December 2011
Life Signs: Contemporary without Compromise
When we love those who are undeserving, it is an act of mercy. But loving God is an act
of worship.
MGBC Home Page
No Room
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son (John 3:16).
We make room for things that are important to us. We may eat two or three meals
every day and sleep several hours each night even though our “to do” list is not much
shorter today than it was yesterday. We will choose to play with a grandchild over
cleaning the house any day of the week. We always seem to manage to find a place for
that great piece of furniture we don’t really need – but really like. After all, it was on
sale. Personally, I like pens. Don’t ask me why because I simply don’t know. I can only
use but one pen at a time, but I do have several. We will have lunch with a friend
instead of running errands. Then there is always room for anything else not on our “to
do” lists! Silly examples – right? Sometimes I wonder.
I wonder what the innkeeper thought as he turned away the young man and his very
pregnant wife that holy night so long ago. He had no room – it was that simple. Do we
ourselves have room?
The Christmas season is upon us! Our calendars are already full, our bank accounts are
closing in on empty and our hearts and lives are crowded with things we deem as
important, but have we made room for Jesus? Could you imagine a world without the
presence of God? Yet we often live our lives as if He does not exist. A crisis hits, and we
try to handle it on our own. We don’t understand the trials in our life while those who
could care less about God seem to prosper. Instead of reaching out to Him, we
withdraw into the darkness. Financial stress fuels worry. Again, instead of turning to
God, we rely on what we can see and understand. We settle for what is tangible.
When we do cry out to God, He lovingly fills each dark corner with Light. His love flows
over the pain like soothing ointment and once again, we experience the manger. Once
again, Jesus Christ steps into the smelly, unlikely and very ordinary existence that is ours
to change everything – absolutely everything!
Jesus could have come to us in many ways. The plainness of His birth is an extraordinary
event and because it is so clear-cut makes it sometimes hard to grasp. Jesus could have
been born in a mansion. He was, after all, a King. Instead, He came to a dirty smelly
manger and His birth was announced by a host of angels and common shepherds
instead of Kings -- the greatest of all miracles in the midst of total simplicity. Today,
Jesus still wants to meet us in the midst of our simple daily lives. It seems way too easy
and too good to be true, doesn’t it?
No Room
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son (John 3:16).
We make room for things that are important to us. We may eat two or three meals
every day and sleep several hours each night even though our “to do” list is not much
shorter today than it was yesterday. We will choose to play with a grandchild over
cleaning the house any day of the week. We always seem to manage to find a place for
that great piece of furniture we don’t really need – but really like. After all, it was on
sale. Personally, I like pens. Don’t ask me why because I simply don’t know. I can only
use but one pen at a time, but I do have several. We will have lunch with a friend
instead of running errands. Then there is always room for anything else not on our “to
do” lists! Silly examples – right? Sometimes I wonder.
I wonder what the innkeeper thought as he turned away the young man and his very
pregnant wife that holy night so long ago. He had no room – it was that simple. Do we
ourselves have room?
The Christmas season is upon us! Our calendars are already full, our bank accounts are
closing in on empty and our hearts and lives are crowded with things we deem as
important, but have we made room for Jesus? Could you imagine a world without the
presence of God? Yet we often live our lives as if He does not exist. A crisis hits, and we
try to handle it on our own. We don’t understand the trials in our life while those who
could care less about God seem to prosper. Instead of reaching out to Him, we
withdraw into the darkness. Financial stress fuels worry. Again, instead of turning to
God, we rely on what we can see and understand. We settle for what is tangible.
When we do cry out to God, He lovingly fills each dark corner with Light. His love flows
over the pain like soothing ointment and once again, we experience the manger. Once
again, Jesus Christ steps into the smelly, unlikely and very ordinary existence that is ours
to change everything – absolutely everything!
Jesus could have come to us in many ways. The plainness of His birth is an extraordinary
event and because it is so clear-cut makes it sometimes hard to grasp. Jesus could have
been born in a mansion. He was, after all, a King. Instead, He came to a dirty smelly
manger and His birth was announced by a host of angels and common shepherds
instead of Kings -- the greatest of all miracles in the midst of total simplicity. Today,
Jesus still wants to meet us in the midst of our simple daily lives. It seems way too easy
and too good to be true, doesn’t it?