Every year, we set up a little tree in our dining room that we call the “Advent Tree.”  We set it up at the same time as our regular Christmas tree and turn on the lights after our Matthew 25 devotional (usually before Advent starts).  Then starting on the first Sunday of Advent, which is the first night of the Advent Wreath too, we have daily devotions as a family (ours are in the evenings).  At the end of that time together, Noah (and when Ephraim gets to be old enough to participate, we will divide them up between both boys) gets to put a new ornament on the Advent Tree that somehow symbolizes what we have just read in the Word.  Sometimes it’s a stretch, but you just have to be creative.  You can make homemade ornaments as another great DIY Advent project, which can be a very good hands on way to reinforce the heart of Jesus during Christmas and Advent for kids, or use ornaments you already have that will work, and/or you can purchase ornaments.  We do a little of all three.  For any that are store-bought, we try to add just a few ornaments that are new or just better each year (rather than making a big purchase up front).  (A good time to shop for them as right before Christmas or right after – for next year).

We also have an Advent Calendar that hangs on our refrigerator. We have several of these that were handed down from Stephen’s family, and we have one or two that we bought. You can find these at christianbook.com and depending what you get, they are relatively inexpensive.  If you are a Pinterest follower or just really creative yourself, there are lots of great DIY Advent calendar ideas out there as well.

Every morning, Noah opens the appropriate “window” on the Advent calendar, and we read the verse together.  The verses are very short, so it’s a great tool for memorizing and talking specifically about different events surrounding the birth of Christ each day.

For our evening times of devotion as a family, we basically combine the themes or verses from our Calendar, our daily Bible Reading (mine and Stephen’s), and the Wreath wherever and however we can.  I am including the verses we are using for our evening devo times this year, some suggestions that could be used for ornaments, and the general theme for the devo on the chart below.  If it doesn’t show up in your browser, I’ve also included a pdf file that you can click on.  Sorry if it looks a bit weird on phones or tablets (suggest looking at the pdf instead if you are using an iPhone, etc). If you decide to do an Advent or Jesse Tree with your family, you are more than welcome to use all or parts of what we are doing and make it your own. Enjoy!

Advent Bible Reading 2011 (click to view pdf version)

Advent Tree 2011 (click to view pdf version)

………..

May Jesus meet you by His Spirit as you embark on a journey into the Word made flesh and may He fill every corner of your heart and your life with the light of His presence in this season of beholding… and may we all sing with gaze and voices lifted before the Throne, just as the herald angels did so long ago, “Glory to God in the highest!”

The Advent Wreath is a venerable tradition held by many different denominations of the Church which, depending on who you ask, probably dates back to somewhere around the Middle Ages.  The Wreath itself is arranged with four or five candles of any size.  The candles are all set on the base of an evergreen wreath which can be decorated in many different ways.  There is extraordinary imagery and history associated with the Advent Wreath.  It is one of my favorite traditions.  I honestly didn’t even know what an Advent Wreath was before I married Stephen, but it was one of the first traditions we started for Advent… and because of that, it is something I really treasure each year.  The wreath is a tradition of remembrance, expectation, and celebration of Jesus during the month prior to Christmas.  There is just something powerful about lighting all four candles and finally lighting the fifth “Christ” candle in the center on Christmas morning!

WREATH:  The wreath itself is typically made of pine branches or even holly.  You can purchase a fake wreath just about anywhere during the holidays, and you can also find the real deal, all-natural pine wreaths (Lowe’s carries them, as do most home stores) – though obviously be mindful of the candles with a real wreath, especially as it dries out.  And of course, there are all kinds of other advent wreaths out there that aren’t evergreen wreaths at all.  Personally, we prefer the simple pine wreaths.  You can find out more about the different ‘meanings’ and symbolism behind the wreath online but here are a few tidbits:

The evergreen is meant to symbolize the God who is “ever with us,” and the circular wreath represents the faithfulness of the One Who is from everlasting to everlasting.  You can also include red berries for “the blood of Christ.”  Noel Piper suggests using a manger scene within your Advent Wreath if you have young children, as a sort of visual aid to help remind them what the wreath is all about.

“The symbolism of the Advent wreath is beautiful. The wreath is made of various evergreens, signifying continuous life. Even these evergreens have a traditional meaning which can be adapted to our faith: The laurel signifies victory over persecution and suffering; pine, holly, and yew, immortality; and cedar, strength and healing. Holly also has a special Christian symbolism: The prickly leaves remind us of the crown of thorns… The circle of the wreath, which has no beginning or end, symbolizes the eternity of God, the immortality of the soul, and the everlasting life found in Christ. Any pine cones, nuts, or seedpods used to decorate the wreath also symbolize life and resurrection. All together, the wreath of evergreens depicts the immortality of our soul and the new, everlasting life promised to us through Christ, the eternal Word of the Father, who entered our world and was victorious over sin and death through His own passion, death, and resurrection.”   (The History of the Advent Wreath – Fr. William Saunders)

The flame is a symbol of the One who is called “the light of the world.” We who follow Him “will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).  The light, brighter by the week, points us toward Jesus who has called us to be “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that [we] may proclaim the excellencies of him who called [us] out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).  (Treasuring God in our Traditions – Noel Piper)

CANDLES:  You can use four or five candles (we prefer five).  Traditionally, three of the candles are purple (representing Christ the King and His royalty – also a symbol of His suffering and of the Prince of Peace).  Following this tradition, on the third Sunday of Advent, the candle is pink or rose colored symbolizing early dawn (it’s the halfway mark of Advent so it marks the rejoicing of the soul in expectation of the Light of the world on the horizon).  And then the center candle, representing Christ, is lit on Christmas morning.  The final candle is white and is placed within the center of the wreath while the other four are placed around the circular part of the wreath.

Many churches and individuals choose instead to have all white candles or four red candles with a bigger white one in the center.  The color and size of the candles are really a matter of personal choice, and in my humble opinion, not all that important.   It’s the reminder that each candle brings during Advent and on Christmas morning that is glorious and good for the heart.  Each week the new candle for that week is lit after the previous candles are re-lit.  As you light each new candle, a passage or passages can be read out loud and/or explained for children.  After that, you can worship, sing, and pray together - just a simple time of devotion in whatever way works best for your family.

The four weeks of Advent are a period of waiting that also signify the four centuries of waiting between the last prophet Malachi and the birth of Jesus.  On Christmas morning, you will light all five candles, the center one being the last one in remembrance of Jesus’ coming in the flesh in Bethlehem, and also in looking forward to His return.

Below I have listed a theme for each candle and suggested passages that you could use with each one (we only read through one or two passages to keep it easy for Noah to follow along).  However, just like the elements of the Advent Wreath, the meaning or theme for the individual candles varies greatly depending on the denomination or individual… the suggestions I have outlined below are mostly based on what we do as a family.  By simply searching online, you will find many different varieties and takes on Advent Wreaths that you can pick and choose from.

CANDLE ONE (Sunday, November 27th) - The “Prophet’s Candle” OR “Candle of Hope”:   The first candle is lit in remembrance of the prophets who foretold the birth of Christ and represents hope and expectation in anticipation of the coming of the Messiah.  There are really many Biblical passages that you can use for the first candle, but if you have younger children, I recommend keeping it very simple so that they can understand and follow the meaning of whatever passage you choose.

Verses that can be used for the Candle of HOPE: 

• 1 Peter 1:10-12
• Isaiah 7:10-14
• Isaiah 9:6-7
• Isaiah 11:1-5
• Jeremiah 33:14-16

NOTE: there are many different verses you can choose from for any of the candles.  You can use one of the verses that you are reading through or studying specifically during Advent or whatever you want.  I would keep it pretty simple if you have smaller children (they will be more likely to follow along and remember with a lot of repetition as well), and if you are also planning on doing an Advent Tree along with daily family devotions, you might want to overlap the passages for your Advent Tree and ornaments with your Advent Wreath for that day. 

CANDLE TWO (Sunday, December 4th) – The “Candle of the Way” OR “Candle of Preparation”:  The second candle is the candle of preparation.  With the lighting of this candle, we hear John the Baptist proclaim, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord,” and we also hear Jesus say to us, “I AM the way and the truth and the life.”  This candle reminds us to examine our own hearts that we may be prepared and sober-minded with our hope set “fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:13)  I love John’s exhortation to a righteous life of abiding in Christ, waiting and watching in 1 John 2:28: “And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears we may have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame at His coming.”

Verses that can be used for the Candle of PREPARATION: 

• John 14:6 and 1 Peter 1:13-25
• Isaiah 40:1-11
• Malachi 3:1-5 and 4:1-6
• Luke 1:5-17
• Mark 1:1-3
• Matthew 3:1-6
• Matthew 11:1-18

Every year around this time, I like to post some of the things that we do as a family during this season in hopes that it will inspire others to begin their own Advent traditions and more importantly to set their hearts before the Incarnation that longing would arise for Jesus’ nearness and return.  I am always so surprised by the response, so much so that I almost feel an obligation before the Lord to continue this each year… I guess it’s my “mite” and offering.  So I pray that you, dear reader of this blog, might be blessed by it somehow.  Advent doesn’t officially begin for a couple more weeks, but we are putting the tree up early this year and thus, some of our own traditions will begin as soon as tomorrow.   In the next few days and weeks, I plan on posting a Bible reading plan for Advent, some suggestions for family devotionals if you wanted to use an Advent Wreath or Advent Tree (or both) – will explain what both those are as well if you haven’t read about them in years past or aren’t familiar with them, suggestions for family activities and ideas for giving to others in need this year, and maybe just maybe I will even be able to post some of my own Advent meditations as I have in previous years.  We will see – I do have a newborn : ) this year.

In case you don’t know much about Advent, and as a review again for 2011, the word Advent means “coming” or “arrival.”   The focus of this time of year is meant to be the celebration of the birth of Jesus in His First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Jesus, the Bridegroom, King, and Judge, in His Second Advent.

 “Thus, we celebrate with gladness the great promise in the Advent, yet there is also sobriety as the theme of judgment is added to the theme of promise, which is reflected in most of the Scripture readings for Advent (where there is a strong prophetic tone of accountability, repentance and judgment).  But this is also faithful to the role of the return of the King who is coming to rule and reign. 

 Advent is a time of preparation that is marked by prayer. While Lent is characterized by fasting and a spirit of penitence, Advent’s prayers are prayers of humble devotion and loving commitment, prayers of submission, prayers for deliverance, prayers of preparation for the heart, prayers of expectation and hope, prayers of those walking in darkness who are awaiting and anticipating a great light (Isa 9)!

 The spirit of Advent is expressed well in the parable of the bridesmaids who are anxiously awaiting the coming of the Bridegroom (Matt 25:1-13). There is profound joy at the Bridegroom’s expected coming. And yet a warning of the need for preparation echoes through the parable. But even then, the prayer of Advent is still:

 ‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel…’”    

[above in italics is a paraphrased version of an online source about Advent]

Tomorrow is Matthew 25 day at our house – the day we put up our Christmas tree and begin our journey into the very heart of Jesus as revealed in His first coming and His second.  Every year before we turn on the lights for our tree and other decorations the first time, we read through the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25.  First, we turn off all the lights and we light ten candles.  We go through Jesus’ story in a way that Noah can easily understand it, and at the right time according to the parable, we blow out five of the candles.  We then give the illustration that at our house, whenever we are going to have visitors or company come and stay with us, we clean up everything in the house, we set out our nicest towels and wash cloths, we make the room and bed where they will be staying as nice as possible, we even offer other little amenities to bless them (I’m a hospitality junky – I confess), and last but not least, we leave the porch light on for them (when they are arriving at night – which guests at our house usually do for some reason, so Noah understands that).  This is just something that Noah is really familiar with that gives a simple illustration of the lamps of Matthew 25 – you can probably come up with something similar or even better!  We then talk about how during Advent, we are doing the same thing… we are preparing our hearts, cleaning out the things that aren’t obedient to Christ or loving of Him and others, offering the best of everything we have [much like Mary of Bethany] to the One we love, and making ourselves ready for His coming.  We discuss how the lights of Advent and Christmas in our house are a way of saying, “we’re ready for You to come, Jesus!”  And so from the first time we ever turn those lights on and then for every day after (before we turn on the lights each day), we pray beforehand and tell Jesus that we are making ourselves ready, that we love Him, and that we’re ready for Him to come!

We loved doing this last year with Noah. Every day, Noah would pray, “Jesus, we’re ready for You to come!”   And we witnessed something unfold in Noah’s little heart, in my heart, and in Stephen’s heart each time.  As I wrote on the blog last year:  “With every prayer, every time those lights go on, our hearts grow more tender, tears are nearer to the brim, and a longing wells up within that is indescribable… a longing that accompanied by a growing and uncompromising zeal for righteousness in my life and within our little family.   Oh, how I want to have oil in my lamp when that midnight cry is heard.”   O Jesus, we are so ready for You to come… and where we are not ready, I pray, Holy Spirit and Teacher of our souls, make us ready.  Amen and amen.

Well, if you are wondering where we’ve been… it can be summed up in two words:  First Trimester.   We had an extra-special Valentine’s Day this year in that we found out, to our very great surprise, that we were pregnant!   And the Lord has been surprising us, in many ways, ever since.   We are due in October… official due date is now October 17th, but because I will have to have a c-section, our little one will probably come closer to the 7-10th range.  We find out if we are having a boy or a girl in May, and we cannot wait to know more about this little miracle God has given us.  And, praise be to God, I am finally entering into the second trimester this week!!   The first few months have been a little rough physically and in other ways (like Stephen left the country shortly after we found out we were pregnant and right when I was going through the process of going of all of the medicines I was on)… but mostly, I remember what a glorious time the 2nd trimester was with Noah, so I have been eagerly awaiting this day.

So that is mostly the explanation of where I’ve/we’ve been and even of where we are going.  This has been a weird and glorious season.  We have so much going on, it seems, though it truly feels like a time of change… of the newness of Spring and singing of Song of Songs 2:10-15… even the catching of the little foxes (more on that later).  Jesus is more beautiful and unfathomable to me today than He has ever been.  I am undone even as I read the pages of His story and as He unveils each new chapter in our story with Him.  He is so faithful, so true, so good, so endlessly loving and holy.

So I think I will just end there, and finally adding the words of Paul to Corinth that have been resonating in my heart on this beautiful Palm Sunday:

“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere.”  (2 Corinthians 2)

PS:  With a new baby on the way, physical therapy as the only option to manage pain for bone/joint disease during pregnancy, some pretty major upcoming home repairs, and a bit of change in our income, we are working hard on a few different fundraising projects if you are interested or would consider giving (even a small amount is a huge help).  Click on the GIVE tab at the top right hand corner of our blog for more details and information.

This book is actually based on a series of letters she wrote particularly to those (in her time and beyond) who suffer with physical illnesses, whether acute or chronic, and who love and trust Jesus to both heal and uphold the one He loves in the midst of suffering or pain.   As I have been reading through the book, I have been undone again and again as it often feels like I am reading my own story.  She knows something of the rooms of my life and soul that almost no one has ever entered or known – things that would be hard to know unless you have traveled down similar roads.  It has been almost as if I am fellowshipping with a Hebrews 12 friend across the boundaries of time as her words and the Word of God through her speak to me right here where I am today, almost 100 years later.  That is a rare gift indeed.  I love how Ruth Bell Graham describes the book, “most books of comfort for sick people are written by the well and so miss their mark,” and that is what sets this book apart for my own heart, that knowing and understanding which is so rare.  The title of the book, Rose from Brier, was taken from this poem:

Thou hast not that, My child, but thou hast Me,
And am not I alone enough for thee?
I know it all, know how thy heart was set
Upon this joy which has not been given yet.

And well I know how through the wistful days
Thou walkest all the dear familiar ways,
As unregarded as a breath of air,
But there in love and longing, always there.

I know it all; but from thy brier shall blow
A rose for others.  If it were not so
I would have told thee.  Come, then, say to Me:
My Lord, my Love, I am content with Thee.

Such a statement of her life… and of this book… for surely it has been to me a “rose” from the brier of her own trial through pain and all that comes with it.  And also of her love for Jesus, that like Paul, she was able to say (just as my own heart has learned and is learning): “…for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation… I can do all this through Christ who gives me strength.”  (Phil 4:11-13 NIV)  Or as Amy writes, “Until this tyrrany be overpast, Thy hand will hold me fast.”  That doesn’t mean that we stop contending for the “joy not given yet” of restoration and healing, we must contend, and that does not mean that we don’t have tears or struggles or even that the Lord does not weep with us (His sovereignty and weeping are not incompatible).  It just means that we have believed in that which is and will always be sung in Heaven, that great and glorious proclamation of the faithfulness of God in EVERYTHING which we will sing in that Day when at last our eyes can see: 

“Great and marvelous are your deeds,
   Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
   King of the nations.”  (Rev 15:3) 

If you are struggling with an extended illness and in the midst of what many call “the delay,” I highly recommend this book.  The language is very “King James” because that is how Amy learned the Word and also how she wrote being from the UK in that era, but once you get used to it, I think it makes the words fall upon the soul with sweeter honey.  There are a few points in which I would probably diverge from her thinking and theology, but even in those driftings, her heart and motivation to love Jesus wholly remains very much as the foundation of her thinking (and thus, it is easy to pass over the disagreements in order to enjoy the deeper truths and gems within every letter). 

So in keeping with the theme of this particular post, things i love, I thought I would share a few of my favorite quotes from the last week or so from the text of this book.  I pray that these words would also fall into another’s heart as a bouquet of beautiful roses from Heaven to encourage the soul that even in the midst of winter, while He speaks a word to cover the earth in a blanket a snow (see Job 37:6-14), still underneath the surface of the frozen dirt life is watered and surely, by His same word, life will grow… the result of winter is always spring.  He is always present, in every season of the soul, and His promises are true, His kindness is real, His love endures, His peace guards, and His faithfulness sustains.  I pray that these words and any of my own experiences that I have shared here in the words of this post or other posts on this blog from my own journey with the Lord may be just as the Lord spoke to Amy Carmichael, as roses from the brier.

            WINTER   — by Amy Carmichael

When my leaves fall, wilt Thou encompass them?
     The gold of autumn flown, the bare branch brown,
The brittle twig and stem,
    The tired leaves dropping down –
Wilt Thou encompass that which men call dead?
    I see the rain, the coldly smothering snow,
My leaves dispirited,
     Lie very low.

So, the heart questioneth, white winter near;
     Till jocund as the glorious voice of spring
Cometh His “Do not fear,
     But sing; rejoice and sing,
For sheltered by the coverlet of snow
     Are secrets of delight, and there shall be
Uprising that shall show
     All that through winter I prepared for thee.”

Listen! My beloved! Look! Here He comes, leaping across the mountains, bounding over the hills. My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Look! There He stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattice [of time].

My beloved spoke and said to me, “Arise, My darling, My beautiful one, come with Me. See! The   winter is past; the rains are over and gone.  Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.  The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.  Arise, come, My darling; My beautiful one, come with Me.”  (Song of Songs 2:8-13 NIV)

NOT ANYTHING IN THE HOUSE   — by Amy Carmichael

Thy servant, Lord, hath nothing in the house,
Not even one small pot of common oil;
For he who never cometh but to spoil
Hath raided my poor house again, again —
That ruthless strong man, armed, whom men call pain.
I thought that I had courage in the house,
And patience to be quiet and endure,
And sometimes happy songs.  Now I am sure
Thy servant truly hath not anything;
And see, my songbird hath a broken wing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My servant, I have come into the house —
I who know Pain’s extremity so well
That there can never be the need to tell
His power to make the flesh and spirit quail;
Have I not felt the scourge, the thorn, the nail?
And I, his Conqueror, am in the house,
Let not your heart be troubled — do not fear;
Why shouldst thou, child of Mine, if I am here?
My touch will heal thy songbird’s broken wing,
And he shall have a braver song to sing.

I love the poem above.  Oh, how I know the corridors of these words.  Pain (of any kind) has a way of taking one to the very end of oneself and back again… of ‘emptying’ the house of anything but the raw nakedness in which we both come into this world and leave the same.  But it is in the very midst of those moments when we feel so stripped and laid bare that Jesus enters before us, walking the long road of Calvary, bearing the agony and shame of the Cross and three days in the grave… He meets us with a tear upon His cheek and hanging on a crossbeam, but He doesn’t stop there.  He takes our hand, or carries us if He must, and leads us down a road of triumphant Love, an enduring Love so prevailing that even the grave could not contain Him (nor us in Him).  He comes to us as a Lamb who knows and understands, but He stands in our ‘empty rooms’ as a Conquering Lion before Whom all must bow and by Whom all things are made new and turned to good for those who love Him.  He is the Light in our empty house.  ”The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear?  The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?”  (Ps 27)  “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose… What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?… Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised – who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?  As it is written, ”For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor power, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 8)

A FEW OTHER FAVORITES OF THE HOUR…

My hubby is actually using Twitter… I never thought I’d see the day, but I’m so loving it.  My favorite tweet of late: @StephenVenable Chopping wood for storm-in awe that I can fellowship with One who made the snow & who cut wood with His own hands. Stunning.  #Incarnation 

The IHOP-KC Prayer Room Webstream.  Oh, how I love the prayer room webcast.  I honestly don’t know how I’d live without it… and I know many of you tune in as well.  Such an incredible gift.

Two of my favorite friends have posted several times on IHOP-KC’s blog, but I like these two posts and thought I’d share: 1) Wordless Words of God in Bethlehem (this is an excerpt from one of my all time favorite books – which you should definitely buy if you don’t have already – “Mourning for the Bridegroom”) and 2) Turning Thoughts into Prayers.  Both Lisa and Dana also have personal blogs (links to the right under Friends on the blogroll).  I am provoked and so humbled by the great and beautiful souls the Lord has surrounded me with, especially in this last season.  What a gift to fellowship with those whose hearts burn ever more with love for Jesus.

Photo above by Evie Marie – from Flicker at this website http://www.flickr.com/photos/eviebishop/4311804508/

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.  

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.  (2 Corinthians 4:6-7 NAS)

For some reason, for the last several days, I’ve had “brown paper packages tied up with string” going through my mind almost relentlessly.  The song?  Yes, definitely the song.  But not just the song… I’ve been pondering the simple wonderfulness of the many ’brown paper packages tied up with string’ in my life.   I don’t even know if I can successfully describe what I mean, but since I am in a pondering mood on this fine snowed-in day… I will at least give it a try.  I apologize beforehand in case what I write below makes no sense : )  I haven’t had much sleep in the last 24 hours : )

Brown paper packages.  Wonderous gifts wrapped in the hiddenness of the everyday.  Like my little Noah.  Talk about your brown paper package, though I think he came with a giant red ribbon tied up into a bow,  rather than a little string.  But here’s this little guy clothed in the earthen vessel made of clay that we are all so neatly packaged in by the Hands of our Maker and ultimate Gift-Giver.  It’s the miracle of miracles. Yet, at the same time, it’s all so mundane and regular, isn’t it?  I mean, everyone in every corner of the earth who has ever lived in any point in history has witnessed life from the womb grow into a child who grows into a man or woman who then seems to age right back into the fetal position in order to simply return to the dust from which we all came.  But it’s not mundane.  It’s so not normal!  It’s insane, really.  I had no idea until I became a mother just how crazy the whole thing is.  There’s so much more than brown paper packaging… and the simplicity and normalcy of the earthen packaging is what makes the gift inside so much more than simply beautiful, so much more than words.  Every day I unwrap a little more, I see a little more of this little miracle of a person. 

How I love the unwrapping, the searching out, the untold mysteries within, the gifts yet to be discovered and the pearls already treasured.   But it’s not just what is beneath the paper that I love, it’s the whole package.  The brown paper packaging is what makes the gift that much more perfect.  Maybe it’s just me though… maybe Jesus made some to be mysteries and some to be detectives… I don’t know.  I think even about my husband and those who are among my closest friends and I seem to gravitate toward those who are especially ‘packaged.’  Meaning – the ones who aren’t as easily known or unveiled (you have to work for it : ), whose depth might even go unnoticed because of their hiddenness, but when you discover who they really are… if you just get a little glimpse underneath the ‘brown paper’ to the diamond that lies just beneath the surface… you know you will never be the same.  And what’s better is that it never ends.  Just when you think you have gone as deep as anyone could ever dive, you discover that you have barely scratched the surface.  I absolutely LOVE people like that!  We are all like that in truth – we are all filled with profound depths of beauty because we are the image-bearers of Beauty Himself.  But I love the ones with whom Jesus seems to spend a little extra time hiding and adds a bit more complexity to their layers, making their unveiling as difficult and mysterious as possible, as if to say, “you, I have reserved for Me, and only a very special few.”   Even better are those who see the gift even in the simple brown paper that surrounds them, those who aren’t always tugging at the covering, trying to rip it away or deny its existence.  Oh, to be holy AND humble… that is a rare thing indeed.

The truth is I love discovering His image and His beauty in His people.  I love unwrapping people – seeing them for who they really are… it is, for me, like peering into the heart of the One who made them so, and there is nothing better than that.   But I especially love the discovery of those He tucks away… kind of like those crazy, beautiful incandescent fish that light up with rainbows of brilliant light; but for some reason, He hid them in the deep ocean abysses as though they exist for no other reason but His enjoyment (and maybe one or two deep ocean explorers over the entire history of creation).   I feel so honored to catch even a glimpse of a soul as rare.

Anyway, I guess I’m just saying all that to say, I have been overwhelmed at how surrounded I am by gifts from the Father of lights.  Things, big and small, wrapped neatly in brown paper packages of everyday life that I’ve never fully comprehended (for just a little comprehension and you are left reeling).  From the absolute perfection of the snowflake, to the person sleeping beside me at night, to the friend who shares her heart and you suddenly see His, to the Words of life written across the page of a gently used Bible, or even the crazy things like the two molecules of hydrogen neatly bonded to the one of oxygen that pours over me, runs through me, and moves from the sky to the ground and back to the sky again every single day just that you and I might live.  All around me brown paper packages tied up with string, and all I have to do is gently tug at the string and there He is, Yahweh Himself passing before me as if to whisper, only it’s really more like the shouts of the Whos in Whoville:  “I Am here.  I Am here.  I Am here!”

And of course, one cannot talk of brown paper packages without speaking of the greatest One of all… the One who was clothed with transcendent light and beauty but wrapped Himself instead in the garments of flesh.  The Incarnation is the Package of all ‘brown paper packages’ – God Himself wrapped up and given to us that we might behold His glory.  And how profound is it that when we ripped and tore and scourged and pierced the outer wrapping of the earthen vessel of the Word made flesh, the depths of Love in His heart was unveiled for all who had eyes to see.

Oh that I would not be too busy, too self-absorbed, to pull at that string.  And oh, that my life would be a melody of gratitude for the overflowing gifts from the King that surround me day in and day out… O Jesus, my Jesus, give me eyes that I might see these brown paper packages tied up with string.

EXCERPT BY AMY CARMICHAEL from Rose From Brier, chapter entitled ”Is All Well?”:   

Lord, is all well? Oh, tell me; is all well?
No voice of man can reassure the soul
When over it the waves and billows roll;
His words are like the tinkling of a bell.
Do Thou speak. Is all well?

Across the turmoil of the wind and sea,
But as it seemed from somewhere near to me,
A voice I know: “Child, look at Calvary;
By the merits of My blood, all is well.”

Whence came the Voice? Lo, He is in the boat;
Lord, wert Thou resting in Thy love when I,
Faithless and fearful, broke into that cry?
O Lord, forgive; a shell would keep afloat
Didst Thou make it Thy boat.

And now I hear Thy mighty “Peace be still”;
And wind and wave are calm, their fury, froth.
Could wind or wave cause Thee to break Thy troth?
They are but servants to Thy sovereign will;
Within me, all is still.

Oh, was there ever light on land or sea,
Or ever sweetness of the morning air,
Or ever clear blue gladness anywhere
Like this that flows from Love on Calvary –
From Him who stilled the sea?

Father and Son and Spirit be adored;
Father, who gave to death our blessed Lord;
Spirit, who speaks through the Eternal Word,
By the merits of His blood, all is well.

The story of the Lord at rest in the boat, and the disciples in fear disturbing that rest, is, I think, like an opal: it has a quiet little flame in its heart.  Are there never times when the fear springs to life, ‘Is all well?’   No voice of man could reassure us.  We must have our Lord’s, His very own…

All had gone well with the ship till suddenly there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.  What of that beloved soul, how is it faring?…

“Master, Master, carest Thou not?”  It is a needless cry.

“For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.”  Storms may lie ahead.  The waves may break into the ship.  There is no promise of a calm passage.  Let us settle it, therefore, in our hearts, as something that cannot be shaken, that our first prayer, our deepest desire, shall not be for blue skies and sweet airs, but that we may always have the ungrieved Presence of the Captain and the Master in our ship.  Lord Jesus, let us tolerate nothing that would keep Thee from resting in Thy Love, come fair weather, come foul.

— Song & Text Above by Amy Carmichael

During my daily devotional time with Jesus, I have been reading a book by Amy Carmichael called, “Rose from Brier.”  It is an incredible little gem, just like anything written by this pure and humble soul of the early 1900′s, written after she was in a tragic accident in 1931 which greatly effected her health.  Amy was essentially bedridden and in confinement for a significant season of her life as a missionary.  She wrote a series of letters during that time which were eventually published as “Rose from Brier,” a work dedicated to those “in a great weariness or in the terrible grasp of pain.”  Those little letters, now the sweet chapters of this book, have been life to my heart these last several days… it’s as though the Lord has reached through time to send me letters from a friend whose heart burns for Him and who knows the secrets of an enduring heart (and some secrets that only one who has suffered physical pain or limitations would know or understand).   The other day I read a chapter called, “Beginning to Sink… Immediately,” which refers to Peter beginning to sink when he saw the wind and waves of the sea but ”immediately” the Lord caught him; and then today, I read another chapter, which seemed to be written with the one above, called, “All is Well,” which eludes to the story of the disciples panicking on the boat with Jesus when He was asleep during the storm.

I love both of these stories in Matthew because they reveal so much about the heart of man AND the heart of God.  Our hearts are so quick to fear, aren’t they?  We so quickly forget Who our God is and Whose Hand it is which upholds us. Sometimes it doesn’t really take much of a wave or a storm to rattle us. It is no accident that in nearly every book of the Bible (and often, a number of times in each book), we read the words “Do not fear” or “Be not afraid.”   This is talking about the fear of the Lord when He (or His angels) come in visitation, but it also refers to our own fears as we follow after Him.  The Lord is so kind to us… He is not surprised by our fears nor is He naive to the fears that we are fed from the womb by the enemy of our souls.  Over and over again, He reminds us, He encourages us, He strengthens us.  He never leaves us or forsakes us.

And we are so readily distracted too, aren’t we?  Peter took his eyes off Jesus and set them instead on the wind and waves around him.  We so often think of faith as though it is a formula… a confession of what God will do or what we believe.  But faith… the kind of faith that Jesus referred to over and over again, whether surprised by the greatness of one’s faith OR pointing out the lack of faith – “ye of little faith”… Jesus was talking about their faith in HIM, that He was in fact God’s own Son and God in the flesh.  He was talking about their sight - that they were seeing God Himself standing right in front of them - but they did not recognize Him (either by completely missing Him or disdaining Him as in the case of the Pharisees OR even for those who sincerely loved Jesus but did not fully recognize who He was yet, and thus missed the fact that He could control those winds and keep Peter afloat, for example).  And for those who are sincere and who are His,  it is with the sweet tenderness of One whose heart longs for you to know and see Him rightly that He says, “o you of little faith, why did you doubt?” but at the same time upholds you with His right hand… that you would not sink into unbelief but know that you indeed belong to Him (and no one can snatch you from His hand - John 10:28).   I love that!

Beloved, He is not surprised by your weakness… His mercies are new every morning and He leads us with cords of lovingkindess so that we can easily find Him in the Way, the Truth, and the Life… He brings us into a spacious place, He enlarges the path beneath us and makes our feet like the feet of a deer that we may be able to climb upon and stand in the high places… He rescues us because He delights in us…  His right hand upholds us and truly, His gentleness makes us great.

EXCERPT BY AMY CARMICHAEL from Rose From Brier, chapter entitled ”Beginning to Sink… Immediately”:

“Beginning to sink… Immediately.”  But even so, for we are all weakness in ourselves, there are times when nothing comes to mind but these words.  They assure us of so much more than they seem to say, that their riches of comfort cannot be condensed into a page.

Chiefly they bring the certainty that there will be no sinking, for Peter never sank. (“When I said, my foot slippeth” – in that very moment – “Thy mercy, O Lord, held me up.”)

“And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand and caught Him.”  How many seconds lie between a man’s beginning to sink and his sinking?  A single second or less, I suppose, sees one who is beginning to sink under water.  How swift, then, was the movement of Love!

Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds. And after He had dismissed the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them.   And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

And Peter answered Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”  Jesus said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.  But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”  Jesus immediately reached out His hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”  And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”   (Matthew 14:22-33 ESV)

The use of that word “Immediately” has been life and peace to me of late.  They were troubled, those poor men in the boat. “And immediately He talked with them.”  We know what He said; He has said it to us often.  ["Take heart, it is I.  Do not be afraid."]

How needless their trouble seems to us as we read.  Does ours seem as needless to the heavenly watchers?  Do they wonder about us, as we do about those men, how there could be room for trouble in a ship that was under His command?  (It was He who had constrained them to go to the other side.  It is He who directs our boat now to the Other Side.)  But there is nothing of this wonder in the sweetness of the words of our Lord Jesus when immediately He talked with them.  He understood.

We who know (as I more than ever do now) how upholding dear and loving words can be, when a friend who understands does not blame, but just understands even the trouble that need not be, and comforts it – we can find honey in this honeycomb: “Immediately, Jesus stretched forth His hand and caught Him.”  “My soul hangeth upon Thee: Thy right Hand upholdeth me.”  “Immediately He talked with them.”  “Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth.”

— Text Above by Amy Carmichael

** Picture is Rembrandt’s “Christ in the Storm on the Lake of Galilee”

And as I have said innumerable times within this little blog of ours, there is perhaps no greater well of the knowledge of God and His beauty than the Incarnation – that God took on flesh and walked around on the earth among us and we have a record of much of what He said and did in that time, the crushing glory of the Cross, and the witness that the grave could barely contain Him (even in His meekness) for 72 hours.   The Gospels (and further, all of Biblical testimony) along with the profound gift of God Himself in the Holy Spirit give us divine windows, yay even telescopes, into the heart of our living God and King.   Oh, sweet illumination.

Yet, if all of the above [the Word of God which tells us of His story and His will, eyewitnesses of God who met with Him face to face throughout history even before Jesus came as a baby in the manger, the God who took on flesh and dwelt among us, the God who went to Calvary to redeem us, the God whose love cannot fail and could not possibly have been contained by death or hell, and the God who when He ascended did not want to leave us as orphans so He gave Himself again to humanity through the gift of the Holy Spirit]… even if all of that was not somehow “enough” or if we managed to miss or misunderstand Him in those unveilings and revelations, He gave even more.  Something that surrounds us every day, something much, much more than a whisper…

The heavens declare the glory of God,
   and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
   and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words,
   whose voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out through all the earth,
   and their words to the end of the world.
In them He has set a tent for the sun,
   which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
   and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.    (Psalm 19:1-5  ESV)              

The revelation and witness of God through Creation has been wrecking my heart lately.  It all started one night as Stephen and I were driving on a road trip to Colorado.  I’m not even sure where our conversation started, but it landed in a discussion about God’s sovereignty over creation.  Stephen [umm, can I just say - I LOVE my husband!!] began to go through all of the many Biblical testimonies of God’s sovereign and active hand in every area of creation… in other words, He didn’t just spin things into orbit one day and somehow between then and now, everything has worked just like it should (under “laws of nature” or whatever) without His having any part of it.  No, the Bible is pretty clear that Yahweh is directly involved in everything from the snowflakes that fall from the sky (see Isaiah 55:10 or my fav, Job 37) to the tree that grows (see 1 Corinthians 3:6) to the birds of the air (Matthew 10:29) to the whirlwind or the earthquake (there are many, many verses for both of those).  So as we talked, I began to look out my window and I was overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of this understanding and of everything out my window (and inside it as well) that was crying out, “God is… God is… God is…!”  After trying to take that all in for a few minutes, I suddenly exclaimed with a pretty loud and excited voice (and to my husband’s delight), ”This changes EVERYTHING!  I really CANNOT WAIT to wake up tomorrow!  There is SO much to be grateful for!!” 

And gratitude was definitely the right word to gauge my heart’s response.  Everything did change.  I wake in the morning to be gripped by the mere reality of the breath in my lungs and the every day faithfulness of the rising sun.  I go through the day with all of creation shouting and singing His praises.  Even the winter trees proclaim His faithfulness with ever-outstretched branches reaching to the heavens, barren now but knowing full well that one day at just the right time, the sun will shine near and long enough for light and heat to bring forth the beautiful green that He is knitting together and hiding under the bark’s protective shield.  A miracle to remind my own heart of the seasons of the soul, of the hidden work of God where eye cannot see and mind cannot always comprehend, and of the One who makes all things new.  I find that no matter where I go or what I do, I am truly “without excuse.”

For what can be known about God is plain to us, because God has shown it to us [the righteous and the unrighteous].  For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So we are without excuse.  (Romans 1:19-20  – I purposely changed the pronouns to “we” and “us” for effect)

Paul was really speaking about those who do not believe or trust in God in the verses above, but if it is true for the unbeliever, then it is even MORE true for us who claim to believe.  Paul goes on to describe those who cannot see God’s beauty and existence through the witness of creation [even though they have clearly seen something of Him if they have ever seen a sunrise or simply felt their heart beating in their chest], and he says “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools…Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, Who is blessed forever!”  Ouch.  Selah.

“When you behold beautiful scenes in the country or along the sea coast, or when you look at flowers or fruit, and are pleased by the sight or the perfume, say: For me God has created these lovely things in this world, that I may love Him. What delights has He not prepared for me in heaven?

There is a story told of a certain holy man, that in passing through the fields he would strike with a little stick the flowers and plants which he found on his way, saying, “Be silent; do not reproach me any longer for my ingratitude to God. I have understood you; be silent; say no more.”"   (Excerpt from “How to Pray at All Times” by Alphonsus de Liguori)

I understand now something of the world of that unnamed man.  Yet even though it is sometimes overwhelming, even crushing, it is a gift of God most welcome to my hungry little soul.  I feel as though yet another feast of His delights has been placed before me… and I am discovering that my Host will not be denied : )   The Lord is a vast storehouse of treasure, and He gave to us portraits and tokens of that treasure in every single thing He created. 

CONSIDER SOME OF THESE CRAZY MIRACLES AROUND US:

The sheer magnitude of the universe in which God has chosen to set our habitation:  The earth is a little over 8,000 miles in diameter.  It would take over a MILLION earths to fill the sun, which approaches a million miles from edge to edge.  “To produce the observed energy being emitted from the solar surface [of the sun], the equivalent of a hundred billion hydrogen bombs must be exploding every second in its unfathomably hot, dense core.”  The sun consumes over 4 million tons of its own matter every second, yet it will go on to survive for billions of years.  Another star somewhat “close” to us, Alpha Centauri, is about four light years away, but it would take a jumbo jet 100,000 million years to make the trip once around.  If you really want to get lost in thought, consider this:  “In an effort to aid our imagination, someone has estimated that there are about ten thousand grains of sand in a handful”… but there are “more stars in the universe than grains of sand found on ALL the beaches of the earth.”  (Dubay, The Evidential Power of Beauty, pg 133-134)

Our little blue, yet seemingly perfectly occupiable planet:  The miracle of our atmosphere: Oxygen makes up 21% of the earth’s atmosphere, “and being the highly reactive element that it is, if there were only a slight rise in atmospheric oxygen, the earth would be scorched by unstoppable fires, with even wet and frozen forests blazing.”  If that percentage was the tiniest bit less, we would all suffocate.   (Dubay, pg 138)

“From the standpoint of its inhabitants, the earth presents a combination of features so exceptional it must be considered miraculous.  Its size is just enough to hold a sufficient atmosphere but not so great as to exert too strong a gravitational effect upon life.  Our distance from the sun is almost unbelievably perfect for the exacting requirement of life.  Life must have water in liquid form, a condition possible within extremely narrow temperature ranges.  These temperature ranges are present in only the minutest fractions of universal space, yet they are present on earth because of our distance from the sun.  This delicate balance is maintained so perfectly in the earth’s orbit that the most trivial deviation would destroy all life on the earth’s surface.”  (Dubay, pg 139)

The creative Artist’s oddities and precision:  The cabbage aphid is the world’s most fertile animal, yet doesn’t seem to take over the planet.  If it had no predators and an unlimited food supply, a SINGLE aphid ‘could give rise to a mass of descendants weighing 822 MILLION TONS – more than three times the weight of the total human population.’  In 1901, a megavillage of prairie dogs was discovered in the western United States containing approximately “400 million individuals and covered 24,000 square miles.”  (No idea how that is possible but it’s in the Guinness Book of Records)   I love this quote by William Jennings Bryan (might be one of my all-time favorites): (Dubay, pg 153-154)

“I am not so much of a farmer as some people claim but I have observed the watermelon seed.  It has the power of drawing from the ground through itself 200,000 times its weight.  When you can tell me how it takes this material and from it colors an outside surface [of waxy green stripes], and then forms inside of it a white rind and within that again a red heart, thickly inlaid with black seeds, each one of which is capable of drawing through itself 200,000 times its weight: when you can explain to me the mystery of a watermelon, you can ask me to explain the mystery of God.”

Each year, California gray whales migrate 26,000 miles or more to their breeding grounds and then back to their feeding grounds.  To do this, they must move their ginormous bodies (up to 52 feet in length and 40 tons, I think) about 115 miles a day and they must always move in exactly the right direction under water.   And then there is the blackpoll warbler (a bird) which migrates 2400 miles, a trip that takes four days and nights and in which the bird loses 1/2 of its body weight (a feat scientists compare to a “fuel efficiency equal to 720,000 miles a gallon”).  (Dubay, pg 157-158)

Have you ever looked at photographs of some of the creatures found in the deepest abysses of the ocean?  Now that will really freak you out… there are some crazy scary AND some crazy BEAUTIFUL creatures down there and for the most part, they are completely unseen or unenjoyed by anyone but their Maker.  There are some that light up into incandescent colors that are staggering IF light actually reaches them… but of course, unless light is brought to the abyss by man, there is no light to be found at those depths.  So why?  Why did He do that?  I can’t wait to ask Him, but I think those tiny incandescent sea creatures are pictures of the Divine… and I always think, “what will I find in the depths of Your heart, Lord?”  Such unparalleled, uncharted territories and realities lie within the infinite God. I long to search them out.

Diatoms (pictured to the left) are microscopic one-celled plants, a type of phytoplankton, which have been called perfect architects and are among the most important plants on earth.  (Though you probably haven’t ever heard of them, have you?)  There are a lot of different species of these tiny plants, which are found almost anywhere there is water, and they are responsible for manufacturing much of the oxygen (some say 35%) that you and I are breathing right at this very moment.  What is really cool about them is that they “build for themselves most beautiful homes, shell dwellings in the forms of ‘pinwheels, spirals, stars, and chandeliers – no shell the same… Diatoms are so exquisite it is hard to believe they are also enormously important’ for the rest of life on earth.”  (Dubay, pg 155 last sentence)

That little thing called water:  Ah, water.  You know, the stuff we are mostly made of, the stuff we cannot go very long without in order to survive, the stuff that makes up most of our planet… the stuff that is most wonderful to swim, bathe and shower in and that forms some of the most spectacular sights known to man.  So much could be said, but I think this quote sums it up nicely:  “To a scientist, a tumbler of water is nothing less than a glassful of mystery… Not that we should complain too much: many of the strange properties of water turn out to be vital to the survival of life… Scientists usually resist adding complexity to their theories without good reason, but with water they are beginning to get desperate.  Around 100 different theories of how it behaves have been put together over the years, and none work very well.”  (Robert Matthews – “It’s Ice to You, but to Science It’s a Mystery”, London, 1996)

Honestly, I could go on and on… I have only mentioned a few of the amazing marvels around us, and I didn’t even go into the fact that God gave us not one, but FIVE senses with which to take in these marvels… and then a mind and spirit to truly comprehend them.  Most definitely, I haven’t even scratched the surface (nor come near the surface) in this increasingly long little post.  I love (obviously) the book by Dubay, The Evidential Power of Beauty.  I’ve also been enjoying the Planet Earth documentary, if you really want to be wrecked.  But any science book or magazine or website on any area of Creation should do the trick if you ask the Lord to soften your heart and just explore a little.  The more you drink from this well, the more tender your heart becomes… (warning, you might end up as mad as the man mentioned above, screaming at a blade of grass, “Be silent. Be silent. I know, I know – He is AMAZING!”  (smile)  Truly, one only has to look out your front door (or in the mirror) or down at your chest inflating and deflating every few seconds to be amazed and undone.  There are miracles all around us… surely, we are undone at the birth of a child (we should be anyway – I have wept at every one I have witnessed) and we are left breathless at the precipice of the Grand Canyons, ocean shores, and Mount Everests of the world.  But Jesus went so far beyond that, and He still does every single day as He upholds every single thing by His Word for “ALL things were created through Him and for Him.  And He is before ALL things, and in Him ALL things hold together.”  (Colossians 1:17)  It’s in the very holding together (and coming apart) of every big and little part of everything around us each and every day that we can see God’s fingerprints and Word. 

They are miracles. They are signs. They are testimonies. They are instantaneous incarnations. They remind us of the same truth: The unseen is now visible. The distant has drawn near. His Majesty has come to be seen. And he is in the most common of earth’s corners.

In fact, it is the normality not the uniqueness of God’s miracles that causes them to be so staggering. Rather than shocking the globe with an occasional demonstration of deity, God has opted to display his power daily. Proverbially. Pounding waves. Prism-cast colors. Birth, death, life. We are surrounded by miracles. God is throwing testimonies at us like fireworks, each one exploding, “God is! God is!”  (from God Came Near, Max Lucado, page 60)

Oh how marvelous, oh how wonderful… He truly is, isn’t He?  First, He created… then He created us to enjoy both Him and His creation… then when we threw His gift back in His face and turned away from Him, He took on flesh and dwelt within His own creation to restore our sight and our fellowship with Him… and He isn’t finished.  Jesus is coming back and He fully intends on restoring that which is His and that which He made. 

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth…And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new “…

Then He said to me, “…I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.”  (Rev 21:1-6)

Advent.  Advenio.  “I arrive. I come.  I am coming.”

I have wanted to write about this for months now, but in truth, I feel in this realm, much like talking about the vast beauty of Jesus Christ, that no matter what words I weave together, I will in no way do justice to the truths and glory found therein.  So I am quite sure that I have not conveyed even my own soul’s delight and joy in the realities behind this post, but I pray that your heart would be stirred with mine by the simplicity of breathing in and out or the faithfulness of the sunrise tomorrow morning. 

And so, in the light of candle number three, the Candle of Joy, let us not walk through the corridors of Creation without pausing to gaze upon the beautiful artistry that surrounds us and the portrait of God’s heart revealed by the works of His hands.  Let us REJOICE and BE GLAD, for the Lord is not the callous, distant God sitting on the throne far off and detached from our lives and the world we live in that the enemy of our joy has portrayed Him to be.  It is God who caused that flower to push its way through mud and dirt to find the sun and your gaze.  It is God who caused that tree to grow under which you and your family often rest on hot summer days.  It is God who causes trees and diatoms to release the oxygen that every cell of your body needs for its very survival, and God who keeps the sun close enough to give us light and keep us thawed, but far enough that we are not consumed in an inferno.  It is God who spun the earth and painted the pink and purple and orange sky above you at sunset, and the same God who will bring the rain to the thirsty earth in spring and autumn (and winter for some).   That beating you feel within your sweet toddler’s chest, that breath that just fell from your lips, those eyes with which you saw the snow-capped mountains in all their majesty, those taste buds which squealed with delight as you tasted that piece of chocolate or perfectly ripened fruit… all that defines your world and your days… hear Him beckoning you with each beat of your heart, with each breath from your lungs… the Creator is calling you to see and to believe.  And to give thanks with wholly grateful hearts…

O LORD, our Lord,
   how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
  Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
   to still the enemy and the avenger.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
   the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
   and the son of man that you care for him?

Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
   and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
   you have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen,
   and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
   whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

 O LORD, our Lord,
   how majestic is your name in all the earth!  (Psalm 8, ESV)

To be sure, if we truly want to see the magnanimosity and all-encompassing beauty of God that surrounds us, we must go very, very low and be very, very small… like a child with big eyes, a big heart and an endless capacity for wonder.  Jesus said verse 2 above like this, “Out of the mouths of infants and children, You have prepared praise for Yourself.”  And again, “Unless you change and become like little children…” 

“A mediocre and mild modesty does not cleanse the soul with fire and make it clear like crystal; it does not (like a strict and searching humility) make a man as a little child, who can sit at the feet of grass.  It does not make him look up and see marvels; for Alice must grow small if she is to be Alice in Wonderland.”  G.K. Chesterton

God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; He does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’ …The breath of God produces ice, and the broad waters become frozen. He loads the clouds with moisture; He scatters His lightning through them. At His direction they swirl around over the face of the whole earth to do whatever He commands them. Whether for correction or for His land or for love, He causes it to happen.  (Job 37 NIV & ESV)