Category Archives: Christmas

The Bridge

Recently, I have been thinking about how vastly different we are from God and how important it is to keep that fact at the forefront of our minds. Not so we dwell on our lowly position, but so we marvel at how incredible He is. Unfortunately, if we minimize the magnitude of the divide between God and us, we reduce Him to some sort of super-human being instead of remembering He is not in the same realm as us. At all.

Jeremiah 5:22a says, “Do you not fear me?” declares the Lord. “Do you not tremble before me?”(ESV) The first portion of the ten commandments in Exodus 20:2-3 says: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. (ESV) Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”  (ESV)

Even though we continually choose to separate ourselves from Him through sin, His Word says He is not willing that anyone should perish. Jesus obediently died on Calvary; a gift offered to all of us regarding all of our sins. The God who parts waters, conquers graves, and closes lions’ mouths is much higher and holier than us. And He is perfect, pure, faithful, and flawless, and none of that prevents Him from lovingly connecting the colossal chasm between us.

We can’t truly appreciate how amazing God is without acknowledging the distance between us and recognizing how far He will readily go to reach us. 

During this Christmas season, let’s take time to thank God for sending Jesus to bridge the enormous gap between us. 

O, come let us adore Him; Christ the Lord.

Mary’s Song

Have you ever thought about what would have been going through your mind had you been in Mary’s position when the angel appeared to her in Luke 1? Undoubtedly, she had a vision of her future home, her future family, and all of the possibilities that awaited her as she was getting ready to wed Joseph. We would most likely be safe in assuming that she was quite excited to raise children with the man she loved. However, we would also most likely be safe in assuming that part of her excitement hinged on their firstborn child arriving at a later date and arriving under ‘normal’ circumstances!

Suddenly, the angel jolted Mary out of her blissful daydreams, and she realized she was pregnant before marriage in a way that nobody would believe! This pregnancy was going to cause tongues to wag, well-meaning people to nag, and her energy level to drag.

Mary’s immediate response is the question, “How can this be?’ After the angel answers by assuring her this news is indeed all God’s plan and she is in the center of it, she again responds immediately. This time it is a statement: “Let it be with me just as you say.” The Living Bible’s version of her mature reply is, “I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to do whatever he wants. May everything you said come true.”

I am amazed by Mary’s answer to the angel. She trusts her Lord unwaveringly! And eight verses later, she proceeds to proudly praise the powerful presence and plans of her Lord to her cousin Elizabeth, and I am amazed again!

In some Bible versions, Luke 1:46-55 has a title such as, “The Song of Mary,” or something similar. It is peculiar because verse 46 starts off her “song” with the words, “Mary said,” and I cannot find a Bible that says differently. The words in those verses are so lyrical and so beautiful that they are considered to be a song, even though she did not sing them!

In those ten verses in Luke, Mary’s beautiful words have the potential to stop us in our tracks, especially if we take a moment to think about who spoke them and what her situation was. Mary’s spirit rejoiced in her Lord and her soul glorified Him at a time when she could have been throwing a self-pity party. When I am presented with unexpected circumstances, my natural reaction falls incredibly short of the reaction of a teenager who was given news that could be described as not just unexpected, but also earth-shattering and life-altering!

Friends, we can make the choice for our spirits to rejoice and our souls to glorify our Lord no matter what predicament we find ourselves in. Let us pray for a “Mary-like” trust; a trust that is immediate, unwavering and believes the Lord’s plan is the best plan.

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