Christmas Day Is Here

The CHRISTMAS SEASON has come to a close! THE DAY IS HERE!

Often times we do not appreciate the season. We gripe because stores prepare way too early. We sigh and say, “There are just too many expectations” . . .  baking, shopping, programs to attend, decisions to be made like whose family gets who for Christmas dinner, and year-end appeals for many more charities than we can handle, no matter how much we care.

OK. I admit I’ve been The Grinch sometimes, myself. But for some reason this year the season came alive for me. Maybe you enjoyed some of these things, too:

Christmas colors and decorations

Christmas sounds and songs

Christmas programs, live or on TV

Christmas greetings, verbal or written

Christmas goodies, baked or bought

Shopping for gifts to surprise people

The excitement of children

Hearing how people plan to celebrate

This is a special time of year, for other reasons. First of all, God stepped into time and fulfilled the Old Testament promises He made after the fall of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3). Galatians 4:4 (NKJV) says, "When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman."

Second, faithful people like Mary and Joseph believed in the coming of the Messiah (God’s Son) and, though surprised to be chosen, were willing participants in God’s plan of deliverance (Luke 1-2).

The third reason may be the most important of all. Christmas is a season of giving because God set the example. John 3:16 (NKJV) says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” 

Yes, I know the season is filled with Santa Claus, but as britannica.com explains, this gift-giving persona began with St. Nicholas, a Greek bishop known for his generosity and kindness to the poor.  

So, I think our challenge is this: How can we carry the goodwill of Christmas with us and share it throughout the coming year?”

 

How to Say Merry Christmas

The Christmas Season is here once again. I have always enjoyed sending and receiving Christmas greetings, but they seem extra special this year.

Not only is it fun to open my mailbox and find cards inside, but it’s also fun to sit down and read them. It causes me to indulge in some fond memories of the senders.

I was curious about Christmas cards. I googled for information and chose www.whychristmas.com 

In 1843, a British postal worker, Sir Henry Cole, and an artist friend, John Horsley, designed a Christmas card with three panels. The outer two panels showed people caring for the poor, and the center panel showed a family having a large Christmas dinner. The cost back then? 8 cents! This was a limited edition, perhaps 1,000 or less.

Their card even came with an advertising slogan: “Just published, a Christmas Congratulations Card, or picture emblematical of old English festivity to perpetuate kind recollections between dear friends.”   

We are way beyond postage of 8 cents these days! Maybe that’s one reason Christmas cards seem more and more special.

I like the variety of ways God sent out His Christmas message. First, His Son's promised birth was written in the Old Testament. Then, in the New Testament, the prophecies about Jesus were fulfilled.

Angels were also used to get God’s Christmas message down to earth. A single angel, Gabriel, was sent to Mary and Joseph, and the shepherds heard a heavenly host. Once they checked out the angelic message for themselves, they in turn became messengers of Christmas.

God’s message also appeared in the heavens. Wise men, who studied the sky for signs and wonders, committed themselves to faithfully follow its direction.

We also have a variety of ways to send our Christmas message. Cards, text messages, emails, and phone calls are all meaningful connections. Even if you haven’t sent any greetings for years, reach out to someone now. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

  

Christmas Is

Christmas is coming . . . like it or not. Greetings can be heard around the world: “Merry Christmas. . . Feliz Navidad. . . Joyeux Noel. . . Mele Kali-ki-maka. . . Frohliche Weihnachten.” Take your pick.

Christmas is what you make it. Greetings are nice but actions matter. Some people focus totally on family, while others focus on charities. Some move into the season with a spiritual focus. Others dread the season and react like Scrooge or The Grinch.

Christmas is a day AND a season. Holidays add spice to what could otherwise be 365 humdrum days in a year. All holidays have a commercial season leading up to the designated day. Think of Valentine’s Day, Halloween, or Easter. But Christmas, while having a commercial impact, also produces acts of kindness by individuals, groups, and communities for weeks before the day arrives.

Christmas is a season of hope. Who can explain this phenomenon? Children hope they’ll find gifts in their stockings or under the tree. But with age comes a deeper understanding of Christmas. God set the pattern of giving when He gave to the world His only Son (John 3:16). And in Jesus we find hope for life now and beyond the grave (Romans 5:1-2).

Christmas is what you make it. People can sing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” all season long, but words and wishes don’t make it so. The only way to have a “merry, cheerful, jolly, good-spirited Christmas” is to make a personal decision. Whether you are rich or poor, young or old, positive or negative . . . Christmas is personal and will be to you only what you decide to make it.

So . . . MERRY CHRISTMAS (words only) . . . ACTIONS (are up to you)! 

Unexpected Blessing #4

I have a Goddaughter who lives out of state. She’s a project person, so her visits are always productive.

She said, “I’m coming over. We’ll clean out your attic storage area.” The problem was this attic did not have pull-down steps. I knew I was not a ladder person, but until it was over, I didn’t know she wasn’t either.

On the same weekend, another out-of-state friend said she would be in town and would like to visit. I asked her to come in the morning since my Goddaughter was arriving that afternoon.

My friend arrived with her daughter, whom I had not seen since she was quite young. I also enjoyed meeting the daughter's mother-in-law.   

While catching up on news, I shared about my breast cancer surgery, then I moved on to the purpose of my Goddaughter’s visit. “I’m not sure how much I can help,” I said, “My oncologist told me not to lift more than six pounds with my left arm.”  

My friend’s daughter spoke right up. “I could help.”

What a lovely surprise. “Really? That would be so great! I’ll be in touch after my Goddaughter arrives.”

But there was another unexpected blessing. When she drove up the next morning, her college-age son and his girlfriend got out of the car. She introduced them and said, “They’re willing to help, too.” 

We developed a plan. Her son crawled up into the attic, she stood on the ladder and his girlfriend and my Goddaughter received the boxes and restacked them while I supervised.

My 10x12 attic space was cleared out in about two hours.

I had originally planned to sort through boxes later. But my Goddaughter, whom I laughingly call the Energizer Bunny, looked at the stacks of boxes and said, “We could sort these now.”

I said, “Fine. Let’s do it!” What a relief . . . another time-consuming job done in a few hours.

I am still grateful for this unexpected blessing: Four helpful caring people who acted on the advice in Philippians 4:2: Don’t just look out for your own needs, but also consider the needs of others.

  

Unexpected Blessing #3

Unexpected blessing number three took a while to reveal itself.  In one of my favorite movies, the guy and gal pass each other many times, yet never notice one another.

I’ve always thought that’s just a movie, but maybe not. I’m thinking of six ordinary friendly connections with my husband before true love became obvious.

 

Sadie Hawkins Day: This college event was a girl-ask-boy, so two friends and I decided to ask dates to Knott’s Berry Farm. They dared me to ask a guy I’ll call “Ricardo.” While deciding how to fit six people into my four-door Corvair, Ricardo said, “I’ll drive.” Feeling no need to impress, I said, “No, I’ll drive. It’s my car.”

 

A Wedding: Ricardo had known my roommate for years, so he asked if she knew of a pianist who could help with a small wedding. She asked and I agreed, so we drove to a small church nearby. I played for the wedding, then we left. There was no special connection with Ricardo.

 

A Box Social: This was a youth group fundraiser. The guy I was interested in asked how he could bid on my box, so I gave him a hint. My “second mom” in college told Ricardo my secret and dared him to come and outbid my person of interest. I was extremely unhappy when he won and we had to eat together.

 

Choir Connection: Later, Ricardo was called to our small church as choir director where I played the organ. Some of our songs were Black Gospel. When he asked to work with me on some of the rhythms, I was still clueless. To me, it was just a music session.

 

Used Cars: When Ricardo learned of my dream to own a Mustang, we started to connect on long drives to look at used car lots. They weren’t fancy dates, just fun rides and cheap eats at McDonald’s or Jack-in-the-Box.

 

Senior Year Banquet: At this event, it became obvious we had eyes for each other, though we were there with different dates. After graduation, we stayed in the area and became more serious about our relationship.

We got engaged in August and married in early November. God certainly answered my prayers for a Christian husband. The best Unexpected Blessing of my life was a guy I lovingly called “Ricardo.”

Unexpected Blessing #2

I was completely surprised by a breast cancer diagnosis in 2007. No one in my family had ever had cancer as a health issue. 

Before this, my husband and I had purchased a co-op in Phoenix. We were engaged in a full-time ministry and it seemed a nice option for brief getaways, plus a possibility for future retirement.

We were clueless as to any other reason for our purchase.

Unexpected challenges arrived after a lump was found during my routine breast exam. The doctor referred me for a biopsy so I followed through, made the appointment, and shared my insurance information.

On the day of the appointment, I checked in and filled out about five pages of new-patient paperwork. When I walked up to hand it in, the medical assistant took one look and said, “We don’t take your insurance.”

I was shocked! “But you did when I made the appointment.”

 “Well, we don’t, now.” She had no further explanation.

I called my insurance agent, who was also surprised, but said she would check it out. She called later to say the company had gone out of business and notified no one, but she would try to locate another provider.

Unfortunately, no local provider was available. That meant all of my care would now be in Phoenix, a two-hour drive one way.

I signed on with the new company and made the necessary appointments ASAP. I was diagnosed with Stage Three Breast Cancer which led to a full nine months of treatments --- chemo, surgery, and radiation.

I’m still amazed at how God was ahead of us on needed housing. The co-op was a small 2 BD/1BA and I turned the second bedroom into a comfortable office.

I never dreamed cancer treatments meant I’d be alone in a big city for almost ten months. The nice thing is that I felt safe in our co-op community.

Coincidence? I think NOT!

Matthew 6:8 (NKJV) says, “Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” That co-op was an unexpected blessing for which I will always be grateful.

(Unexpected Blessings: A Series of 4)

 

Unexpected Blessing #1

                                          UNEXPECTED BLESSING #1

I was born with a neck problem. When first diagnosed it was labeled “wry neck.” Years later it was called “torque neck.”

The presenting problem was a neck muscle on my right side. As I grew, it remained short. This meant my head always tilted to the right and I couldn’t help it. In my teenage years, I started to become very self-conscious.

I’ve always wondered how our family doctors could check for scoliosis, and never notice my crooked neck. But I had an unexpected blessing in my third year of college.

I had an extremely sore throat and decided to go to the university’s free clinic.

The man behind the desk stood up as I walked in. “I can help you with that,” he said.

 "Thanks. I’m here with a very sore throat.”

 “OK, but I’m looking at your neck. I’ve never operated on anyone as old as you, but I still think it would work.” He was an orthopedic surgeon, one of the many doctors who volunteered at the clinic.

I left with a prescription for strep throat and information regarding his office if I desired an evaluation of my neck.

My problem was not solved with one surgery, but two.

First, the short muscle was detached from my collarbone on the right side. I still have a small scar there. Next, the doctor striated the muscle behind my right ear. I’ve always associated that procedure with the word “shredded." Whatever . . . it worked.

During the next school year, I faithfully applied wet hot packs to the right side of my neck. Then I gradually and persistently pulled to the left. The good news is, my neck straightened up.

God opened a door for me that I had no idea existed. Author Squire Rushnell would call it a “God Wink.” To me, however, it was an unexpected blessing and I still find it easy to say, “Thank you, God.”

 Note: This will be a four-week series.