Why - by Michael Card

WHY

Why did it have to be a friend
Who chose to betray the Lord
Why did he use a kiss to show them
That's not what a kiss is for
Only a friend can betray a friend
A stranger has nothing to gain
And only a friend comes close enough
To ever cause so much pain

And why did there have to be a thorny
Crown pressed upon His head
It should have been a royal one
Made of jewels and gold instead
It had to be a crown of thorns
For in this life that we live
For all who seek to love a thorn
Is all the world has to give

And why did there have to be
A heavy cross He was made to bear
And why did they nail His feet and hands
His love would have held Him there
It was a cross for on a cross
A thief was supposed to pay
And Jesus had come into the world
To steal every heart away
Yes, Jesus had come into the world
To steal every heart away

Listen to song on Youtube

(This is one of my very favourite songs written by Michael Card, from his CD, "The Life")

Christmas Meditation

Meditation on John 1:1-18
from the Word Among Us for the Nativity of our Lord

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. (John 1:14)

O you chosen of God, sing and exult with all the angels of heaven! The Word has been made flesh. He who was in the beginning with God, overseeing everything that came to be, has become man and lived among us. The longing of all of creation has been fulfilled, and the world is forever transformed.

O you redeemed of the Lord, rejoice! Grace and truth have come to earth in the person of Jesus. A child in a manger reveals the unfathomable glory of God. No longer do we rely only on his Law to know him. He has come to us, and in his presence we behold the depths of God’s love.

O you children of God, open your mouths in praise! We have beheld personally the glory of the Father’s only Son. His grace and truth were made visible to us in the mystery of his incarnation. He is no longer far off from us in our suffering and emptiness. He whom heaven itself cannot hold has taken on our flesh and dwelt among us.

O you beloved of God, bow down and worship the One who has made you his children! Kneel at the manger in awe that this humble baby holds in his person the power to take away all that separates you from God, to restore you to wholeness, and to open the gates of heaven for you.

O you enlivened by his life, celebrate! He has brought light and life where once there was darkness and death. The light of the world shines in the darkness, and the darkness will never overcome it. Victory is ours because Christ has come!

“Jesus, I receive your life today. I believe that you are the revelation of the Father, the Light of the World, the Word become flesh. I open my heart to you today—to you whom darkness cannot vanquish, to you who have conquered sin and opened the gates of heaven. Jesus, may I gaze upon your glory forever!”

Wise Men Still Seek Him

Shepherds gathered their flowing robes to hurry to Him; the Magi braved deserts and mountains to find Him; in the blazing noonday sun a defeated Samaritan woman came to Him; a skeptic exclaimed, “my Lord and my God” when he found Him. And today millions on every continent acknowledge with the Apostle Paul that He is “the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

Wise men still seek Him; and those who seek find more than they ever imagined. For in Jesus Christ, and Him alone, are to be found forgiveness, inward peace, joys in life today, the promises of life eternal.

The Magi found Him as a young child with Mary His mother. We find Him today as the living Christ, clothed with glory and honor and seated at the right hand of His Father in heaven. He is there because He finished the work He came to do on earth. Of His coming the Bible says, “He was made in the likeness of men: and… He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him… that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow… and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:7-11).

While it is true that wise men still seek Him, it is more wonderfully true that He still seeks us--whoever we may be. Now, today, from His place in the heavenlies comes His divine invitation: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20).

If the President sent you an official invitation, you would surely accept. The Babe of Bethlehem who is now the Christ of Glory is inviting you today. The door is the door of your heart. May you know what it is to respond; and may all His spiritual blessings be yours this Christmas.

~Clyde H. Dennis

Joseph's Prayer - Max Lucado

This isn't the way I planned it, God. Not at all. My child being born in a stable? This isn't the way I thought it would be. A cave with sheep and donkeys, hay and straw? My wife giving birth with only the stars to hear her pain?

This isn't at all what I imagined. No, I imagined family. I imagined grandmothers. I imagined neighbors clustered outside the door and friends standing at my side. I imagined the house erupting with the first cry of the infant. Slaps on the back. Loud laughter. Jubilation.

That's how I thought it would be.

But now. Now look. Nazareth is five days' journey away. And here we are in a . . . in a sheep pasture. Who will celebrate with us? The sheep? The shepherds? The stars?

This doesn't seem right. What kind of husband am I? I provide no midwife to aid my wife. No bed to rest her back. Her pillow is a blanket from my donkey. My house for her is a shed of hay and straw.

The smell is bad, the animals are loud. Why, I even smell like a shepherd myself.

Did I miss something? Did I, God?

When you sent the angel and spoke of the son being born--this isn't what I pictured. I envisioned Jerusalem, the temple, the priests, and the people gathered to watch. A pageant perhaps. A parade. A banquet at least. I mean, this is the Messiah!

Read the rest here...

If You Had Only One Son

If you had only one son,
would you send him to this earth
to live in lowly birth
where no one felt his worth?
God did.

If you had only one son,
would yo ulet him leave his throne
and come to live unknown
and face his task alone?
God did.

If you had only one son,
would you let him serve and bless
a crowd that offered less
than love and faithfulness?
God did.

If you had only one son,
would you let him weep and grieve
for men who won't perceive
but only make believe?
God did.

If you had only one son,
would you let him pay sin's debt
for men who would soon forget
and live without regret?
God did.

If you had only one son,
would you let him bleed and die
upon a cross held high
between the earth and sky?
God did.

If you had only one son,
would you raise him from the tomb
to lift away the gloom
from earth with still no room?
God did.

If you had only one son,
would you send him back again
to face a world of men
who still are lost in sin?
God will!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16