Tag: Christmas

 The start of Luke’s Gospel records songs uttered in response to God’s redeeming grace announced in our fallen world.

These are Zechariah’s words of exuberant praise after months of silence following an angelic announcement:

“because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

‭‭(Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭78‬-‭79‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

The tender mercy of God our Father ushered in light & peace

Like the sunrise shining light in the darkness so the Light of the World was sent to earth as a tiny baby. He who created light at the beginning of time, stooped into the shadows of this sin-drenched world.

His light shines in our lives- bringing hope & joy.

God guides our footsteps along the path of peace:

Peace the world can’t deliver.

Shalom only the Prince of Peace can bring.

Peace of mind & heart.

God’s unmerited mercy, radiant light & deep peace are at the heart of the Christmas story-at the centre of the narrative of mankind.

We can experience the tender mercies of our Father God in our day to day life, step by step on our path with Him.

We can believe in Him this Christmastime. We can trust Him this New Year {& always} 

Blessings,

Ruth x

Jesus said:

“I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.”

‭‭(John‬ ‭10‬:‭6‬-‭10‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

Jesus came as light in our darkness to shine His hope onto our weary souls. He was sent by God from resplendent glory to give eternal life:

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

‭‭(John‬ ‭17‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

Jesus came as the Way to navigate life to God Himself. He came as the Ultimate Truth & God-breathed Word. He came to bring true & better life- the best life that we were created for!

Jesus, who entered our time as a tiny baby, fulfilled God the Father’s perfect plan through the ages.

Jesus, Son of the Most High God brought:

Hope in our world

Love in our hearts

Joy in our lives

Peace in our souls

May we know all that Jesus means this Christmastime {& always}

Blessings,

Ruth x

The prophet Isaiah wrote these words hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus:

‘The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.’ (Isaiah 9:2 NIV)

Over two thousand years later & the darkness seems deeper today.

‘This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.’ (John 3:19 NIV)

God sent His light into our deeply dark world:

‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.’ (John 1:5 NIV)

‘… the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.’ (1 John 2:8b NIV)

God sent light into the world in the form of a Person:

‘Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”’

(John 8:12 NIV)

God spoke light into being in the beginning:

‘For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.’ (2 Corinthians 4:6 NLT)

‘In your light we see light.’ (Psalms 36:9 NIV)

God has called us:

‘that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.’

(1 Peter 2:9 NIV)

At Christmastime there’s light all around us-

Candle light

Sparkling fairy lights

Twinkling star light

Streetlights

Lightbulbs in our homes

Lights decorating trees inside & out

All dispelling darkness in their own way!

God wants us to be light in this dark world too:

‘You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world.’ (Matthew 5:14 MSG)

May God’s Light brighten your hearts & home this Christmastime. And may you be light shining in the darkness too!

Blessings,

Ruth x

I put the Christmas tree up last weekend – on the first Saturday in December, as is our tradition.

I got nostalgic- missing yesteryears when the children were little & we decorated the house to the tune of Frank Sinatra’s Jingle Bells! Those Saturdays were typically Pyjama Days for the kids & the stockings were hung up on the inglenook fireplace. And the Little People Nativity Set took over the coffee table.

I put up my Christmas pallet that says ‘It’s the most wonderful time of the year!’

Except sometimes it’s not. I mean it doesn’t feel wonderful. There’s so much going on in our own world & across the globe that is the opposite of wonderful. There’s dreadful, terrible news.

War.

Earthquakes.

Sickness & sadness.

Death & Depression.

Dysfunctional families.

Increased cost of living & poverty.

So, what makes our life wonderful?

Or rather Who turns our life wonderful this Christmas time?

The prophet Isaiah foretold the event that makes the difference:

‘Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.’ (Isaiah 7:14 NIV)

Immanuel means God with us.

God with us in our struggles.

In our sadness.

In our sickness.

In our stresses.

God with us through it all!

Our Almighty God took on flesh & bone & became a baby. He moved among us & went through day to day life on planet earth. So we can be saved. So we don’t have to face anything alone.

‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’ (Isaiah 9:6 NIV)

‘Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.’ (Psalms 9:10 NIV)

We know the Name of our Almighty Everlasting God who stooped from eternity into time {to be with us}

He is the Wonderful Counsellor:

‘I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.’ (Psalms 32:8 NIV)

He is Mighty God:

‘For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.’ (Zephaniah 3:17 NLT)

He is our Everlasting Father:

‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,’ (Matthew 6:9 NIV)

May you know the Prince of Peace, especially at this time of year.

‘Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.’ (2 Thessalonians 3:16 NIV)

Blessings,

Ruth x

Today is the twelfth day of Christmas- ‘The Rules’ state that the Christmas tree must be down & away by today! Ours is still standing as I write. It always feels like a pleasure to decorate the house for Christmas, & such a chore to pack it all away again.

Today, is also known as Epiphany- when we celebrate the coming of the Wise Men to visit Jesus (Many very patient children across the globe don’t get their Christmas gifts until today!)

Epiphany also means a moment of sudden understanding or revelation-an intuitive grasp of reality through something simple,yet striking.

Many of our days consist of ordinary things- school runs, homeworks, dirty laundry, hoovering up Christmas’ aftermath, taking rubbish to the dump.

Christmas is a celebration of Jesus, God the Son, stepping down from heaven into our ordinariness. If, in our ordinary day-to day life, our hearts are grateful for God, & and all He has done, then our days will be punctuated by extraordinary God-moments, ‘everyday epiphanies’

‘Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world’
(Sarah Ban Breathnach)

In these ordinary moments we can communicate with God & listen for His gentle whispers:
‘Earth’s crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God; but only he who sees, takes off his shoes. The rest sit round it & pluck blackberries’
(Elizabeth Barrett Browning)

God’s fingerprints are all around us, if we open the eyes of our hearts & really see. Some evenings the brushstrokes of our Creator are visible across the sky at sunset – displayed in orange brilliance. As the sun sinks in the West, the moon glows in the navy sky & stars appear one by one.

The night sky is as beautiful tonight as it was over two thousand years ago when those astronomers gazed at a new star. Those Magi followed the star to the One who scattered stars into space, yet became an ‘ordinary’ baby that we might have the sure hope of eternal life in His extraordinary heaven.

‘Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.’
(Cappeau)

Tonight, God doesn’t want wise men & women to follow the stars. Rather, He wants us to shine like stars in the universe (Phil 2:15)

To shine for Him.

To twinkle just where we are.

So that others might see the Light of the world in us & grasp His reality in their ordinary daily lives.

(Though our lives can never be truly ‘ordinary’ again, once we have been touched by the Star-Scatterer’s nail-scarred hands)

‘As with gladness, men of old
Did the guiding star behold
As with joy they hailed its light
Leading onward, beaming bright
So, most glorious Lord, may we
Evermore be led to Thee.‘
(William Dix 1867)

‘Look for Christ & you will find Him & with Him everything else’
(CS Lewis)

Blessings,

Ruth x