Golden Cross Necklace

I don’t consider myself a woman of much bling.  I have no interest in fancy purses, designer jeans or beautiful jewelry.  I find I am more a collector of stories.

I’ve been a Christian since I was seven and I have always wanted, but never bought, a golden cross necklace.  No matter how much I have “wanted” a golden cross necklace, I didn't want to purchase one myself.  Just as my salvation is a free gift from God, for some strange reason (I know I'm weird!) I wanted to receive this special gift the same way.  

Nearly ten years ago, I mentioned in a conversation with my Nana that I’d always wanted a golden cross necklace.  I wasn’t intentionally dropping a hint, but she picked up on it anyways.  A few months later, for my birthday, my Nana and Papa gave me a wooden, blue cross on a golden chain.  The note in the box said that this wooden one will have to do until they find the perfect cross for me.

Five years ago, my Nana’s life was cut short and many of her plans were left incomplete.  I never received my golden cross, though now I deeply cherish my wooden, blue cross.

……………………………………….

Getting into my car after work at Weldon yesterday I checked my phone to discover I had a message from my mom.  She and my aunt wanted to get together and talk.  My thoughts went a million directions wondering why and what they were going to tell me.  Is someone sick?  Has cancer struck again?  Is there a problem with someone?

After we were all settled with our coffees, my aunt began.

She took my hands, looked into my eyes and said, “I am very proud of you.  You are impacting lives at your church and impacting lives at school.  Nana too would be very proud of you.”

I had no idea this is where the conversation was going.  Then she continued...

“I know Nana never got a chance to buy you your golden cross.  I’ve been looking and I have a few crosses I thought you might like that I would like to give you.”

My Aunt Connie opened up four boxes, each containing a golden cross, and asked which one I would like.

My “stay in control” personality could contain my emotions no longer as eyes filled with tears and I began to cry. 

My Aunt Connie has been watching the journey I’ve been on, and also knows the special relationship I had with my Nana that is missing.  She brought completion - wholeness - to my life in her simple act of buying a golden cross necklace.   

My new golden cross necklace is not a piece of jewelry I will haphazardly put on in the morning.  While the cross itself symbolizes my expression of faith in my Lord Jesus Christ, it also expresses a validation from my Nana, through my Aunt, of the message of the gospel that I am in chains to deliver.  I don’t throw the message of the cross around arbitrarily.  I wear it with purpose, conviction and passion.

Thank you to my Aunt Connie who not only completed my necklace journey, but now shares in part of my story.

Daily Advent ~ Dec. 20th

Advent 2013

Friday, December 20th

Old Testament: "In that day you will say, 'I will praise you, O Lord. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song.'" Isaiah 12:1-2

New Testament: "So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.'" Luke 2:16-20

Sure enough, the shepherds found the baby and his parents just like the angel had told them. Mary and Joseph were staying in a cave (experts believe) apart from their family- even though they were from the line of King David. The shepherds are the first visitors to greet baby Jesus and the first to spread the news about his birth. They amazed person after person with their account of the angels and then their finding of Jesus in a manger.

I love the line: "Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." Life is full of ups and downs. I have learned to hold onto anchor points. Anchor points are moments in life when perhaps an event has happened, a discovery has been made or a decision has occurred that make a permanent impact on your journey of life. I can look back on my life and see those moments or events that have shaped me into the person I am today. When storms of life hit and I feel tossed around, I know I will not stray any farther than my most recent anchor point. Mary keeps the events of Jesus' birth close to her heart. What she will watch her son endure in 30 more years is so painful that she will need to remind herself of all the promises of God. The greater the revelation, the more difficult the journey.

Daily Advent ~ Dec. 19th

Thursday, December 19th

Advent 2013

Old Testament: "...there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulum and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan-" Isaiah 9:1

New Testament: "When the angles had left them and gone into heave, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.'" Luke 2:15

Right after the angles leave, the shepherds decide to travel into the town of Bethlehem and see with their own eyes this new King that has been born. Luke's tone in this verse regarding the shepherds is not a tone of doubt- but one of amazement. The shepherds have just witnessed an entire company of angels praising God at the birth of His Son. They are not saying to each other, "Hey, we should go to town to see if this is really true."  No, instead their response is more like, "Wow! That's amazing! Hey, guys, let's go to town and see this amazing event!"

These simple shepherds heard the Good News and responded without questions, worry or fear. Sometimes we make our faith so complicated, we loose the freedom and trust that comes from a life of simple faith. Let's have a childlike faith of the shepherds and respond to our Heavenly Father with joy!

Daily Advent ~ Dec. 18th

Advent 2013

Wednesday, December 18th

Old Testament: "He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The Lord has spoken. In that day they will say, 'Surely this is our God; we trusted him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.'" Isaiah 25:8-9

I love the imagery of Jesus swallowing up death forever. Just like Adam and Eve swallowed the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil back in Genesis, so too Jesus swallows death forever, never allowing it to have dominion over us again.

New Testament: Angel's Proclamation to the Shepherds continued: "'Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you; his is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you; you will find the baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.' Suddenly a great company of heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.'" Luke 2:11-14

The angel tells the shepherds what has just happened and where to find the Christ child. In case one glorious angel wasn't enough, Luke records that suddenly, a great company of heavenly hosts appeared with the angel praising God. I can't imagine senses that were awakened in that moment. The angels radiated glory. I imagine the shepherds were astounded by what they saw (if not blinded by the magnificence of light), amazed at what they had just heard and even shaken by the vibration of the angel's praising. Indeed, the light of the world has been born.

Why the shepherds? Why did God choose to send forth his birth announcement to a couple of lowly shepherds in the middle of nowhere? People have pondered that for generations. I am thankful that the angel's message was given to men living in obscurity and not in position. God's Kingdom is upside-down. He exalts the humble and lays low the proud. Our God is a God who reaches down to all mankind, regardless of socioeconomic position. His love for us is great, despite what we have done or the wrong choices we have made. The unconditional love of our Heavenly Father is incomprehensible and completely magnificent.

Thank you, God, for providing a way into your Kingdom through Jesus Christ for all mankind.

Daily Advent ~ Dec. 17th

Tuesday, December 17th

Advent 2013

Old Testament: "He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist." Isaiah 11:3b-5

New Testament: "And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.'" Luke 2:8-10

This segment of the narrative about Jesus' birth is one of my favorite. I have always loved how humble the events of Jesus' birth take place. God chooses a young girl and a young boy to parent his only begotten Son. Jesus is born in a lowly manger, on the out-skirts of town. He does not have a kings birth and is not surrounded by instant fame.

Still, God is a proud Papa who is compelled to make one tiny birth announcement.

I've often imagined what it would have been like for these shepherds, low-class of society, outside of town, there in the dark, probably half-asleep. Their eyes were adjusted to see in the dark and then suddenly an angel appears. I like how Luke writes that the glory of the Lord shone around them- the shepherds. God's glory is all-encompassing, of not just the angel, but everyone in it's path. As is so often the case, the angel tells the shepherds, "do not be afraid." These poor guys are probably blind trying to adjust their vision. The angel tells the shepherds that he has good news. Yay! Tomorrow, we'll read what good news the angel came to proclaim!

Daily Advent ~ Dec. 16th

Monday, December 16th

Advent 2013

The third week of Advent we light the Shepherds and Angel's Candle. This candle is lit to remind us that the Good News of Jesus' birth was told to simple shepherds keeping watch over their flocks. God uses ordinary people (like you and me) to do extraordinary things for His Kingdom!

Old Testament: "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him- the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge in the fear of the Lord." Isaiah 11:1-3a

New Testament: "In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."  Luke 2:1-7

"And he (Joseph) gave him the name Jesus." Matthew 1:25b

Mary and Joseph are in the town of Bethlehem, a town packed full of relatives. Did they find a place to stay? No. Mary and Joseph experienced rejection and judgement for carrying the Son of God.

Daily Advent~ Dec. 13th

Advent 2013 ~ Bethlehem Candle

Friday, December 13th

Old Testament: "You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, 'Here is your God!'" Isaiah 40:9

"Say to those with fearful hearts, 'Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with a vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.'" Isaiah 35:4

New Testament: "When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son..."  Matthew 1:24-25a

Joseph was also the recipient of an angelic visitation- in his dream. Where Zachariah doubted the angel standing before him in the Holy place within the Tabernacle, Joseph's encounter was in a dream.  Yet still, Joseph woke from the dream and followed the angel's instructions with no need for further explanation. Joseph was indeed a man of great integrity. I imagine this dream from the angel was given to Joseph not just for instruction to take Mary as his wife, but also to let this young man know he would be raising the Son of God. So often we forget this young child had to grow up. Yes, Jesus was fully God, but He was also fully human. He had parents - Mary and Joseph - who taught Him to walk, taught Him right from wrong, taught Him to love God with all His heart, took Him to Church (temple), raised Him with good character, a trusting spirit and the heart of a servant. Joseph and Mary- two young kids - did an amazing job raising the Son of God.