More than Just Christmas Day Hope
Good Morning Friends,
Listen for the sounds of angels that announce the birth of Christ. Listen for the sound of truth beyond the surface things. Look out into the world dangerously for the images of Christ and desire to know more. Listen for the sounds and look out for the images of
Christmas and think of something you have not thought of before….something More than Just Christmas Day Hope.
Scripture: Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:14-21 (NRSV)
Message: We had a wonderful candle light carol sing and message last night at church in our sanctuary at Moorings. The worship was a little bit old and a little bit new. We sang new songs and old songs for about an hour. The kids sang at the first service and then we had strings and harp and piano and a drum and adult voices and handbells playing for the second. We played handbells and sang in the choir. It reminded me of when my children Stephen and Jessica, in their youth, would crawl around on the floor on their hands and knees looking for others lost candles. Now they pass them out and make sure new candles are available for the second service. And before the services our family set out luminaries to light the way. We are never without something to do. But the whole Christmas experience boggles the mind for there are always surprises. And one would think that our memories of it would be related to our praise and worship through music, and they are to a point but no, the one thing we will remember for this Christmas is that just before 2:00 a.m., after the storm and rain and wind had passed through, while we are all snuggled in our beds for the proverbial long winters nap, we heard a knocking and creaking and our children calling out. Our Christmas tree, stand intact had tipped over spilling ornaments onto the floor. What exactly tipped it I am not sure but it became oddly reminiscent of a Dr. Who Christmas special where the Christmas trees became weapons. And I could not help but wonder why Dr. Who celebrates Christmas. Well we righted the tree. Swept up the debris and went back to sleep a bit confused. Now I am writing and I cannot help but think that during this season God seems noticeably bigger than our box of hope that we have carved and hacked and molded to contain Him….bigger than our problems. We are as carpenters and potters unskilled in the secret things that God only knows. We look for peace in the red and green paint of the season on ornaments we colored long ago, but it grows old and needs to be replaced, so each Christmas we take some of the old and mix it with some of the new and so some things change but some remain the same. Now it is morning… Christmas morning at home and the tree still stands. Still, Still, Still in hope that it will stay standing we whisper…. “Merry Christmas.” And then we raise our voices as if from the mountain top, shouting out to you “MERRY CHRISTMAS!”
Pray for the peace found in the harmony of truth. Pray for the sound of the good news to rise above all the other noise. Pray we realize that God will not be defined and limited to our boundaries, or parameters or vocal range. Pray for peace, understanding that once Jesus was rejected He came to bring the sword of truth which may not seem peaceful at all. Pray that what gets tipped in the storms of life gets righted in the light of Christ.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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