Thirteen years ago tonight, my boyfriend took me out for a night on the town in Boston. We went to dinner in the theater district and saw the Nutcracker performed by the Boston Ballet at the Wang Center. Afterwards, he proposed to me in an office high above the harbor.
It was one of the coldest nights of the year that night, and I remember clutching my hand tightly in my coat pocket to be sure I wouldn't lose my shiny new diamond ring.
I'm so glad he asked, and even more glad I said yes.
Here we are, three days from the most hyped day of the year. Our home -- like many homes across America I'm sure -- is crammed with wrapped packages and sweets. The tree is decorated, the nativity scene set up, and the outside of our home glows each night with white lights. The anticipation is palpable as each morning we rehearse how many days, and this morning, how many hours, until Christmas.
As one of my friends properly observed, this week is like finals week for moms. I've been up until midnight every night this week so far, wrapping gifts, addressing cards, and cleaning up from yet another baking adventure. The laundry still has to be done. The house seems to get dirty faster because the kids are idle, not confined to their schoolwork.
As a result, a lot of expectations rest on the Christmas day payoff. The culmination of all this effort is confined to a few blissful hours. So it is easy, as a mom of littles, to be disappointed. I found myself frustrated a few years ago when I was exhausted and the kids started fighting on Christmas morning. Somebody didn't like the special breakfast I made. A diaper needed to be changed right in the middle of opening gifts.
I realized that year that it's best to keep the expectations low. Yes, it's Christmas and yes, it's special to celebrate with little kids. But goodness knows we are all still sinful human beings. Someone is going to cry. One of the kids will make some sort of ungrateful comment about a gift you thought they'd really like. We're all still learning. It's Jesus' coming to Earth, the very reason we celebrate, that redeems all the ugliness.
So breathe through it, moms. Your high expectations will only make you and your family miserable. Enjoy and be grateful. Even though it comes just once a year, it's just another day.
Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
Today my friend Stacey described one of our Advent calendars on her blog. The calendar was a going-away gift from our church family in Southern California when we moved to Charlotte. We love it -- it's a great coverage of redemption history to the birth of Christ. We were able to put quite a few more together with friends in Charlotte by splitting up the work involved.
Another Advent calendar that we're enjoying for the second year in a row is related to the Jesus Storybook Bible, a favorite in our house. Quite simply, you begin on December 1st by reading the introduction ("The Story and The Song"), and proceed each day thereafter with one chapter. There are twenty-four chapters to bring you to the nativity stories in the book. Perfect timing!
On the 22nd, you'll read this chapter, entitled "He's Here!"
The JSS is explicit in its mission to teach children how all of Scripture speaks of Christ, so that the great culmination is Jesus' arrival. It's wonderful!
Now, some people think the Bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should and shouldn't do. The Bible certainly does have some rules in it. They show you how life works best. But the Bible isn't mainly about you and what you should be doing. It's about God and what he has done.
Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy. The Bible does have some heroes in it, but (as you'll soon find out) most of the people in the Bible aren't heroes at all. They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose), they get afraid and run away. At times, they're downright mean.
No, the Bible isn't a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It's an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It's a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne-everything-to rescues the ones he loves. It's like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life!
You see, the best thing about this Story is-it's true.
There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling on Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them.
It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story. And at the center of the Story, there is a baby. Every story in the Bible whispers his name. He is like the missing piece in the puzzle-the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together, and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture.
As an alternative, today I share with you this precious video of Robert Mounce and his wife. Mounce is president emeritus of Whitworth College, and his son is the primary resource for many Greek students (including my husband, and I hope someday our sons).
