For a child has been born for us, a son given to us;

authority rests upon his shoulders;

and he is named

Wonderful Counselor

Mighty God

Everlasting Father

Prince of Peace

~Isaiah 9:6

The multi-named messiah, love labels

On a faith shape, every name a promise

And every promise a present, made and named

All in the same breath. I accept.

~Eugene Peterson

The Best Gift of All

Back in the day, when I taught Sunday School to the littlest children, I was always coming up with these extravagant craft projects that were probably a little over ambitious with regards to age appropriateness. Part of the fun was breaking down an idea to where it was do-able. This called for lots of behind the scenes preparations.

Pictured above is a present/ornament we made one Christmas. We even made the boxes - I must've been crazy! While it looks like a simple little gift box when closed, you open it up and inside is Baby Jesus in his manger. Hands down, this is my favorite and each Christmas, when I hang one made by each of my own children on the tree, all over again I remember how much fun we had making them. When we did this project, I had enough supplies so each child could make two, one for their family to keep and one to give away to whomever they wanted.

God gave us the gift of his son Jesus that Christmas morn, but it's not a gift he forces on us. I like Luke's tag because it's a reminder that we have a part to play in our own Christmas story.

The sovereign God wants to be loved

for Himself and honored for Himself,

but that is only part of what He wants.

The other part is that He wants us to know

that when we have Him

we have everything --we have all the rest

~A.W. Tozer

"The World Is the Manger"

Frederick Buechner's writings never fail to get my mind thinking in new ways. His manner of word crafting often causes me to pause and re-read, re-think and decide for myself. I like that in a writer. Here's an excerpt from him on Christmas that I'd like to share:

"The lovely old carols played and replayed till their effect is like a dentist's drill or a jackhammer, the bathetic banalities of the pulpit and the chilling commercialism of almost everything else, people spending money they can't afford on presents you neither need nor want, "Rudolph, the Red- Nosed Reindeer," the plastic tree, the cornball creche, the Hallmark Virgin.

YET FOR ALL OUR EFFORTS, WE'VE NEVER QUITE MANAGED TO RUIN IT.

That in itself is part of the miracle, a part you can see. Most of the miracle you can't see or don't...The world is the manger. It is only by grace that [we] happen to see this other part of the miracle. Christmas itself is by grace. It could never have survived our own blindness and depredations otherwise. It could never have happened otherwise...

~Frederick Buechner, "Beyond Words"

"Our Kneeling Places"

A dear friend gave me an advent devotional put together for their church. I hope I can find time this week to pass along some Christmas inspiration to you like this one from the book "Kneeling In Bethlehem"

In each heart lies a Bethlehem,

an inn where we must ultimately answer whether there is room or not.

When we are Bethlehem-bound, we experience our own advent in his.

When we are Bethlehem-bound we can no longer look the other way, conveniently not seeing stars, nor hearing angel voices. We can no longer excuse ourselves by busily tending our sheep or our kingdoms.

This Advent let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that the Lord has made known to us.

In the midst of shopping sprees, let's ponder in our hearts the Gift of Gifts.

Through the tinsel, let us look for the gold of the Christmas Star.

In the excitement and confusion, in the merry chaos, let's listen for the brush of angel's wings.

This Advent, let's go to Bethlehem and find our kneeling places.

~Ann Weems

Today, will you stop, kneel, and listen for the brush of angel's wings?