Cross My Heart Ministry

“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel”–which means,
“God with us.”
Matthew 1:23

He came.

Christmas – more than anything else – is a time to joyfully celebrate the familiar, but all-so-fabulous truth that Jesus came.

God came to Earth.

It is marvelous…but unimaginable….
fantastic….but unfathomable…
wondrous…incredible….life-changing.

Isaiah 7:14 gave us the heads up that the Savior was coming and even a couple of clues:  He would be born of a virgin and would be called Immanuel. Matthew quoted this verse and gave us the definition of Immanuel:  God with us.

God’s people knew a Messiah was coming.  They had looked for and longed for the Savior, but they still weren’t ready.  Many failed to connect the dots and see the big picture.  They even overlooked or misread the clues peppered throughout the Old Testament.

This week, I had a lovely “He came” surprise.  My first-born son, Kyle, and his precious wife Tori drove from Houston and arrived earlier than planned to surprise me.  I was expecting them to arrive late Saturday evening. But when Tori had several work appointments cancelled, they began to plot the surprise.  They drove to Dallas on Thursday, enabling them to arrive in Siloam by Friday afternoon and pick Lydia up from school.

Ignorant of these plans, I was off to the Northwest Arkansas shopping corridor for the day. Though my shopping was really finished, I was enticed over Friday morning coffee by the glossy Belks ad to add one more gift for Luke.  That, of course, meant going ‘round one more time for everybody. (Like my grandmother, I want everyone to open the same number of gifts.  To even it all out, some may open socks or even underwear – but so be it.)

The afternoon found me meeting my mother-in-law at the nursing home for my father-in-law’s Christmas party. I should have left after that.  If so, I would have had three more hours with Kyle and Tori. But my car turned east instead of west and off to Fayetteville I went for more shopping.

I even called Kyle and Tori to discuss the potential icy/rainy/turbulent weather moving in and to ask if they might be able to leave earlier than planned.  My clever daughter-in-law replied, “We are on the road now, but are several hours from Dallas.”  And those carefully chosen words described their whereabouts truthfully – in Siloam Springs and ready to pick Lydia up from school!

Apparently, the entire family was in on the surprise.  I missed several clues.  Keven sent several texts asking when I would be coming home on Friday. Lydia, Ginger, and Kevin doing a lot of tidying up on Thursday. Luke moving home from the dorm a day earlier than planned.

When I finally came home on Friday (they even hid their car elsewhere), the initial look on my face was one of confusion.  I didn’t initially recognize my own son. Kyle stood there, wearing a ball cap and unshaven.  I first thought Luke must have brought a friend home from college. Tori was seated on the fireplace hearth, so I didn’t see her at first.

As I think about the many emotions of having them come unexpectedly early, it seems to point to some spiritual truth to ponder, as well:

• I knew Kyle was coming, but I just didn’t know when. The when caught me by surprise.  God’s people were looking and expecting a Messiah, but they still missed it.
• I didn’t even recognize my own son at first – and the first-century followers of God didn’t recognize Jesus. He fulfilled the Old Testament clues buried in the prophecies they had memorized, but they still missed it.
• I was getting ready…but I wasn’t really ready – or was I? Saturday was to be a big baking day. The gift wrapping was mostly done, but lots left to do. Being ready for my son has nothing to do with baking his favorite cookies or having all the gifts under the tree. I was ready to embrace him, hug him tight, and let the tears of JOY flow.  He came!

It occurs to me that there is another surprise, but not-really-surprise visit to come.

Jesus is coming back!

We don’t know exactly when…or exactly what He will look like…but, as believers, we know He is coming.

And no matter what is left unchecked off on my To Do list, I know my heart is ready.

I long to embrace Jesus and let tears of JOY flow.

He came.  And….HE’S COMING AGAIN!

That is the best news of Christmas!

Merry Christmas to your house from mine!

{Photo attribution:  www.bethelstpaul.org}

“and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. 
She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.”
Luke 2:7

 Surely, the only thing worse than making an 80-mile trek while pregnant and riding on a donkey is finding a “No Vacancy” sign greeting you upon arrival.  My Bible footnote says the journey would have taken at least three days – and some say upwards of a week. Not a pleasant trip even if you’re not pregnant.

But Caesar declared a census and the whole world complied.  The really interesting part is, though Caesar issued the decree, God gave the prophecy 700 years earlier—the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.  Our great God is the best chess player of all.  He works through natural events and circumstances to fulfill His plan – and often surprise and delight us in the process.

Our church incorporated a set of videos done by The Skit Guys into our Christmas musical this year.  Each video featured a character from the nativity story telling his or her own story.  These were so well done.  Because they were dressed in modern-day attire, they seemed more real.  It occurred to me that too often the first-century dress has me subconsciously thinking of the shepherds, wise men, the inn keeper and maybe even Mary and Joseph as “characters” in a story rather than real, live, flesh and blood people. 

After hearing the inn keeper, I’ve decided we’ve given him a bad rap down through the centuries.  I’ve pictured a big, burly, pompous, rich guy booming, “There is no room!” Somehow I’ve thought there really was a room back there somewhere and he just didn’t offer it.  But really—the man was an innkeeper.  That was his business.  If there was a room, wouldn’t he have booked it? 

In actuality, he did make room.  It wasn’t the nicest place – a stable can’t replace a firm mattress, clean sheets, and an Andes mint on the pillow – but it was shelter.  The innkeeper offered what he had available.

And isn’t that all God asks of us?  How often have I turned on the “No Vacancy” sign because I can’t offer the best – or what I perceive to be the best?

Would meatloaf suffice if I don’t have (and have no idea how to prepare) prime rib?  Go ahead and invite the new neighbors over!

Would a box mix work if I have no time to do made-from-scratch?  Go ahead and bake cookies for the college students!

Could I just send a card instead of driving the one hour to pay the hospital visit? Send the card!

It occurs to me that too many times I’ve had the perfect idea – the one that requires a bunch more time, effort, and expense.  But the follow through never happens.  There is no room – time-wise, money-wise, or even ability-wise to do it.  Have I been duped?  Has pride kept me immobilized? 

Perhaps we could learn a little lesson from the innkeeper – just give what you have, do what you can, and trust God with the rest.

Maybe it’s time to make some room – or look for where we really had a little room all along.

Time to pull down – and maybe throw out – that No Vacancy sign. 

God, show us where and how to make room!

(Photo Attribution:  Let There Be Neon)

The Mary-Martha tension is a continual challenge for most of us. Finding the right balance between the eternal and the tempo­ral is a daily dilemma. Perhaps this angst is never greater than during the holiday season. Our desire to do all the “Martha” cooking, baking, decorating, hosting, serv­ing, giving collides with the heart call to be a Mary, sitting at the feet of Jesus.

Rather than categorizing daily life and activities as either “Mary” or “Martha,” per­haps the real way to have a Mary Christmas is to smear the lines between the two – take our Mary mindset with us to our Martha tasks. Here are a few ideas for making it happen:

1. Be sure your day begins in the Word sitting at the feet of Jesus. Making time with the Lord a priority is key to keeping a “Mary” heart in the midst of our “Martha” demands.

2. Protect the schedule. Over committing ourselves adds unnecessary stress to us and those we love. Go ahead and write “It’s A Wonderful Life” on the calendar or “Wrap Gifts.” You can then kindly decline invita­tions for that night, noting that you have a prior commitment. Watching a favorite holiday movie while eating popcorn and just being together will provide a welcome respite from the “go, go, go” of the season.

3. Make lists. Christmas cards, gifts, food preparation. Pray over the lists. Ask God to provide wisdom in expending the valuable resources of time and money.

4. Make a Christmas notebook. It will be helpful to compare my last year’s list to this year’s list. Did I give my mother-in-law gloves two years in a row? Did a neighbor bring over a plate of goodies last year, so I don’t want to overlook them this year? Use pocket folders for ads, notes, and loose papers to carry along.

5. Simplify. Made from scratch might sound noble, but it also might be a source of pride.

6. Share baking tasks with a friend. It’s easier to bake a triple batch of the same recipe than to bake three different recipes. Enlist the help of two friends and then trade your bounty. You will each be rewarded with a variety of Christmas cookies for your platter. Keep these in the freezer until needed.

7. Transform wrapping time into prayer time. Pray for the gift recipient as you wrap each gift. The stress of getting it all done evaporates and condenses into a sweet time of glorifying God, as we pray for others.

8. Share the love of Christ. A focus on others will capture the essence of the Christmas season. Adopt a family, fill a Christmas shoebox, or take a bag of canned goods to the food bank. Blessing others brings the added benefit of blessing the giver.

9. Make an “I already have list.” There’s a reason that Thanksgiving comes just before Christmas. Cultivating and keeping a thankful heart is an effective antidote for materialism and selfishness inherent with the “I want …” mindset in your family.

10. Give it away. Ask each family member to count how many gifts they receive. Then issue a challenge to find that many items to give away. It will make room for the new, while also blessing others.

11. Keep the Christmas music playing. Music transforms the soul, bringing a sweet soaring of the heart to even the most routine of tasks.

12. Accumulate the Christmas cards received in a basket. Pull one out at each meal and pray for the sender. Share a story about the individual or family who sent the card. It will be fun to share memories with your children who might not remember Aunt Pearl or Uncle Rex.

Judy Garland made the lyrics to the song famous in 1943, but the challenge to have a Merry Christmas is much older than that. Here’s wishing you and yours a very MARY Christmas!

Copyright 2010 Laura Macfarlan

Note from Laura:  Sometimes instead of learning something new, we just need to go back and re-visit and reclaim what we already know.  That’s why I’m reaching back three years to republish this article I wrote in 2010.  As my friend Sandy often reminds me, I need to “eat what I serve!”