Facing loneliness and rejection - Monday Moments with God

“And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.” Luke 1:46-47, 49 KJV

My Dear Child,

No matter what yo are going through today, please consider this: Many of my children have experienced loneliness and rejection.

Though my human mother, Mary, is held in a place of esteem by you, things were not easy for her. She was frightened when the angel, Gabriel, came and gave her the news that she had been chosen to be my mother. Yet she responded by accepting it as the will of my Father - a great honor for a humble maiden such as she was.
But saying yes to God plunged her into a dark time of loneliness and hurt. No one believed her when she told them about the angel's message. Her family, friends and even her fiance, Joseph, believed she had been promiscuous.

In his hurt over her supposed unfaithfulness, he made up his mind to break up with her. Still he was compassionate and decided to do it privately rather than putting her to shame with a public trial. At the very least she would be shunned for her shameful behavior, forced to live alone and be considered unmarriageable. Or she could face the worst possible punishment if the elders chose to make her a public example - death by stoning.

Feeling the sting of being ostracized by her family and the pain of rejection from Joseph, she went to stay with her cousin, Elizabeth, who was also with child. But Elizabeth's reaction to the young woman's pregnancy surprised Mary, because her cousin affirmed the truth of it!

Elizabeth gave her the support she needed during the crucial early months of her pregnancy. And by the time she returned home, Joseph's heart had been changed toward her because of a direct message from my Father in a dream.

I will never leave you totally alone to face life's difficulties on your own. I will bring others along side you to help, comfort, guide and encourage you. I will be there too, living inside you as our relationship grows each day.

Take time to magnify me because I am working in your life for your benefit and spiritual growth. I love you and I have a plan for you - far greater than anything you can imagine.

Love,
Jesus

Matthew 1, Luke 1-2

Christmas Special

 During Elizabeth’s sixth month of pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to a virgin girl who lived in Nazareth, a town in Galilee. She was engaged to marry a man named Joseph from the family of David. Her name was Mary. The angel came to her and said, “Greetings! The Lord is with you; you are very special to him.”” Luke 1:26-28 ERV

Have you ever wanted to be "special" to someone?

For those of us who are people-pleasers, it probably meant we worked overtime to get someone's attention and then worked equally hard to make ourselves indispensable to them. The only thing we strove for was to hear that elusive complement or affirmation that we were valuable and loved.
Sometimes it worked - we received the affirmations we needed. Other times, people walked all over us, taking advantage of our neediness without providing the positive affirmation we so desperately wanted. Been there and done that....

But imagine for a moment having the God of the universe send an angel to you to tell you that you were "special" to him and he had a job for you.

Mary wasn't anyone important - she wasn't the daughter of a rich or important family, although she was a descendant of King David as Luke points out in his gospel. But her family was as poor and nondescript as most of the families in the land of Judah at that time. She had never done anything to stand out in a crowd to attract God's favor. She was a normal Jewish girl.
So why would God single her out?

1. She met the qualifications:
a. Family-wise, she was a direct descendant of King David. She was engaged to a man who was also from David’s direct line so there could be no doubt of the child’s family tree in the fulfillment of prophecy.
b. Physically, she was a virgin of child-bearing age, which fulfilled the prophecy that Jesus would be conceived miraculously.
c. Personality-wise, she was a courageous young woman, willing to do what God asked her, even if it meant being ostracized by her family and friends, and willing to face death if needed (to be an unwed and pregnant Jewish girl could mean a death by stoning).
d. Spiritually, she had the same tender heart toward God that her ancestor David had. She was yielded to God, willing to allow him to do whatever he wanted with her life.

Sure she had some doubts and fears about everything. Who wouldn't? But her heart was right.
Like Mary, God is seeking us out to be part of his family - not because we are "special" or good enough or important enough. No. He's seeking us out because he made us and he wants us to be a part of his family. Because of that, he works with us, making us special and polishing the uniqueness that he placed in us - our talents, abilities and those other great things we didn't know we possessed.

He seeks us out because he loves us. His love makes us special to him; it's not about anything we can do for him.

It took me a long time to understand and accept that - and actually, I'm still working on it since the people-pleasing parts of my personality were cast in concrete during my formative years. But the journey has been invigorating and blessed!

I'm inviting you to join me on this journey. Let Jesus show you how special you are to him - not because of who or what you are; not because of anything you've done; but because you are His!

Amen.

PA Dutch bread and potato stuffing

“Herod called a meeting of all the leading Jewish priests and teachers of the law. He asked them where the Messiah would be born. They answered, “In the town of Bethlehem in Judea, just as the prophet wrote: ‘Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are important among the rulers of Judah. Yes, a ruler will come from you, and that ruler will lead Israel, my people.’”” Matthew 2:4-6 ERV

Bethlehem - "bread town" was the place God chose for his son, the "Bread of life" to be born. So I thought it was fitting today to include a recipe for my mom's homemade bread and potato "filling" which always graced our table on Thanksgiving and Christmas when the family gathered for dinner.

Mom came from German Mennonite background so she grew up understanding the Pennsylvania Dutch dialect her parents spoke and enjoying many traditional foods. Many of the old family recipes were lost though when she married and followed my dad into the Schwenckfelder church (another German-based denomination in south eastern PA). Also, since they married in the post WWII era, she was a working mom, putting in long hours in a sewing factory and later a factory that made floor tiles, so that our family was well-provided for.

However, the one recipe she never lost was her bread and potato stuffing. On the eve of every Christmas or Thanksgiving holiday, Mom cubed several loaves of white bread into a large 6-quart bowl. She amply covered the bread with about a half cup of dried parsley, then placed a towel over the bread to dry out over night. In later years, she began to buy 4-5 bags of already dried bread cubes.
Early the next morning, she would be up by 6 AM, peeling and cutting potatoes into small cubes to fill her 6 quart Dutch oven. She cooked them until they were tender, draining them and reserving some of the liquid to moisten her bread.

While the potatoes cooled a bit, she finely chopped 4-6 stalks of celery and 2 cups of onions, adding them to the dried bread along with salt and pepper. When I got old enough to help, this was my job. Boo-hoo and LOL!

She added the cooled potatoes and about a quart of the reserved potato liquid to the bread and mixed it together. It was important that the bread be slightly moist. About an hour before the turkey was done, she would add turkey broth to the mixture as well for flavor. She always knew just how much to add so the stuffing was moist and stuck together well.

Putting it into two large casserole dishes, Mom topped the mixture with pats of real butter to help flavor it and brown the top. She baked it at 350° for at least an hour , covered with foil. Then she removed the covering and baked it for another half hour or longer until it came out nicely browned on the top, but fluffy and moist inside.

Christmas reminds me of Mom and I still make her recipe for my family dinners, though I omit the potatoes. I never could figure out why we needed them in the stuffing and mashed too.

No matter how you fix your stuffing / filling / dressing at this time of year, take time to remember and praise the Living Bread of Bethlehem who came that we should never hunger or thirst for God again! Amen.

It's Christmas cookie time! - Frosted Pumpkin Bars

“But when the time was right, God sent his Son, and a woman gave birth to him. His Son obeyed the Law, so he could set us free from the Law, and we could become God’s children.” Galatians 4:4-5 CEV

Christmas is such a rich season. It's rich in it's message - that God would leave heaven to be born in the form of a human being to experience life as we know it and to redeem us from sin.

But it's also rich in traditions and memories. Today I've been remembering my mom's love for Christmas baking. She usually took a vacation day from work to bake Christmas cookies. All day long the house would smell amazing as the dining room table filled with dozens of varieties of sweet confections. In the evening, she boxed up all the cookies for delivery to the nursing homes where she and dad volunteered.

Since I was in school, I didn't get to help, but my grandmother or later, a family friend , would be on hand. Mom even put the extra leaves in the table so it could hold moreTo bake so many cookies was a two person job!

By the end of the day, the table was filled with chocolate chip cookies, peanut blossoms, Thumb-print cookies, Snowball cookies, butter/sugar cookies and others I can't even remember anymore.

I found some of her old recipe books the other day and decided to share a recipe today. One that's rich in cinnamony holiday aroma and flavor:

Frosted Pumpkin Bars

4 beaten eggs
1 cup salad oil
2 cups sugar
1 cup pumpkin
1 cup raisins
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt

Combine ingredients and pour onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes. When cool, frost with:

3 oz. cream cheese
6 Tbsp butter
1 tsp, vanilla
1 tsp milk
3/4 pound of powdered sugar

Cream the cheese, butter, milk and vanilla together. Add sugar. Spread onto the pumpkin bar and cut into squares. These can be frozen and pulled out for a quick and easy company snack throughout the holiday season.

Enjoy!

What cookie recipes do you remember from Christmases past?

That's some family tree!

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14 NIV

In my youth church class, we've been doing a section of lessons based on the idea of a Jesse Tree***. I wanted to highlight some of the major ancestors in the family tree of Jesus to show the young people how God can and will incorporate us into his family tree, no matter what kind of crazy, mixed-up "characters" we are.

In our study this week, we did a lesson on the 12 sons of Jacob based on a blog post I read over at Teach Them about Jacob's 12 sons. Jacob is the grandson of Abraham, and a part of the direct family tree of Jesus.

And boy was he a character - along with his family! Jacob had 12 sons to four different women (two of them were sisters). His story comes complete with jealousy, intrigue, murder attempts and mayhem.

Hmmmm. Sounds like some of those TV soaps, doesn't it?

Most of us know the story of Joseph, the favored son / owner of the coat of many colors, who was sold into slavery in Egypt and ended up as the second most important person there, next to Pharaoh.

But when I asked the youth which one of Jacob's 12 sons was mentioned in the lineage of Jesus, no one knew. They all thought it was Joseph because of the importance placed on his story in scripture.

Who do you think it is?

Some of you are shaking your heads in bewilderment. And, of course, some of you know the answer - it was Judah, the 4th born son. Usually the first-born holds the position of authority and leadership in a clan But not in this case. Reuben, Simeon and Levi were passed over for Judah, #4 in line because of misconduct, jealousy and selfishness with regard to Joseph.

No, Judah wasn't faultless - he was in on the jealous plan to get rid of Joseph with his other brothers. But Judah redeemed himself in the eyes of his father later on when he went out of his way to protect his youngest half-brother, Benjamin (Joseph's younger brother), from an unknown fate at the hands of Pharaoh's 2nd in command in Egypt.

To spare his father further grief, since Jacob had already lost one son (he thought Joseph was dead), Judah exchanged his life for Benjamin's, taking the now-favored,youngest son's place in the Egyptian prison for a time. He had no idea whether he would ever see his family again, but he knew he couldn't allow his father to lose another son borne by Jacob's beloved wife, Rachel.

Judah's name means "praise" and the sign of his clan became a roaring lion - a fitting sign for the coming Messiah.

No matter what kind of soap-opera life we've had, Jesus is in the business of redemption. He wants to change our hearts and include us in his family of crazy, mixed-up, REDEEMED sons and daughters.

Let him change your heart today!

***For those who are unfamiliar with the Jesse Tree, it is a sort of Advent calendar in the shape of a tree (a paper tree, bare tree branch or even a small Christmas tree) with a special ornament that is added each day through the Advent season. Each ornament is related to a Bible story or person who is part of the lineage or timeline leading up to Christ.

There are lots of online resources for anyone wanting more information. Just google "Jesse Tree" and you'll find stories and patterns for ornaments.

Help! I need wisdom - Monday Moments with God

My Dear Child,

I know you had a rough time of things last week, but I was there with you through it all. When you asked for wisdom to deal with people and circumstances, I helped you to see what needed to be done. I gave you the courage to face your situations and to continue the task I gave you to do.

You may not always feel my presence or hear my voice clearly, but I am with you, even during those difficult times. I am teaching you my ways, so you will be able to stay on track. I am instructing and counseling you, even through the dark hours, as you keep your heart open to me.

Don't always try to figure things out for yourself - trust me and I will lead you.

Love,
Jesus

James 1:5, Isaiah 2:3, Psalm 32:8, Proverbs 3:5-6, 2 Cor. 4:6

Hungry and Thirsty

“Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35 NIV

My dear child,

You feel depressed and discouraged today because of all the struggles of life you are facing.

But I have bread for you that will encourage and strengthen you if you will accept it. After all - I would never give you a stone if you came to ask me for bread. I love you.

The bread I give you will multiply as you share it with others, bringing joy to your heart. Your heart will overflow with so much joy that you will have baskets full left over!

I am offering my life-giving water to quench your thirst. When you drink it, it will become a mighty spring welling up inside you and giving you eternal life. It will satisfy the deepest thirsting of your soul and flow out from you to others.

When you eat this bread and drink this water, you will never hunger or thirst again!

Love,
Jesus

John 6:35; John 4:13; Matthew 7:9

Father help those in our community who are hungry today. Use us to reach out and provide for them - whether it is food for their tables or food for their souls. Amen!