Christmas Pic

A few days ago we took some of our family to the airport so they could fly home for Christmas. (Personal presence is so important in seasons of celebration. In the US Thanksgiving and Christmas are the biggest travel days of the year). Of course, we took a Picture with some of the decorations in the airport. My guess is that this season we all will take some seasonal pics and share them with friends.

Right now I would like to present a Christmas PIC, because I want the words of this message to stay with you and etch themselves into your mind.

Presence,

Illumination, and

Commission

Presence

Christmas is all about God’s presence.

Look! A virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Emmanuel, God with us. (Isaiah 7)

I’ve heard some people say that the Gospel According to John has no Christmas section, but it does. The first chapter is John’s Advent passage.

In the beginning was the Word and the word was with God and the Word was God

. . . the Word became flesh and dwelt among us . . .

And we saw His glory, glory of the only begotten Son, come from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1)

This idea of God being with us is related to The Call/Commission, but will get to that in just a minute.

David

Psalm 23

The LORD is my Shepherd I shall not lack anything.

. . .

Though I walk through the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil (WHY?) because You are with me.

David wrote in another song

It is high, I cannot attain it, such knowledge is too wonderful for me

Where can I go from your Spirit

Or flee from your presence?

If I rise up into heaven, You are there. If I make my bed in hell, look! You are there.

If I take the wings of the morning and fly to the ends of the earth, you are with me . . .

God’s presence is a fundamental element of Christmas-maybe the most important, because God loved us so much He paid a price to be with us. And wherever He is, since He is light and in Him there is no darkness (1 John 1:5).

Illumination in the Dark

700 years before Jesus was born, God spoke through the prophet Isaiah

The people walking in darkness

have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of deep darkness

a light has dawned. (Isaiah 9, NIV)

Just a few verses later, we all know the passage from Christmas concerts every year

For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given

Jesus is that Son. He is the light dawning in the land of darkness.

I am the Light of the World! Those who believe in Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 8

Let’s face it. The world seems very dark.

But it is often in those times of darkness that the light is most clearly visible.

We could easily talk about the war zones of the world, and the journalists, medical professionals, and peace negotiators who work in them-how they shine in such times of darkness.

But I think we all can relate to the light shining in the darkness most poignantly in our own lives when times seem tough.

In May of this year, my dad had a brain hemorrhage. He already had Alzheimer’s, and the brain bleed accelerated those symptoms. I traveled from Bangalore to the US as soon as I could, and saw that my dad’s condition was critical, and my mom was overwhelmed—my parents needed me. So, I found a job & signed a one-semester contract to teach here in Tulsa (we have family here), and moved my parents here so we could assist them at this time.

My dad's condition took a turn for the worse last Friday Dec 9. He did his usually laps with his walker, within the house, that day. But, that evening he had a slight fever & suddenly lost the strength to stand on his own, and forgot how to walk. He was in bed Saturday & Sunday-we took him to the doc on Monday-the doc asked us to take him to the hospital for tests-they admitted him for observation-then released him Wednesday for home hospice care . . . Sunday we had an evening service in his bedroom with all their grandkids (there are only 3 :) & us & a few friends. We sang his favorite hymns (It is Well, Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus, Softly & Tenderly, Goin' Home) & prayed together. 2 am Monday we all woke & came to him, he breathed his last as I read from Romans 8 (What can separate us from the love of God) & 1 Corinthians 13 (love is patient, love is kind . . .) His favorite chapters. We feel like we had the best kind of memorial service-the last few days of his life we were sitting around his bed, reminiscing about his life & our experiences with him. God gave us the chance to bid proper farewells while he was still able to hear. Through all of these challenges, we have had a profound sense of God’s presence, and His love, His provision. He is, as always, the very present Help in times of need. Now my dad is enjoying his first real Christmas concert, and the first in which he will actually sing on pitch (while he was here he couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket).