Hope in the Chaos

I love preparing for Christmas. I've wrapped gifts, put candles in the windows, and look forward to our children coming home.

I enjoy pondering the Christmas story. The Angel Gabriel visited a young girl to tell her she would give birth to God's son. Mary was pregnant out of wedlock which was punishable by stoning. Joseph heard from the angel in a dream, "Do not to be afraid to marry Mary." Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem because of Caesar's census. And then, after their long journey they didn't find a room, so when Mary's time to deliver the baby arrived, they took shelter in a stable.

This is not the kind of preparing I would have liked.

It would be an inconvenience to travel so far to appease a mad king and his lust for power and taxes. I would have been miffed that no one could find room for a pregnant mother to give birth. I'd complain about the stinky stable, wishing for something a bit more comfortable. I think I would be so caught up in the negative details around me that I would have missed the blessing I was meant to receive.

Yet, in the midst of the chaos, there was a thread of God's plan weaving its way through every event.

So, in the midst of the chaotic preparations of this season, will you ask Him to give you eyes to see the wonders of His love. Because He came for you!

What wonder is He revealing to you today?

                       Merry Christmas,

                                   Jeanne

This week's featured resources:

Photos by Jeanne Doyon

Ready for Christmas?



Where did 2013 go?

December is here and we are knocking on the door of a new year. I’ve done a bit of holiday planning—in my head at least. I got my first Christmas card in the mail yesterday—a telltale sign that I’m not prepared for Christmas at all, at least not in the practical sense.

I wonder if the first Christmas was like that.

For hundreds of years the prophets proclaimed and set the stage for the Messiah’s coming—their words said:

To follow a star in the east
Seek a baby to be born in Bethlehem
A king born of a virgin, nestled in a manger
His name will be Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace
God with us - Emmanuel
And, He would save the people from their sins

I wonder if they were ready for His arrival. Did the busyness of life cloud the signs?

Anna and Simeon recognized Jesus in the temple after his birth. The Shepherds told of heavenly hosts and discovered an infant in a feeding trough just as the angel proclaimed. And, Mary pondered all these things in her heart.

Jesus had come. Born as a baby, He lived quietly as a carpenter’s son until the fullness of time. The time when He would fulfill His purpose for you and me.

Prophets foretold. People waited. Jesus came.

As you anticipate your Christmas celebrations, how will you prepare for His coming?

 

                                              Jeanne

Suggested Resource:
The Jesse Tree provides a way to usher in the story of Jesus during December

Images Courtesy of www.morguefile.com