Christmas Joy: Resources

We celebrate Advent each December.  Some years we feel merry and bright; other years we feel lonely or anxious.  What restores our emotional center is knowing that God gives the gift of love and hope through Jesus Christ, Savior and King.  

When the Messiah was born long ago in a faraway manger, the world power system shifted.  God's mysterious arrival as a baby inspires awe.  The Son of Man defeated the powers of sin and death worldwide, forever, on the cross.  He offers us this  priceless gift of grace. 

During the Christmas season rejoice.  Immanuel, God with us, has ushered in his kingdom.  God reigns.  Therein lies our comfort and joy. 

"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death."
Romans 8:2

BOOKS

Gorrell, Angela Williams. The Gravity of Joy: A Story of Being Lost and Found. Eerdmans, 2021. 
(Gorrell is the first speaker/author in the free, online Calvin January Lecture Series, starting 1/10/22.  See calvin.edu/january )

Lucado, Max. Because of Bethlehem: Love is Born, Hope Is Here. Neslon. 2020

Keller, Timothy. Hidden Christmas: The Surprising Truth behind the Birth of Christ. Viking. 2016

Stanley, Andy. Who Needs Christmas. HarperChristian Resources. 2019

Tripp, Paul David.  Come Let Us Adore Him: 31 Daily Advent Devotional. Crossway. 2017

Warren, Rick. The Purpose of Christmas. Howard Books. 2008

Wolgemuth, Nancy DeMoss. The First Songs of Christmas: A 31 Day Advent Devotional. Moody. 2021

Parenting at Christmas

Our lives take surprising turns.  We don't know what lies ahead.  This is especially true in parenting.

We idealize what having a baby will be like.  A couple starts down that road.  Sometimes birth is textbook easy.  Sometimes parenting begins as a prolonged, expensive, frustrating bout with infertility.  Sometimes tears flow over a miscarriage or stillbirth.  Eventually, miraculously a child is born and joins our family.

We relate to the Christmas story of a young couple, Mary and Joseph, traveling while pregnant.  Conditions were difficult as the couple broke cultural norms.  The trip was risky and lodging was hard to find.  Jesus, their firstborn son was born in Bethlehem, far from home.  They learned to trust God and one another even as shepherds, angels, and magi arrived to rejoice over their son's birth.  

Parenting stretched their faith, as it does ours.  As parents, we act out of love and with courage when called upon.  Jesus was delivered in a stable in a strange city.   (Lk 2:7)  Shortly thereafter the new family fled to Egypt to escape Herod's threat to kill their son, seen as a threat to the throne.  (Matt. 2:13).  During his teen years, the couple panicked when Jesus went missing after celebrating Passover in Jerusalem.  (Lk 2:40-42)  Ultimately, Mary suffered grievously as she watched her son die as a criminal on a Roman cross.  

We mature and change through learning to love a new life.  As demands are made upon us, we learn to sacrifice and serve, to persevere and  provide.  We serve as safety nets when life circumstances endanger our beloved children.  

Why?  When we create new life and watch over a child, we experience blessing.  Our days as parents are filled with deep joy and rich memories which dispel the fear.  Faith in the future with God wins out.

Take a moment to listen to  Mary Did You Know.  Voxtave feat. Mark Lowry. Nov. 4, 2016