Imagine...

One of the things I love most about Christmas is that it has a way of stirring up our hopes and dreams.  It has a way of realizing our creativity and imagination.  I never want to lose my capacity to hope and ponder, and to wonder and to imagine.  

Every year, I always enjoy watching the Charlie Brown Christmas.  In this story, Charlie Brown is trying to find the true meaning of Christmas.  He finally gets so frustrated that he screams at the top of his lungs, “Is there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”  

Then Linus says, “Sure Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about.”  And he recites by memory part of Luke’s Gospel. Watch Linus>>

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.     

"That’s what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown!”

Can you imagine what it would have been like to have been part of that scene?  To be one of the angels who was chosen to announce to the world the greatest news of all time?  

Can you imagine what a thrill it must have been for the shepherds to hear the news before anyone else?  After all, they were considered to be one of the lowest classes of people.  But on this night, God chose them to be the very first people on the planet to hear that a Savior had been born.  Imagine what it would be like to realize that maybe you are not so “insignificant” after all and that you really matter to God.

Can you imagine what it must have been like to be Joseph?  Imagine his faith and trust in God.  Think about all the harassment he took from his buddies.  Snickering comments like “Your fiancé is pregnant with God’s baby?  Right Joseph, wake up and smell the coffee!”  And Mary, imagine being the mother of God and being able to trust so fully and completely in the Lord’s plans despite all the gossip and criticism being thrown at her.  

Mary and Joseph fully trusted God and stepped out in faith knowing that God loved them and chose them.  May all of us realize as well that God has chosen each of us and that He knows us all by name.  We are not insignificant in God’s eyes.  We are loved more than we could ever imagine!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Pastor Carol

Gift Wrapping

Every year, a few days before Christmas, you will usually find me amidst a mound of wrapping paper, attempting to creatively wrap all the Christmas gifts.  I suspect that, for many of you, wrapping the gifts can be a really painful experience, too.  While I was in college at the University of Minnesota, I worked in the gift-wrap department at Dayton’s.  And, let me tell you, some wrapping paper often covered up some pretty tacky and weird gifts! 

At the first Christmas, the wise men brought “unwrapped” gifts to the Baby Jesus.  I think we can learn something from the Wise Men about gift giving.  They teach us to give an unexpected gift to someone.  Some of the best gifts I’ve received over the years have been the totally unexpected ones. 

The wise men also gave a gift with genuine joy.  They rejoiced when they saw the star!  They rejoiced when they saw Mary.  They could hardly wait to present their gifts to Jesus and bow before Him. 

And the gifts they gave were personal.  The gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh were unusual gifts to bring to a baby, but they had very special meaning associated with them.  Each of these gifts was given for a very specific reason.  Gold was associated with royalty and kingship.  Jesus was the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  The frankincense was given as reverence.  Since the incense was often used during times of worship.  And the myrrh was given as a symbol of his death, a prophecy of what was to come.  Myrrh was often used to perfume the bodies of the dead.

One of my favorite Christmas books, which was made into a movie, was The Christmas Box.  In this movie, one of the characters asks this important question:  “What was the first gift of Christmas?”  Finally, at the end of the movie, someone answers the riddle: a child.  So, on this day before Christmas, remember that the first gift of Christmas was a Child and He came for you and for me.

He walked up a hill to a cross to pay the penalty for our sin – so our lives could be full, free, forgiven and forever.  Now that is some gift!!  It’s a gift that is eternal – it doesn’t rust, can’t be thrown away, and it won’t wear out.  And He’s just waiting this Christmas for you and me to fully embrace his gift of grace and love. 

Calvary’s youth choir will be singing a song on Christmas Eve at the 5 p.m. service that sums it up so well.  In the chorus, the lyrics say, “He found a way in a manager, to find a way to the cross.”  Listen now>> 

May the blessings of Christmas “wrap” your heart with love, hope, joy and peace!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Pastor Carol

I Need a Silent Night

Let it snow!  Let it snow! Let it snow!  For some reason, that song has been stuck in my head all week!  Over the past week, many of us have spent countless hours shoveling snow from our driveways and roofs.  The snow seemed to keep coming!  And coming!  And coming! 

Last Saturday, amid the avalanche of snow, my plans for the day were suddenly changed.  I had planned to run errands, ship a couple of packages, and finish some Christmas shopping at various shops around the Twin Cities.  Well, how quickly those plans changed!  I suspect that, for many of you, your plans changed as well, due to the snow. 

Calvary’s children’s Christmas program rehearsal was canceled on Saturday but, on Sunday morning, we all experienced one of the best Christmas programs ever!  Plans changed, but the “gift” of Christmas was proclaimed by the children and experienced by us all, regardless of the snow! 

Interestingly enough, the Christmas story is a story of plans being changed, too.  Everyone in the Christmas story had their plans changed!  Think about that for a minute.  Mary and Joseph were just an ordinary engaged couple wanting to be married and to live a peaceful life, BUT God changed their plans!  The innkeeper wasn’t expecting the Savior of the world to be born in his stable, BUT God changed his plan!  The shepherds were probably looking forward to another “silent night” amid the stars and the sheep, BUT their plans were changed, too, when the angel appeared to them!

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." (Luke 2:15)

As we prepare for the birth of the Christ child this week, may we be open to God changing our plans as well.  The world was forever changed because of that single event – the birth of Jesus.  When God changes our plans, amazing things can happen in our lives.  And, just like the shepherds, may we journey to Bethlehem this week with the same excitement and anticipation as we celebrate Emmanuel’s entrance to the world – “God with us!” 

Perhaps we all need a “silent night” during this week so we can truly experience the “real gift” of Christmas – Christ the Lord.  Here’s a song by Amy Grant that gently reminds us not to forget the true meaning of Christmas amid all the busyness of this week.  Listen now>>

Soli Deo Gloria!

Pastor Carol

Looking for Baby Jesus

Over the past week, I started to set up my Nativity sets in my home.  I have little ones and larger ones; some are wood and some are made of porcelain.  My favorite part of putting up the Nativity sets is placing the Baby Jesus in the mangers.  I get a big lump in my throat each and every time I place Him in the manger.  Why?  Because that’s the “real” Christmas! 

“And she gave birth to her first born, a Son, and she wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.”  (Luke 2:7, NIV) 

As a child, my mom always set up a tiny Nativity set in my room on my dresser.  One year, I wanted to help put the Nativity set up in my room.  After begging to put the Baby Jesus in the manger, my mom reluctantly handed Jesus to me.  So I stood up on my tippy-toes and reached for the manger.  At that moment, Jesus fell out of my little hand and hit the hardwood floor.  His head went one way and His body the other!  I “broke” Jesus!  As I started to cry, my mom discovered another miracle that Christmas -- the gift of super-glue!  She quickly glued Him back together and then glued Him into the manger so he wouldn’t fall out. 

Sometimes we need to get a little closer to the manger so that we don’t miss the greatest Gift given to us – the Baby Jesus.  And, just like children, we need to get on our tippy-toes, and with an air of expectancy, look at the baby in the manger.  Have you ever noticed how children delight in going up to the manger and not only looking at the Baby Jesus, but they also try to touch Him too?  They instinctively reach out to Him; they don’t hold back! 

The closer we can get to the manger, the more we are able to see the miracle!  It’s so easy to miss the Christmas miracle because it comes around every year.  But think about this for a minute: the God of the Universe came into the world as a helpless baby.  How in the world do you fit God into a baby?  It’s like trying to fit the ocean into a thimble!  There is only one word that describes why God did this for us and that word is LOVE! 

Jesus is Emmanuel, “God with us.”  He came for you and for me out of love.  The glory of God came into this world at Christmas!  That’s what’s in the manger!  So this year, don’t miss the “real” Christmas!  If you seek Jesus and reach out to Him, even on your “tippy-toes,” He will reveal Himself to you and He will give you the most amazing “gift” this Christmas--His unrelenting love! 

Soli Deo Gloria!

Pastor Carol

The Advent Calendar

In the sermon this past weekend, we were challenged to reprioritize our lives.  As we begin Advent and the journey toward Bethlehem, perhaps we should ask ourselves: "What are we focusing on?"  Sometimes we get so busy we just want to “survive” Christmas rather than “celebrate” it.  There are parties and kids programs, invitations and cards to get out.  Not to mention the shopping and the shipping of gifts.  Then there are the outside lights and wreaths to hang, along with the Christmas tree and other decorations that need to be set up inside.  Survival sometimes seems to be our focus.

I’ve been reading Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose of Christmas, over the past week.  In the opening chapter of the book, he said this: 

Ironically, at most Christmas parties the person whose birthday you’re supposed to be celebrating is completely ignored.  He’s never even mentioned.  Although Jesus is the reason for the season, He’s often overlooked or merely mentioned along with Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus, the Grinch, the elves and a long list of celebrated fictional characters. 

With all the Christmas activities, not to mention the busyness and stress we find as we work to get all the accoutrements of Christmas set up in our homes, it’s no wonder we have overlooked Jesus.  It’s no wonder that our priorities get a little out of whack during the Christmas season. 

Have you ever watched children during Advent and Christmas?  They have a sense of wonderment, excitement and awe.  When I was a child, I couldn’t wait to celebrate Jesus’ birthday!  I had an incredible sense of anticipation.  In fact, I remember when I was about five years old, I opened all the little windows on my Advent calendar because I couldn’t wait any longer.  My mom asked me why I had done that.  I replied, “Because I wanted to see the Baby Jesus!!”  My anticipation was so intense, I couldn’t wait for Dec 25 to finally SEE the Baby Jesus – I wanted Him NOW! 

Christmas, through the eyes of children, remind me of the shepherds who experienced the first Christmas.  In the birth story of Jesus, found in Luke 2, we find that after the shepherds had found Mary, Joseph and the Baby Jesus, they went home and told everyone. 

“The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”  (Luke 2:20) 

The shepherds had an uncontrolled excitement and they shared it with everyone!  When was the last time you were seen glorifying and praising God with a sense of wonderment and joy?  When did we forget to really celebrate the most amazing Gift ever given to the world – Jesus the Christ?

As we continue to prepare our hearts and homes for Christmas, may we also have a renewed “child-like” sense of wonderment and joy as we journey toward Bethlehem to encounter the birth of our Savior and Lord.

The song, “I Need a Silent Night” sung by Amy Grant, is a wonderful song that reminds us all of WHO should be the priority in our lives this Christmas and all 365 days of the year!  Listen now>>

So go ahead… open all the windows on your Advent calendar!  The Baby Jesus is waiting! 

Pax,

Pastor Carol