Christmas gifts

I finished the Christmas shopping today.  Yay.  It's been a pretty gentle process this year.  Last night I spoke about Christmas presents at a gingerbread house event at church.  What follows is what I said.  If you are preparing talks for kids or grown ups this Christmas and any of this is remotely useful, swipe away.

I know, just from being in the shops this last week, that buying presents is an important part of Christmas for many people. 

There’s a spectrum for Christmas present shopping.  At one end there are those who have bought and wrapped everything by 1^st October.  At the other end are those who for various reasons put the shopping off and off and off – it’s a bit like playing chicken – seeing how long you can put it off until you absolutely have to force yourself out into the shops.  These people are out doing the lot on 23^rd and 24^th December.  I did that once.  It was horrible.  And expensive.

Why the emphasis on gifts?

I’m guessing you will know a little of the story about the first Christmas. 

A young lady was visited by an angel who told her that she had been chosen to be the mother of God’s Son.  Mary.  She was engaged to Joseph.

Towards the end of her pregnancy the emperor of the day called a census, not because the government wanted to make future plans for building schools, hospitals and aged care facilities.  It was all to do with power – about being the biggest empire, about knowing just how many loyal subjects you have.  So Joseph and Mary had to travel from Nazareth, where they lived, to Bethlehem (about 130km), because in those days the census didn’t come to you – you went to it.  You went to the town of your birth and signed yourself in. 

As most of Israel was on the move because of the census there was little accommodation to be found.  Joseph and Mary couldn’t find a room in an inn, but they were given lodgings in a stable.  And Jesus - whose name means Saviour - was  born .

I’m guessing you will know that God didn’t announce the birth of his Son by sending out a text message or putting it up on Facebook or even putting a notice in the newspaper.

He sent his messengers – angels.  And this is where the story gets very interesting.

Who got to hear the news first?  You know how you have to let certain people know first...there is a bit of an order to these sorts of things.  Well God sent his angels to tell some shepherds.  They were the first to know.  They were told, “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all people.  Today in Bethlehem a Saviour has been born to you.”

You may know that bit of the story.  You've probably seen it on Christmas cards.  But did you know that in those days shepherds were social outcasts?  No-one spoke to shepherds or paid them any attention.  They lived outside the city walls, looking after the sheep.  So what is God doing telling these total nobodies about the birth of His Son?  Why are they the first to hear?

God is saying that he sent His Son Jesus for all people.  Maybe you think you aren’t worthy to be loved by God.  If that is you, take heart from the shepherds.  They were the complete outsiders of society.  And God told them about Jesus first.

The other birth announcement was via a star, seen by wise men who travelled in from the east.  They came to worship Jesus and brought gifts.  And this is where we start to get the idea about Christmas gifts.

What were the first ever Christmas presents?  No teddy bear, blankets and toys for this boy.  Jesus’ gifts were gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Gold, like now, was a precious metal and generally only in the hands of kings.  It tells us that Jesus is royal.  He is a king.  Indeed he is described in the Bible as the King of kings.

Frankincense.  It’s a form of incense, easily available these days.  But back in day it was rare and used only by priests.  In fact only by the most important priest.  He was called the high priest. 

 

If you had done something wrong before God you would take an animal (a lamb or a dove for example) to the priest who would sacrifice it before God to pay for the wrongdoing and so make right again your relationship with God.  

The gift of frankincense tells us that Jesus is like a priest.  In fact he is called the great high priest and in dying on the cross at Easter he did away with needing to take animals to be sacrificed at the temple.  Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment for all our wrongdoings and so restoring our relationship with God. 

And finally myrrh – a perfumed oil – again, reasonably available these days but back in Jesus' day it was rare and precious.  And it was used as an embalming oil - and used only to embalm royalty.  It shows us that Jesus' death would be significant.  Highly important. 

Strange gifts - but they were gifts that show us what Jesus was all about. 

Jesus – the Son of God - born a baby to grow into a man in order to die on the cross to take the punishment for all our wrongdoings but who was raised to life again and reigns, the King of kings, with God in heaven.

You may sometimes wonder about this business of Christmas presents.  They probably had their origins in the three gifts from the wise men.  But in all the writing of lists and checking them twice, of shopping and wrapping and giving, take a little time and remember that God has given us the best gift we could ever hope to receive. 

There is a Bible verse that says, “For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

That is why we celebrate Christmas.  So in the midst of all the presents, pause to remember the greatest gift that was ever given.  Jesus.

New stuff for Sunday School. Well, new to me.

Speaking of new things I'm loving, I stumbled upon an online Sunday School curriculum called Kids' Sunday School Place.  I was looking around for a few lessons about the Bible - 66 books, two sections, different genres, good for training and making wise and so on - and came upon this site in my search. 

Kids' Sunday School Place offers a number of complete units online for free - some from each of their range of Old Testament, New Testament, topical and special occasions categories.  If you want to access all of the units there is an annual membership of $US39, which seems a pretty small price to pay. 

I haven't looked right through the site yet but what I have surveyed - and trialled - has been superb.  Great lessons which include good introductory activities, a fantastic little Bible study (I'm a big proponent of getting kids to look up real verses in the real Bible at Sunday School), follow up activities including work sheets, games, practical activities and crafts (usually a couple of substantial activities to choose from) and good back up materials including all the necessary blackline masters. 

I've just finished the "about the Bible" unit and in a week or two will head into some of their Christmas lessons.  Very happy.  I like their approach.  A lot.

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Now speaking of Christmas, and Sunday School, here is the most amazing thing.  A cardboard cut out nativity scene. 

I used this in Sunday School last year and am taking it to my Scripture classes this year.  It does require a bit of patience to hand feed endless sheets of card through the photocopier...but so worth the investment in time.

You can get the original nativity scene or the joyfully expanded nativity scene and even the travel size nativity scene.

And when you are done with Christmas there are loads of other cool things to be found on this site to keep small (and big) people amused for hours.

Easter Sunday

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were as white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 

 

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."
Matthew 28:2-7

 
And the big question for the kids...why were the guards so afraid?

Good Friday

As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 
“Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”

“Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.
Matthew 27:57-66

Merry Christmas

Joy to the world, the Lord is come. 

Let earth receive her King.

 

Quietly getting ready

 

How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given.
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven.

Longing and waiting

I look one way and I see my kids counting down the days to Christmas.  The Advent calendar is a constant reminder.  There's daily excitement.  What will today's pocket hold?  But really, they long with eager anticipation for THE day.  The day when we celebrate the birth of Jesus.  Great joy.

I look the other way and I see my friend whose mum is dying.  I am anxious with every beep of my phone that heralds the next text message.  Will this be the one?  They long for her to be out of pain and to be at Home with Jesus.  And yet they long for a few more days.  It's so, so hard.  I watch from the sidelines and I long for the time when Jesus will come again and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.

I look back many years now and remember when my own dad was dying over Christmas.  I remember praying that he would live.  And then praying that he would die, to bring an end to his suffering.  And then as he lay there neither improving or declining, I remember praying that I would learn to wait in patience for God's perfect timing.  And perfect it was, as a few days before he went Home to be with Jesus he gave us the small but sure indication that this was indeed where he was heading.  God's perfect timing was perfect comfort.

I look one way, the other, then back and now forward.  It makes the shape of the cross.  Christ.  Christmas.  Longing with the excited anticipation of a child.  Longing with a heavy heart that is, even so, sustained by the sure hope of a new creation.  Learning to wait patiently and to trust that Jesus will come again in God's perfect timing, when all who love Him have been found.

Longing and waiting.  Advent.

Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 27:14

How's your Advent?

During the last week I have had an enormous amount of traffic to a post I wrote in 2009 - the one about how you can use the Jesus Storybook Bible as an Advent calendar.  Over 2000 visitors to that one post.  In a week.  (Hello visitors!)  That is quite a lot more than the usual ten dear ones (hello you guys) who drop by occasionally.

Anyway, in case you missed it...if you go HERE you will find all the hard work for getting the Jesus Storybook Bible up and running as an Advent calendar done and ready to print off for free.  It's probably too late for this year but go and print off a copy ready for another year - or to give away.  This is an amazing resource.

In other news, I have just about finished all the Christmas shopping I am going to do this year.  Good news.   However the Christmas letter writing muse seems to have upped and left the house.  And given it's 5th December...that's bad news. 

One last Christmas idea (to store up for next year) and a request

One of the fun things I did on Christmas day was to run some activities for the kids who came to church in the morning.  I've done this for a few years - but lest you think me very virtuous, let me tell you I have had an extremely checkered past in this department.  There was the year I planned fabulous activities and only two kids turned up to church.  The following year I didn't plan anything (thinking I would just play with the two kids) and loads of children came.  There was the year of making Christmas cards (boring...already done that at school and by Christmas day it is too late) and the year I was so tired that all I could muster up were a few colouring in sheets (the less said about that one the better).  Last year we did a simple craft activity which went down very well.

Running the kids' activities on Christmas day is always a bit hit and miss.  You never know how many kids will be there.  And you never know what shape the kids will be in.  Some years they arrive full of beans.  Some years they arrive spent from nights of excitement-induced lack of sleep, an early start and possibly crazed from too much sugar already and it is only 9am!  There are the kids who have already opened their presents (and very possibly would rather be at home playing with them) and the kids who are impatient for church to finish because they are yet to get near their Christmas tree.  So many variables.

A few weeks ago I made the conscious decision to give some enerygy to this part of Christmas day this year.  We played party games.

Game # 1 - the treasure hunt

I pulled out the stable from the old Vegie Tales nativity set from a gift bag and asked the children what it was.  Then I sent them off to find all the characters, having hidden them all around the hall before church.  Once all the pieces were found the children set up the scene, telling me the story along the way.

Game # 2 - the guessing game

I'd taken six decorations from our tree and put them in a bag.  The children took turns to put their hand in the bag and guess what one of the decorations was by touch.  As they guessed them we pulled them out one by one and had a Christmas related discussion.  The decorations included a star, two angels (because one visited Mary but a host of them visited the shepherds), a bell, a tree and a stocking (the last three giving rise to good chats about traditions, church and giving.)

Game # 3 - pass the parcel

This was especially good for the children who hadn't yet opened anything that morning.  We sat in a circle and rolled a dice, passing the parcel around the number of people as shown on the dice.  Underneath each layer there was a question to answer or an instruction to carry out (by the child who had done the unwrapping and sometimes others chipped in as well, which was nice.)  The layers went as follows...

Layer 1 - What is your favourite thing about Christmas?
Layer 2 - What is your favourite Christmas song?
Layer 3 - What is your favourite Christmas food?
Layer 4 - This layer had a small prize with the instruction, "Because it is nice to give presents at Christmas time, give this prize to someone else in the group" (leading to a discussion about giving as well as receiving.)
Layer 5 - Tell us a short version of the Christmas story.  Make sure you include Gabriel and Mary, the journey to Bethlehem, Jesus born in the stable, shepherds and angels and wise men and the star.  Or give this task to someone else to do. 
Layer 6 - Give the parcel to the person who told the Christmas story and tell them they are allowed to open the next layer.
Final Layer - there were two small bags of chocolate coins at this point and a note that said, "Well done for telling us the Christmas story.  Here is prize for you to take home and one to share with everyone now."  And then we shared out the chocolates amongst the group.

This done, there were just a few minutes left - long enough to play three quick running around games - and then the parents were out to fetch their kids and take them onto the rest of their Christmas day events.  It was a great morning.  The kids were engaged and I think they all had a good time.

So here is the question.  If you organised something for kids at church on Christmas day (or if you have kids and they had something organised for them) could you please please please share what you/they did with me in the comments?  Because I am sure I will doing this gig another time and I'm always on the lookout for new ideas.

Merry Christmas

 

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees!

Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!

 

The gift of gifts

Despite all good intentions, sometimes it is hard to hold onto what it is that we celebrate at Christmas time.  I was going to post this beautiful prayer for Christmas Day but as I read it over again and prayed it for myself last night and again today, it occurred to me that it's probably of more use to share it now, in these last days before Christmas.  If you are finding it difficult, for whatever reason - and there are many - to pause before the manger just now, then I hope this prayer will help you to get your heart back in the Right Place, as it has done for me.

O Source of all good,
What shall I render to thee for the gift of gifts,
  thine own dear Son, begotten not created,
  my Redeemer, proxy, surety, substitute,
  his self-emptying incomprehensible,
  his infinity of love beyond the heart's grasp.
Herein is wonder of wonders:
  he came below to raise me above,
  was born like me that I might become like him.
Herein is love:
  when I cannot rise to him he draws near on wings of grace,
  to raise me to himself.
Herein is power;
  when Deity and humanity were infinitely apart
  he united them in indissoluble unity,
  the uncreated and the created.
Herein is wisdom;
  when I was undone,
  with no will to return to him,
  and no intellect to devise recovery,
  he came, God-incarnate, to save me to the uttermost,
  as man to die to my death,
  to shed satisfying blood on my behalf,
  to work out a perfect righteousness for me.
O God, take me in spirit to the watchful shepherds,
  and enlarge my mind;
let me hear good tidings of great joy,
  and hearing, believe, rejoice, praise, adore,
  my conscience bathed in an ocean of repose,
  my eyes uplifted to a reconciled Father;
place me with ox, ass, camel, goat,
  to look with them upon my Redeemer's face,
  and in him account myself delivered from sin;
let me with Simeon clasp the newborn child to my heart,
  embrace him with undying faith,
  exulting that he is mine and I am his.
In him thou hast given me so much
  that heaven can give no more.

Amen

(From  The Valley of Vision page 28- a collection of Puritan prayers and devotions edited by Arthur Bennett.)
 

Three ways into the Christmas story

If you are in the business of having to do a kids' Christmas talk this year maybe one of these might help...three of the ways I have told the Christmas story in Scripture this year. 

 

# 1...Jesus is the best gift of all.

 

For this rendition I put a nativity set into a gift box or gift bag.  Then it is a matter of telling the story and pulling the bits and pieces out of the bag as they come up in the story, starting with Mary being visited by the angel, and building up the scene as you go. 

When I do this I usually use this nativity scene - a very plastic (non-breakable) Veggie Tales set.  The kids at school, who aren't familiar with Veggie Tales, are very amused that all the characters are vegies and it is enough to hold even the big kids through the telling of a familiar story.

(I remember being aghast when my husband brought this set home, having purchased it for next to nothing from the markdown shelf at a certain Christian bookstore.  Ironically it is the nativity set that our boys played with the most when they were young and I use it all the time now as a teaching resource at this time time of the year.  So to my husband...apologies for that look of absolute horror when you walked in the door with this little purchase.)
 

At the end of the story you ask why the nativity scene was in a gift box and explain that God gave us the best gift of all in sending Jesus to earth a baby to die on a cross a man so that we might be forgiven for all our sins.  Jesus is the best gift of all.

 

 

# 2...The "So you think you know the Christmas story" super quiz

 

This is great for bigger kids who really think they know it all.  You ask the following six questions and get the children to write down their answers.

 

 

1.  When Mary first heard that she was going to be the mother of God's Son, she heard the news from an angel.  What was the angel's name? (Gabriel)

2.  When it came time for Jesus to be born Joseph and Mary had to travel to Bethlehem.  Why did they have to go there? (To take part in the census.)

3.  Was Jesus born in a manger or put in a manger after he was born? (Put in the manger...born in the stable.)

4.  After he was born Jesus had two lots of visitors - some shepherds and some wise men.  Who came first or did they come at the same time? (Shepherds first, wise men second.)

5.  How did the shepherds and the wise men know that Jesus had been born?  How did God announce the news? (Angels for the shepherds and the star for the wise men.)

6.  When the wise men visited they brought presents.  What were the presents?  And by the way, how many wise men were there? (Gold, frankincense and myrrh.  And we don't know how many wise men.  The Bible just says "the wise men".  There were three gifts but there may not have been three wise men.)

You then provide the answers by telling the story, revealing the answers as you go, dispelling a few myths generated by carols and Christmas cards along the way.   (There is also the issue of the age of Jesus when he was visited by the wise men.  Head down that path if you want to take in the Herod story during your session because there is a bit of mythbusting to be done there too.)

 

 

#3...Christmas (and in fact the whole story of the Bible depending how far you want to take it) through the lense of the wise men's gifts.
 

 

 

Start by asking what sorts of presents babies and small children receive.  Then put the wise men in their context (ah, that would mean a quick retell of the story!!) and head on into your main discussion - about the highly unusual gifts Jesus received from the wise men. 

 

Gold is a precious metal - the metal of kings - pointing to the fact that Jesus is the King of kings.

Frankincense is the incense used by the high priest, pointing to Jesus as the great High Priest. 

Myrrh is embalming oil, used only for royalty, pointing to his important death. 

Through the themes of King, Priest and Jesus' death you can take the story as far, wide and deep as time and the age of your audience will allow. 

 

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 

Luke 2:10,11

Advent, with a little help from my friends

This weekend - whether you start on Saturday being the first day in December or Sunday being the first Sunday in Advent - marks the beginning of the great countdown to Christmas.  Each year we mark the days and prepare our hearts for Christmas using an Advent calendar.  Our boys are blessed with beautiful godparents - and their godmother gave them an Advent calendar when our eldest was born and each year she supplies us with material to put in the pockets of the calendar.

But first things first.  Do you have an Advent calendar?  If not, it isn't too late.  You could buy one.  Or you could make one.  The lovely Ally at harrysdesk has set up a page of ADVENT INSPIRATION here.  So many beautiful ideas.  And it doesn't have to be all that complicated.  You can go a long way quickly with 24 envelopes or 24 takeaway noodle boxes or 24 plastic cups. 

And then, what to put inside it?  Lollies, chocolates, coins (real or chocolate) and so on.  And then the good stuff.

For young children you can use the first 24 stories in The Jesus Story Book Bible to great effect.
Very generously, Wendy at Musings has kindly made two sets of Advent readings available here - one covering the birth Jesus and another covering Genesis to Jesus, great for young and old alike.

And below, a series of verses that provide an overview of the whole Bible.  These come with warm thanks to our boys' godmother.  This is the material she has prepared for our calendar this year.  And she has generously allowed me to share it here on my blog.  This series of short readings would be good for older children who have made their way through their children's Bibles plenty of times and have a good knowledge of the big picture of the Bible.  And it is great for adults too.  They are short readings that should inspire some deep discussion about God and why Christmas and Easter (because you can't have one without the other) had to happen.  She hasn't included any part of the actual Christmas story in her choice of verses which will seem strange to some, but kids have a pretty good grasp of the Christmas story - and there is a fair chance they will be hearing it in its entirety during December.  I think it's going to be amazingly powerful to reach Christmas Eve with Jesus' resurrection from the dead and the great commission.  We will head into Christmas Day fired up and with so many Good Reasons to celebrate.

So click on the links above, cut and paste to your heart's content below and get inspired for Advent. 

 

 



Our readings for 2012

1.  In the Beginning
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
(Gen 1: 1)

2.  Sin....
When the woman (Eve) saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband (Adam), who was with her, and he ate it.
(Gen 3: 6)

3.  Noah’s Ark
The Lord then said to Noah, ‘Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. .. and the rain fell on the earth for forty days and forty nights.
(Gen 7: 1 & 12)

4.  The Lord Promises Abram to make him into a Great Nation
The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you”... “Look up at the heavens and count the stars – if indeed you can count them... so shall your offspring be.”
(Gen12: 1 & 15: 5)

5.  Sarah Becomes Pregnant
Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in her old age, at the very time God
had promised. Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him
(Gen 21: 1 – 2)

6.  Jacob and Esau
Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren.  The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.  The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, "Why is this happening to me?"  So the she went and enquired of the Lord. 
The Lord said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated, one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger."
(Genesis 25:21-23)

7.  Jacob Wrestles with God
Then the man said, ‘Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.’
(Gen 32: 28)

The coming Messiah- Jesus - would be a descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (mentioned in the New Testament in Matthew 1 & Luke 3)

8.  Joseph reveals himself to his Brothers
Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come close to me.’ When they had done so, he said, ‘I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with
yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sentme ahead of you. For two
years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be ploughing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.’
(Gen 45: 4 – 7)

9.  Moses and the Burning Bush
Then the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in flames of fire from within a bush... Then God said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob... I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave
drivers... so I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey..’
(Exodus 3: 2 & 6 – 8)

10.  The Exodus
When Pharoah let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country... so God led the people around by the desert road towards the Red Sea... By day the Lord went ahead of the Israelites in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light
(Exodus 13: 17 – 18 & 21)

11.  Moses at Mount Sinai
Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, ‘This is what you are to say to the people of Israel: You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my
covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.’
(Exodus 19: 3 -5)

12.  Joshua Leads the Israelites to the Promised Land
After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son Nun, Moses' assistant, "Moses my servant is dead.  Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them -  to the Israelite.  I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses...I will never leave you nor forsake you."
(Joshua 1:1-5)

13.  The Appointment of Judges
The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. The anger of the Lord burned against Israel... But when they cried out to the Lord, he raised up for them a deliverer...judges.’
(Judges 3: 7 – 11)


14.  Samuel Anoints David as King
The Lord said to Samuel, ‘How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over
Israel?.. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king... and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power.’
(1 Samuel 16: 1 & 13).

It was prophesied that Jesus would be from the line of David in Isaiah 9:7 and 2 Samuel 7: 12 -13.

15.  Solomon Builds the Temple
When Solomon had finished building the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and he had achieved all he had desired to do, the Lord appeared to him a second time..."I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated the temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever.  My eyes and my heart will always be there.
(1 Kings 9:1-3)

16.  Prophecy that Jesus would be born of a Virgin Woman
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign; the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (which means God with us).’
(Isaiah 7: 14)

17.  Prophecy of the Coming King Jesus
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.
(Isaiah 9: 6 – 7)

18.  The Baptism of Jesus
When all the people were being baptised, Jesus was baptised too. And as he was praying, heaven was
opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’
(Luke 3: 21 – 22)

19.  Jesus has Authority over Evil Spirits
Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, ‘What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of
God!’
‘Be quiet!’ said Jesus sternly. ‘Come out of him!’
The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.
(Mark 1: 23 – 26)

20.  Jesus has Power over Nature
Then Jesus got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him... he replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!’
(Matthew 8: 23 – 27)

21.  Jesus has Power over Death
While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. ‘Your
daughter is dead,’... Jesus said to Jairus, ‘Don’t be afraid, just believe, and she will be healed.’
When Jesus arrived he said, ‘Stop wailing, she is not dead but asleep.’
They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But he took her by the hand and said, ‘My child,
get up!’ Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up.
(Luke 8:49 – 55)

22.  Prophesied that Jesus would be Despised and Crucified
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering... Surely he took
up our infirmities (our failings) and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions (our wrong doing), he was crushed for our iniquities (failings); the punishment that brought us peace was upon him; and by his wounds we are healed... For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.’
(Isaiah 53: 3 – 12)

23.  God’s Saving Grace
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not
perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to
save the world through him.
(John 3: 16 – 17).

24.  Jesus' Resurrection from the Dead
The angel said to the woman, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who has been crucified.  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.
...Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
(Matthew 28:5-7 & 18-20)

Jesus, keep me near the cross

I didn't have a chance to get near Jesus, Keep Me Near The Cross in the lead up to Easter so I read it after Easter instead.  This book is wonderful in and out of season.  Here's a passage from near the end that taught me something and encouraged me to press on in keeping near the cross of Jesus.

Four of the last seven words [of Jesus on the cross] were from the Old Testament.  Only Jesus' direct  addresses to God on behalf of the soldiers, to the dying thief, and to his mother and beloved disciple were not.  This means that Jesus was filling his mind and strengthening his spirit not by trying to keep a stiff upper lip or look for a silver lining, as we might say, but by an act of deliberately remembering and consciously clinging to the great prophecies and promises of God.  If Jesus did that, don't you think you should do it too?  And not only when you come to die.

You need to fill your head with Scripture and think of your life in terms of the promises of Scripture now.  If you do not do it now, how will you ever find strength to do it when you come to die?  You must live Scripture, committing your spirit into the hands of God day by day if you are to yield your spirit into God's loving hands trustingly at the last.

From "The Heart of the Cross" by James Montgomery Boice and Philip Graham Ryken (page 100) in Jesus, Keep Me Near The Cross edited by Nancy Guthrie.

So what REALLY happened in the run up to Easter 2012?

Despite having

Amy's lovely book

and Wendy's 14 readings

and 21 plastic eggs

we didn't manage much at all really in the lead up to Easter.

In one sense life threw some extra stuff at us this last month or two

and in another sense, life just got away from us.

It's all sounding a bit like last year.

But even so,

I am thankful to God for Amy and Wendy,

for producing such wonderful resources
that will be brilliant to use in and out of season.
Because it isn't just at Easter that we need reminding about
Jesus' death and resurrection.
The truth of Easter is timeless.

And I am also looking forward to dipping into
Jesus, Keep me Near the Cross
in the months to come.
Because that passed me by this year as well.

Do you remember the weeds?

Or the entrance hall?

I'm no Super Mummy Blogger.
But I am intending Easter to be meaningful and full of joy even so.
And I hope yours is too.
Mx

Getting ready for Easter again

I know what you are thinking.  Easter is AGES away.  You're right.  It is.  Even though there have been hot cross buns in the shops since January (I promised myself I wouldn't get on my soapbox...oops...) and the shelves are filling with Easter eggs (although why you would buy chocolate eggs in this heat is beyond me), even still, there are a good seven weeks until Easter.  But Lent, the forty days plus Sundays preceding Easter - the time, if you choose to observe it for preparing your heart and mind for Easter - begins next Wednesday.

Like my friend Amy, I have grown up in a church tradition that doesn't really observe Lent and I didn't know much about it.  Like Amy, we do lots in the month leading up to Christmas (Advent) but precious little when it comes to the lead up to Easter.  Which seems wrong.  Because Easter is so important.

To redress that situation I have made my humble attempts.  This post is the second most visited post on my blog to date.  Maybe that is because others also feel this imbalance.  (Or maybe you just wanted to make yourself feel better when you read about my failed attempts!!)

If you are after something to help you  to prepare for Easter (personally or with your family), the lovely Amy has come to our rescue with her BRAND NEW BOOK Lord Have Mercy: Discovering Jesus in the Days Before Easter - a Family Devotional Guide for Lent. 

She begins with a helpful introduction on Lent, covering its history and how we might rightly apply it today - "rending our hearts, not our garments, in repentance to Him."

What then follows is forty short studies, one for each day of Lent, not including Sundays.   Forty studies in forty days???  Overwhelmed before you even start?  Amy is a busy mother of five children.  She knows.  And she is here to help.  

Amy has arranged the studies by week.  Each week's studies covers a different aspect of Christ's ministry.  She has provided a reference for a short reading from the Bible and then a series of questions (with answers!)  If you start late, start on the current day's study.  Can't manage every single day? Even if you only do some of the studies each week you will get a sense of the theme being covered.  Can't fit in a discussion with all the family some evenings?  Quickly talk through the main points that would have hopefully come out of the discussion, had you had it.  Obviously the more you do, the better and richer the experience.  But if you can't do it all, then some is good.  Amy sets before us a realistic and flexible programme because she appreciates and knows what it is like.

The weekly themes are...
Week one - We need God's mercy.
Week two - Jesus is holy, we are not.
Week three - Jesus is God and has the power to heal and save.
Week four - Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of Man.
Week five - Jesus is glorious.
Week six - Jesus is the Only Saviour.
Week seven (Holy Week a.k.a. the week leading up to Easter) - Jesus Christ, God's Annointed One.

For all you up to date people with a Kindle, you can get Lord Have Mercy HERE for $US3!  If you have an eReader that isn't a Kindle then Amy has some instructions, which she has put in the comments below, as to how you can get this book successfully onto your gadget.  (This technology is WAY beyond my understanding but those who have eyes to see will understand.)   And if you prefer to hold a book in your hand, in recent days it has become available in that format HERE. 

As I said earlier, this book is brand new.  I haven't road tested it.  I haven't read all the way through it as yet.  But what I have read I love.  And I have read Amy's blog for maybe three years now, chatted with her via email, prayed for her, asked her to pray for me and know her to be a growing, flourishing, intentional Christian wife, mother, daughter and friend.  Amy loves Jesus and her greatest desire is that her children will grow up strong in their love for the Lord as well.  This book wells up from that desire.

Thanks Amy.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Shout with JOY to God, all the earth!

Sing the glory of his name;

make his praise glorious!

Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!

So great is your power

that your enemies cringe before you.

All the earth bows down to you;

they sing praise to you,

they sing praise to your name.

Psalm 66:1-4

Rejoice

At the beginning of December I wrote our annual Christmas letter. I always put a Bible verse at the top of said letter - and somehow I seem to rotate between Isaiah 9:6,7 and Luke 2:11. This year however I used

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Philippians 4:4

And it got me thinking about joy once again. The joy in this verse isn't dependent upon personal circumstances. It's not about those moments when things are going right and it's easy to smile. Joy in this verse is ever present and lies deep in my soul because irrespective of what is happening in my life, whether my circumstances give rise to smiles or tears, excitement or fear - and I described moments that took in all of these emotions in this year's Christmas letter, such was the year - I always know that God sent His one and only Son to earth a baby, to die a man on a cross and be raised to eternal life. And because of that, no matter what is happening in my life right now - the good and the bad - I live with the blessed hope of eternal life with Him. That brings a deep joy that is always there, irrespective of my day to day circumstances.

I looked up some other verses that use the word "joy" and they are breathtaking, when understood in this light.

Many are asking, “Who can show us any good?”

Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD.

You have filled my heart with greater JOY

than when their grain and new wine abound.

I will lie down and sleep in peace,

for you alone, O LORD,

make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 4:6-8

Though the fig tree does not bud

and there are no grapes on the vines,

though the olive crop fails

and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen

and no cattle in the stalls,

yet I will REJOICE in the LORD,

I will be JOYFUL in God my Savior.

Habakkuk 3:17-18

Though you have not seen him, you love him;

and even though you do not see him now,

you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious JOY,

for you are receiving the goal of your faith,

the salvation of your souls.

1Peter 1:8,9

There are many more to be found like this. And this joy is the joy of Christmas. Every year there will be those who delight in Christmas and those for whom it is an intensely sad time. Those who are well prepared, those who are ill prepared and those who lack the means to be prepared at all. Those who have much to celebrate from the year gone by and those whose lives have been turned upside down as the year unfolded.

But deep at the core of Christmas is the truth of John 3:16 - that God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. It is right to feel immense happiness or deep grief at this time of the year - if that is the path your year has taken. But then there is this joy, that operates independently of our lives, because it comes as a gift from God in the form a baby born in Bethlehem 2000 years ago.  

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Saying thanks

Blogosphere has a lot to say about Christmas (this blog included!) - but there is one little idea that I have seen only in one spot.  A simple idea, easy to do, perfect in every way.  I noticed it after Christmas last year - a photo and one sentence tucked away in a larger post.  Here.  Amanda's family spend a little bit of time thanking God for all the good things He gives them before they open their presents. 

Given a bit of warning, everyone has time to think of something they're thankful to God for - and what a great moment for an adult to give thanks to God for sending His Son to earth a baby, to die a man on a cross and be raised to eternal life that we too might have eternal life with Him.  And if done annually, what a rich thing to see how these prayers of thanksgiving develop.

Thanks Amanda.  This is a gift.

A Christmas question

Here's a question for all those Sunday School teachers and/or observant parents out there. 

What sorts of activities have you done with the children at church on Christmas morning in the past?

I spend most of December teaching my way through the Christmas story and doing associated activities with our Sunday School children.  By Christmas Day they are very familiar with the Christmas story.  Additionally when the children get to church on Christmas morning they are either exhausted because they were too excited to get to sleep the night before or because they started their day at 5am and they want to get home to play with the presents they opened at 5am or want to get home to open the presents they weren't allowed to open until after church and they have also potentially had too much sugar for one day already by 9am.

So, fellow Sunday School teachers (or observant parents who have noticed what the Sunday School teachers are doing) - do you have any suggestions for Christmas morning children's activities?

Last year I made these decorations with the children.  They took some home and gave some out to various members of the congregation.

Any ideas?