72 - Christmas!

'For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.' (Luke 2:11)

In previous posts I've talked of the specifics of Christmas. Now I look at it as a whole event. 

From the moment Adam and Eve bit into the fruit in Eden...no, further back. Before the world was created, before time, in the eternity when there was only the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in a perfect relationship, the Trinity, God saw how everything would be. 

He would make humans - beings in his own image for a relationship with him. 

But they would rebel and turn against him. He didn't want to destroy them. But His holiness would demand a price for their sin. So what did He do?

Throughout history, He would weave events together, carefully controlling them, building them towards the right moment. 

The calling of Abraham. Jacob's betrayal of Esau. Jospeh leading the Israelites to Egypt. Moses leading them to Canaan. The Judges. The Kings. The build up was perfect. 

At exactly the right moment, not a day early or late, the Holy Spirit overshadowed a young and ordinary virgin. And the full glory of God did the miraculous by becoming the mundane - a human. 

Christmas is not just another holiday to look forward on the calender. It was the outcome of God's sovereign work over history. 

And it wasn't even the climax! For the child born in that stable would grow up...and Easter would come. 

Thank you God for Christmas! 
  

71 - Carols

'a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." ' (Luke 2:13 - 14) 

 What? What do you mean my posts have had a Christmas theme lately? You implying I have Christmas on the brain? Nonsense!

This evening, some of our family went to a carol service at an Anglican church. Listening to the choir in the dark building, lit only by candles, was amazing. 

But the words...

"Sleep is over, the cold is past,
The star has shown the world at last
That death's defeated, Christ is come.
Man's wait is done..."(Winter's Wait, Robert Tear) 

Even the classics we sing again and again each year. 

"He came down to earth from heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all...' (Once in Royal David's City)

Thank you God, for the talent of the people who wrote these carols. Thank you for the marvellous truths they remind us of. May we never forget them!

70 - Christmas tree

 ' ...its leaves remain green' (Jeremiah 17:8)

Having a Christmas tree is something most of us do each year and probably take for granted.

But we can forget that many can't have a tree. Maybe because of space, maybe because of money. Or some other reason.

No doubt these people still have their own ways of making the house feel festive. I was a friend's house once - a student house - and they had a small tree in a pot. Not a huge thing, but it was still Christmassy.

Still, those of us who do have the money and space for a large tree can be thankful for this small part of the holiday's fun. Choosing the tree, spending an evening decorating it with the family, sitting as I am now, and watching the lights twinkle.

Thank you God for the small things that go towards making this time - when we remember your birth - so special.

69 - Advent

'Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way'... (Matthew 1:18)

The days are ticking away. More and more doors appear in the advent calenders. Has the panic started yet? When did the candle burn that low?

Perhaps you have an advent calender of some sort in your house. Not gonna lie, I kind of like having some chocolate to eat every day! ;)

But we can be thankful for so much more than that when it comes to advent. 

We can look back in history and be thankful for that day, so long ago, when a great miracle happened. When the one and only God, infinite, holy, transcendent, awesome, who holds oceans in His hand, who spun the stars into being, who knows the number of every grain of sand and every hair on every person on earth's head - when this God put His glory inside the body of a man. 

We can be thankful for the fun of anticipation, of eagerly awaiting something to come. Christmas Day, celebrations, food and presents await!

But we can be thankful that we anticipate something far greater - we await the day our Saviour returns to earth again. But not as a baby. As a conquering King, who will receive the glory He is due! And we will live with Him FOREVER!!! 

68 - Unexpectedness

'The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps' (Proverbs 16:9) 

Sometimes God brings things into our lives that completely take us by surprise. Moments we can look back on and think 'I never would've imagined that.' 

Take Ruth from the Bible, for instance. If you'd told her, before she first married, that her husband would die, that she would leave home with her mother-in-law and believe in her God, that she would end up marrying Boaz and be in the lineage of the Son of God, I doubt she would have believed you! 

Moments of unexpectedness can colour our lives too, even if not as spectacular as Ruth's. 

For example, God blessed me with the opportunity to join my sister's Christian Union on their weekend away, even though I'm not a student at their uni. It was such a wonderful time, maybe part of it due to the fact I never expected such a chance to come to me. 

Even moving house - the friends I've made, the experiences I've had - many just within 2013! - all unexpected goodness from God, goodness I never would have seen coming earlier in my life.

Unexpected goodness I can thank Him for. 

67 - Facebook

'Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is truly reliable? ' (Proverbs 20:6)

This is a tough one to write. Because recently I have seen so many examples of Facebook used in a  heartbreaking way - people either deliberately or ignorantly brandishing their friendships and exciting lives in the face of others. 

'Look at me. I'm so popular. I've been spending time with this person. This person likes me! 

PLEASE, PLEASE don't feel I'm being judgemental.  I've been guilty of this sort of behaviour before. Thoughtless of how it makes others feel - lonely, left out, unpopular. 

But although Facebook can be used in such a tragic way, I am determined to see the blessings God has given to those who use it. Because His blessings are everywhere. 

Facebook allows you to remain in contact with friends that would have otherwise disappeared into your past a long time ago. For example, I am able to connect with people from where I used to live, along with people who have moved abroad. Just seeing their faces brings them a little bit closer. 

Facebook can tell you important information about someone. Don't jump to the wrong conclusion! In Sixth Form, I was able to find a Christian friend through Facebook, something that might not have come out as quickly through conversation. 

Photos and videos can be stored online, moments of beauty or joy that can bless others. 

God, thank you for the technology that allows us to experience the blessing of socialising with others - people you have brought into our lives for a reason. 
May I use it always for your glory.