Merry Unexpected Christmas!

Christmas day is almost over here in Japan.  It has been a great day!  A completely unexpected day.  Actually, a completely unexpected week!

Sunday was an unexpected when I received a message that my coworker was not feeling well.  By 1PM it was obvious that he was not going to be able to make it to church that afternoon.  Thankfully, we had already planned the themes for advent Sundays, so planning a message in a couple of hours was not quite as difficult.  Everyone at church was understanding and helpful.  We had a good time studying about joy in the story of Jesus' birth.

Monday morning dawned with a snow squall and another not quite as unexpected message.  Influenza had taken down two more of the members of my coworkers' family, putting the count at 3.  I continued with my day off as usual which included tea time with a friend.  God prepared both of our hearts and she offered as I asked her to play piano for our Christmas Eve service at church!

With that unexpected challenge cleared, I was ready to begin preparing for the service on Tuesday.  I spent the day at church, reading, preparing, checking out the programs from the last couple of years, and enjoying delving into the Christmas story again.  My friend came to get the music and help me check the Japanese on the power point.  We had another good time of fellowship.


Unexpectedly, I had just enough cookies left at home to take to my morning exercise friends at the park on Christmas eve morning.  It was fun to see their faces and hear the "Merry Christmas" responses.


Our Christmas eve service was beautiful and full of joy.  I am so grateful for our church, the lovely people, and the wonderful celebration of our Savior's birth.

Following the service, my piano-playing friend came over and spent the night.  We enjoyed fellowship late into the night and basically all day today.  What a blessing to have a friend with whom I can spend a day sitting at the table, chatting, snacking, laughing, crying, and sharing words of wisdom.  An unexpected Christmas was just what I needed!


(Although, I missed hanging out with the Ewing family and look forward to our belated celebration!)

Christmas Books

 I have a pile of Christmas books.  Most years I read several of them.  This year I have gotten through one of them.  And, it is the shortest one at that! "Christmas in Harmony" by Philip Gulley

It is a really fun read, though.  The book is written by a Quaker pastor, and it is about a pastor who lives in a small town shepherding the church where he grew up.  It makes me laugh out loud and makes me pause to ponder.

Here are a couple of quotes from pages I have dog-eared over the years...
God could have sent a lawyer who would scrupulously define the limits of love.  Instead, He went for broke, and sent a child with whom He was well pleased.  And had the good sense to tell Him that.
Christmas, I tell my wife, is not the time to hold back.  It is the bold stroke, the song in the silence, the red hat in a gray-suit world.

That is the problem of theology- instead of bringing clarity, it often raises questions too frightening to consider.

"You know, Sam, having the Nativity scene spread out like that kinda reminded me how we never really see the full picture.  We think we do, but most we're just lookin' at bits and pieces, thinkin' we're seeing the whole thing."

If you are looking for a quick read this Christmas, one that reminds you of the true meaning of Christmas and the messiness of life, this is a book you might like.

The Wonder of Christmas

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1 ESV)

I was fascinated by what I read tonight in my devotional, so I am going to quote various parts of it here.

"The eastern church, centered in Constantinople, at first celebrated Christ's birth in a feast called Epiphany.  They chose January 6th, reasoning that since the first Adam was born on the sixth day of creation, the last Adam should be celebrated on the sixth day of the year."

I did not know that.  Kind of an interesting line of reasoning.

He then talks about how Rome chose December 25th.  Then he concludes with these remarks...

"Some Christians complain about the impure origin of the Christmas celebration.  A pope chose its date; it's decorated trees and wreaths and supernatural character named Santa Claus all have pagan beginnings."

And here is the important part...

"But none of this matters-our faith is what matters.  It makes us sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1).  So, by faith, let's sanctify our hearts with this truth:  when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman. (Galatians 4:4)"

The wonder of Christmas- faith!

The Wonder of Christmas

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:1, 2, 4, 5 NIV)

I love the lights of Christmas.  I love driving around looking at the lights people have put up outside or even have put in windows to let us peek into their homes.  I have boxes of lights and love to string them up throughout my apartment.  Every year I contemplate buying more lights.

What is it that draws me to the light?  Maybe it has something to do with the Word who was with God in the beginning.

Oh, the joy of verse five!  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it!

The wonder of Christmas: when it is dark and I think I have lost my way, the LIGHT shines!  The darkness has not overcome the light, nor will it.

Praise God for the Light!

The Wonder of Christmas

for my eyes have seen your salvation (Luke 2:30 ESV)

Simeon and Anna are two people from the Christmas story who do not get as much attention as others.  They had been waiting for the salvation of Israel, for Messiah.  Not just waiting, waiting expectantly and seeking God.  God granted them the desire of their hearts, to see the Christ.

When they saw Jesus, they praised God, giving Him thanks, and then told others what they had seen, Who it was that was right in front of them.

Simeon said, "for my eyes have seen your salvation."  

Our eyes, also, can see His salvation, if they are open, are waiting expectantly, are seeking God.

The wonder of Christmas, we can see the salvation of God!

The Wonder of Christmas

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14 ESV)

This is the wonder of Christmas: the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

This leaves me speechless: the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

This humbles me: the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

This causes me to rejoice: the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

This is the joy of Christmas: the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

Let the reality of that sentence settle into your soul:  the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

What is your response to this wonder of Christmas?

The Wonder of Christmas

After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. (Matthew 2:9-11 ESV)

When I think of the Magi, I am filled with wonder.  They had a lot of confidence and had studied a long time to leave their homes and take off on a journey to a destination they were not quite sure of.  These people, seems like there may have been quite an entourage, felt that the birth of a new king was important enough to make such a trip.  And, all they had for a map was a star.  Oh, I can't wait to talk to some of the people from this group when I get to heaven!  They must have some great travel stories!

This summer when friends were visiting from Japan, we stopped out in the middle of a corn field on a clear, moonless night.  The night sky was amazing!  I am awestruck that in the midst of all of that, these people could recognize a new star and knew its meaning.  I am Wonderstruck that God made such an amazing universe and that even at night we can see His handiwork.

The Wonder of Christmas

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” (Luke 1:26-28 ESV)

Mary has gotten a lot of attention through the years.  With a greeting like that from an angel, I can understand why!  She is favored by the Lord who is with her.  There is also the next part, where she births the Savior of the world!  But, she does have a significant role in the wonder of Christmas.

I know a lot of women who are mothers-my own mother, many friends and relatives-who I consider to be amazing women and mothers.  Today, though, as I think of Mary, I am thinking of my friend, Melissa, since it is her birthday.

Melissa has reminded me many times, through her actions and her words, the I am favored by our Lord who walks with me.  Melissa believes with all her heart that we are God's beloved.  She wants all women, and men, to understand that God whispers "I love you" in our ears each day.  

Sometimes I feel like a failure, like I messed up, like I do not deserve God's love.  Melissa is there to remind me that I, too, am my Lord's beloved, his favored one.  She reminds me that I am loved.

I am grateful for a friend who reminds me.

I am wonderstruck that our Lord loves us, loves me.

The Wonder of Christmas

Yesterday my dad and I visited a couple of friends from church who now live in assisted living.  As we left, I was given an Advent devotional.  Recently, I had found a different devotional I was planning to use.  However, since this was given to me the day before Advent, I decided to read it.  It is called, "The Wonder of Christmas."  

Some friends and I have been reading and discussing a book called "Wonderstruck."  This new devotional seems to go with the theme of wonder we have been exploring!  So, I wanted to share some thoughts of wonder this Advent season.

Today's verses are from Luke 2:6-7

 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:6, 7 ESV)

There are so many points of wonder in these verses!  Today, I am filled with wonder that the God of the universe, our creator and Lord, chose to come to this earth as a baby.  He came in human flesh.  I am so filled with awe right now that no more words come to mind!

Father, thank you for sending Jesus.  Jesus thank you for being the most amazing gift.  Holy Spirit, thank you for revealing these things to us and guiding us as we seek the wonder of Christmas.

Christmas Review Continued

A shopping mall near our church held a Christmas tree decorating contest.  We decided to try out for it and were chosen as one of the contestants.  We had a good time deciding how to decorate the tree, making the decorations, and then decorating the tree.

There were some great bonuses to being part of the contest.  We received a coupon to use at the mall, plus we got to keep the tree and lights.  Hopefully, we were also able to introduce our church to some new people!

Putting the tree together

Having fun!

Wrapping the tree with the ribbon Mrs. Sakamoto wrote on so nicely.

Mrs. Sakamoto arranging the ribbon and decorations.

Mr. Sakamoto adding decorations.

Our finished product!

All the trees

We didn't win anything, but this group of children won the grand prize!

Christmas Fun

In December, our church plant, Komyo Christian Church, hosted several events to share the true meaning of Christmas with our friends and students.  Here is a little glimpse into our December:

We started with a Ladies' Tea and Card-making afternoon.  It was fun to just spread out the tools, stamps, and paper and see the creativity of the ladies.  We had a fun afternoon chatting and creating.  Even Elijah got in on the fun!

My baking class even had fun with Christmas cookies!

Later in the month we hosted a party for our English classes.  We played games, sang songs, and acted out the Christmas story.  Of course, there was food, too!

We had a beautiful evening for the Christmas eve candle service!

We pray that God's love, the true meaning of Christmas, was proclaimed!

Memories

The Christmas season is filled with memories.  As I thought about putting up my tree and decorating my apartment, I wondered why I do it.  Not in a frustrated way.  Not because it is annoying or time consuming.  Just pondering as I decorated.

Then I realized, as each ornament was removed from the box, each one brought back memories.  Memories of the people who gave me the ornaments.  Memories of the time of life I was in when I received or bought the ornament.  The place where the ornament was bought.

Here are a few memories from my tree, in no particular order:
(The pictures are a little blurry.  I was in a hurry to take them!)

This is probably my oldest ornament.  I can't remember a Christmas without it on the tree!  My great grandma made it, if I remember correctly.

This ornament is from Sandy, from the year we did the children's musical, "Santa Bowed at Christmas"

I actually don't remember where this came from, but it reminds me of Delora because she collects Santas.

This is from my teaching days.  Wendy gave it to me when she was teaching 3rd grade.

This is from Grandma Reed, I think.  If it isn't, I always think of her when I put it up!

Thanks to Della I have this beautiful nativity ornament from Israel.

The bell from Shonda's and Paul's wedding!

And, a snowman ornament from Shonda and Paul!

A snowflake from Mom to remind me of the year of Shonda's wedding.

And, an angel from Mom.

Even an ornament from Aunt Karen.

HAWAII!

South Dakota!

I bought this at the Christmas Shop in Karuizawa.

Another ornament from teaching days, "O Little Town of Bethlehem."

This one is a little hard to see, but it is a snowflake.  I don't exactly remember where it came from, but for some reason it reminds me of my high school buddy, Signe.

Bought in Japan, but it reminds me of Texas!

Made by Phyllis from my home church.

Card from one of my roommates in seminary, Melodee, who is now a missionary in Europe.

And, my cute mouse from Mrs. Westall!

If you made it this far, thanks for sticking around for my walk down memory lane.  Of course, for me the best memories don't have to do with Christmas trees and ornaments, but with celebrating Jesus' birth with my family and friends.  What lovely memories to ponder every year.