Nearing the end of second week of advent everyone seems to be asking if you're ready for Christmas.
Am I ready?
Not particularly.
I'm still waiting on a few gifts to arrive in the mail. My mom is still asking me for stocking stuffer ideas for the kids. I haven't bought the pie crusts yet. I'm writing my last research paper for the semester, so I've not even thought about Christmas baking.
So, in all the earthly ways that matter for the season, I'm not quite there yet.
But, by grace, I'm ready to celebrate Him.
To remember His coming marked by the utmost humility and submission to the Father. To consider, "He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature" (Heb 1:3), bearing the face of a human child. To gaze on the desperate need of our souls, and our inability to save ourselves. To trust His rule over the earth and how He "upholds the universe by the word of His power" (Heb 1:3).
So even in the chaos of "getting ready" He is gracious to remind us of His ongoing presence with us, for He is Immanuel, God with us. Even as we scour for last minute gifts, the perfect recipes for our gatherings and going between all the fun things to do in the community, we can be ready to celebrate Him and what He has done. He is the light in our darkness and may He shine through His people this season.
This Week on the Blog
This Week in Articles
I can't say watching Charlie Brown Christmas was a thing in our home growing up, but we've watched it a few times with our own kids. Share in this farewell to a well loved tradition.
"Jesus didn’t look at Mary with heartless stoicism. He didn’t tell her to get over it because he is sovereign. Instead, he beheld his mother in her inevitable suffering and still sought to comfort her in her grief. All the while, he bore the sins of his people upon his beaten back. "
It's more common to consider what God requires of us in light of the good things we have been given, but what about with the difficult, harder circumstances we face in life? Tim invites us to think about how we can steward even our suffering.
It's the message we hear all around us, life begins and ends with us. Jen writes, "only God can make us aware of what is toxic in our soil. Only he can show us that we must seek sustenance that comes from him alone. When we are rooted in him, rooted in the gospel, our whole being is forever changed."
Number 4 - Moms matter. In most homes, moms are the ones setting the guidelines for digital media use. What moms do, or don't do, has an impact on how their teens learn to make decisions about screen time.
