by Sharon O | Jan 15, 2025 | Uncategorized
Another year has begun and my goodness we have had some interesting days.
Without going into details, it’s just been hard.
Life gets difficult as we age and often times things happen that are out of our control.
God will give us strength to press forward and taking one step at a time it will bring healing.
The month is half over and I had my birthday turning 70 and my husband has his very soon, turning 71.
The Oregon days have been grey and cold, and I am definitely feeling my age.
Spring can come and daffodils can bloom, and the days can get much lighter and warmth.
Our precious great grandbaby is now six months old.
We love her so much and she is a happy baby most of the time.
Hard to believe our daughter is a grandma.
Our pastor has been doing a fabulous series every Sunday… HE is SO so good.
Grace Chapel, Wilsonville Oregon if you are curious.
I don’t have a lot of identifiers on anything anymore since my Facebook was hacked,
unfortunately, I have lost a few really good friends because of that mess.
I try to tell myself if they were really good friends, they would have questioned me before
they cut me off.
I get no reply or response, and I guess at this point that is their decision.
Pretty sad. I knew them a very long time and I really thought we were good friends.
The hackers were a nightmare, and I am so thankful they are gone. (at least I think they are)
You never realize what kind of evil is out there till you get your ‘family’ photos stolen by someone pretending to be You.
I pray it is over. It needs to go away forever.
I need quiet days without worry of what is next.
Another year has begun and my goodness we have had some interesting days.
by Sharon O | Dec 19, 2024 | Uncategorized
I just have to ask the questions
Part three:
Luke 2:39b They returned home to Nazareth in Galilee 40 There the child grew up healthy and strong.
He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor was on him.
2: 52 Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.
Did they go through some of the attitude’s parents get from young adult children.
Remember they lost him one time in the temple.
Luke 2:45 When they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there.
Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious leaders, listening to them and asking them questions.
And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and answers.
His parents didn’t know what to think.
“Son,” his mother said to him, “Why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.”
“But why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you know that I would be in my father’s house?”
But they didn’t understand what he meant.* key verse**
Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them.
And his mother stored all these things in her heart.
He had a lot of time to mature and grow.
There are many questions I have about all of this.
We often move from the manger to the ministry, and then to the cross.
But what about the middle years, when he grew and learned and trained under Joseph.
I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but the word tells us he was a baby, then a child, he had to have been a teen, then a young adult,
then a young man and then he turned thirty when I believe his ministry began to take shape and form.
So many stages of a young man’s life. So many changes for a Savior.
Not only was Jesus the main character in this story.
But he was the story.
God loves us so much that HE wanted to give us a chance.
The only way that would work was to allow a Savior to come.
Remember the verse when Simeon told Mary,
Luke 2:35 “As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.
And a sword will pierce your very soul.”
Referring to his time on the cross.
It was all for a reason. It was all for a purpose.
The deep love from the father to us given in the form of a baby.
As we move towards the closure of the Christmas story, I hope you realize, as I have said before, nothing is by accident, and nothing is without a plan.
I just have to ask the questions.
by Sharon O | Dec 17, 2024 | Uncategorized
Part two:
I have to ask the questions.
God created a whole new ‘Jesus’ so we could see him and relate to him and then believe in him.
He was the ‘same’ equal part of God as in heaven, but now in a physical form we could relate to.
From the spiritual realm to the earthly realm.
Do you think he was in the form of a body in heaven? I don’t think so,
Psalm 139:13 You made all the delicate inner parts of my body and knit me in my mother’s womb.
vs 15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
vs 16. you saw me before I was born.
It was pre-planned as we know, but can you imagine?
What was it like to be a baby moving and kicking just as any other baby in the womb.
This ‘God in flesh’ baby child, miracle one, so tiny.
Or even during the birth process. He had to experience it.
I have seen video’s of how hard the baby pushes and turns and struggles to get out.
The process is hard and exhausting, challenging and relentless.
He had to be born through Mary because she was chosen to be his mother.
There had to be ‘physical connection’ as well as a spiritual one.
Then after he was born, the baby was cared for and loved by Mary and Joseph, blessed by Simeon, praised by Anna, then shepherds from the fields praised him, and then the wise men who brought gifts of royalty fit for a king.
All this meant something. On the eternal level and perspective.
Then we saw the threat from Herod, and then the Angels appearances over and over in dreams and visions.
So much happening in such a short amount of time for all of them.
Then I was wondering as a baby, he had to go through the normal teething process.
Just as any other newborn baby. I would imagine and wonder, did Mary walk the floors with a cranky colicky baby.
Did Joseph rock and sing to him as he calmed his crying, if he was sick and feverish.
I don’t imagine he could heal himself then, He was a baby.
As an infant, I would think, he had to learn to crawl and walk just like any other baby growing up.
Imagine with me, a skinned-up knee, he could have placed his own hand on it to heal it or did that ability come to him later as he grew?
So many questions to ask.
I have to ask the questions
by Sharon O | Dec 15, 2024 | Uncategorized
Taking a risk as I write this and ask these questions:
Part one:
Would it be alright if I venture into a few different questions for us?
Now that we have learned about the many characters of the Christmas story.
It seems to me that we are not thinking about or focusing on
the one reasonable question.
What about Jesus?
In the beginning He was with God.
That is what Genesis tells us.
They were together as the three in one.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Then the plan from God was to provide a Savior, so, he could save the people from their sins.
As it is written:
Luke 1:35 The baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.
Luke 1:69 He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David,
just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago.
God created a way for us to be saved eternally.
God didn’t have to do that, but HE DID choose to.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world so much that he gave his one and only son,
so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
God in his wisdom had to create someone we would relate to.
Someone special and full of meaning, and who could not only change history, but change and restore lives too.
So, at some point in time, the decision was made, for Jesus to come to the scene as a baby,
then to grow up and then to leave again, and return back to the father, after his ministry was over.
Imagine with me for a moment.
What would that be like for Jesus, who was all God and all man, all knowing and still learning?
Jesus the Son of God entered the womb of Mary by the Holy Spirit,
as a little tiny egg and grew into a ‘perfect’ little baby,
to be born and placed in a manger in a city called Bethlehem.
As scripture told us.
He had to come with the genealogy alongside him, as he was from the lineage of David.
It’s the most powerful story ever written.
I am Taking a risk as I write this and ask these questions.
by Sharon O | Dec 12, 2024 | Uncategorized
When Jesus parents had fulfilled all the requirements of the law of the Lord, they returned home to Nazareth in Galilee.
There the child grew up healthy and strong. He was filled with wisdom and God’s favor was upon him. Luke 2:39-40
So, to set the scene for the next few visitors.
The wisemen were coming to visit Mary and Joseph, traveling many miles to get there.
Unlike the manger scenes we have set out in our homes the wisemen arrived a few years later and they came to the house.
In Matthew it shares that they came from eastern lands and arrived in Jerusalem, asking,
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews? we saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”
After speaking to Herod, the star guided them to the place where they lived.
When they entered the house and saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him.
Presenting their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrhh.
When they left, they went a different direction that Herod had said for they were warned by God in a dream not to return to him.
Herod was very upset and a very evil and jealous man who decided that every first-born son under age two were to be killed.
He wanted to be sure the ‘Messiah’ did not survive.
The verse, “a cry was heard in Ramah-weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted, for they were all dead.”
It was a horrible time and when Joseph and Mary heard about all that was to take place they left for Egypt. Until Herods death.
It was to fulfill the prophecy, “I called my son out of Egypt.”
An angel of the Lord instructed Joseph and Mary when it was safe to move forward with their child.
They were able to go back into the town of Nazareth one more time fulfilling part of the story.
When Jesus parents fulfilled all the requirements of the law.
by Sharon O | Dec 11, 2024 | Uncategorized
A very special meeting took place in the temple where Jesus was presented and officially named.
They were told what his name would be but according to the law it had to be legal as he was presented to the Lord.
At that time there was an old man named Simeon who was righteous and devout and eagerly waiting for the Messiah to arrive.
The Holy Spirit came upon him and told him he would not die until he had seen the Messiah.
The same day Mary and Joseph arrived the spirit led him to the temple too.
Simeon was there, and when he took the child in his arms, he knew the baby was the one.
Joseph and Mary were amazed at this scene between this man and child.
Then Simeon blessed him telling Mary; this child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall but he will be a joy to many others.
He has been sent by God and the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed, and a sword will pierce your very soul.
(Rather odd thing to say to a young couple presenting their baby but it was necessary and prophetic.)
As he was doing this Anna the prophet was there in the temple too.
She was a very old widow and was waiting for the chosen one just like Simeon.
She overheard the conversation that Simeon had with Mary and Joseph, and she began worshipping and praising God.
She talked about this baby to everyone she met. She understood and knew HE was the one.
This was a powerful moment for everyone involved because ‘a baby was born and was presented and was rejoiced over’.
Mary treasure all this in her heart not knowing the full impact of what was to come for her.
I would imagine upon leaving the temple the thoughts were many between Mary and Joseph.
A very special meeting took place in the temple that day.
by Sharon O | Dec 8, 2024 | Uncategorized
The night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.
Luke 2:9-20
[Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them.
They were terrified, but the angel reassured them.
“Don’t be afraid! he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.
The Savior-yes, the Messiah, The Lord has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!
And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others-the armies of heaven-praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other,
“Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
They hurried to the village leaving their flocks behind and found Mary and Joseph.
And there was the baby, lying in a manger, just as they were told.
After seeing him the shepherds told everyone in the village, what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.
All who heard the shepherd’s story were astonished,
but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.
The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.
It was just as the angel had told them.]
Can you even imagine the excitement and the joy they must have felt?
They all saw it, they all heard it, they all were a part of the glorious singing.
We must remember a part of this story, is the fact that shepherds were marginalized people.
Most people left them alone and gave them no credit or worth.
They were out in the fields, dirty and rough. Left alone.
But God…chose them, chose them to be a part of the story forever in time.
They were not what we could call credible witnesses and yet; the people listened and believed them.
I wonder if God planned for them to be chosen, so the story could be told in an amazing way,
through those who normally would not be listened to by others.
Value is always given when God has a hand in a chosen moment. *
They were given value and purpose and a reason to share, and because of their excitement others believed too.
Isn’t that hopeful for those who seem to think they have no voice?
The night there were shepherds staying in the fields and their lives would be changed forever.
by Sharon O | Dec 6, 2024 | Uncategorized
The angel of the lord met with Joseph while he was sleeping, just like he met with Mary.
He told Joseph, Mary was expecting, and it was from the Holy Spirit and when the baby was born, his name was to be Jesus.
When Joseph woke up from his dream, he did what the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife.
But he did not have relations with her until her son was born and Joseph named him Jesus. (Matthew 1:24)
Luke 2 we learn of the birth of Jesus.
At the time of Jesus birth there was a census that was called, and all the people were to return to their ancestral town to register for this census.
And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem, in Judea David’s ancient home.
He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee.
He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.
While they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.
She gave birth to her first-born child, a son.
She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available to them.
[Now let’s stop here for a second.]
There was no lodging available because of the census and there were many people in the town.
Also, it sounds so simple the way Luke writes it, but I would imagine it was not that simple.
If I think of both Mary and Joseph; they would be tired after all that traveling and perhaps feeling a bit desperate to settle in for the night.
Maybe Mary was already in labor and giving Joseph the full details of what she had shared and experienced with Elizabeth while watching John’s birth.
We can only guess and imagine, what it was like for this young couple who would be responsible for the ‘Son of God.’
Both were chosen and both were given, a role like no other and a place in history forever.
The angel of the Lord met with Joseph while he was sleeping.
by Sharon O | Dec 6, 2024 | Uncategorized
In the book of Luke, it tells us that Mary hurried to the country of Judea to the town where Zechariah and Elizabeth lived.
She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth and at the sound of her voice the baby Elizabeth was carrying leaped within her, and she was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Elizabeth said to Mary, “why am I so honored that the mother of my Lord should visit me?”
Now we have to remember Mary and Elizabeth were relatives.
They knew each other very well in fact Mary was at her house to tell her ‘About her baby and the angel visiting her’ and also to see what the angel had said about Elizabeth, for everyone knew she was barren with no child.
Mary responded to Elizabeth with a song of acceptance, the magnificat a song of praise. Found in Luke 1:40-56
It says she stayed with Elizabeth about three months, and I wonder if she was there when Elizabeth gave birth.
The next scene we read about is the birth of John.
There is so much to the story of Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus.
Joseph was warned by the angel Gabriel to take Mary as his wife.
It was a customary thing in that time to divorce her quietly in this situation, but he was told not to do that. Marry her and don’t become husband and wife until after the baby was to be born. We are not told much about other children, in this story, but there were others that were related to Jesus later.
I wonder if the time Mary spent with Elizabeth was for Joseph to figure out what he was going to do with the life changing decisions ahead of him.
The story of Mary and Joseph and all that had to change for them, gives me great hope and amazement. How they accepted and followed through with the news of their changing lives together, not knowing or fully understanding what the future would be for them.
There is more to the story as we continue on to read what was written.
In the book of Luke
by Sharon O | Dec 4, 2024 | Uncategorized
When Elizabeth was six months along with John, an angel met with Mary who was engaged to be married to Joseph.
Gabriel appeared to her in Luke 1:28 and he said,
“Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
Now we must stop for a second and remember she was only 16, not quite a woman; but God knew.
It said she was, confused and disturbed as she thought about what the angel had said to her.
Wouldn’t that be the normal response when hearing a greeting like that?
The other thing to remember; women who were pregnant and not married were often stoned to death.
It was a serious issue not only for her, for Joseph and their families involved.
She must have had many questions and concerns.
Then the angel said,
“Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God!
You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High.”
Mary asked the angel, “How can this happen? I am a virgin.”
The angel replied,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
So, the baby to be born will be holy, and will be called the Son of God.
What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age!
People used to say she was barren, but now she is in her sixth month.
For nothing is impossible with God.”
Mary’s response to the angel was,
“I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true,”
Then the angel left her.
{I truly think the angel brought the news about Elizabeth to Mary, so she would believe more intensely and with more reality.
She knew Elizabeth was old and barren. She also knew she must go see her and see for herself what the angel had said.}
An angel met with Mary and told her the good news.
