Tag: Christmas

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Prominence set in perpetuity.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Isaac pleaded with the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was unable to have children. The Lord answered Isaac’s prayer, and Rebekah became pregnant with twins. But the two children struggled with each other in her womb. So she went to ask the Lord about it. “Why is this happening to me?” she asked. And the Lord told her, “The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son.” Genesis‬ ‭25‬:‭21‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

As we read through the story threads of God’s great plan, we realize something – these high moments were planned before time began! Even the novice reader knows about the famous big-three players in the Old Testament. Abraham, Isaac and who? That’s right – Jacob. These historical story is not remembered as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Esau! It would be and always was Jacob – the second born.

This plan was in place BEFORE Issac pleaded and prayed to God for an heir. Issac knew his own story well. His own mom and dad, geriatricaly had him l-a-t-e in life. Isaac didn’t want that to be his story with his beloved Rebekah. He saw what his mother, Sarah, had gone through and did not want that to be Rebekah’s experience. So yes he PLEADED, begging God, on behalf of his wife, to give them children. We think infertility is hard today! Infertility then meant the erasure of the family name and the vast wealth that had been passed on through each generation.

Rebekah became pregnant with twins! Double answer to prayer, but the children began fighting within her womb. Sibling rivalry started well before birth! In our current cultural war of women’s rights over their bodies, these two “not quite human until birth,” were obviously behaving like humans within Rebekah’s protective womb. This sibling squabblery prompted Rebekah to pray as well. “Why?” She asks! Rebekah simply asked the creator of all things, “What is going on in here?” pointing to her own swollen belly.

God tells Rebekah about her future, the boys future, and the future of the nation of Israel! You don’t just have twins Rebekah- you have NATIONS within your womb! Wow. They are fighting now because they will be rivals for the rest of their lives. One will be stronger and your first born will serve your second born. Whoa – that’s a lot of information to share with a momma pregnant with twins that are already tangling within. Oh, and by the way, Issac wouldn’t be much help because he was SIXTY when the boys were born! It would be up to Rebekah to maintain civility in the home and steer the future according to what God shared with her in those moments of desperation.

True to what God had told her, Esau certainly was a twisted pickle – “He showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn.” Question: Is it possible that the boys’ character was already evident in their womb story? It even showed up at birth, when Jacob grabbed at his brother Esau’s heel as they were coming out! Our job as parents is to steer the strong qualities of our children best we can. Esau was a difficult child, youth and young adult! He purposely married Hittite women, against his father’s wishes and just to give his parents grief! One of those women was a daughter of Ishmael, his father, Issac’s half brother and sworn enemy of Israel. “Esau’s wives made life miserable for Isaac and Rebekah.” (Genesis 26:35).

Parents, don’t beat yourselves up too badly, some of you will have an Esau! And some of you will birth and raise a Jacob who will take their prominent place in the future and in history!

Prayer

​Dad,
Oh how powerful are the origin stories of our lives and the lives of our children! To think that Rebekah bore the beginning of nations who would forever be at war. This is such a fascinating story to read as we come into this Christmas season, this advent, when Mary brings the Messiah, Your son into the world. Just as Rebekah bore waring twins, Mary bore the Savior who would end all wars. The Son of God who embodied hope, peace, joy and love! What a fantastically beautiful story with the “red-thread” of history that culminates in victory! Thank you for Your grace and fulfillment of every promise to us. Amen.

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Elizabeth did you know?

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭41‬-‭45‬ ‭NLT‬‬

As with Mary, Jesus’ mom – yes, she did. I’m so jealous of these two women. Before Acts 2, before the general outpouring of the Spirit of God coming on all who would receive, Elizabeth gets this supernatural visitation that was rare in the Old Testament, but would be common in the New Testament and from there on. Little baby John leaped in utero and Liz was filled (plḗthō, filled to capacity)!

Ezekiel had prophesied this would happen, hundreds of years earlier, “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.”‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭36‬:‭26‬-‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬. The gals experienced this right at very beginning of the New Testament story. Was this infilling permanent? Or, was it a temporary visit like it was in the old days? Was it just to cover their time of carrying the child in their womb? Who knows!

Mary experienced it first, ‭‭Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭35‬. Then Elizabeth. Then even Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭67‬). All three, being filled with the Holy Spirit, began to know things, Mary and Zach burst into these powerful prophetic prayers. Liz seemed to know exactly who the child was in Mary’s womb, saying “mother of my Lord,” even knowing about Mary’s extraordinary faith to believe! These three folks, in the Christmas storyline had supernatural things happening because of the Holy Spirit within them.

You realize that Luke is the author here as well as the author of the book of Acts, right? He writes in Acts 1, “In my first book I told you, Theophilus…” Luke had a particular interest and knowledge about the whole subject of the Holy Spirit and God’s ability to come and dwell not just “with” us as the Logos, the Word made flesh (Jesus), but also “within” us as the third person of what we call the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). And with God living within us, believers have both the Spirit in our heart as well as this unique and constant Spirit of God swelling up within like a supernatural eruption of power when we are also “filled” as Jesus, and the other New Testament writers speak of.

Peter watched in amazement as Cornelius and his friends were filled ‭‭Acts‬ ‭10‬:‭44‬-‭47‬. Paul asked some Ephesians believers, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” “No,” they replied, “we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” Acts 19‬:‭1‬-‭2‬. They had even been baptized! In both scenes with Cornelius and the Ephesian crew, they spoke in tongues and even prophesied.

Supernatural things happen when the Holy Spirit comes flooding out from within instead of pouring out on us from above. Every believer can have, should have these experiences happening in and through them as God brings about the Kingdom of a God here on earth! Why not me? Why not you? Why not more often? These are questions for another time. Question to believers: “Follower of Jesus, did you know?”

Prayer

Dad,
I knew from the moment you flipped my heart and my life around that you live within me. I had a conscience, a sense, a new “knowing” of you and things around me. But learning how it all works and what it means has taken a lifetime to just begin to figure it out. I think the understanding and ways you work through us is sparked and fueled by faith. But as I have gotten older, I don’t like the feeling or idea of getting it wrong or looking like a fool about it. When I was young and in many ways a social outcast, I didn’t care. Now, sadly, I care too much of what others might think. I was more eager to obey than to care what others thought. Now, sadly, that has flipped around. What happened to those deep and compelling urges to obey? Are they still there? Are they just dormant? Can I change? Can I be more aware and obedient to the Holy Spirit moving in my life now?

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God’s super subtle, sneaky news to the sheepboys

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Luke‬ ‭2:8-12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​I guess some kinds of REALLY good news doesn’t require a command or an invitation. This announcement, proclamation, FYI was so huge, so earth-shattering that the angels didn’t say, “GO.” They didn’t make the shepherds do anything. Yeah, there’s some assumption the sheep-guys would want to go, “you will recognize, you will find,” but still no “go thou.”

Some news is just like that. We send invites out to the big occasions in our lives, “You’re invited…” birthdays, bris, birth announcements, showers and weddings, because they are HUGE celebration moments in our life and we want family (for sure) and close friends to be there to celebrate. I guess the arrival of angelic beings bursting from the sky could be considered and shepherds invitation?

But, look who received the biggest announcement known to humankind. SHEEPBOYS (I figured if cow herders can be called cow-boys, the sheep guys should get equal title). Not family, not close friends of Mary and Joseph. Ah, but they were very close friends of God! And these guys weren’t some kind of young, knuckleheads, poor and forgotten out on the prairie.

They were the upper-classmates of the priestly training school. And these sheep and lambs were not just some run-of-the-range sheep – these were sacrificial sheep, the top-quality of the herd. These guys were special class, highly trained in veterinary skills to birth new lambs, protect from predators and heal their injuries. These lambs weren’t allowed to have ANY blemishes, ZERO broken bones and be perfect.

Get rid of the old “poor, teens” out their in the field picture we’ve been given in the Christmas stories.

In fact, think of it this way. This announcement, this experience was GIVEN to the future group of priests, possibly even “high-priest” material in twenty years or so, just about the time these young men would later hear of a messiah that would die on a cross and fulfill his destiny EXACTLY like those highly specialized sheep in their care that amazing night.

These sheepboys didn’t need a command, the news was worth going and seeing for themselves. After the Angels left, they took off for Bethlehem and found Jesus!

PRAYER:

​Dad,
I am thrilled to know that you, in your clever love, reached out to the religious leaders long before they became powerful, wealthy or stuffy-snobby smart.

You got some of their attention as a group of sheepboys while they were in priest-school. Was Nicodemus one of them? What ever happened to them as they got older and began serving in the temple. Did they remember that night? Of course they did!

And you knew exactly who you wanted to hear the news and be among the first to see the son of God – future religious leaders.

Maybe King David was watching the whole scene play out from heaven and said to you, “nice touch God!” I agree, a very nice touch indeed.