Comfort and Joy

Dear Friends,

I know I am not alone in my love of the Christmas season.  Are you out there fellow Christmas lovers?  Oh, hello!  There are a lot of you!  It’s finally our season.  Or more accurately, it is our Savior’s season. I know you agree that there are so many things that we associate with this time of year…sights, sounds, smells, and emotions.  We become consumed by our own traditional decorations, the greeting cards, the TV shows and movies, the music, the cookies, the peppermint candles. AND there’s the wonder, the hope, and the anticipation. This year I’ve been especially struck by the comfort and the joy! 

Every day during my quiet time during this advent season, I’ve been reading selections from scripture compiled on the Focus on the Family website.  If you are interested in viewing this Advent reading, please click here. It has been interesting to trace a connection and a contextual importance to the story of Christmas as well as finding the application that is needed in my life. 

On day one I read Isaiah 40:1-5.  With further commentary research, I found that Isaiah’s purpose was to call his generation to holiness and obedience.  I addition he shared the message of comfort and assurance to future generations. When Isaiah was speaking this message, it was exceedingly relevant. Some of the kingdom had fallen into the enemy’s hands and another portion was under serious attack. It was a difficult time to worship for Israel, yet Isaiah addressed his people with tenderness and gentleness. They had been through many trials and would see more trials as a divided nation. Isaiah emphasized the ultimate comfort: the coming of the Messiah and redemption. 

I wrote down the word “comfort” as the theme for this passage.  

The second day’s reading was Isaiah 52:7-10. Isaiah exclaimed that it was a privilege to share the good news that the LORD was returning to Zion. He explains that they could have joy because the LORD had comforted and redeemed His people.  There was an unmistakable energy to this passage of Scripture, and it would be hard to miss the message bursting from these verses. 

I wrote down the word “joy” as the theme for this passage. 

During this season we sing of “tidings of comfort and joy” and these passages have renewed my mind as to what that means today. The message to us in this age is not so very different as it was when Isaiah’s message was received. We are living in a time when obedience to God is unpopular. Like the remnant of Jerusalem that Isaiah was addressing, we have been found as a faithful remnant in a world of corruption. We have been redeemed from this corrupted world by God’s grace alone. And because we know this truth, it is our privilege to proclaim the good news: the tidings of comfort (that we’ve been redeemed) and joy (that He will come again)! 

I hope you find comfort and joy this season! We have a lot to celebrate!  

In Him,

Grace

The Night of Lights

The traditional Women's Christmas Outreach has come and has passed, yet has left an eternal message on the hearts of those who attended.  Light...the theme of the night, shone from every nook and cranny.  Light casted it's glory onto every aspect of the evening.  As 5:30 p.m. rolled around, everything was in its place.  Every "t" was crossed, every "i" was dotted, and every light was shining and flickering.  Candles blazed from dressed up tables, a six foot wreath robed in Christmas lights took center stage, and an awe striking chandelier suspended from the gymnasium ceiling turned a basketball court into a king's court.

 

As tradition would have it, hostesses produced Christmas displays on round tables, each with her own personality sprinkled within the beauties. 

 

 

 

 

 

Old friends and new friends encircled the gorgeous displays as conversations of family and Christmas and the amazing, gourmet food filled the room, creating an atmosphere of love and sisterhood.  Jesus’ light was undeniably present.

 

 

 

 

And we must never forget the solid, servant’s hearts of the men who tirelessly and sacrificially went out of their way and bent over backwards to serve.  To lead, really.  For Christ led by serving and they followed his example.  Once again, the eternal light intruded every inch of the evening.

 

 

There were songs and praises, all focused on Jesus’ birth as he brought forth light to this dark world.  The focus of the evening took hearts and minds to the true meaning of Christmas, causing busy women to forget the lists and baking and shopping.  Rather, hearts were focused on forgiveness and joy and eternal blessings.  Light was shed on the truth, causing the world’s idea of Christmas to fade.

 

The highlight of the evening will be etched in hearts for years to come as Tamara shared stories of light being shared in a dark world across this globe.  As God works through his special servants, his light continues to shine, if even as a small spark.  Hope abounds through devoted people that commit their lives as Global Outreach Workers and are committed to being a city on a hill in a dark and dreary land.  Her words were a comforting reminder of the Godly blessings we receive when we live in his light.

 

 

Whether you attended or not, and no matter what your Christmas season looks like this year, let’s keep the focus!  Let all the hype of candy canes, snowmen, packages and bows fade in the light of his glory and grace.  For it was Jesus himself that said to you and me, “I have come as a light…so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in darkness.” John 12:46



 

 

Merry Christmas!!

Making Time

Dear Sisters,

I don’t know about you, but as Christmas approaches the days just seem to go by faster and faster!  There is always more to squeeze in each day.  I find myself struggling a bit to fit in my 20 minutes a day with the Lord.  However, I wanted to share with you why I have been having a lot more success lately than I have in the past.

 At the Westwood Women’s Conference last spring we all received a copy of 20 Minutes a Day for the Rest of Your Life.  Each one of the four study methods in the book was outlined for us so we could have a chance to try them out at home.   I faithfully spent 20 days trying out each method and landed on the one called Devotionals.   This method is pretty much exactly what it sounds like – you choose a devotional and spend time in it every day.  I typically begin and end in prayer and occasionally will journal. 

 I am currently reading three devotionals – Our Daily Bread, Craving God (Lysa TerKeurst), and My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers.  These devotionals are very different from each other.  I must admit that on most days Oswald goes right over my head.  This is not a bad thing, however, since some days I’m up for a different style than others.  Each speaks to me in a different way as do the accompanying Bible verses.

 I have come to realize that I make time for what is important to me.  And that includes my time with God.  I can’t expect my friendships to flourish without devoting time and attention to them.  So how can I expect my relationship with God to grow if I am not cultivating a growing relationship with him? 

 

In love,

Susan