activate your selective hearing...you know what I mean, think about it for a moment.
I long to hear the sound of your voice, Lord.