Final Answer

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die. John 11:25 NIV

We were all gathered in her room at the hospital. The past weeks had been full of ups and downs. One day she was doing really well. The next day not so much. So many prayers were prayed for her. So many whispers of “Please help her.” Every day we came. Every night in between a fitful sleep we pleaded for her healing.

On one of these days as we sat in the hospital room listening to the monitor alert as her oxygen levels went up and down, I prayed “God, we’ve been here praying. She seems to be getting worse. Is this your final answer?”

His response, “Jesus was my final answer.”

She passed away not too long after that night. And our worlds are not the same. There is such pain and sadness in the hearts of many. But, here’s the really wonderful news. She embraced Jesus and believed in his resurrecting power. And so while we are mourning her passing, the Final Answer has stepped in. He covered her with his blood and she is resting in Him.

Celebrating Christmas is harder this year. But here’s the thing. Jesus’ birth was God implementing his plan to save us. It was the start of the biggest miracle EVER. It was culminated in the biggest “I love you” statement of all time. Without the birth of Jesus, we would not have the hope we have that we will see her again.

So while celebrating Christmas will be harder because she will not be here with us, I want to try. I want to focus on the life we’ve been given because of Jesus instead of the death that is meant to break us. As hard as it is, we need to keep our eyes on things of eternity, not the things of this world.  This eternal hope is not just for her, it’s for all of us. Jesus’ Christmas gift to us loves us through the things we experience here into the life we will eventually live with him. I want to try to embrace this gift in my heart and remember the real reason behind the season.

Jesus, thank you for the best Christmas gift of all. You. Thank you for coming. Thank you for walking this earth and showing us who God is and how much we are loved. Thank you for making the ultimate sacrifice so we would be healed. Help us to remember all of it, this and every Christmas. In Your Mighty Name, Amen.

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the text below and then remember the reason for the season.

The Birth of Jesus

2 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.

6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

The Shepherds and Angels

8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in highest heaven,
    and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. Luke 2:1-20 (NLT)

A Minute In It - Remembering

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the text below and then remember the reason for the season.

Visitors from the East

2 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
    are not least among the ruling cities of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
    who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod. Matthew 2:1-12 (NLT)

A Minute In It - Remembering

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the text below and then remember the reason for the season.

The Birth of Jesus the Messiah

18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
    She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
    which means ‘God is with us.’”

24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus. Matthew 1:18-24 (NLT).

Zealous

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. Isaiah 9:6-7 (ESV)

I love this verse. When I read it I can hear choirs singing “Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” And I remember all the ways that Jesus is those things. How he is wonderful in my life; my Counselor, Mighty God. All of it.

As I kept reading, I realized I needed to add another description. Zealous.

The last line of verse 7 reads “The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”

According to Merriam Webster, zeal implies energetic and unflagging pursuit of an aim or devotion to a cause. Think about that for a minute.

God, your God, loves you with so much passion, so much devotion that he pursues you with zeal. And then take that a step further. The entire Christmas story, everything in the Bible, everything in our lives is about God’s zeal for each one of us. His passion for us, His love for us – It’s all to get us into relationship with him.

God was so zealous for us that he offered up and sacrificed His Son so we would see how great His heart is toward us. There is no love like this. None. He uses everything in your life as a means to speak to you. I love the words ‘unflagging pursuit’. There is no pause. There is no hesitation. Only a consistent, never ending, never waning desire to be in a love relationship with you. He will do whatever it takes. It started at the beginning and will continue until Jesus comes.

That is the best Christmas present ever.