What will you "bring forth" for God?: A Christmas Message

When Jesus was born, Galatians 4:4 tells us he was “born of a woman”.  The King James Version says in Luke 2:7 that Jesus’ mother, Mary, “brought forth” her firstborn son, Jesus: the Word of God that took on flesh and dwelt among us. Because of the Son that Mary brought forth, we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

The question I have for you is this: what is God calling you to “bring forth”? There is something that God has placed in you to bring into the world so He receives glory. What are you called to bring forth?

As you begin to ponder that, let's think about Mary’s experience as she prepared to bring forth the Son of God. We have to speculate a little since the Bible doesn’t include all the information we might want to know. My purpose in doing this is to draw an analogy between Mary’s experience and ours: we will see that Mary's experience as she prepared to bring forth what God had placed in her may reflect our experience as we travail in labor to bring forth the ministries God has given us. 

Mary’s story begins with the angel Gabriel announcing that God has chosen her to “bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.” (Luke 1:31)

After this, there are a lot of details that I’m really curious about, but on which the Bible is silent. We do know that Mary’s cousin Elizabeth reacted with loving affirmation and encouragement for Mary. (Luke 1:39-55) But I wonder about Mary’s other family and friends…I wonder, did she feel safe sharing her story with anyone -- and if so, did they believe her?

What did her parents think when they found out about the pregnancy - belief and support, or disappointment and shame? We know that Joseph, her fiance, planned to break the engagement -- until God intervened and confirmed that he should marry Mary. (Matthew 1:19-21) What about Mary’s in-laws? I wonder if Joseph shared his dream with his parents in defense of Mary, and did they believe it if he did?

Were there whispers when Mary went out into town? Was she a target for gossip? Did the gossip follow her to Bethlehem, and when her family finally moved back to Nazareth, had people forgotten or did that old story still haunt her? 

We are getting the idea that this could have been really hard for Mary. She had already declared that “all generations will call [her] blessed” (Luke 1:48) -- and we do! -- but she still went through some rough patches! She might have suffered a lot of shame and judgment from others who didn’t understand the revelation God gave her.

We know a few details from Scripture about Mary’s trip to Bethlehem and the night of Jesus’ birth. Culture has romanticized it a bit, with cattle lowing a lullaby and snuggly sheep and the peaceful quiet of a starry night. I rather enjoy the romanticized “silent night” -- the soft music, the lights, the wonder of it all.  But I wonder . . . was this how it was for Mary?  Think about it:

Was she in early labor -- while riding a donkey??

In children’s books the stables are warm and friendly places with happy animals, but the reality is that it was still a barn and probably smelly. And dirty.  Not a place that a woman would want to give birth.

By the way, did she have any help with the birth -- a midwife, anyone? Had Elizabeth at least warned her what she was in for? 

Was Joseph her coach and cheerleader, or the proverbial fainting father? 

Honestly, it was not an easy thing for Mary to “bring forth” her firstborn son, not an easy thing for her to bring forth the ministry God had placed within her. 

I’m so thankful that the Bible records some beautiful moments in Mary’s years as a new mom and Jesus’ years as a child:

The visit from shepherds in the stable after angels announce the birth of a Savior wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger (Luke 2:8-20). After having to give birth in a stable I bet that was a great encouragement!

Later on, the surprise visit from the Magi, those wise men from the east, affirming the kingship of Jesus (Matthew 2:1-12)

Words of affirmation from the Simeon and Anna that Jesus was God’s Christ and would bring salvation when he was dedicated at the Temple (Luke 2:25-38)

But then, Simeon also predicts that “a sword will pierce through [Mary’s] own soul also” (Luke 2:35).  Not words any mom wants to hear. And then, years later -- enemies, lies, betrayal, torture, a cross. 

We have all heard the quote that to have children is to have your heart go walking around outside your body (Elizabeth Stone). Who can imagine the pain that Mary, as the mother of the Lord Jesus, felt when He suffered more than any person had ever suffered before? Did the words of Simeon flash in her mind as she felt the sword of grief pierce her soul? Did she ever wonder, like many others, why God brought this child into the world only to let Him die?

Let me pull this all together now because I want you to see how Mary’s journey is also our journey:

Mary’s story takes place when the world was longing for the Messiah to come. The world was a mess for the Jews, and they were longing for a king that would set the wrong things right.

At that moment when the world was waiting, God asked Mary to “bring forth” the Lord Jesus Christ: a display of the glory of God on earth.  

Today, we are -- again -- awaiting the coming of our King. And our King already said (in Revelation 22) that He is coming soon.

At this moment when the world is waiting, God is asking each of us to “bring forth” something that will display the glory of God on earth.

So again I ask you: what is God calling you to “bring forth”? What is your assignment to display the glory of God on earth?

When Mary accepted her assignment, she declared, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)

When you accept your assignment, you, like Mary, take on the role of maidservant of the Lord.  You allow yourself to be a vessel through which the kingdom of God is revealed to the earth. If I may use the analogy, you allow yourself, like Mary, to become pregnant with the ministry the Lord has placed in you to give the world. You allow yourself, like Mary, to go through some hard places so that something of Christ can be birthed in you -- whether it be a more Christ-like character that others will observe, to a ministry (big or small) -- something in your life will make Jesus Christ more visible. 

We saw from Mary that being the Lord’s maidservant is not easy work.  It took a lot of courage, a lot of faith, a lot of deciding “I will not regard what they think/say, i will only regard what God has said.”

To be a maidservant is to sometimes be misunderstood...to sometimes feel abandoned, alone, rejected...to sometimes wonder why things turned out this way...to sometimes be in pain and suffer loss (as Mary saw her son rejected and die).

But, to be a maidservant is to be able to say, like Mary, that despite all these things: My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! He has regarded me (little me!) and done great things for me! (Luke 1:46-49)

To be His maidservant is to be able to receive gifts so precious that there is no where to store them except to treasure them up in your heart (Luke 2:19). To be His maidservant is to be able to see the ministry that you birthed in faith take flight and bring glory to God on earth.

To be a maidservant is worth it. 

One more time I’ll ask: what is God asking you to “bring forth”? Will you be His maidservant?

Parenting Exhaustion

I zombie-walk out of dark bedrooms after praying for, tucking-in and kissing my little darlings. “Who’s going to put Mommy to bed?” is the joke in our house because, by the end of the day, I’m exhausted. Not physically exhausted, parent exhausted. Exhausted from the effort of consistent correcting and redirecting, the pile of laundry with orange spots when a wad of clay went through the dryer, the rice that baby spilled on the kitchen floor waiting to be swept, the thought of fixing the drawer that broke in the bathroom and the end table leg in the living room (um yes, two furniture breaks in one day), and top it off with making sure we’re all ready with food and school work for the next day. Parenting exhaustion!

It’s a job that I adore, but a job that sometimes squeezes soooo much out of me. 

Years before our beloved brood was born, my husband and I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.  As we made our summit push, the difficulty of the terrain and unforgiving altitude tempted us to give up. Is it really worth it? Each time we slid on the volcanic scree or had to take three breaths before another step, we asked ourselves. 

But we had come so far! At some point, you just can’t give up.  You can’t go back. There is no real choice: you can only go forward. And so forward we went. One step at a time, sliding backwards, encouraging each other, moving on, slow progress towards a definite goal.  It’s going to be worth it! 

Parenting is a slow, consistent, sometimes very challenging climb.  There are moments when the road seems endless and all we see is the mountain in front of us.  There are moments when we slide backwards. There are moments when we need to take a deep breath! 

There are moments when we feel like giving up and need encouragement.  Mama, if you’re in one of those moments, remember that there are summits along the way, and you are going to look back and say, it was worth it! For now, take one more step. 

And after that, just one more step. 

It’s going to be worth it!

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 

Galatians 6:9 (NLT)

By the way, we did summit Kilimanjaro, and the view was amazing. 

But from the parenting summit -- I bet the view will be even better. 

The Second Plague

What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light:

and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.

Matthew 10:27 KJV 

Coronavirus. There is no introduction necessary here because all the world knows what’s been going on in all the world.  So I’ll just tell you what the Lord has said to me: 

There is a second plague -- a plague of loneliness

This is not the loneliness that we are experiencing from not being out and about, from missing our friends and extended family, from getting bored at home.  This loneliness is real too, and not to be minimized, but thankfully there are tools to help us cope like video chats and online church and the good old fashioned phone call. 

But the plague of loneliness is not this, and it cannot be cured with the same tools.  The plague of loneliness is the deep, deep loneliness of grieving in isolation -- being sick and afraid in isolation -- having to say goodbye to someone you love with no one to support you because you are in isolation. It is a plague of being truly and utterly alone, often in the very moment that you need love and support from a community of friends and family.  

This is the second plague, and there is only one cure for it: the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. The experience of Him as “Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” (Matthew 1:23) The experience of Him coming with the weight of His glory right to where you are -- filling the emptiness and lighting up the darkness. His Presence -- how can I describe it?? -- it can be felt, and it is good, and it raises you up above the trials you’re facing and brings a peace and comfort that can only be divine.

David experienced it and wrote, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”  How could David fear no evil when he walked alone through that dark place? Because, he said, “Thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4) The companionship of God was David’s source of strength.

John the Revelator was exiled and  imprisoned on the Island of Patmos when the Lord visited him and gave him the vision written in the book of Revelation.  John experienced an amazing visitation from God in loneliness. (Revelation 1:9-19)

Moses pleaded with God to send His Presence with the Israelites as they journeyed into the Promised Land.  Moses knew there was no way they could overcome the challenges they would face there without the Presence of God. (Exodus 33:12-17)

God has always wanted to come to us - His children - and commune with us.  Now is the time to really press in to the Lord and seek His Presence. In His Presence you will find love that overcomes loneliness, joy that overcomes sorrow, peace that overcomes anxiety, and fortitude that overcomes fear. 

Please AND Thank You

O LORD who is never early and never late

Why do You sometimes make me wait

To receive what You've already decided to give? 

"So that thankfulness is the way you live."

I realized it in a single moment: these little people surrounding me had changed again. Reading lessons had morphed from a battle into a delight for one. Self control was beginning to chip away at the pattern of surrendering to tantrums for another. Mobility, speech and a very healthy appetite had washed away secret concerns for the youngest.

It didn't happen in an instant, but I realized it in an instant - that each of those things had been a specific prayer for a specific child. Thank you, Lord - You heard and answered!

The slow passage of time is a threat to giving thanks because we become forgetful. We forget that what is happening around us isn't arbitrary, it's an answer. God orchestrates both events and their timing, and He knows how He will answer my prayer from the moment it passes my lips -- even if I don't see the answer until much later.

I love the times that I pray and BOOM - God shifts something immediately! But more frequently there is a spiritual waiting room where I have to learn to just trust Him, and as I continue moving forward the answer to my prayer unfolds.  The ten lepers were healed - not immediately, but as they went.

When the prayer and the answer are disconnected by time we can be tempted to forget that God is behind the answer. We can forget to pause, return to Jesus and give thanks. We end up saying a lot of "please God"s, but not a lot of "thank you"s.

O LORD open my eyes to see that You are constantly responding - in times of waiting and in time of action.  No matter how far time stretches the link between my prayer and Your answer, help me remember to be like that one leper that returns praising You in a loud voice.

Little Gifts for the Lord

"Mommy, I have gifts for you!"

Every afternoon my son comes bounding out of room time with an armload -- paper airplanes he's folded, finished color-by-number pictures from a coloring book, drawings of dinosaurs and family portraits. He is beaming. Proud. Joyful.

Stegosaurus card

Home portrait

And a color-by-number he made for me to color (I happily obliged)

They are simple things. Just crayon on paper, mostly. Sometimes embellished with a paper clip swiped from the kitchen desk drawer. To any other adult, they'd seem inconsequential. But to me - to his mom - they are precious, priceless - because they are given from a heart of love.

As a mom of three little ones, my days are filled with simple things. I make oatmeal, serve oatmeal, and clean up oatmeal the baby threw on the floor.  I read stories, give snuggles and fold blankets - again. I zip coats, tie shoes and find mittens.  I buckle carseats, push strollers and babywear like a boss. I defuse temper trantrums (while trying not to have one myself) and sympathize with every single bump and bruise. I give big pushes on swings ("higher, Mommy!"), slide down playground slides and sing Ring Around the Rosie. Guys-- I do a lot of laundry. And even more dishes. I do . . . So. Many. Little. Things.

To many people, these things are inconsequential. She gave up three degrees and a six-figure salary to wipe noses and make PB&J (don't forget to cut off the crusts)?  She could have really made a career for herself.

But to God - to my Heavenly Father - they are precious, priceless gifts given from a heart of love. My gift to Him is to care for those He has entrusted to my care.

"Look, LORD! See what I've given you today?"

And I am beaming. Proud. Joyful.