Last night, I sang a solo in church entitled “Be Born in Me”. It’s a haunting and beautifully composed set of lyrics woven around the thoughts that might have spun through young Mary’s mind and heart as Gabriel revealed the news that God had chosen her to give birth to the long-awaited Messiah. Here is a portion of the lyrics: Everything inside me cries for order Everything inside me wants to hide Is this shadow an angel or a warrior? If God is pleased with Read More
nativity
Was Jesus Really Born in a Stable?
There are so many traditions I adore about Christmas…hanging stockings over the fireplace, caroling, and reading Luke 2 as a family on Christmas Eve. Of course, the crazy thing about traditions is that growing up, we usually accept them and rarely question them until the habit becomes truth in our mind. As one person put it, “Tradition is peer pressure from dead people.” Imagine my surprise when I recently read through Luke 2 looking to learn more about the stable Jesus was born in. No Read More
A Whole New Spin on the Innkeeper of Bethlehem
“No room.” Most of us have heard the story. The fabled innkeeper who turned away Mary and Joseph in their hour of need. The calloused man has become a staple in the Christmas story, though he’s never mentioned in the Bible. No, really. The only Gospel that makes mention of there being ‘no room’ is Luke chapter two. Check it out: “and she gave birth to her Son, her firstborn; and she wrapped Him in [swaddling] cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was Read More
Holding Jesus
A stable foreshadowing a tomb. A weary girl trembling with fatigue and pain. A father with the weight of a new family pressing on his shoulders. A king gripped with fear that the Promised Child will be his undoing. And shepherds, their limbs trembling as angels announce a message that rocks their world to the core. Yet amidst these poignant images, the part of the Christmas story that touches my heart most deeply comes through the words of an aged man…Simeon. God has promised him that Read More
When Christmas Plans Fall Apart: What We Can Learn From the Chaos
Are you in the middle of a Christmas gone bad? I’m not talking about a pile of stress you brought on yourself by setting unrealistic expectations. I’m not talking about trying to be the Martha Stewart of party throwers, scrambling to find those oh-so-perfect gifts, being up to your elbows in ribbons, or any of the other ridiculous ways we let ourselves be drawn into the spiral of insanity that drives so many this time of year. What I’m talking about is altogether different. The Read More
The Angel
Past stars and galaxies, the glittering lights of mysteries beyond I flew. I was not alone. No, an entire heavenly congregation soared with me. We danced past shimmering hosts and luminescent wonders, winging and dancing, spiraling and speeding past the diamonds of the Holy One’s masterpiece until we pushed past the transparent glass of the blue marbled planet’s firmament. I breathed in the frigid air, peering through the night sky, to look down on this strange place…the King’s new home. Humble. Broken. Needy. Such a startling contrast Read More
The Widow of the Nativity: Anna
Anna. One of the most overlooked people in the Christmas story but what a rich, beautiful legacy she left. Her life is one that reaches through time and tugs my heart closer to Jesus even today. People who are passionate for Jesus have a way of doing that. Not many verses are dedicated to Anna, (only three) but they pack a punch if we take the time to ponder them. “There was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She Read More
The Innkeeper
“No room.” Most of us have heard the story. The fabled innkeeper who turned away Mary and Joseph in their hour of need. The calloused man has become a staple in the Christmas story, though he’s never mentioned in the Bible. No, really. The only Gospel that makes mention of there being ‘no room’ is Luke chapter two. Check it out: “and she gave birth to her Son, her firstborn; and she wrapped Him in [swaddling] cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was Read More