Christian Reflection and Prayer

"Do You Call That A Crib?"

Read Isaiah 7:10-17.
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son,and shall call
His Name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14B

All right, we have some kind of shelter for our Nativity scene.
Now let's turn to the one object inside that shelter that is
mentioned specifically in the Christmas account: the manger.
A manger is a feeding trough for animals. Don't you think that's
a pretty shabby crib? I wonder if Joseph and Mary ever thought
about that. The best they could do for God's one and only Son
was to lay Him in a feeding trough inside a pitiable shelter? If it
was me, I think I'd be trembling in fear at the thought.

Actually, that's what a lot of people do at Christmas time. They
tremble in fear over problems in their lives: serious health
problems, bills they can't pay, jobs they've lost, marriages that
have crumbled, or loved ones who are no longer here. Sadly,
many Christians add the fear that these are punishments from
a displeased God.

Actually, one of the great prophecies of Jesus' coming was given
to a king quaking in fear. King Ahaz was a descendant of King
David and ancestor of Jesus. Seven hundred years before Jesus'
birth, Ahaz feared two kingdoms that were threatening his little
kingdom of Judah. The Northern Kingdom, Israel, and its neighbor
Aram (Syria) had allied together to conquer Judah and replace Ahaz.

God wasn't about to let that happen. Instead He sent the prophet
Isaiah to reassure him. God offered to perform any miracle Ahaz
asked, but Ahaz didn't trust God and refused to ask for one. So
Isaiah rebuked the king, then said, "Therefore the Lord Himself will
give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son,
and shall call His Name Immanuel. ... For before the boy knows
how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two
kings you dread will be deserted" (Isaiah 7:14, 16). Within the time
a baby could be conceived, delivered, and grow old enough to know
the difference between good and bad, those two kingdoms would
cease to exist.

The virgin's Son is a sign for us as well. He is holy and pure, and He
gives us His holy and perfect life as though it were our own. He took
our sin upon Himself and suffered the punishment we deserve.
Because of His great exchange we can stand pure and holy before
God the Father by faith, clothed in Christ's holiness and righteousness.

Isaiah tells us the virgin "shall call His Name Immanuel." That name
means "God with us." This reassures us that no matter what our
problems may be this Christmas, God is right here with us just as He
was with Mary and Joseph. He has promised never to leave us or
forsake us. He will deliver us from all our problems too.

THE PRAYER:

 Almighty God, thank You for noticing our fear and anxiety. Thank You
for comforting and reassuring us. Remind us that You are Immanuel
and that we may know You are an ever-present help in trouble, until the
day You bring us to Your eternal rest. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)

"Home Where We Belong"

 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal
puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is
written: "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your
victory? O death, where is your sting?" The sting of death is sin,
and the power of sin is the Law. But thanks be to God, who gives
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:54-57

Occasionally, I have run into a Christian who is afraid of dying.
To assist them I have shared these stories.

Years ago, a young boy was dying, and he also was afraid. To calm
his fears, his mother explained: "Dear, do you remember when you
were a little boy how you used to play so hard that when night came
you would fall asleep on the couch, or on the floor, or on the back
seat of the car?"

Yes, he remembered that.

Mother continued, "Those places were not your bed. They were not
where you belonged. In the morning, much to your surprise, you
would wake up and find yourself in your own bed and in your own
room. You were there because your father had come and taken you
to where you belonged."

"Honey," mom continued, "death is just like that. We are tired and
we fall asleep in a place that isn't home. Then we wake up and find
ourselves in another place, a place where we belong. That's because
Jesus has come, and with hands that were once pierced by nails,
has taken us to our own room."

The boy's shining, trusting face showed he understood, and the fear
was gone. He never questioned again, and several weeks later he
fell asleep just as his mother had said. At that moment Jesus came
and took him home where he belonged. There was no one else who
could have done that -- no one else.

That story lets us know that, in Jesus, there is hope: certain hope.
We no longer need to mark the passing of the years with wistful
sighs and wishes that something might happen to delay our dying.
That's because something has already happened to abolish death.

That is why I can tell you that as surely as Christ is risen from the
dead, your loved ones in the Lord will also rise; as will you. The
miracle of life has happened. Recovery has been complete. This is
the glory of the resurrection Gospel that when the earthly outlook
is dimmest, heavenly hope is brightest, and where defeat seems
most final, the victory of Christ is most glorious.

All of this means our thinking and our talking can be changed. And
if you're wondering how it's changed, let me tell you about a little
girl whose baby brother had just died. She asked her mother where
the baby had gone.

"To be with Jesus," replied the mother. A few days later, talking to
a friend, the mother said, "I am so empty without my lost baby."

The little girl heard and, remembering what her mother had told her,
came over and asked, "Mother, is a thing lost when you know
where it is?"

"No, of course not."

"Well, then how can the baby be lost when we know he is with
Jesus?"

Her mother never forgot; nor should you. Our loved ones, and
someday we, ourselves, will not be lost. We all will be with Jesus.

THE PRAYER:

 Dear Lord, because of Jesus, the sting of death has been removed.
Grant that my fears of death may be eliminated, and I may always
enjoy the peace of mind and heart that comes from believing in
Jesus as my Savior and Lord. In His Name I pray. Amen

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)

Read Matthew 11:7-15.
From the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of heaven
has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. Matthew 11:12

Kids can be cruel-so can reindeer. It always bothered me as a kid
when we got to that part about "all of the other reindeer used to laugh
and call him names. They never let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer
games."

Children love to play games, especially when they can make up the
rules. That's the kind of world Jesus Christ lived in and the kind of
world we live in. The Jewish leaders were like children. They didn't
like the way John the Baptist was so strong and fiery. When he ate
locusts and wild honey and abstained from drinking wine it made
them look bad. But they didn't like what Jesus was doing either.
That was because He was preaching the Good News. He was also
feasting, drinking, and celebrating with sinners who came to
repentance-sinners they had pushed away.

But Jesus wasn't going to play their game. He played by God's rules
the same way John did. John's deeds were from God. They showed
us that we must turn from our sins and put our trust in Jesus Christ
alone. And Jesus' deeds were from God too. They showed us God's
mercy and love for all those devastated by sin and death.

The things Jesus did, especially in His suffering, death, and glorious
resurrection, proved He was the mighty Son of God. When we live
according to God's design-repenting of our sins, trusting in His
forgiveness through Jesus Christ, and sharing His love with the world-
we will be misjudged, mocked, and ridiculed by the children around
us. But God knows, and in the end He will prove us right through
Jesus Christ our Lord.

God has helped us see this world as adults, so just like the prophets
and John and Jesus we can remain calm and strong even when we
are falsely accused and viciously attacked. We know in His good
time God will vindicate us from all false accusations.

THE PRAYER:

 Lord God, comfort and uphold us when those around us play their
children's games. Help us be strong and mature in Jesus Christ our
Savior so that we may keep showing the world Your love and grace.
In Jesus' Name.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)