Lift Your Voices to the Lord

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

 

For ever I will sing

the goodness of the Lord.

 

 

When Zechariah finally got his voice back he was a changed man.

 

He was filled with the Holy Spirit as he witnessed

the power of God right in his own home.

He had been given an 'energy drink' from God

 and his faith was on fire.

 

He was already an elder in the synagogue but now

he was blessed with new eyes.

 

The gospel today gives us the Canticle of Zechariah...

his personal song.

 

 

"Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
for he has come to his people and set them free..."

 

His canticle tells of the greatness of God.

He sings from his heart as he holds his son in his arms.

This is the best lullaby he has to sing.

 

"You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins."

 

Everyone who comes in close contact with the holiness of

the birth of our Lord is filled with joy.

This intense joy causes some to break forth in song.

When love and joy come together

the best way to express it is through song.

 

Let us join our voices with those who sang of their

joy so long ago.

Sing a new song to the Lord.

For today a child is given to us...

he is Holy...

He comes to save us.

Come, O Come, Emmanuel!

My Soul in Stillness Waits!

Come, O Wisdom, Come

~~~ Fourth Sunday of Advent ~~~

~~~Micah 1:1-4a~~Psalm 80~~Hebrews 10:5-10~~Luke 1: 39-45~~~

Greatness will come forth from the small and lowly.

One too small to have its own clan will be the birthing place

of one who's origin is ancient.

 

I have visited the giant ancient redwoods of the West coast and they are very impressive. The tower so high into the sky that you cannot see the tops.

Their trunks are so massive that a road can be carved out of the middle.

 

Ancient has to do with the passage of time, but in this scenario

ancient is referring to an infant.

 

"...his greatness
shall reach to the ends of the earth;
he shall be peace..."

 

The infant Christ child.

The Ancient One embodies the wisdom of the ages.

Even as a child Jesus carried with him great wisdom.

Wisdom brought with him from the Father.

 

 

Jesus came first to do the will of the Father.

 

"...And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?"

 

Let this question echo in our hearts

as the words were spoken by Elizabeth.

 

Mary not only brought forth Love and Mercy into our world

she also brought the ancient Wisdom of God.

Jesus is the complete gift.

He satisfies every need.

He, Jesus, should be all we want for Christmas...

a greater intimacy with the Ancient One

born into this world as an infant...

The Word made flesh.

 

Blessed is She among women...

filled with Grace...

She gave birth to a Son.

Come, O Wisdom, Come!

Dwell among us.

Live with us!

Dedicated to the Lord

~~ 1Samuel 1:24-28 ~~~ 1Samuel 2 ~~~ Luke 1:46-56 ~~~

 

I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request.
Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;
as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD."
She left Samuel there.

 

A faithful mother gives her child back to God.

Hannah returns the gift of her son Samuel dedicating him to the Lord.

Samuel did indeed grow up to serve the well.

It is interesting that this story of Samuel is paired with

Luke's gospel of Mary's proclamation...

"...My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
for he has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name..."

 

 

 

Mary was herself dedicated to the Lord.

The Holy Spirit overshadowed her with the

greatest blessing of all.

 

Mary was not only dedicated herself to the Lord;

she carried and subsequently birthed the Lord himself.

 

Mary did much more than Hannah;

Mary gave her only son to all of us.

Mary gave her son back to the Father.

Mary was instrumental in developing Jesus into

 the person who wanted only to do the will of the Father.

 

Mary cooperated with the will of God every day of her life.

Mary never again doubted after the angel's visit.

Mary knew in her heart that she could not keep her son

for herself.

 

Mary made a sacrifice by allowing Jesus to go out

'on the road' to do the will of his heavenly Father.

She would have been quite happy to have him stay

around the house a few more years.

 

Mary knew he had to be about his Father's business

as early as possible.

Mary mastered loving Jesus from a distance.

She supported him with her pure love.

 

Now is a good time to consider how you have dedicated

yourself to the Lord.

Merrily, Merrily, Merrily

~~~Song of Songs 2:8-14 or Zephaniah 3:14-18a~~~ Psalm 33~~~Luke 1:39-45~~~

 

Mary was so filled with excitement, after her personal angel visit,

 that she rushed as fast as she could to be with Elizabeth.

She and Elizabeth had so much to share;

so much to be overjoyed by. They both had conceived in

uncommon circumstances.

 

I can just envision how the eyes of Mary must have been sparkling

with the joy she felt inside.

Her smile must have warmed the heart of anyone

she met on her journey.

Perhaps she was even singing her favorite hymns as she

merrily skipped along the roadside.

 

The birds may have taken their place by her side

circling high up with their wings of joy.

The sun shone down brightly warming the ground below her feet.

When you are filled with joy you seem to float slightly above the ground.

Your whole perception of reality is more detailed when you are joyful.

 

This type of scene is often depicted in fairy tale movies.

But this was not a fairy tale this was our tale of salvation.

 

The joy in the heart of Mary made her even more lovely to God.

Although this is not recorded in the scriptures I can almost

hear God saying, 'This is my beloved daughter,

in whom I am well pleased.'

You know God was well pleased with Mary.

She was prepared and chosen by him to give Jesus

his human flesh and blood.

She kept him safe, warm and nurtured within her little body.

 

When Gabriel returned to heaven with Mary's answer

all of heaven broke into joyous song.

The angels played their harps long into the night.

 

 

The heavens rejoiced just as vibrantly as the child leaped

with joy in Elizabeth's womb.

The news of Mary's yes is what continues to

stir joy within our own hearts today.

Be Joyful!

God is in our midst...

 

"...He will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love,
He will sing joyfully because of you,
as one sings at festivals."

Don't Miss the Chance

~~~ Isaiah 7: 10-14 ~~~ Psalm 24 ~~~ Luke 1: 26-38 ~~~

 

"...for nothing will be impossible for God."

 

These were the final words spoken to Mary

by the angel Gabriel sent from God.

Whenever we are tempted to fall into the trap of thinking all is lost;

that there is no hope...these words should bring us

the hope we so desperately need.

Nothing is impossible for God, but at the same time

he does not do all the things we want him to do.

Furthermore he rarely acts within our timetable for results.

 

Mary, while prepared spiritually for this angelic encounter

feared that physically it was not possible.

The angel quickly gave her an explanation...

 

"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you..."

 

Most people today would not find that a plausible explanation.,

but Mary was satisfied...she believed

that what the angel of God said was possible.

 

The angel goes on to reveal more seemingly

impossible news about her relative, Elizabeth, being with child too.

 

God had carefully laid out his plan for salvation.

And if he needed some impossible events to occur for this plan to work

he set them into motion.

 

We may be confined within the boundaries of nature, but

for God no such boundaries exist.

 

Mary had the child like qualities that we all admire...

She had big dreams for her future and

her heart remained open to all things being possible.

 

By contrast Ahaz had withdrawn into his small world;

even when urged to ask for a sign from God he shrank from

the possibility of God granting such a request.

 

Before giving God a chance to answer him Ahaz.

Ahaz missed the chance to have the impossible experience with God.

He made God too small.

 We too are sometimes guilty of doing the same...

making God too small.

 

 

If we believe that nothing is impossible for God

 we must break down all barriers...

especially the barriers of our heart.

We must open ourselves, as Mary did,

to the unfathomable.

 

What is it that you think God cannot accomplish?

Is it health, relationship, monetary, spiritual?

 

Mary said okay God if you say this is possible that I should be with child

without having relations with a man then

let it be done unto me.

 

Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word."

 

The Holy Spirit bursts forth the impossible bringing it into the present.

Are you ready to have an impossible experience with God?

Don't miss the chance!

Speechless in Wonder

~~~ Judges 13:2-7, 24-25a ~~~ Psalm 71 ~~~ Luke 1:5-25 ~~~

 

...Speechless...

 

Elizabeth accepted God's timing.

It certainly was not of her choosing to conceive a child

so late in life when her

 youthful energy was dwindling.

 

"So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit
to take away my disgrace before others."

 

God brings grace into our lives when we least expect it.

We are loved by a God of surprises.

A God wants us to keep our sense of wonder and awe.

We have a God who wants us to be speechless in the midst

of his powerful deeds.

 

The conception gifts of both Sampson and John the Baptist

came right out of 'left field' one might say.

 

These two sets of parents had resigned themselves

to the reality of their age...

Their time for childbearing had passed them by;

or so they thought.

Mary and Joseph also resigned themselves to the reality

of being the parents of the Messiah.

All things truly are possible with God.

 

God enters into our lives when he sees fit

for some sooner than for others.

 

 

Be mindful today that there is nothing that can

prevent the Lord from entering into your life.

Even if we are not in the state of grace

God has the power to bring forth goodness;

when we least expect it.

 

The wonders of God should leave us speechless.

If the mighty works of the Lord do not leave us speechless

what in this world can...

While we are all still reeling from the horrific resent school violence

God is there offering comfort

to all those who are grieving.

 

May we continue to recognize the wonder of God

as the birth of Jesus draws ever closer.

Let the wonder of God render you

speechless,

and allow your eyes to remain fixed on him.

Emmanuel, God is with us!

~~~ Jeremiah 23:5-8 ~~~ Psalm 72 ~~~ Matthew 1: 18-25 ~~~

 

Emmanuel, God is with us!

 

Upon waking from his dream, Joseph had no choice but to trust and believe that following God's plan was in the best interest for everyone.

Not knowing at the time that God's plan would reach much farther than

the birth of the child growing inside of Mary, his betrothed.

 

"Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous deeds.
And blessed forever be his glorious name;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory."

 

Most would not have believed that a mere carpenter's son

would be a king in the making.

God had many from whom he could have chosen to be

the earthly parents of Jesus,

but he chose two quiet humble faith filled humans.

He chose one woman and one man, placing upon their hearts

a trust that could have only come from him.

 

Jesus began his life isolated from wealth and commerce.

Joseph took Mary away and she gave birth in an obsecure stable.

 

God, from the beginning, places Jesus among the poor and lowly.

While his genealogy is from the line of David,

Jesus was not born in a luxurious palace with slaves

scurrying around to tend to his needs.

 

God chose to birth Jesus into a humble setting rather than one of wealth.

If Jesus had come from wealth he might not have ever

walked along the river banks.

If Jesus had been born into wealth he might not have ever

chosen fishermen to follow him.

If Jesus had been born into wealth his compassionate

heart may have never been revealed to us

through his healings.

 

Every year we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Every year we can gain new insight to the wonder

of what God has done for us.

 

Jesus came for all of us.

He came embracing humility with only the bare necessities...

namely one woman and one man who loved

him without knowing who he actually was...

God the Son.

 

 

The Word became flesh and lived among us.

He physically lived among us then,

but now his spirit lives among us...

 

Emmanuel, God is with us!