Good Morning.
It is calm after the storm yesterday. We have heard from friends in Oklahoma, they have their power back. Praise the Lord for this Holy Season. It is a most wonderful time of the year. As we get close to Christmas Day, shopping center parking lots get clogged with car headlights like a starry night sky in the country. Mindless, welcoming Christmas music drift over the hordes of harried, hopeful, hesitantly happy Christmas, hunters. We praise the Lord for all the customs and traditions of the Season. I like Christmas in the country and also in the City.
City sidewalk, busy sidewalks
Dressed in holiday style.
In the air there’s
A feeling of Christmas.
Children laughing, people passing,
Meeting smile after smile,
And on every street corner you'll hear:
Silver bells, silver bells,
It’s Christmas time in the city.
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring,
Soon it will be Christmas day.
I love many of the annual playful, over-rated, superficial, commercialized hollow Christmas rituals. Christmas gives us an excuse to move closer to one another. Man shall not live by bread alone; good relationships are of utmost importance and this season reminds us of this.
Christmas crowds us, badgers us, makes us open our pocket books, and hand tokens of love to people we spend too much time avoiding. Christmas makes us vulnerable, duty-bound to honor the possible...we could possibly be friends...we could possibly work together without in-fighting or envy...we could possibly get along, maybe even like each other. Our cynical patterns of mistaken thought patterns try to tell us it won't happen. But for one brief shining moment, we allow ourselves to pretend it is all so...possible. That’s the reason why I love the commercialism of Christmas—it gives us an excuse to move closer to one another. Christmas changes most people’s internal thermometer to "warm-up" setting. I love the commercialism of Christmas because it warms me up on the inside. It warms most of you up too .Christmas gives us a reason to hope. Christmas gives humanity an opportunity to pause and believe, if only for a little while, that "peace on earth and goodwill" are actually possible. For one brief shining moment, heaven touches earth. Despite the war in Iraq and some of the other tragic events that we have heard in the news lately, this Advent season we look forward to a new earth and a new heaven, the time Jesus will come again and bring peace on earth, goodwill to all men, as the angels sang during His first advent. Reading for the coming Sunday is taken from Isaiah 35, which portrays such a hope. The barren wilderness would rejoice in springtime bloom.
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing.
The beauty of natural wonders would be given to the most desolate of surroundings.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
God would reveal himself in lowest places. And these areas would respond in worship. [35:1-2]
Like the wilderness, the poor and weak would feel the saving touch of God. Those beaten down would be strengthened with a new courage. The ill would be healed. The blind would see. [35:3-6a]
Both the place and the people seem to be in ruin. Yet God would return their glory. The concluding words of Isaiah 35 read: And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
“Bless the Sacred Malls: May their tribe increase!”
So, if you haven't been to a crowded shopping space yet this year--or if you've been putting off the last minute gifts and are now wondering how late Wal-Mart stays open Christmas Eve, or if you just want to go window-gazing again--let me suggest a radical departure: Bless the mall! See the shopping centers as holy ground. Go to the crowded places and say a silent prayer, that all these people may have someone to give and receive love, that the spirit of triumph may spread across the human species, that the true gift of Christmas may be born in everyone’s heart.
And I hope that you will find, as one Christmas song sings: it’s the most wonderful time of the year. And may our sorrow and sighing fly away.
These daily devotions are posted on my homepage" brownnaik.com" You can visit the site and there is link to the pictures of children in two children's homes in Orissa, India. You will also find a link to pictures of Micah and Simeon. Tomorrow is our daughter Laureen's birthday, Laureen was the Lord's Christmas gift to us. She is still the wonderful gift of the Lord to us. She loves Jesus. She loves to sing His praises and she serves Him with joy and gladness. We also wish a happy birthday to our friend Lauren Halverston of Alabama. We are planning for our Christmas caroling this evening. Our choir is planning their annual Christmas Cantata, due to the storm warning the Cantata has been rescheduled for Sunday, December 23, 2007. The name of the Cantata is Touched By A Child, Touched By A King” By John Purifoy, presented by the adult choir and directed by Aric Phinney. Our annual Christmas banquet will be held next Sunday following the second service. Those who live around here can join on cable channel four this evening for our outreach ministry at 7:00 p.m. One of the reasons Jesus came that we might know Him as Lord and Savior and worship Him as our King. Plan to be there in the Lord's House, wherever you are to worship the newborn King, and remember, Jesus doesn't take any excuses. Thank you for sending the gifts for the children in Orissa. We have received money for gifts for 88 children. Praise the Lord for your generosity. One hundred percent of the money will go for the children.
Merry Christmas,
Brown
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