by Sharon O | Dec 10, 2013 | Uncategorized
The excitement in the air must have been contagious.
Can you imagine what Joseph and Mary were talking about with each other?
I wonder what the conversation sounded like.
Did they share the angels words with each other or did they share what they saw?
They both heard life changing words.
“Mary you are favored among all”
“Joseph, don’t be afraid to take her as your wife.”
Life changing words always affect us.
The doctor appointment says: You have a serious disorder.
The boss tells you: Your job is ending.
The marriage is not working this time and you can’t fix it.
The unexpected baby to be that you are now responsible for.
The car accident that you just happened to be in.
All of these are life changing.
Joseph and Mary had a journey ahead of them.
They had no idea what that would mean or what was even being asked of them.
To raise a son who was ‘God’ in flesh.
To teach him and encourage him and love him deeply.
I can’t imagine what that must have been like.
To hold him and realize ‘you are holding’ a very special son.
That out of many others you were chosen and hand picked to do the honor of loving another until the appointed time to let him go
‘back to the father’.
My other thought was both sets of their parents must have been very understanding.
It was a very special time for Joseph and Mary and many things we are not told.
We all have life changing or life altering moments.
We can allow them to heal us or to hurt us.
The way we receive the news or the words spoken is a choice.
by Sharon O | Dec 9, 2013 | Uncategorized
Have you ever had something weigh so heavy on your heart
that in the darkness of the night you wrestle with the heaviness?
In your worry and anxiety you struggle to make sense of it all and it is hard to find the reason to move forward and face what is ahead.
I would imagine Joseph had that happen to him upon hearing the news of Mary and her baby to be and the responsibility he would be facing.
Matthew 1: 20
{But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.}
Just at the right moment, God provides a way of understanding and a deep peace within us so we can move forward in a posture of trust.
After… the struggle there is peace given.
Just as God gave Joseph time to wrestle with integrity issues and character issues and what he stood for as a man.
He does the same for us.
I think it is good to remember this part of the story.
by Sharon O | Dec 7, 2013 | Uncategorized
Moving in the direction of Joseph and how he was presented the news about Mary.
Have you ever had one of those dreams that felt real and life changing?
I have and it was powerful.
I think just as Joseph had his dream, he knew in his heart he had to follow through and complete what he was told.
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us).
24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife,
25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son.
And he called his name Jesus. Matthew 1:18-25
Can you imagine Joseph right now? He had his own life altering moment.
After hearing the news his first reaction was, let Mary go so he could walk out of the situation. I would think that is a pretty normal reaction sometimes when someone hears they will be a dad when they are not ready to be one. His second thought after being told by the angel the news, was to accept the role he would play in this very important time in history. Perhaps even because he loved Mary and wanted the best for her and leaving her would not be in her best interest or protection. We have to give Joseph a lot of credit in this as he married Mary, yet firmly stayed away from her till the time for her to have this new little baby.
I imagine they talked about what was going to take place between the two of them. It had to have been life changing for both of them.
I also imagine their fears as both of them were young and perhaps not even ready to become parents.
Life altering moments don’t always give us a preparation.
Sometimes they just happen and it is our choice as to how we will manage or react to them.
Joseph’s life altering moment would forever change him.
Not too different than you or I in these kinds of situations.
by Sharon O | Dec 6, 2013 | Uncategorized
Without wasting a lot of time, Mary went to go see Elizabeth.
We are not told how far away that was or how she got there we just know she rushed to go see her.
Have you ever had that moment when you just had to make that phone call or go see your special friend?
Nothing is more special than spending time with someone you love and share a kindred spirit with.
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| (Not sure of ‘artist’ can’t read the name) |
They shared a miracle together and I can only imagine the wonderful excitement they both had upon seeing each other. The hugs and the joy and the laughter had to have been so tender.
39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah,
40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,
42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry,
“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
—————————————
The greeting between them had to have been amazing.
Remember this is an older relative, greeting a teen.
Saying to her, blessed are you above everyone else.
Also notice the babies reaction.
Isn’t that amazing? I don’t ever discount the life and the feelings of the unborn children. Right here, in this verse, it says the child heard and knew the voice and reacted.
How thrilling that must have been for both of them.
It was actually after this ‘shared miracle’ Mary’s magnificat song was sung.
In a posture of prayer.
In a spirit of thankfulness and with an accepting spirit.
It says in the story that Mary stayed with Elizabeth three months until it was time for Elizabeth to deliver.
We don’t know if she was there when Elizabeth gave birth or not.
What we do know is they shared a miracle together.
Both of them were chosen to play a very important role.
The destiny for them and the path ahead would not be easy.
I believe God allowed Elizabeth to be an encouragement to Mary.
In the toughest of times, sometimes a shared miracle is all we need.
by Sharon O | Dec 5, 2013 | Uncategorized
The deep questions and thoughts of Mary came in a normal life changing way.
I love the part where the word says,
“Mary tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.”
(Going back to the conversation when the angel Gabriel said
“Greetings oh favored one, the Lord is with you.”)
I would think it is acceptable to wonder what that was supposed to mean.
Especially if one is a teenager not expecting anything life changing to happen.
It makes sense to me that in order for her to believe quickly the angel told her.
(Not only are you going to be expecting but you are not alone.)
Luke1:
36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.
37 For nothing will be impossible with God.
38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
And the angel departed from her.
After the angel left I wonder what was the first thing she did.
If it was me, I think I would be crying.
The story continues to tell us she sang.
“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior”
Luke 1:46-47
That kind of adoration comes from moving from a place of fear and uncertainty to a place of trust and worship.
The place of acceptance is a gift we give ourselves.
I think Mary knew in her heart that was all she could really do.
Acceptance and adoration.
When the angel said “do not fear Mary” we need to remember that God’s love casts all fear away.
It must happen in order for us to move towards the direction of worship and acceptance.
It was important for Mary to hear, “do not fear, just listen and trust.”
(my revised version)
Worship like this is seeing God from a top down point of view and not a bottom up viewpoint.
As our Pastor said, “looking at something from God’s perspective instead of our own.”
Mary could have been very frightened over the reality of her situation.
God chose her to play a very important role forever in time.
When the spirit over shadowed her I believe it also placed within her an internal peace.
In the same way you and I can say, “I don’t understand it but I accept.”
If you have time today, read Mary’s song of acceptance.
Luke 1:47-55 ~ the song known as the magnificat.
by Sharon O | Dec 4, 2013 | Uncategorized
I cannot even imagine Mary and the condition of her heart when she heard the words from the angel.
I am sure as any young ‘mom to be’ she had concerns as to how to tell her ‘family’.
So many questions and thoughts would press upon her heart.
How she would present herself to Joseph.
How would anyone accept her.
It was a very serious thing to be carrying a baby and not be married.
Most mothers to be are excited.
Even in a crisis pregnancy one can come to a place of acceptance.
They are also nauseated and tired and all the other things that come with carrying a child within.
The difference is this little girl was chosen to be a very special mother and the news for her is a life altering moment.
She asked the angel Gabriel, “how can this be? as I am a virgin”
The angel told her, “the spirit will come upon you and the power of the most high will over shadow you. Therefore the child to be born shall be called Holy – the Son of God.”
The SON of God.
Mary was afraid and confused.
She feared the news but then slowly moved to a place of acceptance in her heart.
The angel told her that her relative Elizabeth was also expecting a child.
The impossibility of that fact was true as Mary knew Elizabeth was old and not able to have a child.
Elizabeth had been in hiding for five months purposely not showing her rounding self and when the sixth month came the angel appeared to tell Mary about her baby to be and Elizabeth’s also in case she had a hard time believing.
I wonder if that was helpful for Mary to believe in her own miracle.
Sometimes we can believe in a miracle for others much easier than for ourselves.
It was all being orchestrated by God and his master plan.
I find it amazing and exciting that God has a plan for our lives way before we are born.
Mary’s heart needed to share with someone.
She needed someone with a kindred spirit to understand the seriousness of the words spoken.
“You will have a son and you will name him Jesus and he will be called the Son of God.”
Elizabeth would be the perfect person to share with.
If anyone would understand the miracle she certainly would.
Mary’s heart needed a friend and soon she would go see her.
by Sharon O | Dec 3, 2013 | Uncategorized
When God looked down and decided to choose Mary to be the mother of Jesus.
The silence was broken.
For five hundred years God had been quiet.
The anticipation of a ‘coming king’ was always in the teachings
and it was part of a divine plan but never fully understood.
In Luke 1:26-33
The encounter would take place just between the angel Gabriel and Mary.
In order to understand the seriousness of the moment.
One has to know the laws of the land.
If anyone is caught being with a child and not being ‘married’ it was cause for great shame and also death.
The rule was to stone them.
So this encounter with Mary would be very life changing.
One also has to understand she was only a teen between the ages of thirteen or fourteen.
(that really hits home to me as I have a fourteen year old grand daughter)
Mary was also a virgin.
Never knowing a loving intimate relationship with a man.
So not only was it a life changing miracle for her it was potentially life threatening too.
Can you even imagine with me the moment?
A young teen all of a sudden noticing the brightest ANGEL
entering into the same room where she was standing.
Then in that moment the angel said to her :
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth
27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.
28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”
29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.
30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,
33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Can you even imagine with me the thoughts and feelings Mary must have had at that very moment?
How can this be? What shall I do? Who can I tell?
In this very special moment between the Angel and Mary the silence was broken between God and man.
In this very special moment Mary became the chosen one.
Forever in history in a moment in time.
A miracle was taking place and lives would forever be changed.
by Sharon O | Nov 29, 2013 | Uncategorized
Thanksgiving is over now.
Today I saw cars with Christmas trees on the top.
The people inside them already planning on
Christmas decorating when they got home.
I would rather take a few days and reflect on the many things we have to be thankful for.
This has been a season of thanks.
Gratitude is the highest form of praise.
Thanksgiving is so over looked and ignored.
Thanksgiving day is over but we can still remain thankful in all things and for all things.
We can reflect on the past months and see
where God has had his hands on our lives.
We notice the passing of time more as we age.
It seems we just had Christmas and now we are here again.
Soon we will begin to move into the holiday spirit.
Ready for the carols, and cocoa in steaming hot mugs.
Ready for the fire in the fireplace with the crackling wood.
Ready for the nativity to be set in a good and wonderful place.
Ready for a marathon shopping day then a marathon wrapping day.
Reflections of days so long ago when life seemed a bit easier.
When the passing of time seemed slower and the season could just be a time of reflection.
by Sharon O | Nov 28, 2013 | Uncategorized
May you all have a memory filled and wonderful thanksgiving day.
May you begin to realize we have many things to be thankful for.
May we praise God for whom all blessings flow.
Happy Thanksgiving… from our house to yours.
{not sure where I found this picture but I totally love it}
by Sharon O | Nov 26, 2013 | Uncategorized
In September I said good bye to my buddy, my computer/writing partner and my sweet Smudge.
She was sixteen and it was time for her to leave us.
When I took her to the vet to have him put her down I said through many tears, I will never do this again.
It is too hard and too painful.
Well that was then and this is now.
We now have Miss Molly.
She is near eight or nine weeks old.
As my husband says “good golly miss Molly”
You are very cute.
Yes I must be losing my mind to begin one more time.
To learn to love and protect and care for a baby again.
She will be indoors only.
She is settling in very well.
She is pretty cute when she sits on the heat vent.
Or finds a cozy spot to sleep in.
She is our newest family member.
