~New Christmas; New Body~

Sipping tea as I look out the window and see the scattered snow flakes falling...the sky is gray...wanting to share with you for a few minutes...

It's the Christmas season...a mixed emotion time for many. Of course we know the "reason for the season"....Jesus Christ our Lord, Immanuel , "God with us"...is celebrated as having been sent to mankind through the Holy Spirit by way of the virgin Mary. 

There is much reason to be grateful this time of year and as I said, it is also a time of a variety of emotions. I will be honest here with you, as always. Christmas is a mixed emotional time for me. In the month of December, God received two very important ladies in my life. On December 1, 1974, my mom was escorted to heaven by her angel and December 10, 2011 my sister was given her new and healthy body.

For me, this season is a time of joy and sorrow. I remember Christmas songs playing in the background as Mom made and decorated Christmas cookies. I remember entering my sister's house daily for four days as God was preparing her for her new body. I remember music in the background of her home each day. Her home had more of a presence of angels every time I entered. 

As my sister was telling us (my other sister and me) that she wanted her new body, the two of us would each take turns hugging her and telling her things in her ears. Sometimes I would sing to her. One time I told her how lucky she was that she would be celebrating Christmas in heaven with our parents (Dad passed September 28, 1998). She would grin as she knew she would be with them.

A new body. My sister was given a new body. Jesus came to earth as an infant and had a human body. God with us was human. His new body was not perfect. Jesus allowed Himself to leave his glorious heavenly home filled with angels singing, prophets swapping stories, the "cloud of witnesses" mentioned in Hebrews all praising Jesus and worshiping Him...and so  many more gathered to sing and tell of His praises. He left all of that to take on a body that could and would be beaten...a body that would be bruised and have nails pierce it. 

I have no doubt that the angels surrounded Him when He arrived in that cave/stall. The angels told the shepherds of His arrival...an entire host of them (an army of angels). Can you  imagine that night as you care for your sheep...suddenly the skies are lit up with an army of angels. Imagine the brightness! Imagine the singing! Imagine the angel announcing to them about the birth of "God with us"! They surely felt the angels. Can you just imagine an army of angels totally taking over the skies? 

I got a bit excited just then thinking of how it felt each time I went to my sister's home and could feel the hush of angels...the shepherds felt the excitement and bustle of angels as they sang in celebratory voices of Jesus now in a new form; a baby.

We have so much to celebrate! We get caught up in singing a variety of Christmas songs. Do we really listen as we sing the words or are they so familiar that they just sort of roll off our tongue and stumble through our teeth? Have we heard the story of the birth of Jesus so often that it is simply something to be repeated like reciting a childhood story?

My hope is that you take the time to truly realize what "God with us" has done. I can't imagine leaving the splendors of heaven...taking on some perishable body to come here to be accepted by some and rejected by so many...to ultimately give life as a sacrifice on the cross.

Think about it...Jesus, our Saviour, lived among the people. They saw a difference in Him...not just because He did miracles but there was a difference in His attitude, His reactions, His mixing with the down and out and with those who others wanted nothing to do with. Just think about Jesus. Flip through the gospels sometime (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). Study His way with people! 

I want to encourage you to REALLY think about our love gift from God this season. Really focus on His life. Focus on: His Kingship, Servanthood, Him being Immanuel (God with us), His compassion, and His friendship you can experience. 

I get excited and the inside of my head dances because the more I learn about Jesus and obey Him; desiring to learn and grow in Him, the more my soul rejoices and sings. There is this deep indwelling of His Holy Spirit (that He left with us when He returned to heaven) that flows through me. Sometimes it's as if everything about me is dancing inside, other times it is more hushed and calm, but He is always there! 

Because Jesus came, I have a Joy and a Peace that cannot be explained. When He is part of your life, His Spirit is in you. I wish I could explain it better. 

My desire for you, my friend,is that you experience this Christmas season with renewed thinking! Realize the promise! Realize that because of Christmas and  the birth of Jesus we have Easter and His resurrection...our Eternal Hope!

We will all be able to sing with the army of angels in our new bodies one day! Thank you, Jesus, for coming to earth and taking on a body that would be crucified on a cross. Because of Jesus and His powerful name, sacrifice, and rising again, we have power through the Holy Spirit! Amen!