A humilated king: #5 (A different story and Merry Christmas)

First, let me say, "Merry Christmas!" This will be my last post until the new year. I hope each of you have a wonderful time with family.

My first ever "Cookie Nativity"

A Humiliated King

Bethlehem was busy and crowded, but only a few people knew our King and Savior was born. The barn stunk, it was cold, scratchy, itchy, raw, but it was a place to lay down and give birth. And Immanuel (God with us) was born and God was physically with us like never before. But, nothing about this "king" fit anyone's understanding of how a king should come into the world. His birthplace, his heritage, well, nothing was right. According to whom?

In my honest opinion, if Jesus had come into the world the way the world expected, then where would faith come in? Without faith, we would just follow whatever seems good and comes easy.

The fact that Jesus is so contrary is what makes me believe in him even more. His humble beginnings shows us a humble God. And Jesus did not come the way he fully deserved.  Oh, how much Jesus really sacrificed. He came with nothing and left with nothing, but our sins.

Christians are the only people who serve a God whose Son endured complete humiliation, mockery and cruelness...

ALL to say, "I love you, I forgive you, and I will sacrifice my life just to be with you." 

Merry CHRISTmas!

 

Floss expires, hope doesn't, and Christmas

Standing above my bathroom sink, I attempt ridding my face of the last bit of make-up. Ya know, the mascara that isn't waterproof, but still taunts you with its never-ending streaks of black? I'm not exaggerating, really.
     I begin my not so routine of brushing the yucky of today off my teeth. In the middle of brushing, I just happen to glance over at the floss and read, expires (see below). Wait a minute. Seriously?

I get how milk, meat, veggies, even medicine loses its effectiveness after awhile, but floss?
Someone please explain how floss expires? It's just flat rope that dislodges food and plaque.
What could go bad? Okay, some floss are mint or cinnamon flavored? Do those spices spoil therefore creating an oxymoron here?
   
I think of Wile Coyote and the Road Runner and a frayed rope, unraveling to one tiny string. I laugh as I picture Wile Coyote using it to get to his desired prey when the Road Runner happens to have a pair of scissors and cuts the rope sending the Coyote to his "cartoon" demise.

And I think of the unraveling of the world due to sin and how Satan pulls out his handy scissors to snip hope from others. How different Christmas will be for the families facing such grief in Connecticut. I recoil when I think of sending my child to public school and online schooling is suddenly more attractive.

How the belief meter dwindled quickly for some when they asked,"How can you believe in a God that allowed those innocent children to die? Such a senseless act."  I understand their question, but it hurts to not have an answer. I feel a coldness and it isn't the winter air and my heart aches with compassion. And my prayers sometimes seem feeble, but I still pray because...

Floss may expire, but hope doesn't. God doesn't even if we don't understand what he allows. He gave us all a freedom to choose and we mock that freedom when it causes us pain.
Please don't unfriend (or hate) me for saying that...I've been there. I've mocked it too.

And this is where I will leave this heavy topic alone now.

#

One tradition we have created since our sons were born almost 5 years ago, is to get a new ornament for them, or make one. I usually buy a very inexpensive one for hubby and I, but I just love the idea of having ornaments for my sons and giving it to them on their wedding day. Here are some pictures:

White Glue snowman. Easy and fun.

Your turn.Share a your Christmas traditions with me.

Sharing my heart today with the Soli sisterhood @http://findingheaventoday.blogspot.com/

Face to face with God: A different Christmas Story #4

I have two more parts to my Christmas story series before I take a break for the rest of this year and for the Christmas season. Today is an aspect of Mary and Joseph that I haven't thought about, but came to me as I was reading and thinking about Mary's response...her pondering the night Jesus was born. 

Joseph and Mary saw so many miracles and promises come forth from the time she was told by the angel that she would become pregnant and carry God's only son, Jesus. Mary was told her cousin Elizabeth was pregnant and she was, Mary really was pregnant while still a virgin, she witnessed shepherds spreading the word of Jesus' birth and then later when Jesus was older, the Magi came and gave gifts, bowed and worshiped him. So many awesome occurrences, but the most amazing... 

Mary and Joseph were the only persons to actually see God in person, face to face and live! 

Yes, Moses literally heard the Lord, was in the presence of the Lord, but he could not see the Lord in all his glory for he would die. (See Exodus 19-23).

A baby like no other, the Messiah all had been waiting on for so many years. A miracle with a special star just for him.  A privilege.

 And Mary's beautiful response?

"She treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." -NIV Luke 2:19

It is as if she never wanted to forget this precious moment. I wouldn't have wanted to either.

I wonder if Joseph and her truly grasped seeing God in the flesh? Or if there was shock and awe and it hit them later? Hence the pondering in her response. 

Honestly, I sometimes wish I could see God face to face or experience his cloud (Moses) near me and speaking as I listen. I wonder how I would really behave? I can only speculate how I think I would be.

Yet, my hope is that I would respond just as Mary and be curious ("How will this be."), but say, "I am [your] servant, may your word to me be fulfilled." -Luke 1:34,38 NIV

Lord, I am your servant, may your word to me be fulfilled. Thy will be done.