|
Rather than handing out my song sheet during my Christmas visits, I prepared the following letter which seems to have been well received. Here is a link to the original handout.
The
Birth of Jesus
Luke 2:2-20
2 At that
time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken
throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This
was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All
returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And
because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in
Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in
Galilee. 5 He took
with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child. 
6 And while they were there, the
time came for her baby to be born. 7She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a
manger because there was no lodging available for them.
The
Shepherds and Angels
8 That
night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks
of sheep. 9 Suddenly,
an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory
surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the
angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that
will bring great joy to all people. 11 The
Savior[1]—yes,
the Messiah[2], the
Lord[3]—has
been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you
will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips
of cloth, lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly, the angel was
joined by a vast host of others-the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
15 When
the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go
to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told
us about.”
16 They hurried to the
village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger[4]. 17 After
seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel
had said to them about this child. 18 All who
heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but
Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The
shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they
had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
Dear Friends,
I see you in this Bible reading.
Do you see the star
above? Read those bold words
carefully: And while they were there, the time came
for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her firstborn son.
"The
time came
for her
baby to be born."
That
means that her body decided it was time for the birth of her son. Her body had done its part in creating, forming
and protecting him.
Between
those two lines:
The time came… & …She gave birth…
Mary
endured a lot of physical pain and discomfort.
If you're a lady who has given birth, you know this first hand. Even if it was made less intense by medical
help, you didn't have a choice but to go through some pain and discomfort. Guys, if you're a Dad, your lady endured a
lot of pain and discomfort so as to give birth to that new life. If you're not a parent, you can know that the
woman who birthed you endured pain and discomfort so as to bring you into this
world.
Your body
or that of your lady or Mom decided the time had come to go through the pain
and discomfort and give birth to a new life.
With the birth of her
Son, Mary would have all but forgotten the pain and discomfort of childbirth. She may have forgiven the misery and been
thankful that it was over. She would
have looked into the eyes of her Son, this new life in her arms, and decided
that for as rough as it may have been, enduring the pain and discomfort was worth it.
Be Mary.
There's a new life
inside of you waiting to be born. To
give birth to your new life, even with medical help, you must endure some amount
of pain and discomfort. When you are
ready, I encourage you to see the pain and discomfort of detox and withdrawal
as the labor pains preceding the birth of your new life. Upon the successful delivery of your new life,
your pain will be all but forgotten.
Like Mary as she raised her son, you will raise your new you.
Mary's body decided
it was time to give birth to this new life.
It was not her decision as to when this would happen. It is your decision as to when to go through
your pain and discomfort and give birth to your new life.
You've heard it said
that you must hit "rock bottom" before your moment of decision
comes. Mary went through her pain and discomfort so as to give birth to
your Rock. You do not have to wait for
the circumstances of your life to take you to that rock bottom moment of
decision. You can call out to Jesus, The
Son of Mary, The Son of God, The Rock, to be your Rock to bear your pain and discomfort while you give birth to
your new you.
In the
words of Jesus in Matthew 7:24 “Anyone
who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a
house on solid rock.
Thank you for being you!
You are very much loved in the Name of Jesus, the Son of Mary, The Son
of God, Your Rock if you so choose, whose birth we celebrate!
Peace,
Chris
No comments:
Post a Comment