Preparatory Embrace

When our kids were younger they would spend a week each summer at camp.  For months prior to our journey to the camp to drop the kids off, Andrea would be in preparation.  She would have the list of all the supplies and clothes they needed to have for the week. Then, a couple of weeks prior, five trunks would line the walls of our living room as the packing would begin. Sheets, blankets, towels, washcloths, underwear, shorts, shirts, special themed clothing, toiletries, swimsuits, Bible, notebook, pen, and a few other things were finally organized and tightly folded so everything would fit in the properly sized trunks.  Then, on the day before our journey, I would carry the five trunks out to the van and begin the strategic job of squeezing them into the back end of our van.   It was an amazing process that made for an amazing journey.

As the birth of Christ approaches we see the preparatory process underway.  Characters are introduced that are central to the story of Christ, characters that affirm and introduce the Savior to a world in need of redemption. Key figures are presented and anointed.  Everything, and everyone, is ready for this amazing journey, a journey that impacts each and everyone person on this earth....including you and me!

Daily Readings

Monday, December 12, 2011 Luke 1:1-10

We recently had an abandoned car left on our street for a many weeks.  Andrea, among many other neighbors, called the city.  Police came out, put a bright orange sticker on the car, and then left.  The car continued to sit on the street.  Andrea finally decided to take the issue to someone who could get something done.  She visited with a neighbor lady who has lived on, and watched over, the street for close to fifty years.  This sweet neighbor is a small elderly little lady who would appear to be no threat, even to a fly.  After visiting visiting, Andrea came home with a smile saying, “The car should be gone soon.”  Indeed, just a couple of days later we saw the tow truck hooking the car up and pulling it away.  Sometimes it just takes talking to the right person, sometimes the right person is the person you would least expect.

As God prepared to introduce the Savior to a world that was in great need to redemption, He knew that it would take the perfect introduction.  God could have used the most powerful, the most connected, the most recognized but He didn’t.  God chose to use a man named Zachariah and his wife Elizabeth, two of the more insignificant and under appreciated people on the planet.  Zechariah and Elizabeth were older, they were alone, they were looked down upon by their peers, they were not on anyone’s radar of significance.  They were, however, noticed by God.  They were righteous and faithful, they were willing and ready, they were the perfect avenue for God to work.  As Zechariah prepared to make the incense offering in the sanctuary he had a army of prayer warriors praying for him.  This warrior had no idea the point of their prayer nor the importance of their prayer yet they were praying all the same.  God used, and uses, those who are available, those who are dedicated, those who are willing, even when they have no clue or idea what God’s plan is.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011 Luke 1:11-25

On May 27, 1988 Tom Whittaker did the impossible, he made it to the top of Mt. Everest, the tallest mountain on earth.  While Tom was not the first to climb this daunting peak, he was the first person to do so leading an expedition in spite of the fact that he had a prosthetic leg.  Almost ten years prior to his climb, Tom had lost his leg in an auto accident.  To those who simply judged Tom by his physical appearance, there was no way this man could accomplish such a monumental task, but he did.  It was not just about his physical ability, in the end it had much more to do with his determination and his spirit.  In the end, he did the impossible.

When the angel Gabriel told Mary that she was to have a baby she thought that this was impossible.  She lacked the physical capacity to have a child but she was told that “with God, nothing is impossible.”  It was not just about her ability or her appearance, it was about the Spirit and the determination of her source, her God.  In the end, nothing was impossible.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011 Luke 1:39-56

I cannot even begin to imagine what went on inside the mind of Mary and Elizabeth during the nine months leading up to the birth of their sons.  Each were in the middle of an impossible, unbelievable, unexpected, yet undeniable situation which could not really be understood by anyone but themselves.  Both women were facing a future that was far from their expectations, it was even further from the expectations of their family and friends.  They had to feel alone, somewhat abandoned, and very terrified, at the same time feeling excited, hopeful, and honored.  In the middle of all of this there had to be those moments when they had great doubts.  All of this makes their encounter all the more meaningful and significant and these two, in the midst of very similar circumstances, come together and experience a supernatural affirmation and a human confirmation.  God provided each woman with the reinforcement they needed as they looked to a future where daily reinforcement would surely be required.

Thursday, December 15, 2011 Luke 1:57-66

I watched a young boy on the playground with a group of girls.  The girls were being very bossy to the little boy, ordering him to play games and do activities that were clearly not of his choosing. With every order you could tell that he was drawing ever closer to the end of his patience. Finally, he stood up and said “No!” I don’t want to do that.  He then walked away from the girls never to return.  At that moment he decided to stand up for himself and to identify what he was, and was not, going to do. He made it very clear.

As Zechariah and Elizabeth presented their child to their family and friends, the expectation lingered that the child would be named after his father.  Since Zechariah was still unable to speak, Elizabeth announced that the boy would be named John.  The family and friends begin to argue until Zechariah could stay quiet no longer and quickly wrote: “His name is John.”  In doing this Zechariah, and Elizabeth, drew a line in the sand of John’s destiny.  God had pronounced the name, and the future, for this boy and now his parents accepted and proclaimed that he would be different, unique, set aside for and to God.

Friday, December 16, 2011 Luke 1:67-80

When Caleb reached one year of age he was still not walking. While we know now that this is no big deal, at that time, with Caleb being our first child and knowing that the other children his age were walking, we were a bit curious.  He would stand and act like he was going to let go and walk but he never did.  Every time that we thought he was about to let go and take off, he would, instead, drop back to a crawl and begin to move.  It seemed that he was unwilling to let go, and even more unwilling to take the risk of walking.  Two days after his birthday, he was once again standing and holding on to a table for support.  Whereas we had been encouraging him to walk on this day I assumed that his would be another drop and crawl moment so I said nothing.  Suddenly  I could see in his face that he was deciding to do something different, to let go.  I watched closely as he almost let go a couple of times and then, finally, he let go.  As he stood without any support you could see that he began to realize the situation.  Soon he took a step, then another, and within a couple of minutes he was running around the room.  All he had to do was let go.

Zechariah had a “let go” moment that sent him running. When he obeyed God and named his son John he soon took off.  His prophecy that we read today is the result of his surrender to God’s will.  Everything came flowing the minute he accepted and obeyed.