Father, Son, Holy Spirit and the Christmas Story

Father, Son, Holy Spirit

Father, Son, Holy Spirit, You are the Christmas God, the three, utterly dependent and independent Supreme Beings. Connected, united, yours is the first love affair, the love that fired creation with its energy.

Yours is the love that grieved with disappointment over the self-willfulness of humans. You are witness to the destruction we impose, the ignorance and self-ness we maintain as excuse for our ugly acts.

Father, Yours is the love that sought a way of restoration for Your creation. Yours is the love that allowed, even desired for Jesus to enter earth's time. You wrote the salvation story begun at Christmas. Jesus fulfilled Your will, Father.

Jesus you scurried off early mornings to savor time alone in your Father’s presence. Jesus, You insisted You only did the Father’s works. You urged us all to unite with you, Jesus, so we could also be One with the Father. Three in One.

Father, You witnessed the Crucifixion and withheld your wrath. But You let your presence be known in the splitting of the curtain, the darkening of the sky. Three in One.

Holy Spirit, Yours was the power that impregnated Mary, the source of knowledge that enlightened Elizabeth about Mary’s condition, the anointing that empowered Peter and Paul. Three in One.

Holy Spirit, you were the comfort given by Jesus before leaving earth, that a Divine Comforter was coming who would never leave the boundaries of earth.

Your Holy Spirit Presence remains among men to give us power to live truth, to love beyond human capacity, to acknowledge that death is only a passage to the Presence of God, that forever is a reality, and one that awaits us all.

Holy Spirit, you guide us toward every right choice, but make no choice for us. We behold your power to heal, to enlighten us and when we look deep, we see the three-ness of all that the Father, Son and Spirit do.

Father, Son and Holy Spirit, blessed Christmas comes from you. Holy holidays occur every day because of Your unfathomable love for one another and for every one of us.

This makes our Hallelujah burst forth. We are startled at the evil we can do in our unredeemed haughtiness, then we bow, amazed and humbled into silent awe that love like Yours entered this world to transform each of us.

One Word,

One Man Divine,

One perfect plan

One total peace.

Lord, it means so much to know

That You’re a real and personal God,

Not a specter in the sky,

Impossible of being pleased.

We do not place hope in a haughty highness,

Or expect peace from a pretense,

Nor long for love from a vague force,

But the One and Only, Real and Personal God.

Father, source of all that is,

Son, revealer of all that is,

Holy Spirit, energizer of all that is.

Divine Trinity, fill us with compassion,

Empower us with boldness.

Vibrant energy of God’s Spirit

Stronger than sound waves,

Faster than light waves,

Shatter evil and soar!

Sear us with Your truth.

Forge us with Your love.

Merriest of Christmases!

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Angels Played A Part

Angels

On the day the barrier split between heaven and earth, you angels sang your customary praises, although this day was different – a shake-up of the known world was forthcoming.

Did you think of that long ago day of Satan’s fall, when you’d made the choice to remain faithful to God? No self-seeking glory lust for you.

Angels, you knew the delight of being in the constant company of the Godhead – Father, Son and Holy Spirit and nothing less would suffice.

But foolish humans rejected the Divine Presence and the perfection of Eden was lost.

God sent an angel to the Garden of Eden to forever block human re-entrance. Angels were you sad for mankind?

But then all heaven broke loose.

Angel Gabriel, you announced forerunner John the Baptist’s birth to Zechariah, John’s father. And soon visited Mary, the holy woman among women, chosen to be the human God-carrier for nine months.

You shocked the shepherds, angels, with your song on that wondrous night when humankind’s restoration began. On the God-baby’s birth day you poured forth the music of heaven with joyous abandon flooded in heavenly light.

Again mankind would be equipped to celebrate life in eternal glory!

What comfort and delight to know ministering angels work among us still.

Peter, The Christmas Story Goes On

Peter, oh so rash, oh so strong-willed. I for one, and how many others see themselves in you?

You lived with Jesus, you promised undying allegiance, yet you walked off. You relied on deceit and lies again. When would you learn?

Bold you were in the garden as you removed a soldier’s ear, then timid as you spoke to a servant girl. What a blend of contradictions. So are we all.

I need you. I need your witness, so I can know that I’m forgiven over

and over for the times I’m so far less than my best self. You are so incredibly impulsive and often behaved totally wrong.

But rock you are and rock Christ named you. Because your heart is rock-solid and unchanging. You love with all your heart. So may I love those I’m given.

I want them all, Peter, all your best parts, all the qualities that brought you to the arms of Jesus. 

May we all be counted among the body of believers who will be bold speakers, not only quiet assenters to the truth of God.

Matthew Chapter 16: 13-20

The Christmas Story Doesn't End With The Nativity: Paul

Paul

Among the people who saw Jesus, the Christ, the Living God, the gift made mine, for which I give thanks daily, you, Paul, must be listed. For the Christmas story doesn’t end with Christmas.

Yes, your visitation, your encounter came later, after the Resurrection, but it lacked nothing in significance.

No, you weren’t on a horse - that was an artist’s lovely conception. Yours was a simple falling over, being knocked out by the Lord’s Presence , but yes the light was there and the voice that only you heard:  Why are you persecuting me?

Killing every Jesus follower, removing any trace of belief in him was your obsession, your act of religious fervor, all twisted by error. Until the day you discovered that Jesus Christ is REAL! I’d love to have seen your face.

Scholar that you were, Paul, you had to know more. This Jesus as Messiah belief you’d discounted, scoffed at, attempted to destroy. You thought you were learned, hadn’t you studied under a master? 

You needed to study the accounts, recheck the Old Testament prophecies. Being blinded as you were is unforgettable, inability to see is clear-cut reality. These facts you couldn’t dispute. Not that you wanted to any more.

You only desired to know truth, and then you’d live it with every fiber of your being, for you, Paul, did nothing halfway.

Any human fear in your heart evaporated, never to return. Snakes, shipwrecks, bring them on. You were willing and eager to tell others that you had it all wrong, Jesus Christ is the true God. He really did die, arise, and go on to prepare eternity for all of us.

You Paul knew, for you experienced an encounter with the living God. So may we all.

Scripture: Acts and the Letters of Paul

Mary Magdalene, A Minute Meditation

Mary, did you know that love could be more than simply physical before you met Jesus?

Through Jesus you discovered your soul, and found the love that could stir your heart to selfless pleasure, bathe it in holy joy. No superficial love could ever suffice again.

Jesus saw you as a person worthy of great love, real and true, and you found Him to be right.

You ignored those who would stop you from washing the feet of Your Lord.

A waste of expensive perfume? You thought not.

I know not. A fitting tiny gift for the giver of all gifts.

Mary, Jesus spoke to you first outside the tomb on that Resurrection day. Before He spoke to Peter and John and the other disciples. No gardener was He, but your risen Lord. To your amazement.

The God you watched in anguish die, rose to conquer His death and yours and ours. O my goodness, such greatness would be incomprehensible if it weren’t real.

You are honored, Mary, and emulated for the gifts of purity and holiness you reclaimed in your body and made respondent in your soul. This same holiness is now  available to all mankind, how amazing is this!

Lord, what may I give you this holiday season. What gift of myself do I still withhold?

May I ignore those who would stop me from total surrender, from the fullness of worship with all my life.

Luke Chapter 7:36-50; John Chapter 20:11-18