by Sharon O | Dec 9, 2016 | Uncategorized
[39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,
40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.
41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!
43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”]
When we read these verses we are amazed that John who was not born but very much alive inside Elizabeth,
heard and knew Mary had arrived and HE knew her voice and the truth about her baby filling Elizabeth with the Holy Spirit.
Isn’t that powerful?
Elizabeth who had known Mary all her life realized in an instant, SHE was the mother of Jesus. The chosen one.
It is both amazing and awesome that the bond between these two women were around the miracles they were given.
Both were carrying special son’s and both were chosen to do the miraculous.
After hearing Elizabeth and seeing her excitement, Mary said this prayer.
[ “My soul glorifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.]
What we are amazed by is her response.
She was a young teen and she has been told she was going to be the Mother of Jesus.
Her response was acceptance, obedience and even peace.
We are not told about Mary’s family, whether she had a mother and a father, but we do know she was close to Elizabeth.
Was she there when John was born? Was she there for Elizabeth to help her in her aging condition?
Many things we don’t know. What we do know is this: We are amazed at the miraculous.
Let us continue on as we move through the Christmas story.
by Sharon O | Dec 8, 2016 | Uncategorized
We know that the story was planned way before it actually took place and we also know God had a certain way for it to play out.
The next person we are introduced to, is Mary.
She was a key player in this ‘story’ and a wonderful example of faithful obedience.
In the New Testament book of Luke:
[26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,
27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.
31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.
The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,
33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month.
37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.]
What we believe to be true.
Mary was a virgin and had not been with any man before.
She was chosen and set aside by God; who knew her and understood the condition of her heart.
She asked a simple question, “how can it be?” not unlike the question Zechariah asked. Only she was told the HOW and He was told to be quiet.
The angel validated her question with, the answer “even Elizabeth your aging relative is having a baby too”.
I believe that was making the miraculous more powerful for Mary because she knew Elizabeth’s age.
The preparation of hearts and obedience took place.
Mary had to have been thinking, what shall I do now?
Can you even imagine being told by an angel YOU are highly favored by God?
It would be something very life changing to grab onto and understand, a baby… YOUR baby will be born.
He will be special and He will be chosen just as YOU were chosen.
What we believe to be true is this: Mary was chosen and because of that choice her life was forever altered.
In a very intense way.
Let us continue onto the Christmas story.
by Sharon O | Dec 6, 2016 | Uncategorized
The Christmas story does not begin in the New Testament of the Bible.
It actually began in the Old Testament beginning with Genesis when the word was with God and we read that the word was Jesus.
Then it moves to the book where we find ‘Zechariah and Elizabeth’… as a few of the first key players.
Think of it as act one, in a stage play where the first scene builds to the second and the second builds to the third till the full story is told.
In Luke 1:7 it tells us about Zechariah and how he was a tribal priest and was honored for the ‘first time,’ at a very old age to go into the temple and burn incense.
This was a very formal and special occasion and he had waited for many years to be asked to do this.
[When he went into the temple he was praying and an angel showed up right next to him. (can you imagine?)
When Zechariah saw him he was startled, and gripped with fear.
But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.
(Remember he is a very old man at this time.)
Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son and you shall call him John.
He will be a joy and a delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.]
Elizabeth was a relative of Mary, and John would be like a cousin born before Jesus but paving the way for his ministry.
This was told and spoken before either of them were born.
He was an important player to the story of Jesus… and his birth.
As we continue to read this story:
[Zechariah had doubts and asked the angel. “how can this be? how can I be sure?”]
I think that was a logical question to ask, for they were both beyond the age of ‘child bearing.’
[The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, I have been sent to you to speak to you and tell you this good news.
And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.]
AT THEIR APPOINTED TIME.
Everything was ordained and orchestrated in order for the story to be told.
God had it planned, He knew when the time was to take place and HE was preparing the way.
What we have read, is this: Nothing is without a plan or reason.
The Christmas story had many players and each one had to be; ‘chosen, set aside and spoken to, in order for the story to be completed.’
Let us continue to see how God in His wisdom creates the Christmas Story.
by Sharon O | Dec 4, 2016 | Uncategorized
The Christmas story is one of the most extravagant presents of all.
It not normally thought of as a gift.
But let’s look at the reason behind the baby in the manger.
God so loved the world, that HE gave (HE chose) He declared, His only son to be the righteous hope and redeeming love for a world who often failed him. John 3:16
Isn’t that an extravagant gift?
Even as an adult later in the story we see the conversation.
[Even Jesus when he was talking to the woman at the well, said to her, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”]
He knew his purpose all along. He knew from the beginning of time He was from His Father.
Those who were chosen to be in the beginning of the story didn’t have a clue they were to be in the final moments of God’s plan.
Could it have been a different way, perhaps another way?
I don’t think so.
He needed all the characters, all the pre-planned people who played part in this nativity story to be innocent of the master plan.
Extravagant means exceeding the bounds of reason, going beyond what is deserved or justifiable.
We as a people surely didn’t deserve to be given such a valued gift, but God who knew us from the beginning and knew we needed a Savior for we couldn’t save ourselves.
What we have been given is a beautiful story of love, of mercy, of compassion and strength.
Without the nativity there is no cross.
It was planned from the very beginning, that Jesus would come in a way that was not forceful, not over powering and not too intense.
Isn’t a baby a tender way of showing us HIS love.
When we see a newborn we move towards it, not away. For it’s sweetness is something we all ‘find to be precious’.
As we move through the story, we will see this baby in all His innocence and all His ability to bring others to the awareness of more.
Let us learn and discover the story together.
by Sharon O | Dec 2, 2016 | Uncategorized
[In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.
And the word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the father), full of grace and truth.]
John 1:1,2
The message version is more detailed.
[From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in – we heard it with our ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands.
The word of life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen!
And now we’re telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this:
The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us.
John: 3,4
We saw it, we heard it, and now we’re telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ.
Our motive for writing is simply this:
We want you to enjoy this, too.
Your joy will double our joy!]
I cannot imagine being in the time and place as the story of Jesus unfolded right before the eyes who were there.
Not even fully realizing the magnitude of the moment or what they were experiencing.
The birth, the baby coming to us, meaning so much for so many, especially those who were there.
The story tells of all who saw, all who experienced and all who played a part, of the nativity scene.
It had to happen. It had a purpose and there was a reason.
What we know; it was planned, ordained and orchestrated way before it ever happened.
God in His master plan and great love for us, designed a way for us to receive Salvation.
The way was going to be through His son, the Christ child, the baby Jesus.
As we continue on and move through the story, let us not forget the deep love God had for his people.
He brought ‘life’ to us through Jesus.
Let us not forget the powerful meaning of the story.
by Sharon O | Dec 1, 2016 | Uncategorized
We begin the Christmas season with decorations, and traditions of trees, lights, music and nativity sets.
Most of us have one special one we bring out each year.
We have a very simple one we purchased on our first year together. It was very expensive at the time as we were newly weds with little money, we found it at a local drug store and although it was above our budget we wanted a first nativity for our home.
Every year for 43 years we have set it out as a remembrance of many things.
The Christmas story has been told in so may ways.
Always the same characters and always the same story of hope.
We have seen children dressed up in Mary and Joseph outfits carrying a tiny doll representing the baby Jesus in church programs.
We have watched TV shows about the Nativity or movies that tell the story in a more real narrative way.
Each of us holds a reason for the season.
It can’t always be Santa and his sleigh or Rudolph the red nosed Reindeer. These are wonderful traditions for us, even Charley Brown and the crew sharing the Christmas story is tradition.
In the final decision making it is Jesus and his story that makes the Christmas season complete.
One cannot hear, “Oh Holy Night” and not capture the beauty of the birth, the Holiness of the season and the silence of the night.
The story begins with a simple couple who followed the path laid out for them through their obedience and faith.
It wasn’t easy, it was never meant to be.
It is a story that has lasted for years and years because it is real, and it gives hope and it tells us of God’s love for us.
The story begins.
In the Old Testament of the bible and then moved into the New Testament. There are many characters and many details.
The story. The story of life, hope and precious love.
As we move through the story let us remember nothing happened without a plan, nothing happened without a reason.
The story begins and we are told, Mary kept all the things in her heart and thought about them often.
Luke 2:19
by Sharon O | Nov 29, 2016 | Uncategorized
Now that Thanksgiving is over we can adjust our schedules towards the season of Christmas.
I love the decorations, the music, the festive time of year.
Oh I do realize this is also a difficult season for many who are alone.
It is mostly centered around family activities and family focused programs.
But really Christmas is all in the ‘season of your heart’, whether alone or not.
It is the magical time of year for little ones who wait with anticipation of what is Santa going to bring.
It is the thrill of the possibility of snow, or church programs or seasonal services.
Many malls have activities and or decorations that are fun and beautiful.
We used to go out and cut our ‘fresh’ tree when our children were little. It became a family tradition.
There are endless possibilities should someone be wondering what to do in this time of giving.
I challenge us all this year to look at this season in a new way.
Perhaps for you, it’s the first time celebrating the reason for the season.
We know God sent His SON to come in a humble way, using Mary a simple teen, and Joseph a simple carpenter.
To tell the story.
For us to receive and hear and experience the whole reason, is the power of his love.
We cannot have Christmas without the reason, without the baby’s birth and all the orchestration God designed to get the story told and finished.
It is a season of celebration, of family and friends.
We sing the songs of worship. Oh little town of Bethlehem, and Oh Holy Night.
And one more year we allow the simple truths to ring clear in our hearts.
The reason for the season is Jesus.
by Sharon O | Nov 21, 2016 | Uncategorized
As we enter into the week of thanksgiving.
I am thankful for a husband who walks on the rough roads with me.
The quiet paths and good times too.
The journey of walking together in one direction.
We remain thankful for 43 years of being together.
Life is beautiful and mysterious and magical and questioning at times.
On this Thanksgiving week I ask what are you most thankful for?
For life and hope and relationships and family?
There is much to be thankful for even if we don’t know what we can say, we woke up alive, that is a good thing.
We breathe, we have health, we have hope, we are real and down to earth and enjoy our life as we know it.
Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the holy One.
Give thanks in all things and for all things.
by Sharon O | Nov 12, 2016 | Uncategorized
In Shelly’s book, she says “home is not a structure, it is a place that resides in each of us.”
Think about this for a moment.
Each of us have homes where we live in, and feel safe in.
What if, that place of peace was taken from you, or removed in some way? How would you respond?
What she is saying, home is a place within your heart that is comfortable, and safe, and not messed with.
Home is in your heart, and in your relationships, and the world you reside in.
Ever heard the saying, “I feel at home with them?”
Yeah it is a good thing.
She talks about how Sabbath is an invitation for intimate conversation and intentional quieting.
Intentionally setting aside time for a friend, a husband, or a child who needs you without distractions.
It is learning to carve out time for the important.
I love the concept.
It is so different than what we have told ourselves for years.
She says in the book, “sometimes you have to slow to a stop and rest before you can experience divine presence.”
I say, it is learning to listen.
Learning to say, today my soul needs the waves of the ocean.
Or time with a treasured friend and I don’t care if the dishes are not done or the laundry is heaping in the basket.
It is not being selfish, it is nurturing to your spirit.
Even when I was a young mom and life was busy and noisy and cluttered, I took a nap when the children did.
I restored my soul.
I love this book of Shelly’s, for it gives me reason to choose to do the life giving important things that feed my soul.
Becoming intentional takes a lot of practice.
It also teaches us to breathe.
My husband and I take walks often and when we walk, I force myself to breathe in deeply the air in my lungs.
Intentional deep breathes.
It is good. It is healthy and healing.
I pray that this book finds a place at your table and I also pray you realize how to be intentional in breathing, moving and listening.
by Sharon O | Nov 10, 2016 | Uncategorized
Today I am writing at the beach, on my husbands laptop.
It is very different for me. But it’s good and if I get tired or bored it is always a good beach to view or walk on.
My husband is retired and now he is helping out down here at a camp, one day a week.
He is in his happy place keeping busy and I am too, as I always love the ocean.
It is a place of therapy for me.
I have been reading a book that was written by an on line friend of mine, on the Sabbath. She explains how we need a day set aside for quiet, and rest for renewing our heart and spirits.
It is called “Rhythms of Rest” and her name is Shelly Miller.
I highly recommend is as we all need time to slow down and regroup.
She teaches how to find the spirit of the Sabbath in a busy world.
I have read part of the book and have taken notes so I can go back and reference the amazing words she writes. How often do we even think about taking a break, taking a rest, allowing ourselves time to slow down and center inward? It is important.
She talks about how to be intentional on creating and carving out time. For soul renewal, and spirit restoration.
Have you ever been so tired you couldn’t even think, or so emotionally drained it was difficult to even think of moving from one chair to the other?
I have been there. In that space.
What saved me was first realizing life happened, all around me and I didn’t have to be the ‘force’ to make it. I could stop and slow down and it would be ok in fact it would be fine.
I had a good therapist tell me one time, “if wear yourself out you will accomplish nothing.”
My health at that time dictated that I slow down.
Stop, and learn to say No.
It was empowering.
Saying no was the best lesson I learned for in saying NO I learned to say yes, to rest, to prayer time, to slow introspective thinking.
It became my place of healing on many levels.
Shelly says, “Sabbath is a gift to be embraced, not a spiritual hoop to jump through.” When I think of embrace, using her word, it speaks to me of moving closer, and into, a choice.
The beach is my resting place.
I find renewal in my spirit as I listen to the waves, move across the surface of the sand.
It’s a peaceful place, it restores and revives me.
Do you have a place that is restful to your soul? Peaceful to your spirit? Calming to the heart?
I pray you find one. I also recommend this book to help guide you in a process of finding genuine rest.
“Rhythms of Rest” is a wonderful book.
It is life giving encouragement to stir us on, and into deeper places of the spirit. Let us slow down and be more intentional in our choices and in our life decisions.
Let us find a new ‘rhythm of rest.’
