The Sweet Agony of Anticipation

By James H. Pence –

When I was growing up, Christmas Eve was the longest day—and night—of my year. Even when I was old enough to know that Santa Claus was really Mom and Dad, I still became so overcome with excitement that I felt the day would never end. At bedtime, I’d lay for what seemed like an eternity, looking at the ceiling and wondering when I’d ever fall asleep.

My feelings on that day could only be described as “sweet agony.”  Agony, because it seemed all the clocks in the house were running in snail mode; sweet, because I was anticipating something that was going to be utterly delightful: Christmas morning. But although the joy of Christmas morning was great, it paled in comparison to the sweet agony of Christmas Eve.

It is that same sweet agony that I see in the apostle Paul when he sat under house arrest, facing trial and possible execution: “I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” (Philippians 1:23 NIV).

Most people facing execution will try their best to avoid it. Paul practically says, “Bring it on! I want to go and be with the Lord.” How can we explain this attitude? Paul lays it out for us a few verses earlier: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21 NIV). The apostle explains that remaining in the body means “fruitful labor,” but dying means to be “with Christ.” He caps it off by saying that being with Christ is “better by far.” Paul’s mind is so focused on the joys of being with Jesus in heaven that death not only fails to frighten him, he welcomes the idea.

Paul lived with the sweet agony of anticipation: The anticipation of an eternity with Christ.

As we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, may our hearts be overcome with childlike anticipation. Not the anticipation of material things, goodies, or food. Rather, let us experience the sweet agony of longing for heaven, of desiring to be with Christ, of understanding that for us, living is Christ and dying is gain.

That God’s Christmas gift to us: The hope of heaven in Him.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us so much that You sent Your only begotten Son into the world for us. Please help us this Christmas season to embrace the attitude that says, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

“Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life” (Jude 21).

Today’s devotion is by James H. Pence. James is an author, speaker, singer, and gospel chalk artist, but prefers to be known as a storyteller. To learn more about James and how he draws the stories of your heart, visit his Web site at: www.jameshpence.com.

Christmas Comfort

By Robin J. Steinweg –

“Okay, Mom, when do we get to open our Christmas Eve pajamas?”

“What do you mean, ‘Christmas Eve pajamas’? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Our tall sons nudge each other and eyeball the presents under the tree. It’s tradition: Go to church, open one gift, sing carols together; drink cocoa, gobble cookies, pray together, then hit the sack.

“You know. What we get every Christmas Eve. What color are they this year?”

“I am clueless. Enlighten me.”

Son number two rolls his eyes. “We’re on to you, Mom.”

I am all innocence. “I can’t imagine why you think you’re getting pajamas.”

“It might have something to do with the fact that we’ve gotten them every Christmas Eve for eighteen years.”

“That was pure coincidence. I’m sure you’ll be surprised this year.”

Son number one pats my head. “Right, Mom. It’ll be a surprise to find out if they match or not.”

I hand them and their father packages marked “Christmas Eve.” I make them open them simultaneously. They each pull out dark green lounge pants printed with bright-colored strings of lights, and T-shirts, each a different color. “Surprise!” I holler. They laugh and go to put them on.

Traditions and rituals are not only fun, but comforting. Like knowing that Girl Scouts will appear at the door in the fall selling cookies; Mr. Rogers will don a sweater and canvas shoes on every rerun; It’s A Wonderful Life will be on TV several times each Christmas season; and bell-ringers for the Salvation Army kettles have been out in force.

The first Christmas did not offer any traditions. Conquering Romans forced the Hebrews to travel to the towns of their birth for a census, regardless of the hardship it placed on them. A woman in labor, turned away from crowded inns, found small comfort in giving birth to her firstborn in a stable. Angels appeared and terrified some shepherds. A star, never seen before, lit the way for magi to travel from the east to find a Child, the prophesied King of the Jews.

Even so, God’s Word rings true: “Comfort, comfort My people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that…her sin has been paid for.” (Isaiah 40:1-2). Now there’s comfort to last from Christmas to eternity!

QUOTE: “…remember, Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day to save us all from Satan’s power when we were gone astray. O, tidings of comfort and joy; comfort and joy! O, tidings of comfort and joy!” (Traditional English carol)

“I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow” (Jeremiah 31:13c NIV).

Today’s devotional is by Robin J. Steinweg. Robin’s life might be described using the game Twister: the colored dots are all occupied, limbs intertwine (hopefully not to the point of tangling), and you never know which dot the arrow will point to next, but it sure is fun getting there!

The Cattle Were Sneezing

By Cynthia Ruchti –

“But, those people…”

The complaint took on a decidedly whiny tone.

“What about them, Sharla?”

“They’re…germy. Dirty. Smelly.”

Karen sighed. “And they’re needy, which is why our small group is reaching out to the homeless. They need to know someone cares so they’ll understand that Jesus cares.”

Sharla checked her BlackBerry. “Oh. I just realized I have an office Christmas party that night.”

“Not a problem. We’re serving holiday lunch at the shelter, not supper. You’ll have plenty of time to get changed for your party.”

“But, I’ll have to…”

“To what, Sharla? Take a shower? Disinfect?”

Sharla pressed her lips together, nostrils flaring as she breathed.

“Jesus was born in a stable.”

“Well, I know that.”

“He probably had cows sneezing on Him. Or worse. Jesus—a fragile newborn. The Son of God. And we’re having an issue with reaching out to humans in His Name?”

Every time we whine about how difficult or unpleasant it is to serve others, what must that communicate to the God who gave His Son, to the Son who left the splendors of heaven to be born in a stable and laid in a manger, to the One who was beaten beyond recognition and died on a crude cross—for us?

PRAYER: Lord, I’m ashamed of the times I’ve complained about some meaningless unpleasantry, about the inconvenience of the homeless man on the street corner and the foul odor of the pile of tennis shoes at the entrance to the youth room at church, of the runny noses of the kids in the nursery. Forgive me, Lord, for forgetting all the ugliness You endured for my sake, including the foul odor of my sin. Help me lose myself in loving like You loved.

VERSE: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2 NIV).

Today’s devotional is by Cynthia Ruchti, writer and producer of the radio ministry The Heartbeat of the Home and current president of American Christian Fiction Writers. Cynthia’s debut novel—They Almost Always Come Home—released from Abingdon Press in Spring 2010 and A Door County Christmas novella collection (Barbour Publishing) released Fall 2010. Cynthia writes stories of hope that glows in the dark. www.cynthiaruchti.com.

What Did You Expect?

By Jarrod Spencer –

My wife is very expressive. It is one of her great traits. I am not so expressive. It is one of my…traits. We tend to joke about this area from time to time because we are very different. Luckily, our son is more like his mommy in this area.

Since I tend to not be as expressive, I hate to open gifts in front of people. I love to receive them, but do not like to open them in front of people. The main reason is that I’ve been known to be very unexpressive when I open something that maybe wasn’t what I wanted or expected.

I can’t help but wonder if the people of Jesus’ day were much like I am about gifts? Their ancestors had passed down the prophecy to them. It was always a waiting game. “Could it be this year?” At the time of Jesus’ birth, they had experienced about 400 years of no contact from God. The time between the two Testaments, God had not sent prophets to shape up the people. So, very few even knew that the time of a Messiah being born was a possibility, especially, those outside the Jewish faith.

However, once He did come on the scene, how many people questioned it. “A child born in Bethlehem? In a manger? From a peasant family? I don’t think so.” Joseph wasn’t the Rockefeller of his day, nor was he a Heisman winner. He was from a common family. Mary—she was no princess, by heritage. She wasn’t a former Miss Israel. A commoner.

Jesus came in common form, to common folks, for a common purpose. He may not have come in a form they expected. They may have gruffed at the fact He arrived the way He did, to whom He did. Regardless, Jesus was the gift we needed, even if it didn’t seem so in the beginning. Jesus was the expected Savior, but in different form. May we praise God for the things we’re given which we didn’t expect!

PRAYER: Father, You are an expert in giving us what we need and when we need it. I love that about You. May we appreciate what comes our way from You, even in the moments of our lives we didn’t expect what you provided. May we understand what comes from You is beneficial for our lives. Thank You for giving us the unexpected!

“Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown” (Luke 4:24 ESV).

Today’s devotional is by Jarrod Spencer. He is a seeker of God’s surprises in everyday life, looking for ways to be used by God with anyone he comes in contact with. He has a passion for encouraging people through the written word and exercises that passion with blogging and sending out a weekly text of encouragement. You can read more of his writings at http://jarrodspencer.blogspot.com and his church’s website is http://www.colbychurch.com.

May Your Days Be Merry and Bright

By Aubrey Spencer –

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! We are all moved in and settled in our new home in Kansas, just in time for my favorite holiday. I love the lights, the music, the decorations, the traditions, the cheer, the excitement and, of course, Santa! I’m telling you, moving around this time of the year has been a great motivator for me. In just two weeks time, I’ve completely unpacked, decked the house out for Christmas and am ready to host our annual Holiday Open House on Sunday.

You see, if it weren’t for my love of all things Christmas and my clouded vision that comes from the joy of this season, I would be staring at a number of things that aren’t so festive. Like the fact that we had a leak from the hot water heater that flooded our basement last week. Or how running the washing machine made the shower drain overflow Monday night, causing the basement to flood again. Or dealing with fussy Oliver, who’s getting more teeth, has his first cold and hasn’t been so jolly the last week, to say the least. Or possibly, the fact that our living situation is temporary because we’re renting a house still up for sale while waiting for our own home to sell back in Illinois. Our charming house is tiny, and half of our belongings are still packed, stored in the garage because our furniture won’t all fit. Compounding all these frustrations, in just one week’s time, we lost the house keys once, locked ourselves out of the house once and locked the office keys inside the office. Crazy, huh?

It would be so easy for me to become the Grinch if I focused on all that craziness. But, I’m thinking of better things: twinkling lights, mistletoe, Christmas carols, joy, friendship, and laughter.

Truth is, it’s easy not to be bah hum bug during the holidays. The real work begins when problems arise and there are no silver bells to distract me. It is in those moments that I must remember what Scripture tells me—dwell on things above. With that focus, my days will be merry and bright, through the holidays and beyond.

PRAYER: Father, I pray that You will help me focus on You and all Your blessings instead of the troubles and difficulties that come my way. Help me to see situations through Your eyes and to fill myself with Your goodness.

“…Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things” (Philippians 4:8 NIV).

Today’s devotional is by Aubrey Spencer. Aubrey is a real housewife of northwest Kansas. She is a minister’s wife and a mom to two little miracles, Oliver and Ava. She has a passion for writing and entertaining but realizes her greatest ministry at the moment is to raise her children to be people after God’s own heart. She loves to see how God shows up in everyday situations. Read more of her writings at http://ministrymama.blogspot.com.

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