If 2020 had a theme- UGHHH.
Even as I wake up at 5:30 in the morning very excited to see that Santa has came and gone-
I’m exhausted,
and I’m a little ill,
AND this happens every year.
I work myself up into such a frenzy I lose sight of the bigger picture.
Actually that could really be the theme of 2020-
‘can’t see the forest for the trees’.
I’m one of the lucky ones but still-
this is the year I couldn’t walk my third grader into her new school building with a tiny face covering to protect her and others.
The year she missed her dance recital.
The year Connor made the cut and never played a game.
The year he didn’t get an 8th grade trip or graduation.
The year I stopped working in children’s ministry (and what a negative impact that has been for me).
This is the year I worried about food and paper products not being available to people.
This is the year that people truly suffered and left this earthy life, causing pain for so many.
This is the year our front line workers were hit directly and still remain a very underappreciated group.
This is the year I got a taste of the real challenges our learners experience digitally and at home.
This is the year I would watch the news for 12 minutes and feel very afraid and sometimes physically sick.
This is the year in quarantine I would skip my bible time and read social media quotes and comments that divide God’s people in a way that no amount of therapy would make them come back together again.
This was the year that political leaders were mistaken for heroic rescuers.
The year when issues that effect unborn children, minority groups, police officers, soldiers, and the elderly stopped being common human issues and became political division points.
Family and friends are no longer- over a vote.
Somewhere I begin to feel a terrible thought-
is Satan winning?
Is evil winning?
Is the sanctity of life no longer important for us all?
How far away from, Love as He Loved, can we get here?
These thoughts are so crippling and against my beliefs, I’m left depressed and ashamed.
This morning, I opened my scriptures (probably should have started and stayed there 6 months ago) before anyone was awake, before I started the coffee, before we opened a gift-
Matthew 1-2
All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’ ”
Oh what a story.
Hope.
It is not a story of a great political leader who spends millions of dollars to announce his arrival while sleeping in satin sheets as the world fights.
This is not a story of a Hollywood baby whose parents were able to rent out the entire wing of a hospital and sell the photos to People.
This is not the story of the world’s most massive parade as people gathered to celebrate a special birth in lavish style.
This story is better because we can all find ourselves in this story.
This is the story of a young mom who had faith, grit, and survival. She brought her baby in the world despite all the odds. She took a job she never thought she could do and found herself in ways she never thought possible.
That is what Jesus does- overcome the odds
This is the story of a Joseph who was the most loyal stepfather of all. He broke all he stereotypes. People may have been whispering he was a fool but he led with Godly knowledge, and not self doubt, to have one of the most important roles in history.
That is what Jesus does- breaks all stereotypes.
The is the story of wise men who were faithful intellectuals. They understood and appreciated science, they were certainly ‘outside of the box’ thinkers, but most of all they were not afraid to be led by the unexplained.
That is what Jesus does- makes sense of the unexplained.
This is the story of the shepherds standing guard at night. God could not have picked a less ‘unimportant’ group to the eyes of the world. Being a shepherd of the time was a job of ‘little value’ and yet they were among the first group told about the most important birth ever.
That is what Jesus does- He gives us value.
He sees worth when we see none.
This baby arrived during a time of political danger, fear, and turmoil. Even if you tried, you could never image or write a more humble birth.
Jesus Simplifies.
Herod got so caught up on the word ‘King’ he was responsible for one of the most horrible massacres in history.
Don’t we get caught up in our truth and the way things 'should be'?
A baby showed us a bigger truth- Savior.
Yes a Savior for the rich.
Yes a Savior for the educated.
Yes a Savior for leaders.
Also...
A Savior for the addicted.
A Savior for the weak.
A Savior for the poor.
A Savior for the ashamed.
A Savior for the dirty.
A Savior for ALL.
Satan is not winning.
The scriptures are a living breathing testimony.
I'm sorry I lost sight of that this year.
His perfect timing touches my heart each time.
Why else would He align Jupiter and Saturn in a way that for the first time in 800 years we see the 'Christmas Star’ in a time we needed it most?
Even the media and scholars report 'it models the Star of Bethlehem'.
I call that a reminder.
As we go into 2021: a Savior is here!
and “that’s all”.
Luke 2:14
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
