318
Thus was stuck in my drafts, I got the gift of an email last night with the right words to wrap this email up… to wrap my thoughts in swaddling clothes… Smiles….
Our choir director asked me to read the part for Mary in the Christmas eve service… WOW, and he has NO idea of what happened this year to me… I didn’t tell him yet… but I certainly will now… Actually he asked my son to read the child’s role too, my son is “thinking about it”… I didn’t have to think AT ALL, I figure the HOLY SPIRIT had some hand in this, how could I say no??!!!! I am honored being belief … to “represent” for women who acknowledge Jesus born in them, wow…. Oh how I hope to help the HOLY SPIRIT wherever the wind takes me (just like the Genesis lyric, “Whose seen the wind not you or I, But when the ship moves she’s passing by. Between you and me, I really don’t think she knows where she’s going at all.”… which mirrors conversations in the spring time about really not knowing where God is taking me on this journey… One year later with Jesus holding me up (no wonder God wanted to lighten Jesus’s load by my 55.5 lbs weight loss LOL), I am still enjoying the ride… Even with the rough spots this year, the light outweighs the dark, always…. I am EVER blessed…
I KNOW it will be the most hectic weekend for ALL of us, so let me take the quiet moment now to wish you ALL and your families a very MERRY CHRISTMAS, or as a friend put it, “a pensive reflection of the true meaning of advent”… Luckily for me Christmas will continue ALL year again next year, I just have that feeling…
Stay Hopeful, Feed your Inner Jesus, 15/18Dec
My bracelet has a black bead with Dead Sea mud in it to remind me to stay hopeful in life’s low points… I recently got to cradle a precious little ten week baby, he took ALL my blues away instantly…. so precious, so BLESSED to be entrusted with a child…
While I was holding him, I could feel him breathing, stretching, and I could feel all his tiny gut gurgles too!!!! Even though he eventually cried and I didn’t know exactly what was wrong, I could understand that his cry was for attention.
Babies, they remind us that we ALWAYS should “stay hopeful” for their whole lives are in front of them… And we should stay hopeful because our MOST precious Christmas baby is born IN US. We are to know Jesus first as a baby, LOVE HIM, then know Him as a grown man to lead us to eternal life. Jesus is at full ready – to comfort us whenever we ask – but IF we are to take full advantage of knowing and understanding Him in order to be feeling comfort from HIM, well then FIRST WE NEED TO RAISE HIM!!!
If we are just guessing why baby Jesus is crying, then we need to ask Jesus directly and our heavenly Father to help us understand… Christmas baby Jesus is just like every other baby, and HE will cry…. even though we don’t always know exactly what’s wrong, baby Jesus cries for our attention…
Baby Jesus is hungry for our LOVE and TRUST…
Good God knows I have been blessed with raising a son and a daughter in real life, and now this Christ child growing “in me” actually grew me because I grew HIM.
I was asked to read the part of Mary in our church’s Christmas eve service…. How blessed to portray the woman entrusted with birthing God… How blessed to have God entrust MY salvation to Jesus. How blessed to feed myself on HIS word to nourish my inner Jesus AND the outer Child of God that I am.
While we ourselves become more childlike in appreciation of God, we must devote time to understand how God works in us for God’s greater glory, not ours. We should remember to be thankful we are along for the ride, Jesus is driving…
Jesus is born in us, let us feed HIM forever…. Precious, BLESSED to be entrusted with Jesus…
Mary – Christ – Mother and Child – MERRY CHRISTMAS to us ALL.
——————————
Scripture Lesson (Reader – A Mother)
“And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.” – Luke 1:26-3
————-
Second Lesson – MY child will read:
– Poetry by Sara Moores Campbell
Give us the spirit of the child.
Give us the child who lives within – the child who trusts, the child who imagines, the child who sings, the child who receives without reservation, the child who gives without judgement.
Give us a child’s eyes, that we may receive the beauty and freshness of this day like a sunrise.
Give us a child’s ears, that we may hear the music of mythical times.
Give us a child’s heart, that we may be filled with wonder and delight.
Give us a child’s faith, that we may be cured of our cynicism.
Give us the spirit of the child, who is not afraid to need, who is not afraid to love. Amen.
– Poetry by Sara Moores Campbell