Christmas is a time of liberation, a time of second chances, a time to start again. Behold! I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people!
“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.” (Isaiah 60:1)
The sun has been calling to me again. I intended to sleep in, but when the pink light stole across the sky, my eyes opened. Get up, get up! Don’t miss a minute of this beautiful sunrise! That thought came like a voice in my mind, and I was up. I saw pink clouds in a peacock blue sky. The great old walnut tree stretched out across the backyard, also wearing pink. Alas, I did not get a picture.
“Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” (Ephesians 5:14)
I have been feeling mentally tired. There is so much to be sad about! But if I feel it deeply every time I hear of a tragedy, then how can I function? I would be crying all of the time. But blocking myself emotionally to the pain of others is a way of falling asleep. It deadens the pain, but it also deadens everything else.
I don’t want to be dead in any way. I want to live! I want to love life and to be extraordinarily interested in everything, so that it’s hard to talk myself into resting. That’s the way children feel. But that can only happen when I’m sensitive, when I am capable of wonder and joy. That is what waking up is: It is being raised from the dead.
This is Christmas Eve, and I remembered the shepherds out in the fields at night. I’m sure one doesn’t actually herd sheep in the darkness, but the shepherds were out there, guarding them. So they were awake when everyone else was asleep. Then, from out of the darkness came a single angel, the Angel of the Lord.
“And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign to you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”
Then that one angel, shining in the darkness was joined by “a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:9 – 14)
Jesus is the light of the world. How can we sleep when the light of the world has come? Just as the early morning sun will wake you, but you can still roll over and go back to sleep if you want, we always have a choice. His call is gentle, but deep; He stirs us with desire for Himself. And when we turn away from Him, it saddens Him.
The noise from the world attempts to drown out His call, but it cannot. It can enchant us, though. If we let it, it can deceive us and mislead us by over-promising what it knows we want. It continually puts substitutions before us, trying to distract us from what really matters, in the same way that a computer virus will keep the computer busy, trying to solve something unsolvable while the important things wait.
The world can promise, but it can’t satisfy our deepest needs like God can, for it doesn’t honor our needs. The world doesn’t understand love, only lust. It doesn’t understand loyalty, for it loves to betray. Trusting the wrong power is like trusting the weak step, or the chair with the cracked leg. It looks good, and meets our visual expectations, but it will let us down in the worst way possible, and when we are on the floor crying in pain, it will mock us.
Turn away from the world, from the evil enchantress. It’s as easy as turning your head. Now turn off her voice (mute your phone, turn off the TV or radio). Take control of your mind by filling it with good things every time an intrusive thought appears. (I prepare a verse that comforts me, or I sing a song that honors God.)
Now go into your quiet place, your “closet,” and wait. (Sometimes my “closet” is my car.) God wants to know you want Him, so call out to Him. Then wait a while, rest in Him and mentally detox. Let the ringing in your ears at the lack of noise subside. Wait for Him with expectation, and thank Him.
Thank Him for whatever comes to mind. Wait on Him and He will begin to remind you of the things He has been doing for you. And when you have remembered enough to feel warmed by his goodness, then praise Him for what He has done! Confide in Him and tell Him what you trust that He will do. You are His child, and He loves you! As you remember and act on that, you will begin to resonate with Him. Perhaps He will even begin to share some of His thoughts with you.
Like a tuning fork that vibrates when it gets close to another vibrating fork, we are capable of resounding God. We know it’s happening when His mercy and love spill out of us. His Spirit will move our hands to do the good things He has planned for us to do. He will continue the process of remaking us into the image of Himself when we trust Him and prove our love for Him through obedience to His Word.
“If you love me, keep my commandments,” Jesus said.
This is the night before the day we celebrate His coming. Christmas Eve. Mary and Joseph found no room at the inn, and so the Savior of the world was born in a stable. He was placed, wrapped in swaddling clothes, in a manger for His bed. That detail of the birth was the shepherd’s sign. God wants us to know the Truth. He is not the author of confusion.
The clouds that man sends up cannot stop the sun from shining. It can only block it for a little while. But the sun remains there, just as God promised it would be. And it continues to shine, like His love, warming and dissolving the clouds, warming the earth, lighting it, and supporting our life.
It can be gray in the winter. In 2023, there were only three days in January when I could see the sun in the morning. But I still went out every day, because I know the sun is there, and when it does shine out, can anything compare to its glory?
It’s the same with the Lord. He is always there, but doesn’t always show Himself. Our job is to do what we know is right, to obey His commands to love one another and to be in unity with our brothers and sisters.
We are here for that, my friends. We are here to resonate with God, and to be ministers of His grace. (Ephesians 4:29) Don’t be distracted, and do be encouraged!
(But in Indiana–do you think that has something to do with it?)
The world, the flesh and the devil will throw everything AND the kitchen sink at us to throw us off course, but the remedy is as simple as turning your head. Direct your attention to God. He is right there, loving you. He has endless resources, far more than money can buy. He knows how we suffer here, and He is in sympathy with us. But He knows we were made for something else. Ask Him for what you need.
“If He spared not His own son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)
Merry Christmas, my dear friends! We love you and pray for each one who reads this blog. May God bless you!
The Fullers Four 