My relationship with sugar started as a child in my grandmas kitchen and her famous candy drawer. Shame crept in slowly and eventually had me hiding in my car scarfing down a treat before I got home. Freedom came with surrender and faith pushes me to keep saying yes. Maybe you can relate?

Hark the Herald Angels Sing

"with angelic host proclaim “Christ is born in Bethlehem."

I'm intrigued by proclamations of the Angels throughout this song: naming Jesus as King, and pointing [the shepherds] to Bethlehem where Christ has just been born.

Bethlehem, in the eyes of the world at the time of Jesus’ birth, was no place for a king to be born, let alone the Christ. Yet here we are invited to proclaim, alongside an army of angels, that the savior the world has come to earth in a small shepherds town, a city of David, anointed by God to save his people.

“hark! the herald angels sing

"glory to the newborn king””

Heaven gathers an army of angels (a scene familiar in the history of the Bible (1Kings 22:19, 2Chr 18:17) to welcome the new king born to mankind. But, who is this king?

He definitely wasn't next in line by way of King Herod. In fact upon hearing news of his birth Herod launched an all out war against his life (trying to get the Magi to give up his location, and then killing all the firstborn sons). He wasn't the king the Jews anticipated would lead them valiantly into battle against their enemies. He was the king who left his throne in heaven. The king that took the form of mankind in order to pay the ultimate sacrifice for its freedom from sin. The king of ultimate humility and obedience. And the king of our hearts

In the heat of the moment it’s hard to see that eventually we will appreciate this thing that is causing us strife. As I watched my daughter try to put together a puzzle she had just completed she was filled with frustration because she had placed the wrong corner piece where it didn’t belong. As soon as she realized her mistake and placed it in the right place the frustration turn to joy. This reminds me of my own attitude. Often times I just need to hold on long enough through the anger and frustration to realize that I will appreciate the things that frustrating me. As we walk together in this holiday season through a global pandemic and a year that none of us could have expected me we be ready to shift our attitudes and expectations as we put one piece of the puzzle together at a time.

This is a story about our picture taking adventure this year for our family Christmas card. The way my kids reacted to the experience made me think about what we see in a picture verse how we experience daily life together. What are we hiding behind our smiles? You don’t have to hide here. You will always be invited back even if you just can’t get yourself to smile today. May you find hope in solidarity and a soft place to land as you listen these words.

“The sleeping child you're holding is the Great, I Am…”

This line gets me every time. Sleeping children are a sight to behold, aren’t they? In those moments of absolute pause, all the tears and heartache of the day, all the chaos, and the work that lead up to that nap or bedtime is somehow lost in the pure innocence of their deep measured breaths and their motionless growing limbs. In that moment we gain new perspective, our love is refreshed, and our heart is filled with hope for when they will awake. Even Mary, who was holding the infant who would grow into the “I Am” we find in book of John. Even Mary, whose child’s eyes were resting in sleep, who would awake to grow up and give sight to the blind. Even Mary, who pushed through fear in obedience to God's call to be a part of His story.

I love how this song melds together the reality of the ministry of Jesus and the ministry of motherhood. Although Mary’s circumstances were unique, to say the least, she was still a woman, a wife, and a mother. She wondered, she worried, and experienced all the emotions that come with pregnancy and preparing for the childbirth and life beyond it.

She also had the unique experience of knowing that her son was being brought to this earth in order to die. She knew what the scriptures said about the messiah and his role in diminishing the death caused by sin in the world once and for all.

“When you kiss your little Baby you kiss the face of God?”

You know those kisses... the ones we sneak in every moment we can because one day it won't be that easy. The reality that when Mary snuck in those kisses she kissed the face of God, is a beautiful reminder of the raw, real, relevant humanity of Christ. The bible doesn't say it, but I'm sure Jesus needed those kisses from his momma too.

There is only one Mary Jesus' mother, just as there is only one ________(fill in your name) mother of __________ (fill in your child’s(ren’s) name(s). As you hear this song in the coming days may it remind you of the sacred calling God has given you as a mother. He has given you power to change the world and purpose for your every move in the way you love, invest in, and train your children. The struggle to get them to sleep and the kisses you give whenever you can are not in vain.

The people of Israel exiled, broken, and awaiting a savior found hope in the coming of Emmanuel- a mighty king who would protect them from their enemies. They held on to a promise from Isaiah that a son from the line of Jesse would stand as a signal to all the nations that God was fighting for them. They anticipated a light coming that would dispel the darkness and gloom and open up a way to heaven. From the One who gave the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai, would come a savior born to the world to bring the law of freedom and grace. This is the hope, the grace, the God, the Savior, and the promise of God's immanent presence with us that we sing about with this hymn.

But now, our hope has come. The sign Isaiah wrote about has become a reality. The light has broken through the darkness. Our Messiah has arrived. Not on a chariot, or clothed in battle armor, but in the form of a child - naked, dependent, and human. As moms this is a life form that we are well acquainted with. Sometimes it is hard to imagine that life on earth for the saviour of the world began just like the lives of our little ones, but it is true. This was Emmanuel, “God with us,” human in every sense of the word. He needed to be fed, clothed, and loved just like our little ones. He needed to play outside and help around the house, study the Torah and listen to his parents. He needed to learn manners, and ‘the way things worked.” He needed a mom and a dad to learn from.

As we find ourselves in these winter months trapped by the cold, and darkness of the early sunsets, may we be reminded of the light that has come into the world. He shows us the way to heaven. As we sing “O Come O Come Immanuel,” may we feel less alone in knowing that a righteous king has indeed come to save us (yes You). May we look at our little ones as a reminder of God's presence with us, and may we never lose sight of his ever present love and intentionality towards our human hearts.

O come O come Immanuel, may we be ever aware of your presence with us this year and may it change us moment by moment to be more like you.

I got a chance to have a conversation with violence and suicide prevention expert Latasha Davidson about practical ways to be empowered within our communities to help those dealing with violent tendencies or suicide ideations. Hear a clip from that interview here. You will walk away with practical ways to communicate. These are not easy topics to discuss but they are necessary conversations to have.

1 Thes 5:18 "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

For Paul and the early Church gratitude (and obligation) was part of ethical thinking. It was the means by which civic relationships were started, solidified, affirmed, and articulated. It was a way of life.

Still today gratitude can be foundational to our daily routines if we are intentional about it.

Last week I got to chat with violence and suicide prevention expert Latasha Davinson about how to dig deep to find gratitude when there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel. She said the key is intentionality.

May Thanksgiving 2020 be a catalyst towards a lifestyle of gratitude in the intimate relationships and spaces of our lives.

Wait, what? Yes, you read that right, and although you might have a million reasons to disagree, let’s sit with this tension for a minute.

The way we measure time and interpret the use of its terms shapes every aspect of our lives. It permeates our daily routines, our interpretation of scripture, and how we compare ourselves to others, especially in the Western world.

It is a Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

said, “Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”