What a Wondrous Wednesday! Its all about to go down!!! Tonight, tonight, tonight... Our #AdventJourney is on the verge of its conclusion as we ready ourselves to receive the fullness of #GodsLove through the celebration of Christs birth. Are you ready?!?!?!?! Probably not, right? The tree is decorated. (Most) of the presents are wrapped. The food is (perhaps) prepped to be placed in the oven. But theres probably a small mountain of other items that may or may not get done. Your outfit for worship might not be clean or ironed. The cookies might yet need to be baked. Oh, and then theres the state of our hearts/minds/spirits... Are they ready to truly embrace the glory of Christmas? Is baby Jesus buried in a pile of To-Do lists & stocking-stuffers? Were NEVER ready to fully encounter The LORD or receive love in the ways wed like to. But thats the wonderful part about walking with GOD in Jesus: we dont have to be perfectly ready! Because PERFECT LOVE is made perfect in meeting the imperfect (im)perfectly where it is. ??? Confused? Lets try to sort this out by once again #FindingOurselvesInTheNativityStory & continue #JourneyingWithTheHolyFamily... More recently, weve been looking at some of the bit-players in the narrative of Christs conception & birth, but today (as is apropos for Christmas Eve), I want to return to Mary & Joseph. When we look at these two, we see the kind of messy, uncomfortable, wonderful, beautiful Love which GOD seeks to share with us & asks us to #Embody. Love, REAL love, godly love doesnt come tied-up with pretty ribbon & neatly folded wrapping. It is gorgeous & profound in just how ugly (of circumstances) it appears. Take Jesus earthly parents for example... A closer reading of Lukes gospel shows us something interesting about how Love was born to us & how it was manifested & shared between Mary & Joseph. Not only was Jesus born on an unwanted mandatory roadtrip, in unsavory environs, but his mom & dad were in a strange spot as well (in addition to the obvious discomfort of traveling while VERY pregnant). According to Luke 2:4-7, Jesus wasnt just conceived prior to marriage, but he was born BEFORE it! The perfect manifestation/incarnation of GODs perfect love was born into far-less than perfect circumstances. And his parents had to love each other in a perfect way in order to facilitate his birth. Think about it: no matter how much they might have reconciled themselves to what The LORD was (unconventionally) doing through their relationship, the two of them had to have patience, faith, long-suffering, etcetera with & for one another. Following the annunciation. As they made travel arrangements. On the road! Joseph, I know were in a hurry, but PLEASE: I need to use the little girls room...I AM pregnant after all!!! Yes, Mary, my love, I understand, but please make it as quick as possible because we HAVE to go register for the census or face punishment from Rome. PS: I didnt ASK for you to get pregnant by some(force)body other than me. And on top of those dynamics, Joseph still hadnt put a ring on it -as the text states that at the time of their travels, they were (still, only) PLEDGED to be married. Could you imagine? Yet, thats the way that GOD expresses & shares Perfect Love with & for this imperfect world: by showing-up in & through the most unlikely of places. In the twelfth chapter of Pauls second letter to the Corinthian believers, he shares the message The LORD spoke to him during a particularly challenging period of dealing with his own shortcomings. My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” Thats a tough one for us (for me): to appreciate & accept the love which meets us & is expressed in the most jacked-up places of our lives. But thats just like GOD, isnt it? To do the unexpected. To humble our pride by reminding us that we are loved -in, despite, throughout our messes and foibles. To shame our fears of not measuring up by showing up when were at our worst. Again, we see this to be the heart of the Good News when, in 1st John 4, the author reminds us of what REAL love, TRUE love looks like: There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear...” Are you ready for Christmas? Probably not. But you dont have to be. You just have to receive the gift when it appears & share it perfectly with others... ...whether or not they (or you) are ready. PRAYER: GOD-of-the-Unexpected, Forgive me for ever thinking that I can have it all together. Open me to YOUR messy & Perfect Love. Grant me Peace, Patience, Kindness & Gratitude. Allow YOUR Light to shine in my darkness & equip me to reflect it faithfully. I am ready for YOUR Love (whether I feel that way or not). Surprise us with YOUR Power & Presence once more -tonight & all throughout the journey of our lives. In the name of Emmanuel, AMEN! #KnowGrowGo #GodJourneysWithUs #TheJourneyIsOurHome #LoveIsAVerb #NoMatterWhoYouAreOrWhereYouAreOnLifesJourney #ReadyOrNot
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 13:24:42 +0000
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