I love hearing stories that tell the first Christmas story from the different perspectives of those who experienced it. Obviously, we're limited in what we really know about what the innkeeper, or Mary, or even the sheep in the manger felt and saw that night. It's something fascinating to imagine about, though, and I love when word artists paint the picture for us through song or story.
One perspective that I wish I would hear more about is that of Heaven's {actually, I've been really interested, lately, in looking at more things from that "heavenly realms" (Eph 6:12) viewpoint}. Maybe because it's more difficult for our human minds to grasp what Christmas was like in the spiritual realm, we hear less about it? I'm not sure, but I did actually blog about it two years ago here (scroll down to the "on another note..."section). I'm not sure if my thoughts are theologically sound, but I believe there's a good chance that they're not completely off-base.
One of our pastors taught on this topic yesterday morning {you can imagine my excitement as I read the sermon title on the bulletin} and I learned there is more to the Heavenly story than what I imagined...
That first Christmas was a declaration of war. A declaration of war. I guess it's possible that this sounds morbid, but I love that statement. Read Revelation 12 and work your way through the symbolism. When Jesus Christ was born to Mary on earth, Satan set out to destroy. The battle between God's angelic and Satan's demonic forces was taken to the next level. I picture a scene resembling one out of Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia. An embrace between a Father and Son. The Son walking a path to earth, lined with angels, swords raised in reverence and awe. Angels turning to take their place in the ranks. On the other side of the battlefield are the demons jeering and scoffing with an "enormous red dragon" poised to sound the battle cry. Not the typical peaceful Christmas Eve we often picture, is it?
While we must come to grips with the fact that this war will have casualties, we can rest assured that the victory is, without a doubt, the Lord's. Because I know this battle is still waging around me everyday {and, I believe, becoming more deadly by the day...as we near the war's end}, this is where I'm choosing to focus this Advent season.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Scrooge...or Excessive Christmasness?
Is anyone else annoyed with Christmas? I should rephrase that. Is anyone else annoyed with what the world is doing to Christmas? I love Christmas, but I also love Thanksgiving. So, I love Christmas starting December 1st. I'm a huge fan of celebrating Advent more so than Christmas, I guess. I know I should be used to the fact that the world takes everything overboard, and, for the most, part I am...and I just ignore it. Excessive Christmasness {yah, totally made that word up} is kinda hard to ignore, though.
I mean, really, do we need to put up Christmas decorations the day after Halloween? Do we need to send out the Black Friday ads three weeks early? As if they don't bombard us enough with all the things we should be doing and buying for each other to make Christmas magic and memorable, they've got to start doing it a month earlier? How are Mark and I supposed to teach our kids to find the magic in the ultimate gift that was given to them in this environment? Seriously, I'm asking.
I feel like maybe if we took the time to focus more on Thanksgiving and how much we really have, then maybe we wouldn't feel such a need to be so excessively materialistic at Christmas. I keep hearing people {including myself} say they're going simple, but it sure doesn't look like it. I feel the pressure to have gifts for teachers {school and church}, busdrivers, mail carriers, neighbors, etc. Am I scrooge for opting out {cuz I feel like one sometimes}? Is a kid-made card and a couple homemade cookies enough to spread the joy of Christmas? Again...seriously, I'm asking.
I do love to give at Christmas. I just love to give to people who aren't getting. I love taking the $100 we could have spent on gift cards for the above mentioned people in our lives and putting it into 4 Operation Christmas Child boxes instead. I love that mine and Mark's siblings are all either in situations where they can't or don't want to exchange gifts, and we can put that money towards buying goats and chickens for a starving family in another country or to buying some gifts for a child in our own town whose family needs help.
Reading over this, I feel like it sounds prideful. I'm not trying to toot my horn about how much we're giving, or say that if you give gifts to your kids' teachers you've got it all wrong...or even that if you break out the Christmas lights and music pre-Thanksgiving your messing with the meaning of Christmas.
I guess I'm just venting about what feelings the season stirs up in me, and, once again, trying to find that balance between scroogeyness {how in the world should I spell that?} and excessiveness. Have you found it?
I mean, really, do we need to put up Christmas decorations the day after Halloween? Do we need to send out the Black Friday ads three weeks early? As if they don't bombard us enough with all the things we should be doing and buying for each other to make Christmas magic and memorable, they've got to start doing it a month earlier? How are Mark and I supposed to teach our kids to find the magic in the ultimate gift that was given to them in this environment? Seriously, I'm asking.
I feel like maybe if we took the time to focus more on Thanksgiving and how much we really have, then maybe we wouldn't feel such a need to be so excessively materialistic at Christmas. I keep hearing people {including myself} say they're going simple, but it sure doesn't look like it. I feel the pressure to have gifts for teachers {school and church}, busdrivers, mail carriers, neighbors, etc. Am I scrooge for opting out {cuz I feel like one sometimes}? Is a kid-made card and a couple homemade cookies enough to spread the joy of Christmas? Again...seriously, I'm asking.
I do love to give at Christmas. I just love to give to people who aren't getting. I love taking the $100 we could have spent on gift cards for the above mentioned people in our lives and putting it into 4 Operation Christmas Child boxes instead. I love that mine and Mark's siblings are all either in situations where they can't or don't want to exchange gifts, and we can put that money towards buying goats and chickens for a starving family in another country or to buying some gifts for a child in our own town whose family needs help.
Reading over this, I feel like it sounds prideful. I'm not trying to toot my horn about how much we're giving, or say that if you give gifts to your kids' teachers you've got it all wrong...or even that if you break out the Christmas lights and music pre-Thanksgiving your messing with the meaning of Christmas.
I guess I'm just venting about what feelings the season stirs up in me, and, once again, trying to find that balance between scroogeyness {how in the world should I spell that?} and excessiveness. Have you found it?
Thursday, November 11, 2010
My confession...
At our MOPS meetings this year, members of the steering time are taking turns confessing some of their mothering mishaps, inadequacies, imperfections, etc. We stand silhouetted behind a white sheet of anonymity. It's really quite comical. This past Tuesday was my turn and my confession wrote itself into a nice little blog post. I got plenty of laughs...I hope the girls were laughing with me and not at me, though!?!? Here goes...
Before I gave birth to our first little babe, I made the mistake of convincing myself that I would never be "that mom". You know the one. She's got four kids going 80 different directions and loses more of her mind with each passing week. She locks her keys in the car {while it's still running}. She forgets about doctor's appointments and goes to the grocery store unshowered and in sweats. Yah. I was never gonna be that mom.
Oh, how naive was I?
I can say I haven't locked the keys in the car...yet...
But I've had my share of that mom moments...beginning just weeks after my first, not my fourth was born.
I am that mom who, early one Sunday morning {after 6 weeks of sleepless nights} put my breast pump parts in a pot on the stove to sterilize them, then lay down to rest my eyes for just a minute, only to awake 45 minutes later to the smell of burning plastic.
I am that mom who brought a basket full of dirty laundry and two poopy diapers, an infant, and a barely one year old down the stairs and forgot the diapers were in the basket by the time a had a moment to toss the whole load into the washer.
I am that mom who has lost birth certificates and car titles, forgotten parent/teacher conferences and show & tell days, and paid $15 in library fines on late DVD's.
I am that mom who made a meal plan and a detailed grocery list and still forgot the mozzarella cheese, but never realized it until the lasagna was already started and so resorted to peeling a few sticks of string cheese to complete the dish.
I am that mom who, just two weeks ago, talked to a friend about our kids' hour early dismissal from school the next day, only to receive a call from the school office the following afternoon while I was out running errands wondering if I'd forgotten about my kids.
Yep...I'm definitely that mom.
**Oh stink. As I was reading over this I realized I lied. I just remembered I have locked the keys in the car. After grocery shopping I somehow loaded the groceries and my purse, with the keys and cell phone in it, in the trunk of our car and closed the hatch. All doors locked. I had to go back into the store to call Mark, who had to make the 20 minute drive into town with the two little ones and no carseats because they were in the car I had. At least the car wasn't running, right?
Score another one for that mom. :O)
Before I gave birth to our first little babe, I made the mistake of convincing myself that I would never be "that mom". You know the one. She's got four kids going 80 different directions and loses more of her mind with each passing week. She locks her keys in the car {while it's still running}. She forgets about doctor's appointments and goes to the grocery store unshowered and in sweats. Yah. I was never gonna be that mom.
Oh, how naive was I?
I can say I haven't locked the keys in the car...yet...
But I've had my share of that mom moments...beginning just weeks after my first, not my fourth was born.
I am that mom who, early one Sunday morning {after 6 weeks of sleepless nights} put my breast pump parts in a pot on the stove to sterilize them, then lay down to rest my eyes for just a minute, only to awake 45 minutes later to the smell of burning plastic.
I am that mom who brought a basket full of dirty laundry and two poopy diapers, an infant, and a barely one year old down the stairs and forgot the diapers were in the basket by the time a had a moment to toss the whole load into the washer.
I am that mom who has lost birth certificates and car titles, forgotten parent/teacher conferences and show & tell days, and paid $15 in library fines on late DVD's.
I am that mom who made a meal plan and a detailed grocery list and still forgot the mozzarella cheese, but never realized it until the lasagna was already started and so resorted to peeling a few sticks of string cheese to complete the dish.
I am that mom who, just two weeks ago, talked to a friend about our kids' hour early dismissal from school the next day, only to receive a call from the school office the following afternoon while I was out running errands wondering if I'd forgotten about my kids.
Yep...I'm definitely that mom.
**Oh stink. As I was reading over this I realized I lied. I just remembered I have locked the keys in the car. After grocery shopping I somehow loaded the groceries and my purse, with the keys and cell phone in it, in the trunk of our car and closed the hatch. All doors locked. I had to go back into the store to call Mark, who had to make the 20 minute drive into town with the two little ones and no carseats because they were in the car I had. At least the car wasn't running, right?
Score another one for that mom. :O)
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