christmas

Look Full on His Wonderful Face

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Jesus Christ is the great leveler.
He creates a level playing field regardless of who you are and where you are.
The shepherds had very little regard or wealth.
The devout carpenter and virgin teenager were simply willing to believe.
The Wise Men knew how to use their intellect and science to follow signs.
The Angels knew the greatest miracle of all was happening
What they all had in common is they personally encountered Jesus.
Not just know about him, or sign a card, or put him in a line up of greatest teachers, they encountered Him.
 
Mary was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and conceived Jesus, then went on to deliver her deliverer.
Joseph was led in a dream to not only receive Jesus as the Son of God, but also to protect his new family in a second dream.
The shepherds had the gift of interacting with the heavenly host singing great news.
Wisemen were led by stars in the sky and also in a dream to find Jesus.
 
All of these God-breathed moments led them to Jesus the person.
The King. The Life changer
God moving into flesh.
 
I have the seed that’s been planted in my heart in recent weeks.
The notion first came from author Baxter Kruger who talks about what it meant for Jesus to come to earth. We sometimes reduce it to the forgiveness of sin. I know that language, the forgiveness of my sin and your sin, is monumental, earth-shattering.
 
But Kruger explains how the man in the woman in the garden, when they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they lost their sight of the loving Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They lost the reality of Presence they had enjoyed up to that moment.
Now blinded, they groped for something to put in place of the true, beautiful, loving, joy-filled, all-providing God. Kruger calls their feeble but deadly replacement, Adam’s god.
 
Little “g” god.
 
With increased knowledge of good and evil, they also discovered selfishness, consumerism, hatred, evil, division, deception, lust hopelessness hiding, shame.
 
Truly they had “fallen” so far from the place of total love, total adoration, the total provision in the presence of the living God, the beauty of the Son, and the power of the Spirit.
 
God’s solution to disrupted love was to repair our sight through a newborn king. However, Jesus coming in human form did not mean that he was unscathed. God in flesh did not somehow give him a magic bullet to dodge or minimize real life on planet earth.
Our lives on painful planet earth.
 
Quite the opposite. He walked in our flesh and blood, he experienced our broken emotions, he was tempted to minimize and criticize, he was rejected and scorned, abandoned, wounded, all the things that you and I walk around with every single day, and yet.
 
The one distinction that Jesus made as his aim and intention was to experience our human brokenness and yet maintain eye contact with his loving Father.
 
When Jesus says “I only do what I see my father doing,” I think that means far more than we’ve ever considered. Certainly, more than I have ever considered.
 
Jesus stared down Adam’s little “g” god, stood in the face of all of the brokenness. By doing so, Jesus opened the way for us also to restore our ability to see, restore our connection to the loving Father. Jesus fixed our eyes so that we might maintain our connection with God, locking eyes with the one who made us, loves us, perfects us, heals, and changes us.
 
Kruger’s notion of Adam’s god sent me diving into the Spirit. I’ve been just swimming around in the spirit trying to unpack and ask for more understanding and revelation.
 
I just had to laugh because the Spirit brought me a scripture that he showed me years and years ago.
 
16 But the moment one turns to the Lord[a]with an open heart, the veil is lifted and they see.[b]17 Now, the “Lord” I’m referring to is the Holy Spirit,[c]and wherever he is Lord, there is freedom.
18 We can all draw close to him with the veil removed from our faces. And with no veil, we all become like mirrors who brightly reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus.[d]We are being transfigured[e]into his very image as we move from one brighter level of glory to another.[f]And this glorious transfiguration comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.[g]
2 Corinthians 3
 
We, with unveiled faces, all reflect the Lord’s glory.
You, like me, have probably heard this verse many times. Heck, I have taught on it many times…
 
But today I want to share with you the different angle the Lord is sharing with me. We know when Jesus died on the cross, the curtain in the holy of holy‘s was rent from heaven to earth. Top to bottom, the veil was torn open so that we have access to the holy of holy‘s with God: intimate access, intimate connection, intimate proximity.
 
I love that reality and I also love the visual picture. But this scripture from Corinthian’s has awakened something different for me recently.
 
I previously thought that God put up that veil.
When I look through the eyes of Adam, seeing Adam’s god, I see all these fears, formalities and legalisms and rules and laws and efforts and pressure and performance.
 
Even in the middle of my love for God, I still see how that I sometimes put on God that he is not being who I think he should be.
 
As I have been listening in the spirit, I realize the veil is what I allow to come over my eyes.
When I experience fear and panic and anxiety and hatred and disgust and disappointment, I have allowed a veil to come between me and the true God.
 
The moment, the very instant, I turn my eyes on Jesus and look full in His wonderful face, the veil is gone and so are all of the distortions associated with Adam’s god.
 
The bitterness. The hatred. The smallness. The limitations.
The “I can’t, I won’t, I don’t” fades in the light of the glory of Christ.
 
The glory of his face, the glory of his love and connection to the Father shines through his face to me, to us.
As 2 Corinthians says, the moment one turns to the Lord with an open heart, the veil is lifted and we see. The moment we look for his face with an open heart we see the Lord and where you see the Lord, there is freedom.
 
Jesus prayed in John 17:
May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
 
Since Jesus gave us His glory, the glory the Father gave him, why don’t we experience more glory?
Why are we not looking for glory?
Perhaps our eyes are veiled by Adam’s god?
 
Whenever we see the Holy They for who they really are, the veil is taken away and we see and share their glory and we become bright like stars in a dark and perverse generation.
My invitation to you this Christmas and going forward is will you look on the face of Christ?
 
Lock on his eyes.
His look of love.
His look of belonging.
His look at acceptance.
His look of compassion.
I’ve been doing this little exercise with the Spirit of God as I try to embrace this revelation down in my own heart. When I feel angry or anxious or forgotten or unloved or abandoned or fearful I just hear in my heart “this is Adam’s god” and I turn back in prayer.
“Spirit lead me back to the face of Jesus.”
 
Chuck was praying the other morning for God to replace judging and condemning with forgiveness and generosity.
This is the stark reality between Adam’s god and the Living God.
 
Adam’s god is all about judging and condemning ourselves and others.
 
The Loving God is all about forgiving and blessing ourselves and others.
 
We have the opportunity to turn with an open heart, to remove the veil, and see the Lord for who he is and who he wants to be for us. All that we desire, all that our heart can stand, and all that we were born for, Jesus has revealed his glory. He has placed eternity in our hearts and eternity we will have with him. Come, Lord Jesus.
 
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full on his wonderful face.

The word is — Enjoyment

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So I have been “blogging” away (in my mind)  and thought I would share some of my musings. This is a stretch so hang with me.  It is about kittens, Jesus, and Christmas all in one.

We have two new kittens who are now about four months old. They are Dante and Leo.  I just enjoy them so much. They wrestle. They curl up together. They grab at us from under the bed. But mostly they look for us for snuggles. IMG_5040

Did you catch that? They look for us…As soon as either one of them, see either one of us, they jump up on us and immediately begin purring and try to get as close up to us as they can.

One day , I  was  enjoying Leo stretch out on my lap. His  little orange face was full of bliss. He  was warm, relaxed  and  his  eyes were closed tight as he emitted this lazy purr of contentment.

“This is what it’s like with us,” I heard the Lord say.

“Really?” I asked in disbelief.

“I enjoy it when you enjoy being with Me, like Leo enjoys being with you. Do you see how he just has to get closer and closer to you? I love it when you do that.”

Oh my soul. What do you do with that?

You know I can’t hardly snuggle the cats now without having a ” quiet time” with Jesus. He loves it when we curl up in His arms safe, content, even purring—that inexpressible groan of our spirit connecting with His Spirit.

IMG_0524So this Christ season, take a moment to enjoy the One who came just because He enjoys You.

 

In Conflict, Check the Love Switch

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How do we repair relationships without first repairing our own hearts? The Lord and I have talked a lot about how to walk through conflict —you know, the relational blow-ups  that make you want to throw up? or run away? or cry? or break something?

God is depositing so many revelations about how to do life with others, even when it is messy. He is revealing a beauty in the process that is priceless and is almost worth the pain even. He is teaching me and you how to live as He lives. In Perfect Love.

Revelation One is to assess  why  this conflict is so big on our radar? Why the over the top emotional reaction ( select from prior list or add your own)?  Why go there? God loves you and me. God loves the other person. We are both good.  So let’s take a deep breath and just let the Holy Spirit tweak and heal without all the drama caused by insecurities. There is a peace that passes understanding. Drama steals that peace. So wait on the Lord to bring clarity, truth, and hope.

Speaking of insecurities, that is Revelation Two. We react because we are afraid the love has run out. Danny Silk calls it the Love Switch,  and when we get hurt the first thing we do is turn the Love Switch  off.    We get stung by actions or words and then we question the intentions of the offending person. Does this person really love me? Is this person safe? Without clearly knowing the love connection, the commitment to relationship, it is difficult to trust. So we scramble, attack, hide or blame.

We want to “resolve the problem” but where is the love? We have to let the Lord first heal our hearts through forgiveness and grace so we can get the love back on for that person. Intention is a two way street. How are we communicating our continued love in this hard circumstance? Are we still speaking love and affection even though there is conflict? Through Jesus, is the Love Switch on?

As believers, we know this is a reality that Jesus is pleased to empower because His love is everlasting.  He is teaching us how to love as He loves.  Keep your love switch on. This requires faith. Strong faith that God is truly working all things for your good, but also  for the other person’s good.  (I’m glad He is God. This makes my head hurt.)

“What are you, man, if you do not learn love?”  This question posed by Shawn MacDonald in the song Simply Nothing sums up Revelation Two.

And finally, Revelation Three came by way of  a pertinent blog by Seth Godin. When God is talking, teaching, healing, He brings truth from all directions. Read it and let the Lord have His way in your conflict.  Conflict  is part of our transformation.  We can press in to learn how to enjoy it because we trust the end result.  “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Two questions behind every disagreement, by Seth Godin

Are we on the same team? and

What’s the right path forward?

Most of time, all we talk about is the path, without having the far more important but much more difficult conversation about agendas, goals and tone.

Is this a matter of respect? Power? Do you come out ahead if I fail? Has someone undercut you? Do we both want the same thing to happen here?

The reason politics in my country is diverging so much from useful governance has nothing to do with useful conversations and insight into what the right path is. It’s because defeat and power and humiliation and money have replaced “doing what works for all of us” as the driving force in politics.

If you feel disrespected, the person you disagree with is not going to be a useful partner in figuring out what the right path going forward might be. If one party (employee/customer/investor) only wins when the other party loses, what’s the point of talking about anything but that?

Deal with the agenda items and the dignity problems first before you try to work out the right strategic choices. (emphasis added)

The Manger Moment: The Common Denominator

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The manger scene is a wonder to ponder with the poorest of the poor in the shepherds and the richest of the rich in the magi. What a spectrum of humanity it is. Not unlike our own spectrum of Salvation Army bells ringing for donations and registers ringing up designer gadgets and clothing. Yet we will all come to “the moment.” And it will be the same moment for us all, rich or poor.

The gifts will all been opened, and the glee for the “next” will subside.  From the meager gifts of the Angel Tree recipients to the gaudy gifts of the materialists,  the packages will lie unwrapped in a heap, exposed for what they are: more stuff.

And then the moment comes. The manger moment.  In that split second  we ask, we all ask, whether young or old, wealthy or wanting, we ask, “is this all there is?”

This is the very answer they were given at the manger.  Here, wrapped in his mother’s arms, “is all there is.” Jesus is the all in all. He is the first and the last. The rich who became poor only to become rich. He is ancient of Days who became a newborn, the servant who became King. The crucified who rose again. He is the embodiment of the question “is this all there is?” To which He boldly answers, Yes I am. I am the way the truth and the life.

A new song on the radio declares a glorious truth much like the angels did on that first morning:  “our Salvation has a name.”

He is Jesus, Savior,
Son of God, the King of Kings.”
Our salvation has a name.

Jesus, Savior,
Precious Lord of Everything.
Our whole world’s about to change,
And it will never be the same.

He  is one thing that binds us all together… “But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Luke 2:10  Beyond the gifts, and the goodies, and the yummies, and the laughter, tears, torment, and longings, Jesus is the great joy that fills in our spirits like no gift card can. Jesus is joy. And He is ours for the taking, if we will only believe.

Don’t miss the answer of the manger moment. Our world will never be the same. Your world will never be the same.

A Great Light

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I was adding ornaments to my tree this morning. I had to laugh. They look like miniature disco balls. But they also looked liked mosaics. Broken shards delicately placed together to form a whole new piece of art.  And when the little white Christmas lights hit them, “Voila!”

Sparkles. Colors. Reflections bouncing everywhere. Grabbing color from the tree and other nearby ornaments, it became so much more in the light.

You were made to reflect the light. Not be the center or source of light, but close enough to reflect and bounce and dare I say it, dance in the light.

No wonder then that Jesus is called the great light that has come into the world. No wonder the darkness can not overcome Him. No wonder we look and feel so much better when we are close to Him. He came so we could reflect Him. Brilliantly, beautifullly, eternally.

And just as an exclamation point to this thought, I came back to the tree a little later in the morning and the sun was shining on the tree…talk about glowing!

So shine baby, shine.

“Blessed is the people who know the joyful sound;
they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance.”  Psalm 89:15

 

One Last Gift Under the Tree

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For the last two days I have been having a conversation about what to ask the Lord for, for Christmas. Better than Santa, I have learned that I can climb into my Father’s lap and He will be delighted to bless me with good things I ask for.

And then came the Spirit’s question, what was I giving God for Christmas? I am bustling around for others, but what was from me, for Them? Talk about hard to buy for!!

So in the wee hours this morning, I had an odd encounter with the Lord.  I was grumbling in my spirit for no real reason. And confessing, even as I was grumbling, that I wanted the Lord to soften my heart. I renounced the attack. I confessed my sin. But still my heart would not respond.

“Father, this is such a great time of year. This season has so much peace for me. So why is my heart feeling so flat this morning?”

I didn’t get a why, but I did get a remedy.

I went first to Psalm 51 as a way of asking the Lord to make me white as snow. But then He directed me to Psalm 50. I just sat there and marveled  in how God talks about God. He is ALL THAT and more. But my spiritual ears perked up when “The Mighty One, God, the Lord” began telling how He didn’t need my bulls, and blood, and sacrifices.  My feeling bad, or guilty, or regretful wasn’t the remedy.

“Sacrifice thank offerings to God.” (v. 14)

I had to dig around a little find out what “thank offerings” were, but they are called peace offerings, or freewill offerings. They are spontaneous. They are acts of solemn remembrances or jubliant rejoicing. Thank offerings are outpourings of a grateful heart. No bull, no blood, no gold. No credit cards or packages.

Just an abundant overflow from a heart that sees all that God has done. This is my Christmas gift to Them.  And it is also my remedy for a heart gone awry.

Bless You, Lord, for all  Your mercies and goodnesses shown to us!

From Glory to Glory

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When Jesus entered our earthly home as a baby, He made Holy the whole human journey. From the moment the virgin’s egg was overshadowed by the Holy Spirt and the Word became flesh to the moment His last forgiving breath led Him into the valley of the shadow of death, Jesus showed us how to do the God life, in our life.

It is important for our souls and spirits to grasp this profound reality. Especially when we understand that Jesus’ birth and death were not points of origin but were connecting a greater circle.

He came from glory, was born, lived, died, was resurrected and then returned to glory. From glory to glory. This is our destiny.  This is what Jesus came to reveal. “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! ” 1 John 3:1

Why does this matter to us this Christmas? Because beyond the gifts and goodies, families and friends, we are being fitted for our True homes. It is not a home where angels sit on clouds, but where we rule and reign with Christ.

Our souls need to marinate in this reality because this is where hope is born. To know that all this earthly struggle has been sanctified by Christ Himself, to know that He came in the middle of a sin-filled world and still lived with God and made it back to glory inspires us to hold on, to believe, to press in to the heart of of God.

Our spirits need to marinate in the reality because this is where the supernatural is born. When we come to know that we are made in the image of the Glory of Christ and all His abundant love and power is available to us, we live differently.

I recently visited my friend whose mother was dying. And despite the tragedy of her fraile and sickly body, I had a moment of jealously. Soon, very soon she would be in glory. That was her true destiny, regardless of what we were witnessing in the flesh. Today, Sarah is spending Christmas with the One we all long to see face to face.

If you are a true believer in Christ, Rest in hope of Glory today. It’s coming. And if you are not, weigh heavily the cost of your independence.

“…we are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. ” 2 Corinthians 3:17-18

Breath of Heaven

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This is a beautiful blending of three offerings:  the song, “Breath of Heaven,” the movie, The Nativity, and the savior of the World, Jesus — all represented in one piece of art.  
 
I hope you enjoy it. Better yet, I hope you cry.  
 
The story of God is too incredible to not be blown away by it… May He breathe on you today.  
 

Childlike Wonder

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Have you ever thought about Jesus as a child? Have you ever thought about what it means to grow up as a child of God?

I find that in my heart, and sometimes in conversation with others that we almost dismiss Jesus’ days as a child. Perhaps we think they were easier because He was the Son of God. But just as Andrew Peterson points out in “Labor of Love”, “It was not a silent night, there was blood on the ground…”  This is a great mystery of how God could be contained in the smallness of our earthen vessel. I am pondering today about the beauty of childlike wonder.

Did Jesus stop and stare at the wonders of nature that He had spoken into existence? Did He get excited, scared, bored, disappointed even? When He Himself is the answer to all of these?

I am beginning to realize the oxymoron is purposeful: Child of God. Jesus came to show us how to do life as Children of God. “…to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—” John 1:12 Crazy notion isn’t it?  We are children of God.

Through one babe “born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God, (John 1:13) we have been brought into the arms of the everlasting Father.  Ponder this in your heart. When Jesus told Nicodemus that he must become like a little child, He knew what He was talking about.

Jesus knew full well what it meant to be “like a little child.”  To giggle, to be giddy, to trust, to believe. To wonder. To receive the glory of God.

Want a Christmas prayer today? Put your name, and your loved ones’ names in this sentence. “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”