True Inspiration

"God's inspiration does not come to those who sit with folded hands and lazy minds and only wait, but to those who think and seek and search. True inspiration comes when the searching mind joins with the revealing Spirit of God." - William Barclay

I think these words teach us a lot about the value of Advent. Of course, Jesus is not only revealed to those who reflect on his birth, but I do believe that the more we 'seek' Christ, the more we discover him. 

So, this is my prayer for you this week:

May we find Jesus in the words of Scripture.
May we discover Christ in the chaos of our world.
May we encounter the Spirit of God in the songs of Christmas.
May we comprehend his grace in the touch of a friend.
May we be reminded of his love in the smell of the scented candle.
May we appreciate his incarnation in the silence of the night.

As you search for Christ this season, may you discover how close he truly is.

"Search and you will find." - Matthew 7

Living in Grace

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Paradise unlocked

"Come, then, let us observe the Feast. Truly wondrous is the whole chronicle of the Nativity. For this day the ancient slavery is ended, 

the devil confounded,
the demons take to flight,
the power of death is broken,
paradise is unlocked,
the curse is taken away,
sin is removed from us,
error driven out,
truth has been brought back,
the speech of kindliness diffused,
and spreads on every side,

a heavenly way of life has been ‘in planted on the earth, angels communicate with men without fear, and men now hold speech with angels." – St. John Chrysostom

When I read through these words of John Chrysostom, I was struck by the phrase - "paradise is unlocked."

As we accept the invitation to celebrate the Birth of Jesus, may we experience the beauty of a new paradise.

Revelation 2:7 - Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Living in Grace

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In conflict with ourselves, but at Peace with God.

In sharing about the PEACE that Christ gives to the world, I have been caught up in thinking how many people refuse to love themselves. Of course, there are plenty of people who have no problem with this (loving themselves), but there are millions of people who struggle to love who they are. There are a myriad of reasons for this, but in essence, the truth still stands - we are often in conflict with ourselves.

In response to this, Jesus says in John 16:33:

"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (NIV)

Complete Jewish Bible - “I have said these things to you so that, united with me, you may have shalom. In the world, you have tsuris (distress). But be brave! I have conquered the world!”

The starting point for our peace is to know Jesus. We can experience true Shalom when we know that we are loved by Jesus.

Living in Grace

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Looking for the star

"When they saw the star, they were overjoyed." - Matthew 2:10

"O come, thou radiant Morning Star,
Again, in human darkness shine!
Arise, resplendent from afar!
Assert thy royalty divine!
Thy sway o'ver all the earth maintain,
And now begin they glorious reign. Amen." - Charles Wesley

As we look out in the evening skies, let us take note of the brightest stars and remember that the birth of Jesus Christ brings great joy.

May you find your JOY this Advent season.

Living in Grace

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We all have to grow up

Growing old is not optional for us mere mortals. From the moment we breathe our first breath, our bodies are influenced by our frail mortality. That is just life, and we can either fight against it or celebrate the gift we have been given. 

This weekend, Kim and I get to celebrate our birthday's once again. It is always special to mark our birthday's a single day apart. Each year, it is a long patient wait, but when we eventually get there, we get to celebrate together. 

The reason for this post, is not to remind you of our birthdays :) BUT to reflect on the fact that even Jesus had to grow up and he grew older. Too often we celebrate Christmas and leave Jesus as the tiny infant in the manger. This is not where he stayed! He grew up, became a man, and entered into three years of public ministry. At the end of this time, he gave up his life for the sins of the world. This is worth remembering. 

"She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." - Matthew 1:21

“Don’t leave Jesus in the manger; don’t remember Him only at Christmas. Instead, learn to walk with Him every day, as you pray and read His Word and ask Him to help you.” - Billy Graham

Living in Grace

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Not just for me!

Many people are hell-bent on taking care of Number One (themselves). We note that a large majority of our world live with 'blinkers' on and try to appease only themselves. As Christians, we have to fight against this urge the whole time - it is like swimming upstream. Jesus teaches us to love our neighbour and to serve our fellow man/woman, but this is tough to do.

Advent offers us a different perspective on 'giving' and 'sharing.' So, we look to God as the source of all goodness and mercy - and then we should make an appropriate response. 

God gave us Jesus and he then invited us into his abundant mercy. However, this mercy, hope and peace are not just for us to keep (for ourselves), but to offer to others. 

“Advent challenges us to live in the present moment as agents of this future hope. We can begin to share this hope wherever we find despair and discouragement.” – Trevor Hudson

2 Corinthians 9:8 - And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.

Living in Grace

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Look to the seat of Mercy

The mercy seat (kaporet) was the golden lid placed on top of the Ark of the Covenant and it contained two cherubim on either side of the seat. It was believed that Yahweh would appear in the space between the 2 angels. On the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would sprinkle blood on the seat, asking God to forgive our sins. 

Of course, the birth of Jesus ushered in a new Covenant, and we don't need to sprinkle blood on the seat of Mercy anymore. In fact, we can argue that Jesus is the new Mercy Seat - our forgiveness rests on Him.

11 So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. 12 With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever. (Hebrews 9)

It may seem the wrong time of the year to be speaking about the death of Jesus, but I was reminded today that it is the presence of Jesus that drew our attention to the grace and MERCY of Yahweh. 

Thought: As we remember World Aids Day, and all those who are impact by HIV/AIDS, let us be conscious of how we judge other people. In the end, we are all called to look to the one who offers us justice and Mercy - his name is Jesus. 

Matthew 7:2 - "For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

Living in Grace

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