Tag: baby

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Karla Lees

God rest ye merry, gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember, Christ, our Saviour
Was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan’s power
When we were gone astray
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy!

We can have rest because Jesus was born.

Shocking, isn’t it?

That the birth of a child can turn your whole world upside down?

If you are a parent, as we chatted about yesterday, you know it’s true.

But if that baby is God Himself, tucked into human form, supernaturally growing in a virgin’s womb, announced by a choir of angels to some of the lowest of the community, born in a stable?

You know miracles are going to happen. They are in His very DNA.

So like God, we can rest after creation.

Jesus came as part of God’s plan to restore, make right what was broken in the garden.

To remind us God hadn’t & hasn’t forgotten about us.

Jesus always was part of His story for reaching His people.

And because God is with us?

We can be merry for the Good News has come.

We can also rest, knowing we are not alone, and God has done all the work to make the way Home for us.

If this is a hard Christmas for you, missing your loved ones, or Christmas’ past, take comfort and joy.

The One we have been waiting for has come. He will always come to those He loves, Beloved.

Rest in that truth today!
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when you are asked to flee…Joseph

Karla Lees

After the wise men were gone, God’s angel showed up again in Joseph’s dream and commanded, “Get up. Take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt. Stay until further notice. Herod is on the hunt for this child, and wants to kill him.” Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother under cover of darkness. They were out of town and well on their way by daylight. They lived in Egypt until Herod’s death. This Egyptian exile fulfilled what Hosea had preached: “I called my son out of Egypt.”

-Matthew 2:13-15

Joseph was likely thinking now that Jesus had been born, things in his family life would settle down for a while. They would have Jesus named on the way home, Mary would spend her time recovering and they would begin their new life together. It is possible Joseph may have rented a place in Jerusalem and found some work as a carpenter while Mary finished her purification period after giving birth, as traveling too far with a newborn was not the best idea for everyone’s sanity.

So we pick up the story Joseph may have believed finished and discover Joseph to be the feature again.

We know that Herod flew into a rage when he realized the wise men were not coming back to betray the new born King, but there is no sign that Joseph or Mary knew of the danger until the angel appears to Joseph again.

Humble, faithful Joseph has now seen an angel twice in his dreams.
Both times, he is informed of news no one else knew by the angel.

Interesting to note, he clearly recognized the angel in his dreams, and believed the words spoken enough to life alteringly act upon them.

The first time, Joseph was told Mary was carrying Messiah & to marry her, raising the child as his own.

This time? He is told to wake up, take Mary & the child and flee to Egypt, for Herod wants to kill Jesus.

I am guessing this was an early enough warning timing wise to get them to safety before Herod’s horrible plan began.

I know that the gifts Jesus had been given by the wise men were no accident, as all three were hot commodities to trade with, and would likely have been enough to cover all their expenses while in Egypt. Because God would certainly have provided for Jesus again. Note it mentions that this would be a fulfillment of calling His son out of Egypt in verse 15.

As Egypt was not likely on the best of terms with Israel over the whole escape from slavery issue, Joseph may not have been able to get work there as an immigrant.

God would have taken all of this into account to get the Carpenters ready for their sudden trip & extended stay in Egypt.

The other noteworthy point to observe? Joseph immediately woke up and while it was still dark, had the family well under way to Egypt by daylight.

Simply put, his obedience saved Jesus.

Not sure about you, but I would have been more than a little freaked at a second angelic visit while I was sleeping. I wonder if it took Joseph just that bit longer every night for a while to fall asleep. Tentatively wondering if an angel would speak to him yet again.

So how does this impact us, the readers of the Advent story?

I see three clear ways.

1. When God sends an angel to speak to us, we should do what it says.

2. God can speak to us while we are sleeping, not just while we are awake!

3. Some times its the right time to just pick up and go.

We leave today’s continuation of #AdventuresinAdvent with the Carpenters fleeing to Egypt, as Herod’s horror is unleashed on the families of Israel.

#TheWhenSeries
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Image from: http://jlgragg.org/2011/01/05/beyond-the-season-celebrating-christ-after-christmas/nativity-2/

when the world & heaven collide…Herod

Karla Lees

There was once a king.
Not born a king, but appointed.
A very paranoid king, he wiped out all opposition to his throne, real or perceived: at least one wife, one son, a few other relations. He was known as the butcher in some circles. His name?

Herod.
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image from the Nativity Story

Not to be confused with his son & namesake, Herod Antipas, this Herod was called ‘the Great’ historically. But I am going to call him Herod for the post today. For he too was just a man.

When our Advent story took place, Herod was in power, established on the throne of Israel by Rome.
Rome had a way of collecting taxes and constantly being on the look out for rebellion, two things Herod too took part in regularly. The Jews were heavily taxed, not only for their usual temple tax, but Herod’s expensive building fund (Masada, and several more landmarks) and Rome’s demands on top. Many in Israel were struggling to make ends meet, especially in the smaller towns with less industry.

Now Herod ruled by keeping a very close eye on the pulse of Israel. He knew the Jews (of which he had become one in order to rule, but was not born to it) were waiting for the Messiah, and like the rest of Israel, they all expected a man to announce himself, one who will free Israel by force from Rome’s grip.

It is most likely Herod was keeping an eye on any perceived Messiah contenders, and would have had a plan in place to swiftly deal with any who would appear. Remember, Herod killed his own flesh & blood, so there is not a lot of compassion going on within this ruler.

Enter the wise men into this already powder keg situation.
They arrive in Jerusalem, and announce themselves to the palace to meet King Herod.

Not to offer platitudes or humble themselves before him, but to ask assistance to locate the baby King of the Jews who is about to be or has been recently born!

I believe this set off a fury in Herod that has only been matched a few times in history, and cemented his rule as blood thirsty for all time, but not immediately set into action.

First, he asked the wise men to return and let him know where they found the child so He too could worship him, the new King of the Jews. Sneaky strategy to ask genuine seekers to help betray the one they seek.

When they were warned not to return to Herod, I believe the full impact of what they had accidentally done must have weighed heavy on the wise men’s hearts.

When they failed to return to Herod within the expected timeline, his rage exploded, and he decided to kill every male infant from birth to 2 years in a set targeted area. And swiftly set his troops out to do his bidding.

How this must have echoed the murder of the Jewish baby boys in Egypt to the Israelites. A second targeted annihilation attempting to foil God’s plans for deliverance, at great cost to His people.

We know how this story ends, but in that moment, Herod’s plan would have looked like it was a success, and the mourning wail that arose? The sound of hair raising grief at such loss.

When heavengriefearth collide, God is not surprised.
He never is when evil raises its head to strike.
He made a way….

More on that tomorrow!

#TheWhenSeries
#AdventuresinAdvent
#LoveCameDown

when the stable fills with wonder…the shepherds

Karla Lees

There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”
At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises:
Glory to God in the heavenly heights, peace to all men and women on earth who please him.

As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. “Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed…..
The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told!

Luke 2:8-18, 20

If I had drawn the late night sheep watching shift, it would likely take something major to catch my attention…as I have a hard time staying awake late (as I am an early bird!) I am guessing there was one man at watch, who drew the short end of the stick that night.

And when the angel appeared in their midst, its likely he elbowed his fellow sheep herders, struck dumb with terror.

They all were, according to the story.

Once they heard the good news that the Messiah had been born, the shepherds took off immediately to see if what the angel had told them was true.

They found Jesus, Mary & Joseph in the stable, exactly as the angel proclaimed.

Filled with excitement and wonder, they couldn’t keep the story to themselves. Everyone they met, they told their good news.

If they hadn’t made the journey, they would have missed the main event in human history so far –
God with us.

If they hadn’t seen the angelic sights, they would have missed the opportunity to meet Jesus, and worship Him.

As pretty low in society status, the shepherds were always outside of town, in the wild.

While the town slept, God sent angels to the outskirts, to include them in the story.

We too are invited to come.
Catch sight of the wonder awaiting us.
Rejoice with the angels.
Worship Jesus.
God with us.

Tonight, believers everywhere celebrate the birth of Jesus.

“Hark the herald angels sing,
Glory to God in the highest.
O come let us adore Him
under the Star of wonder,
star of might,
on this Holy Night.”

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when the sky fills with wonder…the angels

Karla Lees

There was another sight to wonder at, besides the star illuminating Jesus had been born….

There were shepherds camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”
At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises: Glory to God in the heavenly heights, peace to all men and women on earth who please him.

-Luke 2:8-14

When an angel suddenly shows up in all their wondrous glory, people take notice.

This being the third angelic sighting of the Advent story, I am struck awe with wonder at how much God has already reached out to people to lay the way for His son’s arrival!

The angel captivated his audience that night with the message of Jesus’ birth, and then the full spectacular angelic event ever recorded so far filled the sky.

Wow!

Seeing and hearing an angelic choir, after hearing one speak to you would be mindbogglingly wonder-full, wouldn’t it?!

Imagine being the angels. I am sure there must have been wonder at what God was doing as they praised God with their song.

But just seeing and hearing the good news isn’t where this story ends, it swiftly moves on to ewe….

#AdventuresinAdvent
#theWhenSeries
#JesusisBorn
#LoveCameDown

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when God arrives in your brokeness

Karla Lees

Tonight, we remember Jesus born of Mary, bundled to keep warm, resting after His big arrival in an animal’s feeding trough.

Not quite the King sized bed you and I expected for the most important king in history.
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God knew one thing that would make all the difference with the arrival of Jesus.

We need a King who isn’t afraid to get into the muck, mess, squalor of daily life.

When humanity couldn’t take another day without Him, Jesus arrived to shout to the world:

God sees us.
God cares for us deeply.
God came to be with us in our pain, hurt, loneliness, brokenness.

Because our wounds matter to Him.

Because there was no other way for the full plan God had underway to offer all people the love & hope they have, we have, all been longing for.

The baby came to lead us back to love.

Babies were designed to be created out of love, and Jesus was no different in that respect.

Born out of both God’s overwhelming love & Mary’s womb, He emerged into the weary world:

Of invaded countries pleading for freedom.
Of awkward family situations.
Of day in, day out drudgery.
Of trying to make ends meet.
Of crying overwhelmed with grief.
Of feeling invisible.
Of desperately seeking why we matter.

When Jesus arrived, it was for all people to come and find Him, not just the wise men who had by now seen the star and felt the draw of the one true King.

But wise men too have unspoken needs, just like we all do.

There is no situation that Jesus didn’t come to change for the better.

Because the change Jesus brings starts from within.

New life.

Just as He arrived that night, we can be reborn into His family, and find the love we have longed from our first cry.

Drop by again later, as this three part day unfolds…

#AdventuresinAdvent
#JesusisBorn
#LoveCameDown
#TheStoryContinues

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when even the hostel is full

Karla Lees

…because there was no room in the hostel.

Luke 2:7 MSG

Not only was there no room at the hotels or inns in Bethlehem, but the B&Bs & hostels were also all full.

It appears that the Carpenters (coz doesn’t that seem like a good fit for Joseph & Mary’s last name?!) arrived in town later than all the other travelers who also had to show up for the census role call.

With an about to give birth wife in tow, I am sure Joseph was inwardly wishing for swifter mail or reservation service!

How disheartening to arrive, and keep knocking on doors looking for a place to lay their heads, after several weeks of travel.

When even the hostels don’t want you, it can seem the world is hostile.

Yet God made a way.

That final knock, a likely very humbled Joseph asked again, and was informed there was room in the stable for them that night.

With an about to give birth wife in tow, those begging cannot be too choosy, especially if the night was growing cold and dark.

And the baby announced He was on His way.

I am sure the stable was the only place left to choose from, because no man in his right mind would encourage his wife to deliver in a barn.   But somehow, this too was part of God’s design.

The King of All was about to be born, and only one person made room for Him, and that was only in their stable.

How much space are you making for Him this year?

Do you only invite God into your stable, where the muck and things that need to be tamed live? Where you rule?

Or do you open wide your heart, mind, soul & spirit and say Yes, God- abide in me. Every nook & cranny, leave no dark spot unturned- so His dwelling place can become worthy of the King living there?

I believe the owner of the stable was somehow blessed through offering its use to the Carpenters.
It is very likely they would have met the baby after He was born, maybe even helped arrange for a midwife to assist Mary, as out of towners wouldn’t always know where to turn in an emergency.

I wonder what animals were in the stable that night.  I wonder if somehow they instinctively knew their King was being born, and were still out of respect.

I do know that the world still gives Jesus a hard time about His preferred living accommodations, within His children.

May He restore our wonder, that God loved us so much, His very son was born in a stable, and wrapped to lie in a manger.

The life that had come to give us new life first laid His head in the unlikeliest of beds.

May our hearts not be as hard at the wood of the manger, but instead invite Him in.

The greatest gift of all resided in heaven before being packaged in His humble beginnings here on earth.

Make room this Christmas for Jesus. 

#AdventuresinAdvent are drawing closer to their climax!  Immanuel is coming!

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entrusting a teen with the King

Karla Lees

I was very struck by God’s choice of Mary.

Not because I don’t think she was a good choice, but because she wasn’t the obvious choice.

Most of us, if we are honest, would have chosen a gal more like Elizabeth: wise in experience, settled, already married.

Not a teenager still living at home.

But we look at this part of the Christmas story from our own time in history. Our culture, our values, our biases.

God looks at it as an important part of His Story. His values, first and foremost.

Mary had a deep faith, and likely deep dependence upon God based on her life experience and background. The Word doesn’t mention her upbringing, so it was likely a normal one.
Our hope for our daughters is for them to be lovingly well suited in marriage, with a good job, and a nice place to live.

I am sure Mary’s parents wanted the same for her that my husband and I do for our’s:

His best.

God chose Mary, whom He considered His best, as the mother of His greatest gift to us.

Mary must have been quaking in her sandals at the thought of the enormity of responsibility being placed on her shoulders.

The Messiah was going to grow in her womb, despite her innocence.
The one who will save His people.
The one they have been waiting for for generations.

There must have been quite the inner revelation going on in Mary shortly after, likely the following key questions:

1) What will my parents think?

2) What will Joseph, my fiancee, think?

3) What will my community think?

4) What’s going to happen?

In those days, (mostly our days too) a pregnancy is an obvious sign of bedroom activity.  Which in God’s design is supposed to be reserved for the marriage bed only.

Any one of Mary’s family, her fiancee or her neighbors all would have had the right to publicly accuse her as her pregnancy became evident, and the price if convicted? Stoning.

Right off the bat, this baby literally just conceived is in danger.

And so is His mother.

Yet there is no evidence of Mary worrying written in the Christmas story.

She must have had some awesome rock solid God is going to do it if He says He will and I am safe in His hands no matter what kind of faith. He has said (through Gabriel) He was with her. How she must have clung to that truth.

In those days and times, when the Romans were invading the land, and the Jews were getting restless under their tight reins, God knew the timing was right for His son to be born.

For such a time as this.

God chose Mary, as she was the right choice.

His choice.

Since He is God, after all, Mary was the perfect choice.

God has a habit of choosing what the world would see as foolish to reveal more of His glory as a result.

Of course He would do so in the greatest gift giving He was preparing to unveil!

#AdventuresinAdvent
#TheMaryChronicles

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baby talk

Karla Lees

There is no sound quite like hearing an infant gurgle, coo & spout gibberish. The joy they get simply from making noise, chattering away as only a baby can.

When we are young in the faith, everything can seem awesome, wonderful, amazing.

Bright eyed with fresh wonder, we can sound like babies with our repetitive ooooohing and ohhhhing. 

But just as babies are meant to learn to talk, walk and grow up, so are we in the faith meant to move past worldly things and grow deeper in our spiritual lives.

Babies need to learn the world doesn’t revolve around them, that self is not the center of the universe – God is.

Babies were also designed to start off with simple nourishment, until they develop teeth and the need for more solid food to build their bodies as God designed them to.

So are we, those who are no longer new to the faith, meant to chew on the Word, to grow as we we are designed to in our walk with God.

Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ.  I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 NIV

We aren’t meant to stay infants in the faith. Although it is tempting to stay immature, Holy Spirit is calling us to become holier, faithfully pursuing all He has for us…a full meal versus the easy diet the world offers.

I am tired of fast food.

I crave the banquet God has waiting for me, for you, for all who follow Him.

The Message version of the above verse takes a slightly different slant on this topic:

But for right now, friends, I’m completely frustrated by your unspiritual dealings with each other and with God. You’re acting like infants in relation to Christ, capable of nothing much more than nursing at the breast. Well, then, I’ll nurse you since you don’t seem capable of anything more. As long as you grab for what makes you feel good or makes you look important, are you really much different than a babe at the breast, content only when everything’s going your way? 

The Christian walk isn’t meant for us to just enter through its door, and stay there… content with being just inside enough, yet still close enough to be swayed by the world we are meant to be in but not of any longer.

We are known by how we feed our inner selves.  Is your diet full of worldly pleasures or heaven’s treasures?

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There are always growing pains as we stretch, try new foods and begin to mature.

I would rather dislike the taste of the food God has for me, but keep eating it than to stick with what I have outgrown long ago, despite the comfort I may get from it.

I will close with a brief example.

I love the classics like Jane Austen, Louisa May Alcott & L.M.Montgomery. Well written observations of the world around interesting characters who jump off the page and into my imagination. I have spent many an afternoon & evening with them over the years, and still do.

A voracious reader, I allowed my desire for something new to cloud my discernment, and downloaded a few popular books by current well known authors. Not ones who write faith based content.

And was not amused by the resulting language and R rated descriptions I uncovered.

By not checking reviews before I opened those covers, I was lured into what could have been a disaster for my reading habits.

I countered by asking God’s forgiveness, and making a conscious decision to not just read the Word every day, but to interact with it. Ponder it over, write down what it stirred inside me, pray about the areas it revealed I need help with, and worship Him for who He is revealed in the Word.  Say no to the light weight reading, and say yes to wrestling with what really matters.

That was a mature response.

An immature one could have been keeping on playing with temptation, justifying the reading as research as I am a writer, and avoid learning from my mistake.

We don’t grow unless we try something new.

Add more to your diet than just the milk of immaturity.

Ask Him where you need to mature to deepen, and allow Holy Spirit to take root and grow in your life.

You may still crave milk from time to time, but I suspect the banquet He has for you will set your taste buds on fire.

And instead of baby talk, we will be modeling wisdom, maturity and Holy Spirit to those around us. We will have a deeper foundation to help us stand in the storms yet to come.

What the world needs more of isn’t people who are content to just be…but those who can’t stop being all He had for us to be, with His help.