SEASONS - PONDERING THE GLORIOUS IMPOSSIBLES FOR CHRISTMAS 2014

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

So have you found the wonder of Christmas this year?  

Have you found your "glorious impossible" yet?  

God always does that you know.  He has a way of putting His glory into your impossible and making miracles.

  They seem to happen most often at Christmas time, so every year during the Christmas season I look for the glorious impossibles!  

I've never been disappointed.  He always shows me something.  One year it was a yard full of red birds.  One year it was a family I gained overnight.  One year it was the secret of how to make Christmas out of nothing at all.  God is always making something out of nothing and if you believe in the power of His love, you can too.  It is wonderful.

So look for the glorious impossible until you find it.

 

The glorious impossibles will teach you things you will never forget.  Christmas is such a teachable time.  There is always something new that God is teaching us at Christmas time.  

 What has God shown you this year? 

The lessons revealing the glorious impossible seem to come when you least expect them; and they always show up in the most unusual times and places.

  

  This year has been the year for me to think about new beginnings.  I have been blessed with my first two grand children.  One was born to my daughter, a tiny, perfect, amazing little girl.  The other entered the family through my daughter marrying his Dad, a charming, brilliant little six year old boy with a gift for seeing the wonder of everyday things.  What joy they have brought to me this year!  The blessings from them being a part of the family have been astounding.   So many wonderful new beginnings!

The quiet kind of joy I learned last year has turned into a loud belly laughing kind of joy this year.  Not much about childhood is quiet and silent.  I’ve soaked up the notes of the sounds of their voices singing children’s songs and my heart has sung along.  Once again God has shown me the experience that only the heart of a child can bring to Christmas.  There has been so much wonder!  The cares of the world have been safely tucked away, not to interfere with this magical time of childhood when it is perfectly okay to be carefree and without a bit of worry or stress.  This has given me reason to think it is never necessary. 

Why can’t every day be filled with the wonder of a child at Christmastime?

There is no good reason not to have this.  We must make the conscious effort in the coming year to put aside our worries and stress and trust our Heavenly Father to take care of all our needs, just as a child trusts his parents at Christmastime for all the love and joy and wonder that they will need to last into the coming year.

 As I ponder the glorious impossible of this year, many things come to mind: 

Glorious Impossible of 2014 - One – Grown children never grow up completely!  

They are always coming back home and looking for that sense of peace and tranquility of childhood.  They are constantly sharing the child in them with their own children.  This is so beautiful!  It has been so nice to have all of the family together, happy and healthy and full of anticipation this year, sharing, loving, caring for one another.  This is a blessing I could never ever take for granted. 

Glorious Impossible Blessing of 2014 - Two:  The simplest things are usually the most important things!  

An infant LOVES first learning how to tear paper and the paper becomes more important to them than the gift inside the paper.  This is so like our own lives.  We are on a journey and I think it is in the traveling more than the arriving that we learn so much from.   

God teaches us a little here and little there, just as an infant tears the paper from her first Christmas presents, slowly and with awe that there is something hiding behind the paper, but the little child is so distracted by the pretty colors of the paper.  Finally after playing with the paper for a long time and ignoring the gift as if it wasn’t even there, the amazing fact dawns on them that there was something wonderful  inside!  They light up with a smile and they begin to examine the great gift that they had not even seen or noticed at first! 

Then their face glows with sheer joy when they realize this new wonderful gift is just for them.  It is all their own; an unexpected surprise that they had not anticipated and that gift becomes the most wonderful thing of all in their Christmas morning!  Isn’t this just like all of us as we find Jesus in the midst of the wrappings of the world.  It takes awhile for us to see, then suddenly our eyes are opened to the fact that Messiah is amidst all the wrappings and colors  and He is waiting there just for us; the greatest gift ever!

I am so thankful to have discovered this glorious impossible all over again this year simply by looking at my eight month old grand-daughter open her presents under the tree.

Glorious Impossible for 2014 - Three:  Presence is so much more important than presents!

I have pondered this as I anxiously awaited the arrival of the two grown children who had to work late.  We would not be complete for Christmas without them!  How wonderful it was to see their smiles inside the doorway. 

How good it was to see the son who always has trouble making it on time to show up appropriately this year with a look of joy on his face. 

How sweet for those who had to drive for miles in the pouring rain from another state to arrive safely and with warm greetings.

How wonderful to have my ageing parents still be able to make the journey to our home and for the one who has suffered illness to feel good for a whole day and to even be able to eat a plate full of Christmas dinner!

 These are blessings I never take for granted any more.  How long will it stay this way?  Life is like a deep breath and it is gone.   Time is precious and minutes are like gold.  We are in a perfect time of life right in this moment in this Christmas, and I just want to cherish it all forever.  My heart is so very grateful to God for this.  It is an unspeakable joy, a beautiful glorious impossible!

Glorious Impossible  for 2014 - Four: There is nothing like the gift of laughter! 

I hear it all through the rooms of our house that is bursting its seams with our ever growing family.  This gift that was passed down from Sarah and Abraham through Isaac and on until it became perfect through Christ Our Messiah is one of the most miraculous gifts of all!

 The sound of laughter; there is nothing like it.  People who love each other who are at peace with one another enough to relax and laugh together are very special people.  They have discovered something very, very important.  Each syllable of sound floats like a melody in my ears as I cook and prepare the feast.  Our house, like the tents of Abraham, was ringing out with laughter this year.  I have come to know what that means:  more blessings are on the way! 

For this moment in time I could not be more content than to stand in the middle of my kitchen floor and smile silently to myself as I hear them all laughing in the other room.  God has been so good.  I hear the children shrieking with laughter at one another and they fall on the floor with giggles.  This is music to a happy grandmother’s ears.

I watch my Dad in his eighties laugh at my grandson’s observations and love the look on his face. 

I watch my husband and our grown children chase a huge beach ball that Santa brought the grandson in the yard with him, everyone’s face is lit up with sheer genuine happiness and laughter. 

It is a priceless gift from God and I am humbled with gratitude.

I am thankful that God is teaching all of us how to be happy at all times and in every circumstance.  Our eyes have been opened enough in this joyful time to see and recognize how blessed we are to be all together on planet earth going through our journeys to heaven together, sharing our moments of happiness and joy on the way.  It has been so obvious this Christmas that we have learned how to do this and I think this trait will only get better as each year passes by.  It is a priceless gift from God.

 I treasure these things in my heart.



 Every year I look for God’s glory in the impossible and I call it the “glorious impossible” when I see it.  

These things are this year’s most precious glorious impossibles for me.

This year – I have learned the joy that comes from a family well loved.  I have felt the warmth and peace and security that it brings and know that Christ is the cause that holds it all together and the One in the midst of each ringing note of sound that rings out with joy. 

Jesus is the greatest gift of all. 

He has filled our home and hearts with glorious impossibles yet another year!

May you find your “glorious impossible”  too.  To know Christ and to know His love throughout all eternity will be the greatest glorious impossible any of us can ever share.  To know His laughter and His peace and His joy is amazing.

COME AS A CHILD - LESSON 49 - MARY AND SARAH, LOVE AND LAUGHTER, EMMANUEL AND ISAAC

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Last lesson we pondered how so many things that happened to Sarah and Abraham also happened at the birth of our Messiah, Jesus Christ.  While we are here in the Christmas season, I would like to dwell on that subject a bit longer.  It is one of those beautiful epiphanies that you do not let go of easily.  Isn’t it great to have an epiphany happen to you BEFORE epiphany? 

Today I am thinking of the similarities between Sarah and Mary.  I am remembering that even when Sarah was very young she had a divine ability to see things that other people did not see.  This must have also been the case with Mary.  She possessed the excellent wisdom of a biblical scholar at the tender age of 15, when more than likely, she was never formally schooled.  This wisdom must have come to her in many divine ways, much like the wisdom that Sarah received as she praised God while she baked her bread.    

Mary was fifteen when she heard the glorious announcement by Gabriel that she would carry inside her body and give birth to The Son of God.  She was engaged to Joseph at that age.  This was the same age that Sarah became Abraham’s wife.  Sarah was so special that Abraham chose her above all women to be his wife.  Mary was so special that God chose her above all women to bring his only begotten Son into the world.

 

Both of these godly women possessed three special traits.  We have discussed them regarding Sarah, but they are also true in the case of Mary.  

What are these special traits?  They are three simple things that anyone can

do:  (1)  Baking bread  (2)  Keeping Sabbath (3)  Bringing The Divine Presence of God into every room you enter.  

Let’s look a bit at the combination of these three simple things that made Sarah so special:

She baked bread.  It wasn’t just any bread; it was Challah.  Sarai understood that she could invite God into her home through her actions.  As she baked her bread she prayed for God to bless her every action in her home while she worked to make it a special and hospitable place.  She prayed for God’s closeness as she worked for her family’s blessings.  When she made bread, she prayed for God to bless the bread as well as those who would come to eat it.  The Midrash talks of Sarai’s bread saying that when she baked it just before Sabbath, it always remained fresh and good for the next seven days.  

Abraham had many followers in the land of Ur.  They often ate in his home.  When they journeyed on to other places Abraham and  Sarah were known for their love of other people and their hospitality.  Abram loved the way their guest enjoyed the blessings of Sarai’s Challah.  It is said that because she prayed for God’s blessings as she baked, even though she always baked the same amount of bread, it never ran out even when Abram brought in many unexpected guests.  Sarah’s bread was always there for them, and it was always delicious.  No one would ever experience hunger as long as Sarah was baking bread.  

It was through the serving of the bread to their guest that Sarah and Abraham began to establish the first monotheistic religion of mankind.  The bread became an instrument blessed by God to nourish people’s bodies as Abraham spoke to them of the Word of God which nourished their souls.  Sarah taught the women about The One True God as Abraham taught the men.   Their gatherings always centered around the table which always contained bread.   This one little attribute of Sarah’s personality brought constant harmony and team work into their home.  Baking the bread was Sarah's way of coming along side Abraham and contributing to his ministry.  Abraham was very thankful for the bread that Sarah so joyfully provided.  The bread was a part of the gift of hospitality that Sarah exhibited to everyone who came to the door of her tent.  She made people feel welcomed and loved.  Is it any wonder that great miracles abounded in the midst of all of this?  A cloud was always stationed over Sarah's tent and her dough never ceased to rise.  When Sarah died, the cloud disappeared for a while, until her son, Isaac, married Rebekkah and brought her into his mother's tent.

Okay, so what do all these things mean when we think of Mary?  They are even greater and even more wonderful!  While Sarah baked special bread and served it to all of Abraham’s guest, Mary brought The True Bread, the Bread of Heaven into the world through the power of God.  Jesus Christ is The Bread From Heaven from which we feed our souls.  Without this bread there is no hope for mankind.  Mary willingly gave her life for this purpose to bring about God’s will for the world.  Sarah’s bread baking was such a shadow of the hospitality of the love of Christ. 

In her journey as a young girl engaged to Joseph Mary carried The Bread From Heaven everywhere she went.  Realizing this, she must have, like Sarah, understood that she could invite God into her home through her actions.  She had invited God to let The Savior of the World live in her womb, and she invited God into every place that he stationed her in the process of giving birth.  As she waited for the blessed child, much like Sarah awaiting the birth of Isaac,  she must have prayed for God to bless her every action in her home.  As  she worked to make their home a special and hospitable place she must have prayed for God’s closeness and His blessings on her new family.  In the midst of this strange and unexpected pregnancy, she must have prayed for God to bless the child in her womb as well as all of those who would come to know Him.  God has so graciously answered these prayers of a young woman’s heart.

 The Midrash talks of Sarah’s bread saying that when she baked it just before Sabbath, it always remained fresh and good for the next seven days.  The Bread from Heaven that Mary brought forth has multiplied into millions and millions of servings for all the inhabitants of the earth.  All who eat The Bread from Heaven will never be hungry; they will be FILLED with the blessings of Christ and they will be satisfied. 

Baking bread was one thing that Mary and Sarah had in common, the lesser being just a shadow of the greater.  The other thing is that both women kept Sabbath.  Keeping Sabbath is probably the greatest thing a person can do to invoke God’s will and ways into their daily lives.  When the Sabbath came, both Mary and Sarah were known to light the Sabbath candles and invite God to fill their homes with His awesome presence.  They were happy to put aside daily tasks and bask only in the gift of the Presence of God for a full 24 hours each week.  They were careful to prepare for this and they never missed this or let the world pull them away from it.  Both Sarah and Mary knew the secret of true worship, or putting God first and honoring Him above all things. 

If every woman in America would truly start to keep Sabbath in her home, the world would change forever.  It is a lost art in homes today.   Yes, people attend

Church; but do they truly keep Sabbath?  The two are not the same.  Mary and Sarah knew that keeping Sabbath in their homes was the secret to keeping The One True God in their lives and in their family’s lives.  Sabbath was never a chore to either of these two excellent examples of womanhood.  They considered keeping Sabbath with true worship of God their greatest joy.    From one Sabbath to the next these women lit the Sabbath candles and gave light to those looking for their way through the darkness.  This is another beautiful example of bringing The Light Of The World, Jesus, The Messiah, into the world by our actions and deeds.  They were celebrating Chanukkah continually once a week, as we should do today, but often neglect because of the cares of the world and the voices that are not from God.

Bringing Christ into our homes and celebrating Sabbath every seven days  is all about resting with God.  Rest was abundant in the tents of Sarah.  Rest was abundant in the home of Mary.  In her rest she nurtured and provided a safe warm place for The Son of God to grow into The Savior of The World.  These women knew about resting in The Lord.    Six days were full of labor, but the seventh day found Mary and Sarah and those of their home and their guest resting and praising God for His blessings.

It is said that Sarah brought the presence of God into every room she entered.   Mary carried God inside her womb.  Every room she entered was blessed!  We see this when John The Baptist leaped in Elizabeth’s womb as Mary entered the house pregnant with Christ.   If you are a Christian you have Christ living inside of you!  You are in so many ways just like Mary.  You are carrying Him with you to every where you go and every thing you do.  Are you conscience of the fact that you too are pregnant with Christ?  Do you realize that the whole world is groaning right now with labor pains while we await His promised return?   

 These are the things about Sarah that captured the heart of Abraham, and these are the things about Mary that God loved when He considered making her the Mother of Christ.  Even if none of the other qualities had existed, this act of carrying God into the world, would have been sufficient.    This quality is in fact the source and essence for the other two.  

When Mary and Sarah entered a room they brought the creativity of God with them.  They brought the beauty of holiness with them.  They brought the wonder of God's creation with them.  They brought the wisdom of a Mighty God with them.  They brought the courage of faith. love, hope and joy.

 Sarai brought laughter, which later spilled over into the name of a very special son.  It was said that the laughter of Sarah could change the world.  Mary brought pure and complete love and devotion to God, which spilled over into the name of a very special Son,  Emmanuel; God with us!  Mary in being willing to bear the Child of God has definitely brought change into the world!

Let us carry His Presence into this Christmas with joy and adoration!

O come let us adore Him!

SEASONS - A CHRISTIAN CELEBRATION OF CHANUKAH IN 2014 - Prayers and Meditations for the Second Day of Chanukah

(Partially Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf.  The Meditation section of this article is written by Rabbi Debra Orenstein.)

It is the Second Day of Chanukah!

Instructions for lighting the Chanukah Menorah:

The Chanukah candles cannot be used to light each other, which is why we use the Shamash Candle to light the Menorah.  It's not one of the 8 Chanukah candles, so we set it in a place above the rest. The Shamash can be made out of sweet-smelling beeswax.  This candle represents Y’shua, Jesus to Christians.  Jewish people know it as "the servant candle."  This candle is higher and more special than the others because it has more power, yet it is a servant to the other candles, giving them life and light.

We place candles in the Menorah from right to left, but we light the candles from left to right.

On the first night we light one candle on the right side. On the second night we light the new, candle first, starting from the left and moving to the right. A new candle is added each night until we have eight candles and the Shamash on the eighth night.  Chanukah, like the oil of the temple when it was rededicated, lasts for eight days.   

Each night as we add another candle and light them again we can recite special blessings.  We can also meditate on the truth from the illustrations found in God’s Word and the truth of the history of God’s people throughout time to help us understand the full meaning of this special time together and how Chanukah was a great miracle of God. 

Many people delight in gathering and serving foods cooked in oil during this season in order to remember the miracle of the oil in the menorah lasting for eight days when there was thought to be only enough oil for one day.

BLESSING FOR THE SECOND NIGHT OF CHANUKAH

We praise you O Lord our God, King of the universe, who sanctifies us by Your Presence and enjoins us to kindle the Chanukah lights.

We praise You O Lord our God, King of the universe, who performed great miracles and deeds many times over for our ancestors in the days of old during this season. 

We praise You  for the joy in the miracles that You continue to show us each day of our lives.

 We praise You O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has given us life, sustained us and enabled us to reach this season. 

We praise You for Your provision of our every need, even in the midst of hopelessness, You shine out Your Holy love into our lives and turn our mourning to joy.

MEDITATION FOR THE SECOND DAY:

This meditation is taken from the teachings of Rabbi Debra Orenstein.  She has given us great insight into the miracle of the second candle we light tonight.

The miracle of the second candle is one of surprise,  joy, and delight. With the benefit of hindsight, and with the story so entrenched in Jewish culture and consciousness, we have to work to imagine the shock and celebration that must have ensued when the light burned past its time.

Picture the scene: Jews are gathered around the newly purified Temple. They hold one another, celebrating the victory, supporting one another over the losses. The light that is about to go out in the Menorah represents another loss, another bit of damage inflicted by the enemy. They want to bask in the Light and the victory for as long as it will last.

There is a debate among the Jews over whether to continue fighting for complete political independence, or to be satisfied with having beaten the enemy back. The flame of the Menorah, now about to go out, is a symbol that either side could invoke. “We have our menorah back: purify the oil, focus on holy, and light the flame of faith again.” Or: “we must endure more darkness. Therefore, purify the oil, focus on the holy, and don’t abandon the fight until it is done. “

Before any of these thoughts are spoken, a buzz starts to go through the crowd. First one person and then another realizes that the flame has been burning “too long.” There is more light, more hope, than they had dared to expect. Soon everyone is cheering and singing. The Light will not go out! The political choice is still before them, but the spiritual promise matters more.

 The Light will not go out!

Take a few quiet moments in front of the second candle or during the second day of Chanukah and consider:

What are the miracles of  joy, surprise, and delight in your life?

Was there a time when you were you recovering from loss, and preparing to face the future, when you got a gift – a sudden surge of hope, of Light, a promise for the future?

FURTHER COMMENTS OFFERED BY SHEILA GAIL LANDGRAF:

How does the miracle of the light of Chanukah for the Jewish people relate when we think of the state of America today? 

What can Americans learn from the Jewish people about hope and perseverance in a time of trouble?

What was the main thing that brought about this great miracle?  

What did God do?  What did the people do?

SEASONS - A CHRISTIAN CHANUKAH IN 2014

If you are among the many Christian people today who have come to see and understand the Jewish history which brought about the celebration of Chanukah, and have learned that it truly was a miracle of God which should be remembered and find it a reason to celebrate; and if you too, like me, believe that this celebration actually shows us Christians MORE of the meaning of Our Lord Jesus Christ coming into this world as The Light Of The World; there is no reason why you and I, as Christians, should not feel free to join in the celebration of this joyous holy time.  Our celebration will be slightly different in light that we believe the Messiah has already come and the Chanukah miracle plays into that belief.  

So, go ahead!  Buy a Menorah and some candles and set aside the time in your home with your family to ponder the miracles of God during this season.  Each day for the next eight days I will be posting prayers and meditations which relate and you can use them if you like to implement into your own yearly celebrations of God’s love for mankind in your own home with your own family and friends.

Instructions for lighting the Chanukah Menorah:

The Chanukah candles cannot be used to light each other, which is why we use the Shamash Candle to light the Menorah.  It's not one of the 8 Chanukah candles, so we set it in a place above the rest. The Shamash can be made out of sweet-smelling beeswax.  This candle represents Y’shua, Jesus to Christians.  Jewish people know it as "the servant candle."  This candle is higher and more special than the others because it has more power, yet it is a servant to the other candles, giving them life and light.

We place candles in the Menorah from right to left, but we light the candles from left to right.

On the first night we light one candle on the right side. On the second night we light the new, candle first, starting from the left and moving to the right. A new candle is added each night until we have eight candles and the Shamash on the eighth night.  Chanukah, like the oil of the temple when it was rededicated, lasts for eight days.   

Each night as we add another candle and light them again we can recite special blessings.  We can also meditate on the truth from the illustrations found in God’s Word and the truth of the history of God’s people throughout time to help us understand the full meaning of this special time together and how Chanukah was a great miracle of God. 

BLESSING FOR THE FIRST NIGHT OF CHANUKAH

We praise you O Lord our God, King of the universe, who sanctifies us by Your Presence and enjoins us to kindle the Chanukah lights.

We praise You O Lord our God, King of the universe, who performed wonderous deeds for our ancestors in days of old during this season.

We praise You O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has given us life, sustained us and enabled us to reach this season.

MEDITATION FOR THE FIRST DAY:

Life is precious and should be appreciated as the gift from God that it is.  It is God’s Son, Y’shua, Jesus, who gives us life, and gives it more abundantly; according to John 10:10

(John 10:10) 

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; but I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full.”

Furthermore, Y’shua, Jesus, declared in John 11:25-26:  “I am the resurrection and the life:  he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me, shall never die.”

Y’shua, Jesus came that we might have life and light.

 This is represented well by the Shamash, or the servant candle that we use to give the light to all the other candles.  This candle brings the light into our world, just as Jesus Christ has brought life into  a dark world.