Unto Us a Child Is Born
December 25, 2011 by Lillie
May God richly bless you and those you love on this holy day when we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior.
Enjoy the video of this classical rendition of Unto Us a Child Is Born from Handel’s Messiah based on Isaiah 9:6 and performed by the Choir and Orchestra of Pro Christe from the album, Messiah-Christmas Highlights form Handel’s Enduring Masterpiece.
Christmas 2011
December 25, 2011 by Lillie
John 1:1-14 (ESV)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
GOD, who makest us glad with the yearly remembrance of the birth of thine only Son Jesus Christ; Grant that as we joyfully receive him for our Redeemer, so we may with sure confidence behold him when he shall come to be our Judge, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.
May God bless you and your loved ones as you worship Him in spirit and truth on this day in which we celebrate Jesus coming to earth for our salvation.
photo credit: Janet Beasley = JLB Creatives
Devotion for Christmas Eve
December 24, 2011 by Lillie
Matthew 1:18-25 (ESV)
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
Heavenly Father, we praise You and bless You for sending Your Son Jesus Christ to save us from our sins. Immanuel—God with us! Father, Son, and Holy Spirit with us always and forever—thank You! In the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord and Savior, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
photo credit: IABoomerFlickr
Santa Stories
December 21, 2011 by Lillie
Recently, I read The Red Suit Diaries: A Real-Life Santa on Hopes, Dreams, and Childlike Faith
One year a group of us from an organization of businesswomen gave a party for mothers and children who were in transition from the Battered Women’s Shelter. There were twelve families in the program, with a combined total of about twenty children. One of our members had played Santa many times, and she agreed to be our Jolly Old St. Nick.
As an afterthought, I grabbed my Polaroid camera on the way out of the office, but I didn’t have any film. Santa and I stopped to buy film, and you can imagine the line of children following Santa through the drugstore. Santa had to smile and wave and speak to kids so we could get out of the store after making our purchase.
We arrived at a party location to find that the women and children were waiting for us because they had to arrive very early due to inconvenient bus schedules. After we served the guests cookies and punch, Santa sat in a large chair in the middle of the room and invited the children to come sit on “his” lap and get their gifts and have their picture taken. None of the children came forward. I walked around the outside of the room where the children stood with their mothers, encouraging them to go see Santa. They looked down at the floor or smiled and nodded, but no one moved. Finally one of the mothers spoke so low I had to lean closer to hear her. “How much does it cost?”
“Oh, it doesn’t cost anything,” I answered. “It’s free.”
The mothers smiled and motioned their kids toward Santa. The children swarmed around Santa’s chair, eager for their gifts. We took a Polaroid snapshot of each child, then we took pictures of the child with his or her siblings. One of the mothers shyly approached me. “Would you take a picture of me with my kids? I’ve never had a picture of my kids and me before.”
I’m sure the women could hear the emotion in my voice when I said, “Of course, we’ll take all the pictures you want!” The smiles on those faces lit up the room, and the happiness on the face of each mother when she saw the first picture of herself brought tears to the eyes of the six volunteers.
The children were excited to get their gifts, which they took home to open as the only gifts they would receive on Christmas Day. The mothers appreciated the gift certificates and the food, which they carried home on the bus. But the best gift of all was those pictures, which seemed to be an afterthought on our part.
An afterthought to us, maybe, but like all unexplained coincidences, another example of God choosing to remain anonymous.
For several years, the employees of my interior landscape company volunteered for the Elf Louise Project. The 100% volunteer-operated organization collects donations of toys, which are wrapped and delivered in person to needy children. Nearly 20,000 toys are given to children in almost 6,000 families. The parents must request the gifts for their families, and Elf Louise tries to match gifts as closely as possible to what the children want. Volunteers, close to 6,000 of them, collect toys and money, buy toys, wrap the gifts, and deliver them to the families. The toys are delivered by teams with a Santa on each team. Each year, my company fielded several teams to deliver gifts.
The teams were warned that most of the neighborhoods where gifts were to be delivered were high-crime areas, and the driver should be careful to always park in such a way as to be able to make a quick escape if necessary. Our driver knew that, but in a neighborhood of run-down, dilapidated homes, the street suddenly ended, and he had to turn around and go back. When he turned the vehicle around, a carload of teenage boys—guys who certainly looked like they could be members of one of the notorious gangs frequenting the area—pulled in front of us and slammed on the brakes. Big, rough-looking guys poured out of all the doors. We started to panic as the teens ran toward our vehicle yelling.
Then we realized what they were saying.”Santa! Santa! Santa!”
Fortunately, Elf Louise provides each team with a large bag of candy to hand out to children who aren’t on the gift list. That night, all our candy went to the “gang” of guys who looked like young toughs but who acted like children. After each boy got a big handful of candy, the young men said, “Thanks, Santa!” They smiled at us and each other, high-fived, piled back into the car, and drove away.
Women in Business gave many more parties to the women in transition from the Battered Women Shelter, and our employees volunteered a number of years for Elf Louise. Each of those experiences was moving and meaningful, but none was more special than the experiences I’ve just described.
This Christmas, I hope you are a Santa like Ed Butchart, the author of The Red Suit Diaries—reminding everyone on your gift list that you love them and God loves them. I pray that you remember that the value of a gift lies in the love with which it is given and the meaningfulness of it to the recipient.
A handwritten note telling a parent or spouse how much you love them, an offer to help a young mother with childcare or a senior citizen with household chores, a box of homemade cookies—these cost little or nothing but are likely to mean more than an expensive item purchased from a fine store.
Of course, gifts that you buy can be as meaningful as gifts that you make if you choose them with love and care. Selecting an item the recipient has been wanting for a long time or choosing something that perfectly matches their tastes and interests can bring joy to the recipient, and their joy will make you happy.
Naturally, as a writer and a reader, I love books. For the book lover on your list, a book in their favorite genre or a gift certificate to a bookstore
May God richly bless you in this holy season and may the gifts you give and the gifts you receive bring joy.
Advent 2011
November 27, 2011 by Lillie
Last Friday was “Black Friday,” the busiest shopping day of the year. Tomorrow is “Cyber Monday,” to promote online shopping. People are busy planning Christmas parties, sending greeting cards, and decorating for “the holidays.” In the midst of all this busy-ness, it’s easy to lose track of “the reason for the season,” to forget that Christmas is a holy day, not just a holiday.
Today, the First Sunday in Advent, is the beginning of the Christian year. Advent is a time of preparation leading up to Christmas. Liturgical Christians celebrate three different Advents: the Advent of Jesus’ birth on earth more than two centuries ago, the Advent of Jesus’ coming into our hearts when we accepted Him as our Lord and Savior, and the Advent of His coming again in glory at the end of time. The Bible teaches us to be ever-ready as we don’t know when the Lord will return. Advent is a time to prepare … to get ready.
I invite you to join me in brief daily Advent devotions here on my blog and encourage you to spent more time with the Lord in prayer, devotion, and Bible study during this special time.
As my Advent gift to you, I have created Scripture/prayer cards. You can download the PDF file, print the Scriptures on one side of the heavy paper or card stock and the prayers on the other, cut the page into cards, and carry them with you in your purse or pocket.
May this holy season refresh your spirit and bring you closer to God.
ALMIGHTY God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen. (Collect for the First Sunday in Advent, 1928 Book of Common Prayer)
Wishing You a Blessed Christmas
December 25, 2010 by Lillie
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
Luke 2:1-20
ALMIGHTY God, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin; Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen.
Memories of Christmas Giving
December 22, 2010 by Lillie
I have many wonderful memories of Christmas with my family—with my parents and siblings when I was growing up and with my husband and extended family in adulthood.
But I also have wonderful memories of Christmas events with complete strangers—Christmases that reminded me of the true reason for the celebration. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. He came so that we might have life and have it abundantly. He came to show the love of God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I have been blessed to have had several occasions at Christmas when I could share that love with others.
I wrote about Christmas memories a couple of years ago. One of my favorites is the first year a group of women business owners gave a party for mothers and their children who were in transition from the Battered Women’s Shelter. We had originally offered to give a party or provide gifts for women and children in the Shelter, but staff told us the Shelter received much support from the community at Christmas. However, nothing was being done for a group of women who were in a new transition program. We agreed to give a party and gifts for these twelve women and their children (a total of about twenty children).
The families had stayed at the Shelter for weeks or months until the women found jobs and moved into their own apartments. This was their first Christmas without the husband and father, and although the man had been abusive, being apart from their father during the holidays was difficult and stressful for many of the children. The women were struggling to support and care for their children on their own for the first time. Although the Shelter staff explained all this to us, we didn’t fully comprehend the situation.
We got a list of names and ages of the children and members of the businesswomen’s group bought two or three gifts for each child. We gave the mothers gift certificates to a discount store, and we packaged up some food for each family.
About six of us went to a church in the neighborhood of the Battered Women’s Shelter to host the party. One of our members had played Santa in the past and owned a Santa suit, so she offered to be Santa at the party. As I was leaving the office to go to the party, I had a sudden inspiration. I pulled my Polaroid camera out of my desk and took it with me. I didn’t have any film, so after we assembled at the meeting place and loaded everything into a couple of cars, “Santa” and I made a trip to a nearby drugstore to buy film.
Kids came running from all directions to follow Santa through the store. After we bought enough film to take several pictures of each child, we headed down to the church. The room was already filled with women and children—we learned they had to arrive early because buses didn’t run very often in that area, and if they had waited for the next bus, they would have missed most of the party.
We served refreshments, and although the children and their mothers were shy, they seemed to enjoy the cookies and punch. Then Santa got in position for gift distribution and photo-taking. All the kids hung back—they didn’t seem to want to go up to Santa to get their presents and have their pictures taken. I walked around the perimeter of the room, encouraging the kids to go see Santa. They all nodded politely, but no one said or did anything.
Finally, one of the women, asked in a low voice, “How much does it cost?”
It had never occurred to me that they were afraid they had to pay, but their only experience of pictures with Santa was at the malls, and they could never afford to have their kids’ pictures taken. When I told them it was free, the kids lined up quickly with big grins on their face.
Then one of the mothers asked me, “Would you take a picture of me with my kids? I’ve never had a picture of all of us together.”
I could hardly see through the tears glistening in my eyes and could barely answer through the lump in my throat. “Of course, I’ll be glad to take your picture.” Looking through the camera lens to take the photos, I saw some of the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen in my life. And I can’t begin to describe the joy on each mother’s faces when the Polaroid picture developed and she saw the first photo ever taken of her with her children.
The kids clutched their big bags of gifts and the mothers held tightly to their own bags. No one made a move to open the gifts, so I encouraged the family nearest me to open their gifts.
“Oh, no!” the mother said. “They’re saving their presents so they will have gifts to open on Christmas Day.”
Can you imagine any child you know joyfully saving a gift for a couple of weeks, thrilled they would have a present to open on Christmas morning?
The other ladies and I looked at each other in amazement. We thought we were making Christmas a little brighter for these families. Instead, we were giving them the only Christmas they would have.
I know the party and the gifts meant a lot to those families, but the experience was as meaningful to me as it was to them. We have so many blessings, and we take them so much for granted. Those of us putting on the party were so naive that we never imagined that party and those gifts would be Christmas for the families who attended. We never imagined that a simple Polaroid picture would mean so much to a mother.
The photos weren’t even planned—by the women putting on the party, at least. They were planned by God, and I know the Holy Spirit prompted me to reach for that camera when I had no thought of doing so. I am so grateful for this experience.
The women business owners put on a party for women in transition from the Battered Women’s Shelter for a number of years after that until the group disbanded. By the second year, there were dozens of mothers and nearly a hundred children. After a few years, there were several hundred children. We always took Polaroid pictures of the children and of the family groups, and we always expected to see the mothers and their children lugging their packages to the bus stop after the party.
That first party, though, will always be a very special Christmas memory.
photo credit: wlashbrook
A Social Media Christmas
December 18, 2010 by Lillie
In this video, we see the Christmas story played out on Facebook. At first, I thought it would be irreverent, but instead seeing the story from a new perspective makes it even more impactful.
Where’s the Line to See Jesus?
December 11, 2010 by Lillie
This music video really reminds us of the meaning of Christmas.
Merry Christmas!
December 25, 2009 by Lillie
For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given:
and the government shall be upon his shoulder:
and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
~ Isaiah 9:6
GOD, who makest us glad with the yearly remembrance of the birth of thine only Son Jesus Christ; Grant that as we joyfully receive him for our Redeemer, so we may with sure confidence behold him when he shall come to be our Judge, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.
May you and your loved ones enjoy all the blessings of this holy season, and may the coming year be filled with joy and love.
photo credit: CARDS 4 NID Catherine.Clarke
