I'm not a scientist, and it doesn't take much to boggle my mind! But I will never forget listening to my husband, the scientist, give a presentation to a group of children on the size of the universe. As he drew a picture of earth, and then extended the drawing on and on, past our galaxy, and on and on past other galaxies, with light year statistics, my mind REALLY tried to follow. Well, I got lost--the kids who heard the presentation are probably STILL lost, wandering around in space somewhere!
A very big, awesome God created our universe--so big we cannot comprehend, and yet His love reaches out to "connect" with each of us, individually and uniquely, on Planet Earth. He COMES to us--GOD WITH US--and that's what Christmas is all about! Come with me past the Well, walk to me back to Bible days for a small glimpse of the God who showed up to shatter the darkness of our world with a Light all His own!
A Helping Word...or
Two!
God with Us...His Amazing Grace!
Poor, common shepherds, earning a living, in the chilling darkness of a Bethlehem night. Dull, boring routines were part of their lowly existence...but this night of nights, dull and boring would never describe. For in the midst of greyness came grace and the world need never been grey again! God's amazing grace appeared to the common man, one like us, as the sky filled with rays of light and messengers of love.
God walks into our night too...Oh, it may not be flashing lights in the sky or flaming angels by our side. But He's there, to bring to our hearts that same amazing grace. He finds us in the darkness of sin, in the depths of despair and dreary existence, and floods our lives with love, joy, and peace, beyond comprehension. He's the God of Christmas, and He is with us, in His amazing grace!
God with Us...His Abiding Guidance!
Rich, educated men, searching the stars in the eastern sky. Some night, a special star, announcing a King, would appear--and they would keep looking until they found it. One special night that longed-for star lit up their eastern sky, and they knew they must follow, wherever it would lead. They must find their way to the Christ Child. There was no TripTik from AAA, no MapQuest from WWW--just one bright Star. The God of Christmas was at work--for the star with a built-in, expert guidance system, led them on a two-year journey, precisely to the home of Mary and Joseph--and the Child Jesus.
God has a guilt-in, expert guidance system for each of our lives too. Sometimes it seems so unclear--a star would be nice--to tell us exactly where to go, what to do, when to do it. But we have better than the Star of Bethlehem. For the God of Christmas has given us His Word, His guidance manual for all of life. Kids can learn its stories, and love its heroes. Teens can appropriate it as they prepare for college and choose a career. Young adults can know His will as they choose a mate, plan a family, build a home. Midlife and seasoned adults can enjoy the wonderful guidance of a wonderful Lord and His precious Word. He is WITH US - ALL - for He's the God of Christmas, and He promises to guide us from here--to eternity!
God with Us...His Awesome Glory!
The lowly shepherds saw the glory of the Lord in a night sky flooded with light and beauty. The rich wise men too saw the glory of the Lord in the brilliant Star which led them to the Christchild. Awesome? Of course--but if that was ALL, awesome would be LESS than awesome....for there was MORE! You see, the angels in the night, the star in the sky, though wondrous miracles, could not compare with the awesome glory God was about to reveal....the glory of God wrapped in swaddling clothes, the glory of God in a two-year old Child! God had come to be with man in the form of a man, Jesus Christ, His Son. The wonder of it all!
He comes to us too--and if we look only for the supernatural wonders of His miraculous power, mighty and glorious as they are, we may miss the REAL glory, His presence WITH us in our daily lives....a common glory, and a needed one, if we are to survive! His Glory is powerful--you can't touch it, but you can feel it. It's invisible, quiet, and brings awe to our souls. It will bring us to our knees, in awesome wonder at His wondrous workings in and through our lives. For He is the God of Christmas, and He brings His own glory right to where we live--receive it and let it light up YOUR world and OUR world today!
The God of the universe is the God of Christmas, and He has come to us--with grace, guidance and glory. His gifts to us can't be bought, wrapped--or thank goodness, exchanged! They are ours to hold, to cherish, and to share with a world that is looking for something that money can't buy. We've got it--now let's share it with a mad-shopping, gift-giving, pleasure-seeking--and NEEDY world this week!
