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A Christmas Message
17/12/11 10:19 View entire series at: Lloyd's musings
It is God’s mercy & kindness that He gives us distinct markers which enable us to manage our lives well if we use them effectively. He gives us time periods – days, weeks, months, years and even decades – which allow us to make “mid-course corrections’ in our lives.
The 24 hour period is the most fundamental marker. We begin each 24 hour period (using the Jewish tradition of the day starting with the evening & ending in the evening) with rest and sleep which enables us to roll off that day’s events – some successes and some failures – on to Jesus to make sense of, and to celebrate and build on, and to mourn and repent of. It is significant that each of our days start with darkness and rest – just as the creation story starts with darkness, and the invitation of Kingdom life is to start from rest (Heb 3 & 4; Ex 33.14 “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”) When we wake from rest we align our day with what God would have us do, and go into the day to spend it well.
The other kind of markers God gives us are commemorations and celebrations.
Christmas is the Church’s celebration of the incredible entry of God Himself into the human race to effect a rescue. It was the stupendous act of courageous, humble sacrificial love for Jesus to leave the Father’s side, living in total perfection, to be born as a helpless human baby in “less than ideal” conditions. But what Christmas tells us is that God’s invasion has begun. His loving, benevolent rule in our broken and fallen world which is continually advancing through people like you and I.
So as you go to sleep on Christmas Eve, take some time to roll all your hopes and dreams on to the Saviour of the world – the one who “came to give life – life in all its fullness.”(John 10.10). And roll all your failures and disappointments onto the One who was & is the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1.29) As you wake on Christmas morning you wake to a world – both global and personal - where you have a “friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Prov 18.24) Where you are in relationship with the One who created the world, and “will save the world” (John 3.17). Give the gift of your life to the one who gave you the gift of His life. He is looking for obedience from us – but not a compliance born out unwillingness – rather a surrender of our lives. We get to surrender to Love!
Then a week later another marker! As you go to sleep on New Years Eve, it is a wonderful time to realign your life. To ensure that the life you are living, is really the life that wants to live in you. It is a time to align your passion, and talents, and calling, and circumstances to living a life that makes a difference. When you wake on the 1st day of the new year, take time to be with your God, and ask Him to align your life with His plan for your life. Ask Him for fresh grace and passion for a new year. Ask Him to clear the way for you to live your life on purpose. And He is utterly, completely and passionately committed to working His fantastic plan through ordinary people like you and I. He brings us alive more than we ever dreamed possible.
Have a wonderful Christmas and a purposeful new year. I look forward to working with you again in 2012.
What should be on your bookshelf:
Desmond Tutu - No Future Without Forgiveness
05/12/11 19:38 View entire series at: What shoud be on your bookshelf
Perhaps, instead of wasting this recommendation by giving you all the review details that you can just Google for anyway, I will just sum the need for this book up with a simple, yet profound quote from my own life.
The setting is this: Myself and my friend, J.R., are having one of our infrequent coffee meet ups in a cafe in Auckland when this gem happened.
Me: “I have just been reading Desmond Tutu’s book, No Future Without Forgiveness” - it’s amazing.”
J.R. : “My mum says that’s not a book for every Christian to read - it’s a book for every human to read.”
She’s right, it is. That’s the end of this review.
No Future Without Forgiveness @ Book Depository
No Future Without Forgiveness @ Amazon