Love—deep red love— came struggling through the pressure of the birth canal and landed safe in loving hands that washed away the blood and held him close. They did not know, not yet, that Love’s own blood would someday spurt from lashes to his back, from nails plunged straight through his own hands, and through his feet— blood of Life and supreme Love that would bring hope to anyone who trusted in his words and in the power of his shed blood to wash away the curse of sin. It sealed a covenant of peace between the Lord and his dear ones, a document of liberation signed in crimson blood, the red of Love.
God’s love, shown in becoming human and living among us so that we could belong to him, that love is what Christmas is truly about. This year, with Christmas Day landing on the Monday just after Sunday, the Fourth Week of Advent lasted just one day! That week focuses on love, and it deserves reflection.
So this week, with all the holiday hubbub taking over our lives, I just send out this poem written eight years ago that is speaking to my heart now. May Jesus’ self-sacrifice, the blood of birth and death, be a continuing theme of our hope, peace and joy! He conquered death for us. The new covenant he put in place is one of peace and life, sealed by his love!
“Thank you, Jesus, for all you’ve done–thank you, Lord!”
When my happiness fades away, disappointment moves in to stay. But his joy makes me strong! It lifts me like a song! It’s not laughter-dependent, doesn’t need a comic moment— not transient like a smile that might last for a short mile then gradually melt down, maybe change into a frown at the pain and deep distress in my world’s sloppy mess.
My Master’s joy is potent, rooted in truth and future portent, fed by awareness of his goodness, his grace and perfect purpose. His plan cannot be strangled by the storm that’s brewing in the sky, the past or present frenzy. He sees beyond what I can see. Drinking it in, infused by him, my worry fades to dim.
I can run a marathon fueled by joy that doesn’t end, does not grow sour, evaporate or ever sadly dissipate. Instead, its fragrance draws in others, pointing back to him. It strengthens my heartbeat, energizes my weary feet— teaches listening and wise words. This is what my ears have heard: Live within his joy and know that he will never let you go!
Here we are in the Third Week of Advent, celebrating joy. In this season we are constantly reminded that joy has come to the world because the Lord has come! We sing “Joy to the World,” and remember what the angel told the shepherds that night long ago, just before a whole choir of angels burst into song:
“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord . . .” (Lk. 2:10-11 NIV)
When we truly focus our thoughts on that truth, those of us who know the Messiah can feel our inner being react with joy—maybe “leap with joy” like the baby in Elizabeth’s womb did when the Holy Spirit told her that the baby in Mary’s womb was the Lord himself (Luke 1:44). Joy is often a spontaneous reaction, one that occurs when we listen to good news or contemplate it. The LORD, Yahweh, even acknowledges that physical response is appropriate when his promises are fulfilled:
13 The LORD says, “At that time young women will dance and be glad. Young men and old men will rejoice.I will turn their grief into gladness. I will give them comfort and joy in place of their sorrow. 14 I will provide the priests with abundant provisions.My people will be filled to the full with the good things I provide.” (Jer. 31:13-14 NET)
Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. (Ps. 33:1 NIV)
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music! (Ps. 98:4 NIV)
Joy then becomes part of worship, an outburst of praise to God.
But how about the rest of the time, when things are hard? How can this other Scriptural saying be a reality in our lives?
“the joy of the LORD is your strength.” (Neh. 8:10 NIV)
As a young girl I used to sing that song as a chorus, full of rhythmic joy. But later I began to wonder how it actually works out. How could I get strong, feeling joy from my God, when I was sad, disappointed, angry or suffering?
Looking at the context of the saying helps me to apply it. The exiles had just returned from captivity and were finally listening to God’s Word (the Law of Moses) as it was read aloud to them for hours, all morning. Those instructing them explained it so that they could understand. They were weary after the years of captivity, the long road to return. the work of rebuilding. And they were not sitting on chairs all that time while they listened outdoors! They even began crying as they began to understand how much they had not known, how little they had obeyed their God.
But Nehemiah told them to stop crying. Instead, they were to celebrate on this day that was set apart for Yahweh, a time for worship and rejoicing. “Do not grieve,” he said, “for the joy of the LORD is your strength” . . .And the people went away to “celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.” (Neh. 8:10,12b”
So that word came to them in a time of great conviction and grief. Yet if they understood it correctly, from the perspective of knowing that God Yahweh was truly in charge and good, constantly seeking his people, then they could have joy!
This is what I have been learning to apply over the years. Our choice of focus matters. I appreciate this way of describing the process:
“Happiness is an emotion that can disappear as quickly as it rises to the surface. Joy, however, is a choice. We have a choice. God gives us a joy that is unconquerable. We can choose to live in an attitude of resentment, anger and fear or we can choose to pursue the joy of Christ.”[1]
Making that choice to pursue joy means to trust in what we cannot see. This requires faith that affirms our hope (the emphases of the two previous weeks of Advent):
The hope of the righteous is joy, but the expectation of the wicked will remain unfulfilled. (Prov. 10:28 NET)
Focusing on who God is, that he is characterized by love and light, leads to joy in worship:
There I will go to the altar of God, to God — the source of all my joy. I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God! (Ps. 43:4 NLT)
Delving into his Word gives joy like what those exiles experienced as they listened to it. God’s words did that for the prophet Jeremiah even while he going through long years of suffering and of taking words of doom to his people. For him, there was also always also the promise that at the right time, God would bring deliverance:
As your words came to me I drank them in, and they filled my heart with joy and happiness because I belong to you. (Jer. 15:16 NET)
Ah, there it is, the truth makes the whole difference: “because I belong to you.” And he was constantly reminded of that by drinking in God’s words. We have his Word at our fingertips; we need to drink it in daily too. Our relationship to Jesus will grow as we keep on relishing the truths left to nourish us. In his last words to his disciples before he would be taken away to be crucified, Jesus said:
“I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete”. (Jn. 15:11 NET)
What had he just told his disciples? it was a discourse about how essential it was that they stay attached to the vine (to him), remaining In his love—drinking it in! If they obeyed his words, they could remain in his love (Jn 15:10). Then their joy would be complete, his love filling them!
The application for us is to not only enjoy current sporadic moments of delight when we focus on the good news that Jesus Messiah came to earth and opened the way for us to belong to him, to God, but also to pursue that union with him so that we can have ongoing joy. That is different. It is joy that can take us through hard times. It is joy that comes from practicing his Presence, knowing that he is with us as he promised. It is joy like a pregnant woman feels even while in the agonizing pains of childbirth—it is based on solid trust and hope (at last it is happening!). As Peter wrote to believers who had never walked with Jesus physically the way that he had:
Youhave not seen him, but you love him. You do not see him now but you believe in him, and so you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, (1 Pet. 1:8 NET)
May it be so! May we rejoice at the good news that Messiah came, and experience joy that flows from him into us because we are dedicated to him—attached to him, walking with him!
The angels sang of peace. And yet I struggle to remember what seems so elementary: peace has its source in you, the Prince of Peace.
Peace seems to be the theme song of a mocking bird, just borrowed and played back, called out in bland irrelevance, mere words.
Where is goodwill when wars devour the planet? Even in your Body the cruel manipulation of the truth scores wounds; ill will is out to banish peace.
There is no peace. At least not in the daily scratch and dig of selfish, cancered brokenness. Bells and tinsel are a mockery if this is all there is.
If not for you, our hope would lie abandoned in the darkness. But your Light still shines, and in that Light we see beyond the now to the not yet, made perfect with your peace.
Peace is my hope, my confidence beyond myself in you, that you will stand and call us each by name to lead us like a flock to peace,
to living undisturbed by tranquil streams where canine teeth no longer tear at hearts but we are safe and loved, your Kingdom come.
So now I take this truth to be my own, my present living out of future grace. Your Kingdom is alive inside my heart. Your will be done, dear Prince of Peace.
This is what faith is: “my present living out of future grace.”
I find it interesting that many view “faith” as the focus of the Second Week of Advent, remembering the prophecies that were fulfilled at Christ’s birth and meditating on the promises of the Second Coming, while others contemplate “peace” during the Second Week. Which to follow?
I find a gentle weaving of the two in Scripture. One precious prophecy underlined that the coming Messiah would be called “Prince of Peace.” This is one of the most quoted verses during this time of Advent, of preparation for celebration:
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isa. 9:6 NIV)
The child who would be born (a human!) would also be Mighty God! And his ministry would be a government ruled by peace! When we hear “prince” we automatically think of one who is the son of the king, but the Hebrew word used here refers to an official, leading person, chief, a ruler.[1] Yes, this “child” would become the one governing the world, and his rule would be characterized by peace.
So when we look at the desperate state of affairs around the world, we need to have faith that there will come a time when peace will be reality. The Messiah has come, and he brings true peace even now to those who are citizens of his Kingdom, peace in our hearts. My heart cries out in the poem, “If not for you, our hope would lie abandoned in the darkness.” Those who are not in the Kingdom have no confident assurance of peace, not now, not in the future. Those of us who have the Prince of Peace as Master of our lives have shalom, a word in Hebrew with such depth of meaning that in English we need to translate it differently according to each context. It includes wholeness, being intact; salvation; health; well-being; peace.[2]
So those of us who have this Prince of Peace living in us, shepherding us, are walking in confident assurance (faith!) that he is in charge of our well-being (peace!) and that when his Kingdom is ushered into its complete reign, at last there will complete peace everywhere.
That is definitely worth contemplating as we prepare for the day when we celebrate Messiah’s birth on earth. As the angels sang:
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14 NIV)
And looking forward in faith to the future, we know that the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace will usher in complete wholeness, forever:
Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. (Isa. 9:7 NIV)
That Kingdom characterized by complete “justice and righteousness” is what we look forward to with fervent anticipation!
Breathe in the wet earth Breathe in my mercy Breathe in wafts of breeze Breathe in my Spirit
Breathe in red poinsettias Breathe in my artistry Breathe in owls cooing Breathe my approbation
Breathe in candles glimmering Breathe in gifts of hope Breathe in massive fir trees Breathe my complex weaving
Breathe in shafts of sunrise Breathe in Light and Truth Breathe in ringing church bells Breathe my love for you
Just breathe . . . and hope expectantly!
I love Christmas preps and the celebrations. I love the music that triggers memories and incites joy. But in the damp gray of early December in Detroit, in a season full of to-do lists, gift lists, shopping, cooking, special events and gatherings, I need to pause.
I need to stop in order to pay attention to what is hinted underneath the noise, and breathe in essential truths hidden in the season. I say “hidden” because they are the new normal in our culture, fun stuff that masquerades as the essence of Christmas: lighted evergreens, jolly Santa Claus, snow and sleigh rides, reindeer statues on the lawn, jingle bells, wreaths. I am not against these—you should see my house and see my delight at the reindeer and wreaths as I walk the neighborhood. The danger is that they so often become the focus.
You know the truth that incited this entire holiday: Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth in human form to save us! Focusing on that miracle, that spectacular display of love, changes Christmas from mere festivities to deep-felt awe and wonder.
Have you added to your personal sacred rhythms the practice of Advent, a guided celebration of the four weeks before Christmas? We first learned how to observe it in an intimate family context while visiting missionary friends, Bob and Joyce Carlson, who lived in a village in Mali north of our Côte d’Ivoire home. It was early December, the windy dry harmattan season out in the countryside. In the simplicity of candle-lighting and singing inside a mud hut, we found our hearts prepared in a new way for Christmas joy and took the practice home with us.
This first week of Advent is a time to pause and reflect on the hope that we have because the Messiah came, and will come again.
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. . . For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. (Isa. 9:2,6-7 NIV)
It happened! Pause. Take time to think about the fact that what Isaiah prophesied, that this momentous event of the birth of our forever King would happen, did happen. Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Bernis underlines the miracle of how Jesus fulfilled a huge number of prophecies concerning his coming this way:
“There are hundreds of Messianic prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures that foretell specific information about God’s promised Messiah. Mathematician Peter Stoner looked at the statistical probability of one man fulfilling even a handful of them. In his book, Science Speaks, Stoner revealed that the chance any one man might fulfill just eight of those Messianic prophecies in the Old Covenant is one in one hundred quadrillion – one in 10 to the 17th power, or one in 100,000,000,000,000,000.”[1]
Yet against all probability, Jesus the Messiah was born and lived and died and rose again, fulfilling what had been predicted!
There were prophecies about his birth, and others, even in those Isaiah verses cited above, that also exult in the hope (the confident assurance!) that he is coming again and will be our perfect King forever! The world around us is rife with war, hate crimes, controversies, calamities. But we know that the story is not over yet. The King is coming!
So how can we thoughtfully incorporate this Advent season into the sacred rhythms that keep us growing spiritually? It is helpful when we attend church communities that highlight our joyful remembrance of Jesus’ birth and our precious hope of his return. It can be done in our homes, too.
We still had children with us when we began lighting Advent candles on our dinner table years ago. Keeping it simple, we sang “O Come O Come Emmanuel” every night at supper as we lit that week’s candle, reminding ourselves of what the season is really about. “Advent” means “the coming,” and Messiah came! On Christmas Day, we sang “Joy to the World!” We had learned about using an Advent wreath from our friends, something that holds four candles in a circle, one for each week. Ours consisted of four cup-size clay pots bought in the local market to use as candle holders, set on a clay tray (find it in the photo above). We had a fifth candle in the center, for celebrating Christ’s birth. We were taking time to remember. To breathe in truth, and be grateful. And often we had guests from our community. The candles brought a great opportunity for sharing what they represented.
Here in Detroit we can dig deeper into the tradition, buy colored candles and an Advent wreath, and read Advent devotionals. They follow the themes of the four weeks leading to Christmas. We can even add in hymns chosen for each phase:
The first candle symbolizes hope and is called the “Prophet’s Candle.” The prophets of the Old Testament, especially Isaiah, waited in hope for the Messiah’s arrival.
The second candle represents faith and is called “Bethlehem’s Candle.” Micah had foretold that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, which is also the birthplace of King David.
The third candle symbolizes joy and is called the “Shepherd’s Candle.” To the shepherd’s great joy, the angels announced that Jesus came for humble, unimportant people like them, too. In liturgy, the color rose signifies joy.
The fourth candle represents peace and is called the “Angel’s Candle.” The angels announced that Jesus came to bring peace–He came to bring people close to God and to each other again.
The (optional) fifth candle represents light and purity and is called “Christ’s candle.” It is placed in the middle and is lit on Christmas Day.[2]
Hymns that fit the themes:
Week 1: Hope – Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus (Charles Wesley)
Week2: Preparation (faith) – O Come, O come Emmanuel (John Mason Neale)
Week3: Joy – Joy to the World (Isaac Watts)
Week 4: Love – Hark the Herald Angels Sing (Charles Wesley)[3]
Then on Christmas Day, choose one or more that say it all to you!
There are many prophecies that can be read to accompany each theme.
We are currently in the first week, reminding ourselves of the long wait that Israel experienced as they waited for their Messiah to show up, and our own long wait as we long for his second coming. On Sunday, the verses in Isaiah 9:2,6-7 (see above) are usually read, and can be repeated at each lighting of the candle throughout the week. Remember: a light has dawned! A just and righteous Forever King is coming! God himself will make this happen!
The true light has already come:
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (Jn. 8:12 NIV)
He has come, he is the light, and anyone following him will have the light of life!
Light the candle and remember who is the true light. Sing a song of longing for Messiah and his everlasting reign. Contemplate the Word and the way God declared that a Savior, his Chosen One, would come and change the whole course of history. Be grateful that we live in the light as we follow him—not in the darkness that is all around! Breathe in his amazing love!
This theme of “hope” does not connote “I hope so” but “I am excitedly waiting for what is coming.” Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology states that its use in the Word has this meaning: [4]“To trust in, wait for, look for, or desire something or someone; or to expect something beneficial in the future.”
The travelers walked in the door,
hot and dusty after hours on dirt roads.
Mom always found room at the table,
one built for her by Dad, big enough
to welcome at least a dozen guests.
She added another vegetable, salad, bread—
done! There was always enough.
Then, grown up, it was my turn.
I learned to serve the local friend
who showed up right at mealtime,
thirsty, hungry, startled that we knew
an open home was an essential virtue,
a demonstration of community,
a value held dearly: a test of character.
Our village friends showed us more,
caring for us when we stayed all night.
A brother would move out of his hut
so that we could rest in that space.
Or a sister would open her hut to me
along with other sisters at a long event.
They had little, but love was overflowing.
We were even given names, accepted
as one of them. Open hearts welcomed us.
We kept on learning, opening our own door
to bring in visitors, to honor Family.
It became our way, too, as it should be:
“Love your neighbor as you love yourself!”
We all just had our Thanksgiving holiday here in the U.S., a time that celebrates hospitality—especially in the delights of great food. Many of us traveled long distances just to be reunited with family or special friends, or else we were welcoming them into our homes. It was definitely a season for sharing!
Back in Ferkessédougou, we learned that sharing our space and welcoming visitors had to be far more than seasonal. Our front door was unlocked from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.—but if we heard that “Ko ko!” call after that, we needed to be ready to go see who was there. The biggest change I felt every time we came back to Detroit was how rare it is to have an unexpected visitor. To be honest, I often needed that respite for a while. Then I would begin to miss it.
I know one thing the Lord was teaching me throughout my childhood as a missionary kid, then as an adult in that same culture, was how to live in community even in my own home. It was a necessity if we were to be accepted as good people. Someone who spent too much time alone behind closed doors was viewed with suspicion. What were they up to, in secret? But someone who had an open door was seen as a safe place.
Yes, the Nyarafolo people lived that out for us whenever we were in what became “our” village, the place our in the “bush” where they lovingly taught us more Nyarafolo and welcomed the bumbling strangers into their lives. Then, when many joined the Family of Jesus, they hosted brothers and sisters (including us) for Bible conferences and special events, like baptisms. Staying overnight on a mat on the floor, in the dark, with the latrine across the courtyard, being served hot leftovers for breakfast—it all demonstrated that whatever we have can be shared.
Fortunately God gave me a husband who has a gift of hospitality and found it easy to welcome the visitor. He eventually even handled those who were not real friends, not even “angels” that we might welcome unawares (Hebrews 13:1,2), but were outsiders come to take advantage of us. Those things did happen. It required discernment and a heart ready to accept people. It was a learning curve.
Given all the opportunities, I eventually read Open Heart, Open Home: The Hospitable Way to Make Others Feel Welcome & Wanted, by Karen Mains. It affirmed for me that there are multiple ways to practice the open home, from spontaneous simple opportunities to long-term ones.
There came a time when the first Nyarafolo pastor, a “son” from that village that had welcomed us, was returning for ministry but had not found a place for his family to live. His wife and children moved in with us for a year, a community arrangement that brought us into a kind of intimacy that would have been impossible otherwise. It happened a second time too, with the next village “son” who came back to this least-reached people group to plant a church. The Lord was showing us how he could use an open home for his special purposes. It did not put us out—rather, we gained yet more close relationships, and it taught us more about what an open home could do for his glory:
Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. (Rom. 15:7 ESV)
The culture is different in the States, but we have been shown the same hospitality here. We came back on “home assignment” for a year without a place to stay, and the pastor of our home church took us in. His wife became a close friend, our children became brothers and sisters. Another time, evacuated from war, a family took us in, sharing their home in a lovely lakeside setting. Rest, safety, open home! One of our daughters even had her wedding reception on their front lawn.
And then during our many travels, numerous homes were opened to host us for meals or overnight. Over and over we were blessed by people sharing their space and love for the Lord, with us as travelers in and out of their lives.
All of these experiences only underlined for me what a gift it is when God’s children truly practice the kind of love we are urged to have, love that goes beyond affectionate feelings to actions that demonstrate communal love beyond the “norm”:
May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. (1 Thess. 3:12 NIV)
Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. (Heb. 13:1,2 NIV)
Yes, we are to show that love to our brothers and sisters. We are also to show it to “everyone else,” even strangers that may land at our door! Of course, we need to have the discernment that is able to turn danger away from our home. But the Lord can give insight so that we know when it is right to invite the stranger in.
Recently a heavy woman lumbered up the steps onto our porch and rang the doorbell. We were at the dining room table. I jumped up and opened the door, wondering if this was another one of those “Witnesses” that occasionally happened by. No! This one introduced herself as someone who had grown up in the house we now live in. She had been visiting a friend down the street, who told her about this family that had moved in, and she wanted to meet us and see how the house had been rehabbed. It turned into four hours of deep sharing on both sides, a bonding that we hope will last. What if we had not opened the door?
Adele Calhoun points out that true hospitality, practiced for spiritual formation, consists of “loving, not entertaining, the guest,” and “sharing your home, food, resources, car and all that you call your own so that another might experience the reality of God’s welcoming heart.”[1]
Who have you known that has shown this to you or your family? How has this impacted you? How is the Lord prompting you to serve him this way? How have you already practiced it? It is different for each of us, depending on our resources and where he has placed us. Yet he wants us to have that love that overflows, that reaches out to others in our community or even to the stranger.
This brings honor to him!
[1] Calhoun, Adele Ahlberg. Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices that Transform Us. (Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Books, 2005), p. 138.
simple pleasures
precious treasures
etched into the picture gallery
of my nomad soul
so often elsewhere
but now savoring this moment
soaking up laughter
the fun of spontaneous puns
and crazy card games
twenty-two cards in my hand
while the child on my lap
tells the table what I hold
and we play anyway
truth be told
it's better this way
gluing generations together
with turkey and apple pie
telling stories of days gone by
dancing with a toddler
bouncing in my arms
hugging warmly at the door
knowing we'll have more
of these days of grace together
falling into bed
exhausted and exhaling joy
full of gratitude
enough said—it's all a gift
That was Thanksgiving 2016! Yes, my “nomad soul” was “savoring this moment,” deciding to be grateful even though soon there would be separation. That was the hardest part of missionary life: leaving loved ones, knowing that the next holidays would be drastically different. But that awareness of the gracious gift of time with them was restorative. I was learning how to be grateful for each gift, storing up loving memories instead of only bitter ones.
simple pleasures
precious treasures
etched into the picture gallery
of my nomad soul
so often elsewhere
but now savoring this moment
soaking up laughter
the fun of spontaneous puns
and crazy card games
twenty-two cards in my hand
while the child on my lap
tells the table what I hold
and we play anyway
truth be told
it's better this way
gluing generations together
with turkey and apple pie
telling stories of days gone by
dancing with a toddler
bouncing in my arms
hugging warmly at the door
knowing we'll have more
of these days of grace together
falling into bed
exhausted and exhaling joy
full of gratitude
enough said—it's all a gift
That was Thanksgiving 2016! Yes, my “nomad soul” was “savoring this moment,” deciding to be grateful even though soon there would be separation. That was the hardest part of missionary life: leaving loved ones, knowing that the next holidays would be drastically different. But that awareness of the gracious gift of time with them was restorative. I was learning how to be grateful for each gift, storing up loving memories instead of only bitter ones.
Where are you this Thanksgiving? Maybe you are surrounded by family or friends, enjoying the feast and laughter. Maybe you are glad that one relative is still available to come over for the day. Maybe you are sick, unable to gather with others or have them with you. Maybe you live where “Thanksgiving Day” is unknown, and life just goes on.
What can fill your soul, your inner being, with its own thankfulness? All of us need to contemplate that, even those of us surrounded by our loved ones and enjoying turkey and pie. It is easy to just float through the ritual without remembering what it really is all about.
This became clear a few days ago when I was informing my translation coworker over in Côte d’Ivoire that I would not be available for our long-distance work this Thursday, since it is a national holiday here, “Thanksgiving.” “Wow,” he said. “So does the whole country give thanks to God?” I had to explain that the original goal, when it was put in place long ago, was to thank God for the harvest. He understood that; harvest is over now in that region, too. But now the holiday is mostly about food and family. Gatherings. Most of the people in the U.S. are not focused on God as Provider. He is not real to them.
For those of us who do know him, Thanksgiving can remain a crucial time for practicing gratitude. The world is truly broken, falling apart through wars, controversies, inhuman hate crimes. But we can turn our eyes away from that and take time to be grateful for what we have. If someone were to ask you what you are grateful, what comes to mind first? It often helps to ask a question like that when you have family or friends gathered at your table:
What really good thing happened to you this year?
What was a difficult experience that taught you something important, that you are grateful for?
What has the Lord been teaching you?
What are you thankful for about him, your Father and Master?
What do you appreciate about a person at this table?
Depending on who is there, we can choose to guide the conversation appropriately toward gratitude.
We can also reach out to others who are shut in, or far away (given the benefits of technology). We can let people know what we are thankful for when we think of them.
No matter what is going on in our lives, we can thank God for who he is and his gracious love. Here is a psalm that has guided me in thanksgiving. We can personalize it, adding in the ways that we have seen the Creator’s handiwork around us or his sovereignty in current or past world events. He has always been King of the Universe and always will be. And the best part of that is this truth: His love endures forever. It shows up in all sorts of ways, if we pay attention.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His love endures forever.
4 to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.
5 who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever.
6 who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.
7 who made the great lights– His love endures forever.
8 the sun to govern the day, His love endures forever.
9 the moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever.
10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, His love endures forever.
11 and brought Israel out from among them, His love endures forever.
12 with a mighty hand and outstretched arm; His love endures forever.
13 to him who divided the Red Sea1 asunder His love endures forever.
14 and brought Israel through the midst of it, His love endures forever.
15 but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea; His love endures forever.
16 to him who led his people through the wilderness; His love endures forever.
17 to him who struck down great kings, His love endures forever.
18 and killed mighty kings– His love endures forever.
19 Sihon king of the Amorites His love endures forever.
20 and Og king of Bashan– His love endures forever.
21 and gave their land as an inheritance, His love endures forever.
22 an inheritance to his servant Israel. His love endures forever.
23 He remembered us in our low estate His love endures forever.
24 and freed us from our enemies. His love endures forever.
25 He gives food to every creature. His love endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever. (Ps. 136:1-26 NIV)
We believe, she and I,
so streams of living water
flow from within
and mingle in profuse display:
splash of sympathy,
sparkle of delight,
mellow liquid comfort.
Spirit meets Spirit
and waterfalls rush to embrace,
clarity leaping with grace
to wash over souls and leave us
limpid, rippling, blessed.
The gift of a friend who is a true “soulmate” is to be treasured. Sometimes it seems like a gracious blessing from the heavens, unexpected and yet exactly what was needed. Several “sisters” have come alongside me like that; I’ve seen the same thing happen to my husband and other men, although it seems less frequent with them.
What is so special about it? I believe it is based on what Jesus himself said:
Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”1 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. (NIV John 7:38-39a)
The Spirit of God lives in the true Jesus-follower, and that means springs of living water are in his inner being. In Jeremiah 2:12 God calls himself “the spring of living water.”
So when he is in us, we ourselves are drenched in unending spring-fed water:
The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. (Isa. 58:11 NIV)
We are strengthened, made healthy and fruitful. When two people get together who are living this reality, that connection between them can be so refreshing that it is astonishing. They can share the refreshment that comes from those streams of water! That is what I was writing about in the poem above.
This week I’ve been reminded of that truth while my cousin, Karen Slater Cole, has been living with us. She and her husband came to Michigan to participate in our church’s Global Missions Fest and we grabbed the opportunity to offer them housing. Karen is much younger than I, but we have shared roots from growing up in Ferkessédougou, Côte d’Ivoire, both MKs (missionary kids) whose dads were brothers. And we both love Jesus and have spent our lives growing in him. So in spite of the years we’ve spent in different places without much connection, time together has led to an overflow of those inner springs of living water. I am refreshed, my thirst quenched.
It’s not that I don’t have other friends who are like springs of water to me—I am blessed with some near me and other far off. Each connection is one where “Spirit meets Spirit,” since he lives in both of us, and our own essential beings are encouraged.
But there have been seasons when I was in a literal sun-scorched land, feeling very alone due to dry relationships. Distance and ministry often led to long stretches like that. And sometimes coming back to the United States would seem like entering a desert, especially when friends who had been essential companions before had moved away. I would cry out in desperation to my good Lord to meet my need, and he did. Once it was a sweet older woman in church who came up to me to let me know that the Lord had been prompting her to reach out to me so that we could meet regularly for prayer. Another time it dawned on me that a former acquaintance would probably be one who could be more than just a friend, and I reached out—to my delight, it became far deeper than I ever expected.
What I was learning along the way, with many more instances I could describe, is that our Master treasures those connections too. Reaching out to develop them is actually viewed as another practice in spiritual formation. As Tim Keller puts it, when Jesus told his disciples they were more than servants, they were friends, he meant that their relationship was deeper and stronger, precious to him. It is a discipline of friendship that grows through constancy and intimacy. It doesn’t just “happen,” in most cases it takes work.[1]
We are to help each other carry heavy loads:
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (Gal. 6:2 NIV)
Keller explains that fulfilling Christ’s rule for life is to give yourself for others, like he did for us. It may even feel draining at times when the other needs to debrief after going through tough times, since it includes truly giving away some of your own emotional resources to encourage this spiritual friend.
But it often becomes mutual burden-bearing, opening a door for receiving encouragement as well. That relationship is what I call being “soulmates.” You are spiritual friends when you are both walking in the Spirit and sharing that life together.
It is different from mentoring or discipling someone, which is also a great relationship but involves one leading the other, although those relationships can become truly mutual, on a shared path.
These are five pieces of developing a soulmate relationship that are helpful:
Caring: In healthy friendships, we care deeply for our friends, seeking to hold them up in their weak places.
Accepting: We learn to lovingly accept each person’s heart and gifts.
Serving: We develop the desire to serve those around us.
Offering Hospitality: We reach out in hospitality, providing a safe and warm space for our friends to be with us.
Encouraging: And above all, we learn to live in the rhythm of encouragement, speaking life and hope often.[2]
When we concentrate on living out these elements in a healthy way with a fellow believer, we are “building each other up:”
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (1 Thess. 5:11 NIV)
Sharing those “springs of living water” definitely fills us up in a delightful way that helps us grow stronger! It is worth the effort!
If you did not love us
we would not exist.
If you did not woo us
we’d not come to you.
If you did not call us,
we’d never find you.
So yes: you do love us!
You woo us with singing,
your voice whipping through
every blast, each storm,
to draw us so close
we can hear your heart.
And you insist that
we love you back!
This is not just
a one-way street;
mutual love is
where we meet!
When we love you
with all that we are,
we’re firmly bonded,
no holds barred—
we are all yours
and you are ours!
When I think back on the years I have spent on Bible translation, I am inexpressibly grateful for the way it forced me to dig into the Word in ways I never would have otherwise. It kept me on a learning curve!
I had an opportunity to share some of that the other night with a community of women, and putting together that message clarified for me how certain themes interlocked. We often had to do intense searches in the commentaries, dictionaries and other resources to fully understand a term. Then we had to look for clear ways to express the meaning of the text in Nyarafolo.
The greatest commandment was one that we had encountered in Mark, the first book translated, then in Deuteronomy. It had been interesting to find out that the “heart” was not the center of emotions or thinking among the Nyarafolo. A literal translation would have meant little to them! And did the Nyarafolo consider a part of a person to be their “soul”? Even English has to wrestle with it:
Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. (Deut. 6:5 NIV)
You must love8 the LORD your God with your whole mind, your whole being, and all your strength. (Deut. 6:5 NET)
When the commandment was first given, the Hebrews viewed the heart as the seat of the mind, the place where thinking happened. By the time Mark was written in Greek, the word “mind” was added to the command because the meaning of “heart” was different in Greek so the addition of “mind” underlined the “thinking”:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. (Mk. 12:30 NIV)
In other words, what is important is to love God with everything that is essentially you! The New English Translation, which includes masses of helpful notes about translation, has this comment with regard to Mark 12:30: “The fourfold reference to different parts of the person says, in effect, that one should love God with all one’s being.” That is essentially the meaning of “soul” as well: it is the person, the part that endures whether the body does or not.
In Nyarafolo the fungo, “stomach,” is the center of the will and decision-making; the heart reflects what the stomach decides and transmits it as feeling. So in the greatest commandment, that word “heart” is translated as fungo, the stomach. Think about how the KJV used the term “bowels of mercy” to connote deep feeling, now translated in modern versions as “heart of compassion” using the same term “heart” as in the Greek (cf. Col. 3:12). Evidently the English culture of the KJV era tied intense emotion to the abdomen! Now those of us from a Western culture that speaks English tie the heart to emotion.
We found a word that essentially connotes “soul” in Nyarafolo, and “strength” was literally easy.
Here is a crucial question: why does God insist that we love him? Contemplating that reminded me of the struggle we had as we looked for a way to translate “godliness” in the New Testament. To summarize our long search, we eventually agreed to follow the solution of a French translation, “attachment to God.” This does not refer to simply feeling attached to someone; rather, it describes a firm bonding.
Think about the imagery of the Vine and the branches in John 15. The branch that is securely attached to the essential trunk of the Vine is healthy and produces fruit. If not, it shrivels and is useless. That deep bonding is essential,
4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (Jn. 15:4-5 NIV)
This is imagery that pictures love, intimate love. His love flows into the one securely attached to him, just as the branch is fed by the Vine. Then the branch is healthy and can produce good fruit. This reinforces the meaning of the word “love” in the greatest commandment, which was the key element of the covenant God made through Moses: its meaning is “covenant love,”[1] a love that binds together the parties in the covenant. How do we become filled with that loyal love that never ends? That is the work of his Spirit, who lives in us.
. . .God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Rom. 5:5b NIV)
As that love flows into us, it is a natural response to love him in return, as well as to love others as ourselves, because that is the kind of love that is his.
We love because he first loved us. (1 Jn. 4:19 NIV)
There it is. If we stay firmly bonded to him, his love fills us, changes us, equips us to love God with everything that is in us—and to love others as well. That is how the entire law is obeyed (cf. Matthew 28:40).
Being firmly bonded means there is intimacy, spending time together, sharing life. Any true love relationship here on earth is characterized by that. So when we want to increasingly experience that mutual love with our God, we need to spend time with him, pay attention to his directives and promptings, and express our love in words and in actions.
We should each take a moment to check our reaction to this great love command and evaluate our progress. Ask: How important is it to me to love God with everything that I am? How is he calling to me, wooing me, to use “all my strength” to develop this relationship?
We need to remember this essential truth: his love calls us to love him back!
[1] NET note on Deut. 6:5: 8 tn The verb ) אָהַב’ahav, “to love”( in this setting communicates not so much an emotional idea as one of covenant commitment. To love the LORD is to be absolutely loyal and obedient to him in every respect, a truth Jesus himself taught (cf. John 14:15).
Breathe out your distress,
breathe in my caress,
the nourishing air
of my Spirit’s care
for your soul.
Let your head rest
in peace on my chest
the one place where
you can safely dare
to let go!
That word from my Father has comforted me over and over. He truly wants us to come to him, lie against him in trust, and let go.
“Let it Go” is even a very popular song with kids, especially little girls, right now. It speaks to them. Why worry about what other people think? Just be you.
For those of us who are God’s children, this expression goes much deeper. It is “learning the lessons of letting go so that you will be prepared for the final letting go of death”—that is the last item in the long list of God-given fruit of the practice of “detachment” provided by Adele Calhoun.[1] It’s true that we are fragile humans, with a limited life span. But we also want to know how to live in this moment free of care, trusting outcomes to God rather than ourselves.
David’s heart cry speaks to me:
My heart is not proud, LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.2 But I have calmed and quieted myself,I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.3 Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore. (Ps. 131:1–3 NIV)
When I was studying Hebrew at seminary, one of just two women in the company of men in a certain class, this psalm was being discussed in the context of translation. The male professor mentioned that he thought the idea of the child being “weaned” was not important, just the fact that this was a little kid, at rest on his mom. I realized that few of the students there would have ever experienced breast-feeding a child, even if it was their wife doing it. And I knew that each of my three children, while still nursing, would tend to root around for more of that good milk when I would pick them up and try to just cuddle them. Once they were weaned, they were more apt to lie quietly against me, no longer fussing for food. So I raised my hand and offered that experience. Ah! There was a sigh of appreciation from some in the room The expression “like a weaned child” actually had relevance! (I’ve seen this in commentaries since then, too!)
And it underlined the precious message of this psalm for me. Even when leaning against a father’s chest (or a grandfather’s chest as in the photo above), a weaned baby is more likely to just relax. My God, my caring Parent, wants to cuddle me, to hold me close and let me “let go” of whatever is concerning me and instead to put my hope, my trust, in him. If people are judging me in a hurtful way, if I am being misunderstood, I can let go of my need for approval and rest in the unshakeable love of Abba. If the world around me is falling apart, there is one safe secure place where I am held. He is the one to run to:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort(2 Cor. 1:3 NIV)
His compassion is his tender concern for us when we are in a difficult situation, suffering. And he not only feels that deep emotion for us, he knows what to do to console us. He does not just stand far off and think about it; he is ready to protect and soothe us. Remember that hymn by Charles Wesley?
Jesus, lover of my soul,
Let me to Thy bosom fly,
While the nearer waters roll,
While the tempest still is high!
Hide me, O my Saviour, hide,
Till the storm of life is past,
Safe into the haven guide,
O receive my soul at last!
It is right there in the second line: “let me to thy bosom fly!” Jesus and the Father are one, and their love makes their “chest” the best place to relax and find safe release. Because God is who he is—completely good, reliable, trustworthy, forgiving, compassionate, wise—we can turn to him, letting go of our need to be in control and fix things, and just completely “let go.” This is a key element in the spiritual practice of “detachment.” We put the Father in charge. He will comfort us and let us know what we should do next:
This God, our God forever and ever– He will always lead us.” (Ps. 48.14 CSB)
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Cor. 13:14 NIV)
We have this gracious gift offered to us through Jesus. The love of God calls out to us to come. The Spirit of God lives in us, our companion and counselor, ready to help whenever needed, walking through life with us.
So take this moment to crawl up onto God’s lap and rest. Just be quiet. “Let go!” It can only draw us ever closer to him!
[1] Calhoun, Adele Ahlberg. Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices that Transform Us. (Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Books, 2005), 95.
Deep inside the parched brown grass
doves hop expectantly.
Here and there they find their treasure:
some crawling thing, breakfast.
But the allure of their dining room
is trashed: plastic bags, black or white,
dusted dull with filth, blown in by the wind.
A soul gets trashed like that as well:
accumulated garbage gleaned
from public places, now sequestered
in the inner mind, its spaces
cluttered, rottenness and rubbish
from the gutter left lying all around.
It’s time to scrape it out!
Look inside, take note, grab a rake
and nab it, burn it up in that
all-consuming fire of God’s own
holiness! Be strong and merciless
when it comes to worldly mess!
May it be good riddance,
a posture of true penance that goes
beyond “I’m sorry!”, contrition leading
to submission, to determination
to maintain that sanctuary set apart
to a state of purity!
I was in my “sacred grove” back in Ferke watching the lovely doves, when I was distracted by scattered litter blown into the courtyard by the wind. Bags were continually ditched by people in the streets as they finished some “street food” purchased along the way, and the clutter kept building so much that the yard worker thought raking them up was useless. There would always be more!
That morning, it made me think about the way filth can clutter my own inner being as I ignore it and just keep pushing ahead. It could be “little stuff” like covering up a mistake with an excuse, or a resentment that ferments as it stays stashed in a corner. It could be selfish greed that leads me to coddle my desires while overlooking the need of that person next to me. It could be what I would call a major sin, only I let myself slide into it and cover it up. Or maybe I’m disgusted with a coworker’s attitude, and have become angry enough that I have slandered them or quarreled with them without showing any respect.
If I let my heart stay cluttered like that, I am not “living by the Spirit.” That was the problem Paul had with the Corinthians. For one thing, there was jealousy and quarreling among them, and that was enough to make them “worldly” instead of “spiritual”:
Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly– mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? (1 Cor. 3:1-3 NIV)
The word translated “worldly” in NIV is σαρκινός, which means “having the characteristics of σάρξ (flesh) in its sensual, sinful tendencies; worldly, carnal.”[1]In other words, the Corinthians were so tied to their “normal” human ways of living that they could not digest solid spiritual food. They were letting their digestive tract remain clogged with clutter. Until that was addressed and their hearts were cleansed, they would remain spiritually immature. Babies.
It is important to pay attention to anything we are doing or thinking that does not align with Scriptural teaching, to be sensitive to the Spirit’s voice urging us to acknowledge any straying off the Path and then turn around, get back on track. This is the practice of confession and self-examination.
“True repentance means we open the bad in our lives to God. We invite him to come right in and look at our sin with us. We don’t hide by being good, moral people or in neurotic self-recriminations. We don’t pretend to be other than we are. We don’t disguise the truth by carting out all the disciplines we practice. We tell it like it is—without rationalization, denial or blame—to the only person in the universe who will unconditionally love us when we are bad. We hand over the pretense, image management, manipulation, control and self-obsession. In the presence of the holy One we give up on appearing good and fixing our sin. We lay down our ability to change by the power of the self. We turn to Jesus and seek forgiveness.”[2]
That is a true cleanup. That is what is necessary in order to be a “spiritual person,” to “live by the Spirit” and be able to actually keep growing up and becoming more like Jesus wants us to be, more like him.
11For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people. 12 It trains us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age (Tit. 2:11,12 NET)
To exchange godless ways for a godly life, living truly attached to God: that is the goal of a true believer.
Let’s live it out!
[1] Friberg, Barbara, and Miller, Neva and Friberg, Timothy. Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament. (Trafford Publishing, 2006)
[2] Calhoun, Adele Ahlberg. Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices that Transform Us. (Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Books, 2005), p. 92
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