"2005 Christmas Devotionals"

[Belinda Y. Edwards]

Doing the 7 day count-down to Christmas the NazNet way, a new devotional each day from one of your fellow NazNetters.

The devotional authors represent the vast diversity that participates here at NazNet; from new/old, pastors/lay, female/male, international flare.

We invite you to join us on this devotional journey as we count down the days to Christmas morning.

Sincere thanks to the authors for accepting the invitation to participate in this celebration. Much appreciation and thanks is given to Barb Bouldrey for the giving of her proofing and editing gifts.

[Belinda Y. Edwards]

PEACE

As children, my siblings and I often asked our mother what she wanted for Christmas. Mom made the same request every year, “Peace and quiet.” Frustrated, we pleaded with her, “What do you really want?” Mom’s answer - “Peace and quiet.” I did not understand her until I raised my children. Peace and quiet never sounded so good!

The New Testament authors wrote in Greek. They pronounced their word for peace “ereine,” which sounds like “a rainy,” as in “a rainy day.” Think about a peaceful, rainy day - not one with crashing thunder and eye startling lightning, but one with a gentle rain that softly covers the ground and refreshes the earth.

This peace will last only as long as the rain shower. However, our lives need peace that will last a lifetime – and through the travails of this day. We need peace for the here and now along with eternity. We need peace that will sustain us when the “stuff” of life brings with it the storms of life. The beauty of Christmas proclaims that peace can envelop our lives like the gentle rain envelops all it touches.

Now think of the peace of a still night, a silent night, a holy night. We can experience this kind of peace day-by-day or even moment-to-moment. This peace comes not through the events of life, but through one life-changing event that happened when God became a human and lived among us. The birth of Jesus offers to us His gift of peace. Whether for a moment or for all eternity, my mother made perfect sense –
“Peace and quiet.”


by Terry J. Bovinet

[Belinda Y. Edwards]

What Christmas Means To Me
Christmas means a special shared love of family and of friends. This love is made possible because of the love that was sent to us many years ago from Heaven in the form of God's own Son, Jesus Christ.

An early memory I have of Christmas is standing on the platform at church reciting a piece for a Christmas program. Another early memory is singing Christmas carols in a school program for all of the parents.

I remember family gatherings where we exchanged gifts. They were not big expensive gifts like people exchange today but they were very special.

I remember singing "The Messiah" with a large chorus at Christmas time or singing in many Christmas Cantatas.

I remember special times of reading the Christmas Story from the Bible on Christmas Eve and playing special Christmas music.

Today we still have many Christmas traditions which include church programs, family, gifts, caroling, baking, and making candy.

You might think all of these activities are what is wrong with Christmas, but to me they are what Christmas is all about. To me, Christmas does not mean Santa Claus or partying. It means being thankful for the gift of Jesus.

My children have grown up so our family activities and traditions have changed some, but I still celebrate Jesus' birth. The Christmas activities I participate in each year are a reminder of God's love for me and that He came to earth for even me.

Jesus is the Reason for the Season, and I love keeping Christmas traditions alive each year.

Vivian Cornwell

[Belinda Y. Edwards]

Love Incarnated

Christmas celebrates the coming of Jesus into this world. The Word became flesh, as John wrote. Or may we say, Love became incarnated. Love Himself Was given hands and feet, Love was given eyes and a face. Although we no longer know what He actually looked like, we have the stories that have been written down for us to recognize Him. We can read and come to the conclusion of Simon Peter: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God".

And yet, this conclusion did not come naturally. People had expectations. The Jewish people had been suffering under foreign oppression for a long time. One can rightfully long for salvation, and yet be blind to what salvation one really needs. And so He came, the Saviour. Desperately and eagerly expected!

But He came in a different way. Six centuries before, Isaiah had spoken of this Suffering Servant. Two centuries later, Zechariah had understood: "'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty". And so He came. He came to live God's Life. He came to truly live as man was once meant to live. He came to teach the way, in fact, He IS the way. His way is the only way.

Many years later, John wrote in his gospel this sad remark: "He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him". This is Christmas as well. It is not merely the celebration of a birth, a promise of things to come, a sign of God's grace. It is all of that but it is more. It is also a question: "Will WE receive Him?" We, who are "His own"? Do we want a Suffering Servant showing us His way? Or do we want a warrior to set us free from whatever oppression there might be? One day, Jesus will indeed return as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But first, we will have to receive Him as the Suffering Servant, and follow Him as such.

Love became incarnated in Jesus. Love longs to become incarnated in us.

Hans

[Belinda Y. Edwards]

The Worst Christmas Tree

“That’s the worst Christmas tree I’ve ever seen,” she said.
We were proud of that tree. We had just bought land in New Hampshire for our new home. We wanted to cut our own tree from our new property, so we looked for the fullest tree we could find, and brought it home. It really was pretty thin, and our kids had dubbed it our own “Charlie Brown Christmas tree.” The more decorations we put on it, the worse it looked. It seemed pretty bad, but it was our own, and we loved it.

They were a retired pastor and wife who had served faithfully for many years, starting several churches that most people will never remember. They had been abandoned by those churches, and even by most of their family. Holidays had become pretty lonely times for them, and we had started a tradition of having them share Christmas with us. She always brought the best homemade chocolate chip cookies. They were in their late eighties, and each time we gathered, we heard the same stories they told the last time. Sometimes we chuckled not so much because they were so funny as because they weren’t at all. Old people get away with saying things that a few years earlier they wouldn’t have dreamed of saying, but sometimes things they say are the reasons others abandon them. To us, they had become like family. This time when they arrived, even before she took off her coat, she cocked her head back and declared, “That’s the worst Christmas tree I’ve ever seen.” Likely she was right.

For the next two years, every time we saw them, they thanked us for letting them be a part of our family. Then she went to be with the Lord. He lived a few more years, and each time we saw him, we talked about some of those same stories, family Christmas times, her chocolate chip cookies, and that really bad Christmas tree. The last words I heard him say were, “Thank you for loving me.”

It’s now been more than a decade since he died, and I suspect not many miss either of them. We don’t often think of them, except at Christmas when we’re putting up the tree or when the ever expanding family gathers in and we start telling our own stories: one of our favorites is how she said ours was the worst tree she ever saw.

In this season of family stories, cookies, trees both good and bad, and all the busy-ness, I want to be one who welcomes, accepts, encourages, cries with, laughs with and embraces those who perhaps have been abandoned by others. I want to be one through whom the baby in the manger can love those around. Eventually, chocolate chip cookies don’t matter. Stuff doesn’t matter. Especially, bad Christmas trees don’t matter. Love matters. I want my life to be about what matters.

Dennis Scott

[Donna Adams]

ME too Dennis..me too. Thanks for those words.

[Belinda Y. Edwards]

The First Advent

Luke 1:13-17 (NLT)
13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! For God has heard your prayer, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son! And you are to name him John. 14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice with you at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or hard liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. 16 And he will persuade many Israelites to turn to the Lord their God. 17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah, the prophet of old. He will precede the coming of the Lord, preparing the people for his arrival. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will change disobedient minds to accept godly wisdom.”

John the Baptist’s purpose in life was to prepare the people for the arrival of the Messiah. He did this by preaching repentance.

This was offensive to many. Why would God’s people following God’s laws need to repent? Some were even Pharisees, faultless in their upholding the letter of the law.

But his message was vital, because despite outward appearances people’s hearts were not right. Outer conformity had replaced a sincere love for God, and for others.

John’s mission of preparation before the first Advent is the same message God’s people need today. Christmas is not just celebrating the birth of Jesus. That is just one step in the preparations for the final arrival of Messiah. It is a reminder to us, to live a lifestyle of repentance. Without a daily submission to Him and His will, we will easily find ourselves in the same position as the Pharisees of John’s day.

And so we are to daily prepare for the final coming of Messiah – not as a baby in swaddling clothes, but as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Sharon Isley, Pastor
Clarinda IA Church of the Nazarene

[Belinda Y. Edwards]

Joy to the World


"Joy to the World
The Lord is Come;
Let earth receive her king!
Let every heart prepare him room..."

How many times have we sung that? Probably too many to count. Yet, did you ever think about what that meant? Certainly we have joy that Jesus came to earth to save us. It's the "prepare Him room"part that I'm thinking about.

Just HOW am I supposed to do THAT?!?

There are Christmas programs to plan, parties to attend and relatives to see.

Now, I'm supposed to make room for the baby Jesus too?

"Can't He just stay in that cute
little manger scene at church?"
'Cause my home is
overloaded and my schedule is full!

In this busy time it's easy to loose sight of what it's all about.

So stop for a moment.
Yes, right now!

Consider the wonder of the shepherds that first Christmas.
Consider the young Mary amazed at all she was experiencing.

Reflect on how MUCH God REALLY loves you!
Let's prepare our hearts for HIM this Christmas.

Loriane Stanton

[Belinda Y. Edwards]

"O, Christmas Tree - O, Christmas Tree
How lovely are thy branches"


1640

Recently I hiked several miles back into the Quinault Rain Forest in Washington State to see a Red Cedar Tree that is more than 2,000 years old and is still growing. Wouldn't it be fun to drape the big tree with strings of lights?

The star on top would be more than 250 feet above the ground. A 50 foot string of lights would not reach around the trunk even once!!

Just think -- a live Christmas tree that was alive on that first Christmas day!! It would make a spectacular tree.

Evergreen trees serve an important role in our celebration of Christmas. They have for a long time.

Historians tell us that evergreen trees were included in winter celebrations in Egypt from even before Christ's birth.

They have been used as "Christmas Trees" since approximately 1700. Since then decorating a Christmas Tree has become one of the most important symbols of Christmas.

There are a number of different theories about why Christians started decorating evergreen trees at Christmas time, but the important thing is that we do in to honor Christ and to celebrate his birth.

Today, as we open the presents found under the Christmas tree, let us remember what Christmas is really about. God loved us so much that he sent his only son to earth as a little baby, born of the virgin Mary. We express thanks for that wonderful day.

Dave McClung