Marissa Henley

Encouraging weary women to hope in Christ alone

Unto You a Savior is Born! {No Matter What Monday}

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Every December, I read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever with my kids. We sit by the Christmas tree and read about how everything went wrong, starting with Mrs. Armstrong’s broken leg and ending with the Herdmans bringing their ham to the baby Jesus. (That part always makes me cry!)

When we get to the line that the feisty Gladys Herdman screams at the trembling shepherds, my kids and I love to yell it together: “Hey! Unto you a child is born!”

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11)

Many of us have heard these words so many times that we fail to recognize how bizarre, how profound, how amazing they truly are.

When the angel says to the shepherds that unto them a child is born, that had to be shocking news. (And not just because it was delivered by an angel in the middle of the night.) Shepherds weren’t celebrities or powerful rulers or the religious elite. And yet, this Savior was born to them. Christ’s arrival was turning all the social norms upside down.

Next, the angel says the child is born this day in Bethlehem. The birth of the Son of God was an actual event in history, on a specific day, in a specific place. It unfolded according to centuries-old prophecy so there would be no doubt Who this baby truly was.

Then the angel delivers the really good news: this baby is a Savior, Christ the Lord, the promised and long-awaited Messiah. But He’s not only divine. He’s human, born of a woman, a baby lying in the animals’ feeding trough.

The shepherds knew the only appropriate response to this bizarre news was to run to the baby Messiah. I pray that no matter what you face this week, you will run to your Savior and Lord in worship and praise.

Merry Christmas, friends. Unto you a child is born!

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A Savior Has Been Born to You {No Matter What Monday}

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luke-2-11

Every December, I read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever with my kids. We sit by the Christmas tree and read about how everything went wrong, starting with Mrs. Armstrong’s broken leg and ending with the Herdmans bringing their ham to the baby Jesus. (That part always makes me cry!)

When we get to the line that the feisty Gladys Herman screams at the trembling shepherds, my kids and I love to yell it together: “Hey! Unto you a child is born!”

Luke 2:11: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

Many of us have heard these words so many times that we fail to recognize how bizarre, how profound, how amazing they truly are.

When the angel says to the shepherds that unto them a child is born, that had to be shocking news. (And not just because it was delivered by an angel in the middle of the night.) Shepherds weren’t celebrities or powerful rulers or the religious elite. And yet, this Savior was born to them. Christ’s arrival was turning all the social norms upside down.

Next, the angel says the child is born this day in Bethlehem. The birth of the Son of God was an actual event in history, on a specific day, in a specific place. It unfolded according to centuries-old prophecy so there would be no doubt Who this baby truly was.

Then the angel delivers the really good news: this baby is a Savior, Christ the Lord, the promised and long-awaited Messiah. But He’s not only divine. He’s human, born of a woman, a baby lying in the animals’ feeding trough.

The shepherds knew the only appropriate response to this bizarre news was to run to the baby Messiah. I pray that no matter what you face this week, you will run to your Savior and Lord in worship and praise.

Merry Christmas, friends. Unto you a child is born!

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Are You Ready?

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I thought I should check in with my Christmas-By-December-1 friends . . . how’s everybody doing?  We went on vacation for a week before Thanksgiving, so I’ve had to cut myself just a little slack this year.  I have a couple of loose ends to tie up, but for the most part, all my gifts are purchased and wrapped, and one has even been gifted.  (You know who you are, waffle girl.)  I’m tracking down a few more addresses, but the bulk of the cards are in the mail.  My house is decorated, which is extra special because my sweet friends decorated for me last year when I was receiving chemo–and that was so great of them, but this year unpacking all those boxes myself made me smile.  🙂  Plus, I made these red sparkly letters to put on my mantle (inspired by Pintrest), and I love them.

I have no Christmas cookies stocked in my freezer and no plans to do a ton of baking this year.  (Sorry, people, we went to Disney World instead.  It was worth it.  But you’re not getting little tins of baked goods from me this year.)  But my kids and I are three chapters into “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” and seeing Will’s reactions to hearing about the Herdmans for the first time makes me even happier than decorating my own house.

If you have made the effort to get most or all of your Christmas preparations finished, what are your plans for December?  I have made a list (thanks again, Pintrest) of all the things I’d like to do with my kids.  I made this frame look festive and wrote the list in dry erase marker on the glass:

Most of these things will probably happen in the week after school gets out.  But we’ve already started memorizing Luke 2, and we snuggled under blankets by the tree tonight to read about Imogene Herdman finding out what everyone weighed in the health office.

What are you all doing to make Christmas special this year?  After all, the purpose of getting our preparations done early isn’t to sit back feel prideful about it.  The purpose is to focus on the birth of Christ and celebrate with our families in a way that honors our Savior.  I’d love to hear your ideas!

P.S. For any of my blog readers who aren’t on facebook, I had my scans last week and got a great report.  Praise the Lord!

 

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