Excerpts From: The Messenger |
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"May it be to me as You have said." Luke1:26-38
Dear friends in Christ,
Grace and peace to all you faithful saints at St. Ansgar?s. I pray and hope that this message reaches each and every one of you in good health and with the joy of Christ?s birth. Christmas is once again upon us and we hear Christmas carols, see smiling faces, and hear the cheerful Merry Christmas greetings. Although Christmas brings lots of joy and happiness to many hearts, the opposite is equally true to many. Joy to the world, the Lord is come !!
To me the Christmas narrative begins with this young woman named Mary. Think about Mary, the mother of Jesus. By our standard, even as a young teen, she was still a child. Yet from her we learn the beauty of a child-like faith. That?s what God calls for when God interrupts: simple faith, simple trust.
Lately, we have been exploring the theme ?How does God guide us?? in our adult Bible Study on Tuesday nights, and one of the most out-standing aspects in the study is the attitude of humility. And that?s what God found when He interrupted Mary?s life, her world, her body, when she was chosen to be the mother of the Saviour. She asks a simple question, ? How will this be?? A normal child-like question. But then states, ? May it be to me as you have said.?
Did she understand all that was going to happen? Probably not. It was not so much understanding, (reasoning) as accepting God?s interruption in her life. Mary had room in her life for a miracle, in fact, a womb for a miracle. The birth of Jesus Christ is the world?s ultimate and amazing interruption: The Child born to die so that all who believe will live; the Good Shepherd; true man and true God; Immanuel; God with us. This is amazing.
At just the right time, God stepped into history and presented his Gift of Love for each one of us. For he will save his people their sins. He wrapped him in glory with a bow of grace and a ribbon of truth. And with his right hand of power he wrote on the card, ?For you, my child, whom I love?.? (and then he writes your name). He signs his name and adds, ?With all my Love.? And he placed this, his Gift to the world, on a tree in the shape of a cross.
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The ultimate interruption of love: He is Christ, the Lord. But how much room do we have for God?s interruption miracle in our life? I hope we will turn any interruption this season as an opportunity to seek the will of God for our lives. As the Virgin Mary did, we make room for a miracle this season by continuing to be a blessing to others. May we ask God to keep us strong that we may be help to the weak.
Keep us uplifted that we may have words of encouragement for others. May we pray for those who are lost that they may find their way back to God. May we pray for those who are misjudged and misunderstood.
Dr. Samuel Peeples: once said? ?Circumstances of life, the events of life, and people around me in life, do not make me the way I am, but reveal the way I am? And if I may add ?interruptions? only reveal who we truly are in the light of our relationship with God.
God grant that the Holy Spirit would interrupt every sin, every temptation, every fear and doubt, and remind us everyday especially this season that God's love for us is uninterruptible. That our commitment and faith be as uninterruptible as God's commitment to us. May God?s presence fill your heart, your home and may the birth of the Christ-child be a sustaining strength throughout this festive season and the days to come.
The peace of Christ is a gift. It's Christmas! May the peace of Christ be yours this day!
From our household we wish you all a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, Glædlig Jul og Godt Nytår, Frohe Weihnachten, Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année!
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Samuel K. King-Kabu & Family
Susan, Samirah, Sasha, & Sheena
(Editor's Reflections)
I think one thing that I have learned from the Bible is that God calls us when we are not ready. I don?t think that God will ever call us into service when we are ready. I wonder if this is intentional on God's part.
Look at Saul?s response when he was called to be the first king, "But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?" (1 Samuel 9:21).
or Gideon?s, when he was called to take down the idols in his nation, "But Lord, how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family" (Judges 6:15).
or Moses, when he was called to deliver his people from Egypt. He said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" (Exodus 3:11).
When God calls, we will most likely be in the most unlikely circumstances to receive that call. We will be in the midst of a crisis, we will lack resources, we will not have the skills we think we need. This is the way of God. Why, I wonder, does God do this? Maybe because He wants us to know our call is based NOT on our ability, but on HIS. Think about it - Has God called you to something you have failed to do because you felt you were not ready? Don?t despair, that is His way so He can accomplish great things through you.
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness'" (2 Cor 12:9). "those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31).
God gives us our strength and renews it. When God calls, will we be ready? Have a blessed Christmas!
Submitted by Rosemarie Grabs
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Roger Kenner
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St. Ansgar's Lutheran Church - Montreal