November 21st, 2013
A Blessed Time of Year: Words of Holiday Spirit from Marilyn Bell
Thanksgiving, Christmas, the Holidays -- a blessed time of the year! The hustle and bustle of shopping. Eating out. Baking cookies. Maxing out your credit cards... Folks seem nicer to each other, more generous, more thankful. Something I am most grateful for: the freedom to worship God and study His Word. I have been in an ecumenical Bible study since I moved to Wheeling in 2001 and have learned so much under the teachings of various well known and respected bible scholars. We are currently studying "Jesus the One and Only", by Beth Moore, one of my all-time favorite Bible teachers. What a great study for this time of year. This is a quote from the study:
"A host of memories must have been dancing in her [Mary's] head: The angel's appearance. His words. Her flight to the hill country of Judea. Elizabeth's greeting. Their late night conversations. The first time she noticed her tummy was rounding. Joseph's face when he saw her. The way she felt when he believed. The whispers of neighbors. The doubts of her parents. The first time she felt the baby move inside of her. The dread of the long trip. The reality of being full term, bouncing on the back of a beast. The first pain. The fear of having no place to bear a child. The horror of the nursery. The way it looked. The way it smelled. The way He looked. God so frail. So tiny. So perfect. Love so abounding. Grace so amazing. Wise men bowed down. Shepherds made haste - each memory like treasures in a box. She gathered the jewels, held them to her breast, and engraved them on her heart forever." Beth Moore, from her book, Things Pondered.
What a miracle! God in flesh, revealed to man. My tiny brain has a hard time grasping the idea of Immanuel, God with us. He holds the whole world in His hands and yet He came down to us as a baby in manger so He could be like us, live a perfect life, and redeem us. Crazy! He truly is the Great I AM.
Something you may not know, Jim Bordas joined my Bible study group several years ago. He is an eager student, desiring to know more. He recently offered the use of our office to the Bible study group. How great is that!
I hope you take time during the Christmas season to remember exactly what we are celebrating and find something you can be thankful for.