Category: 366 days of novice motherhood

Last night we sat with thousands of acquaintances and a small smattering of our dearest and sung together.

We laughed and smiled, we ate and gathered.

We joined an angelic chorus and sung together to celebrate the reason for the season.

My all time favorite carol is ‘O holy night’.

There is something so special about the ethereal nature of this song and somehow I often imagine that angels join us as we proclaim it’s tune.

O holy night
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear saviours birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A king of hope the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new glorious morn.
Fall on your knees
Oh hear the angel voices
Oh night divine
Oh night when Christ was born.

These are the words I sing, I’m not sure if they are completely right, but they mean so much to me.

I believe as Christ was born, a chorus was sung into the heavenlies, as powerful and delightful as this song.

My husband is starting to roll his eyes as I turn on the carols once more, but every part of the carols that evoke reflection is a moment for us to remember what the season is birthed in.

A chorus would have resounded that night and thousands of years later we still gather to sing and celebrate.

Make a caroling chorus a part of your Christmas calendar this year.

Oh night divine.

A

If we totaled the value of the gold, frankincense and myrrh that we’re given to the infant jesus today they would be worth thousands.

According to the Hebrew Bible, frankincense and myrrh were components of the holy incense ritually burned in Jerusalem’s sacred temples during ancient times. Also frankincense and myrrh have medical uses as well.

No matter the value or it’s use, the gifts the Magi bought to the stable in Bethlehem were certainly out of place.

Extravagant.
Holy.
Generous.

I find myself at this time of year, trying to work out how I can save money and do my best with our finances in the season.

I haven’t gone back to work, so we are living on one wage with a mortgage and it’s often stretched.

Despite this though, I feel really compelled to live generously, especially towards those who don’t have much this Christmas.

Its easy to be extravagant towards those you care the most about, but what about those you have never met.

These Kings had no idea whether the inkling they had that this random birth in a stable miles and miles away was truly the Saviour.

They took a punt, they had a go but most of all, they were generous.

I have found myself questioning how generous we can be this Christmas, however even if I got no gifts at all this year, I am the most blessed person alive.

The health of my family, the love of my friends and a safe place to call home.

Live generously this Christmas, especially to those who you will never meet.

A

There is one character in the nativity story that emulates super hero-ness to the extreme.

One word.

Gabriel.

In Hebrew Gabriel means ‘God is my strength’

In the thickening plot early on in the storyline Gabriel appears with darkened lighting, special effects, thunder and a white glow that stops a nation.

I often smile when I see little ballerina clad girls dressed up as angels.

Seriously have you read the book.

Strong men faint, villages reel, people are silenced, white with fear.

People were terrified.

Angels are not cherubs with fat bums and cute smiles.

Angels are fierce, they are huge, they evoke trembling.

And the finest of them all is the Angel Gabriel.

He (not she) appears early on to Mary and to Zachariah, predicting (foretelling) the importance of the impending births.

Each time he appeared he told both of them the names of their boys and he made a mark on who he audienced.

Some say Gabriel was also the angel who appeared to Joseph warning him to leave after the birth of Jesus and to escape to Egypt to protect his new family.

Lately I have been thinking about Angels a lot. Maybe the sense of fragility having a newborn around. One thing I am sure of though is my Max sees things that we don’t.

We go into some places and he is consumed with the roof. He stares off into spaces with such intensity and delight, I am sure he sees something that I don’t.

Angels are not fables.

They are strong, fierce, determined, god messengers, that protect our lives even today.

I think of them as my superhero invisible friends, that truly do roam around seeking people to protect and worshipping God.

Do you feel afraid?

Are you unsure of your future?

I believe Angels do exist.

The first mention of them in the nativity story is of the strong, fabulous one Gabriel.

I wonder what he’s doing right now?

Ethereal.

A

The people of Israel waited a long time for their deliverer to come.

Yet the crazy thing is, they didn’t even recognize him when he was in their midst.

Do you?

There is an amazing prediction of the birth of Christ more than 500 years before he was born that is strange and slightly hilarious.

Is: 1: 3

The ox knows its master,
the donkey its owner’s manger,
but Israel does not know,
my people do not understand.”

This scripture is saying that the ox and the donkey in the stable, with the manger will know who Christ is, but the people hanging for him to arrive will miss it completely.

Even the animals in the stable recognized the lordship of Christ. As a little baby.

It makes me think of our society rushing back and forward, swearing and cursing, crazily trying to get everything done.

Do they know what they are doing it for?

As they sing carols about the dawning of a new day, the silencing of the night, the celebration of a birth, do they know the story?

Let’s slow ourselves down and take time to remember the centrality of this story.

Even the animals recognized what was happening, do our children?

Do our families?

Perspectives

A

In every story, every chapter and turn happens because someone says yes.

A marriage proposal, stems from an answer to a question.

A new job opportunity begins with one word. Yes.

A new house, a new family, a new season, all begin because someone at some point said yes.

The innkeeper in the amazing narrative of Jesus, Mary and Josephs story said yes.

Although many said no, he said yes.

It wasn’t a simple and easy yes, he had to rearrange things, allow people to stay in his stable, it was a hesitant yes.

Despite this hesitancy he still offered his barn for this baby to be born and the rest is history.

We never know what is at the other side of our yes moments.

Saying yes to a opportunity often means that we are put out, that we are taking a risk.

Imagine being able to write in your family history chronicles.

Birth: Jesus Christ Saviour of the world, in my barn.

Boom.

You never know what paths your yes’ today will lead you down for tomorrow.

Say yes more and no less often.

I don’t mind if I get called a yes man, at least I can tell my grandchildren I was willing to have a go.

You never know the history that my yes may embark on.

A