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HOLY NIGHT

 

Dear Lord,

        The snow covers the earth as Your blessed atonement covers our sins, making everything pure and white.

The little stream nearby sings songs of praise beneath its covering of ice.  The ice-clad trees chime canticles of thanksgiving.  Even the little forest creatures, so sensitive to seismic change, sense the enormity of this night.  They squeak and squawk their awe.

 The owls hoot, “Hallelujah, Christ the Savior is born!”

        The stained-glass windows of the church are alight and cast rainbows on the snow outside.

        Inside, the faithful joyously sing Christmas carols to Christ the King, our Savior, born on this night so long ago.

        “Glory to God on this holy, but not so silent night.”

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THE CROSS

Dear Lord,

    I think of the symbol of the cross as Your cross and it reminds me of all You suffered for our redemption. I wonder if the early Christians saw a deeper meaning in the cross. Did they see it as their cross too?  Did they, during all their persecutions, use it to remind themselves that no matter what the world did to them, even unto crucifixion, that You would resurrect them?

    Did it serve to remind them that You were greater than anything the world could do to them?  You overcame the cross and death itself and will help us overcome every obstacle we face no matter how painful or frightening it might seem to us.  Was this why such a gruesome instrument of torture has become a symbol of comfort throughout the ages?

    Dear Lord, help me to bear the crosses in my life and to remember that You will see me safely through each one and will bring good from them.

    Thank You for showing me that the cross is a reminder of Your omniscient power and Your great love for us!

SECRET OF SPRING

Dear Lord,

    Just about everyone loves spring.  The leaves are shinning like newborn souls.  The birds and squirrels, and indeed all of Your creatures, rejoice in the bounty that You have prepared for them.  It is almost possible to see Your loving hand stretched out to feed them.

    However, spring also held a secret for eons.  Like the rainbow after the flood, it was the sign of a special promise to us.

    You planned our salvation from the beginning.  You accomplished it by the death and resurrection of Your son, Jesus.  You foretold this wondrous gift in spring.  What the promise was remained a secret until the time of the resurrection.  Then, in the renewal of the life of Jesus, the secret of spring was revealed.  It was a sign of your gift of release from death, of forgiveness, and of eternal life.

    Just as the trees are renewed and bloom in the warmth of the sun, may the warmth of Your love shine on us, so that our lives may blossom to Your honor and glory.

    Lord, grant that we, like spring, may shine forth Your love and faithfulness in our lives.

 

THANKS

Dear Lord,

    I love to watch the birds at our feeder during the jubilant frenzy of spring.  The black-capped chickadees dart in and out competing with the nuthatches, sparrows, and purple finches.  They all chatter in ecstasy, so delighted with the abundant seed.  I’m sure that it doesn’t occur to them to thank anyone.  The nurturing seed is just somehow there for them.  Let me thank You for them, Lord, as we were only the means, You provided the seed.

    Sadly, many people also do not know You.  They never think to thank You for the good things in their lives.  They think they are just “lucky”, or they are smarter than others.  Let me thank You for them.  For You provide the ‘lucky’ circumstances, their intellects and all that they have.

    Farmers till the soil. They use machinery but the farmers are in charge.  I’m sure the soil, given a choice, would not choose to be broken up but that is what makes it receptive to seed.  On hard ground, the seed would not germinate.  Given a choice, we would not choose trouble or problems, but often they are what open us up to You, Lord.  We would probably choose all sunshine and no rain in our lives and we would whither, just as the seed would.

    So, let me thank You, gracious Lord, for all the good in my life and the things that do not seem good at the time, but from which You ultimately will bring good.  Let me thank You too on behalf of all those people that do not know You, don’t ever think to thank You, and also for all the creatures for which You so lovingly provide.