Archive for the ‘Christmas leads to Calvary and the Resurrection’ Category
The Unforgettable Sunday
Posted in American History, Christian Faith, Christian Living, Christmas Joy, Christmas leads to Calvary and the Resurrection, Forgiveness, God hates the enemies of Israel, God's Gift, God's Gift of Salvation, God's chosen people, God's nation of Israel, God's Promises to Israel STAND!, God's Word is literal, Great is Thy Faithfulness!, Growing up in Wisconsin during World War II, He is coming again!, He is Risen!, Hope in Sorrow, Israel's glorious future!, Israel---God's Chosen Nation, Israel--God's chosen people!, Learning from History, Life, Life in the 1930s and 40s, Memories of WW 2, Merry Christmas, Our Lord will return!, Our Messiah Jesus Christ Will Return to Reign in Jerusalem, Pray for revival, Prayers for our nation, Prayers for Revival, The CROSS of Christ, The Cross will prevail! on December 7, 2016| 2 Comments »
“Great Is Thy Faithfulness . . . .”
Posted in Amazing Grace, Ancestral Roots, Bird Migrations, Christian Faith, Christmas leads to Calvary and the Resurrection, Condo Living, Contentment in the Little Things, Creative Memories, Family Matters, Family Roots, God's Gift, God's Gift of Salvation, God's Love, Good memories of childhood, Great is Thy Faithfulness!, Ireland, Irish History, Knitting, Living abundantly in a condo!, Music, Praises, Reflective Musings, Rejoice!, Scottish Heritage, Spring Migrations, tagged Campbells of Argyll, Celtic Music, Condo Living, Days are growing longer!, Ethnic Roots, Knitting, Music, New Year, Nostalgic Reflections, Scottish Heritage on December 31, 2015| 2 Comments »
Christmas was beautiful. Nothing on earth can match the Wonder which came from above, took on human flesh, died, was resurrected, and dwells with us in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ through His Holy Spirit—God Himself. Great is Thy Faithfulness.
And now we are moving into what is, for me, an exciting time. Since winter solstice, when we had eight hours and fifty-nine minutes of daylight here in Nashotah, Wisconsin, we have gained THREE MINUTES of daylight. THREE MINUTES. Great is Thy faithfulness, indeed! Every year at this time, I experience a surge which continues to expand in increments as the daylight increases.
I can handle winter, and find the snow (which we have finally received) to be gorgeous—even though I no longer roll in it the way I once did. Our corgi, Dylan, rolls in the snow. Living with the cold is do-able because: a) I love Wisconsin through sickness and health, till death do us part; b) Joe and I are blessed with a cozy, warm home; and c) There is plenty of wool around here in the form of blankets, and also wearable art—the fruit of this woman’s endless knit-omania.
I live with the cold, but find decreased daylight to be a piece of work. Often I wonder if diminished daylight challenges my soul because I was summer-born. Likewise, is the post-Christmas energy surge due to increased moments of daylight creating a chemical reaction in the brain, or do I begin to get hyper because of past experience and my knowledge of seasonal changes?
A 19th century ornithologist, Johann Andreas Naumann, noted that caged migratory birds exhibit migratory restlessness (Zugunruhe) and turn to the direction of migration at appropriate times, in response to circannual rhythms. Can human instincts have remained so finely tuned as those of birds, despite our centuries of civilization and cultural conditioning?
The exercise of pondering moot questions never grows old. As I plug in a CD from our large collection of Celtic music, I wonder if it’s “ethnic memory” that causes my blood to throb and my body to move involuntarily to the music. Irish Celtic, yes. And Scottish Celtic? Well, the shrieking of bagpipes* sends me into orbit like no other sound except that of a train whistle. God willing, “Amazing Grace” will thunder via pipes and a piper in kilts at my Going Home Celebration when the time comes.
Here is my known ethnicity, although most of my people came to this continent so long ago that I might logically be considered “American”. My father’s ancestors were Swiss and Alsatian, and my mothers—Scottish and Northern Irish. The Northern Irish were Scots to begin with, but they were sent by the English Crown from the Scottish Borders to “Protestant-ize” Northern Ireland.**
Now I have loved both of my parents and always will, with equal loyalty. They were, and always will be, great individuals for whom I’m eternally grateful. I am pleased to have received, via the gene pool, some of my Dad’s traits along with some of Mother’s.
But yodeling? Big in the Swiss Alps, I know—but a yodel simply does nothing whatsoever for my soul, regardless of the skill with which it may be performed. Line a yodel up against Celtic fiddles, Celtic harps, or Scottish bagpipes and I’m sorry but you don’t even have a hint of a contest.
So why do The Irish Rovers, The Chieftans, and others of their ilk throw me over the moon? It cannot be from childhood exposure, as we never had that kind of music in my home of origin. Music was classical (which I continue to love). My mother was a gifted pianist and I was raised on Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Schubert, etc.
For lighter moments we had the comic operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan and some old folk songs such as The Londonderry Air. But the squealing, banging, and thumping of The Chieftains, and the robust, earthy tunes of the Irish Rovers would never have made it to 85 Park Street and other places where I once lived and breathed and had my being. My mother was tremendously delighted with her Campbell of Argyll roots, but I don’t recall her doing cartwheels to bagpipes. So do I squeal, bang, and thump to the Chieftans because of ethnic memory, or is this response simply an acquired taste?
And whether chemically driven or just a matter of understanding how the seasons progress, my passion for lengthening days is far from moot. It’s a tangible reality which inspires a hymn of praise: “Great is Thy faithfulness, oh God our Father.”
Margaret L. Been — December 31st, 2015.
*I love the humorous bit of lore shared by an Irish storyteller at Milwaukee’s Irish Fest: “The Irish gave the bagpipes to the Scots, but the Scots ‘didn’t get it’.”
**Regardless of Northern Irish roots, my sympathies have always been with the long-suffering and now Republic of Ireland.
The “Midnight Clear . . . .”
Posted in Amazing Grace, Christian Faith, Christmas Joy, Christmas leads to Calvary and the Resurrection, Clouds of change, He is coming again!, He is Risen!, Israel, Israel's glorious future!, Israel--God's chosen people!, Merry Christmas, Praises, Pray for revival, Prayer, Prayers for our nation, Prayers for Revival, Precious treasure!, Rejoice!, The rain of revival, tagged "It came upon a midnight clear . . . .", atheists, Christian Faith, Christmas, Merry Christmas---say it loudly and clearly!, Reflective Musings, The "war on Christmas", The Lord Jesus Christ will prevail!, The rain of revival on December 22, 2013| Leave a Comment »
A Christmas Miracle
Posted in Answered Prayers!, Christian Faith, Christian Living, Christmas Joy, Christmas leads to Calvary and the Resurrection, God's Gift, God's Gift of Salvation, God's Love, Great is Thy Faithfulness!, Healing, Health, Reflective Musings, Rejoice!, Thanksgiving!, tagged Christian Faith, Christian Living, Christmas, Christmas Miracle, Creative Living, Great is Thy Faithfulness!, Health, Reflective Musings on December 30, 2012| 18 Comments »
Two doctors, our primary physician and an ENT specialist/surgeon, were concerned about the lump in my neck—concerned enough to set up a complete removal of the lump in the O.R. under a general anesthetic as soon as possible, which turned out to be on December 24th. After that scheduling was in place, there was even more concern when these doctors learned that I also had another lump in a thigh—and that I’d had a malignant melanoma removed in 2006. before we moved down to Southern Wisconsin. The ENT surgeon agreed to remove the thigh lump as well.
With all of this concern, I had total peace. Had the lumps been on one of my loved ones, I would have sorrowed and prayed for healing (if that were God’s will) as well as for the presence of the Lord Jesus to be especially manifested in that person’s life. But I never pray for “healing” for my own (several!) health issues, and I do not sorrow because of them. My body as well as soul are committed to the Lord and whatever happens to me is completely in His hands. I want His will in all events, and I know that His will is perfect.
Obviously, illness and “death” are according to God’s plan—as well as thriving health and a continuation of life on earth—when “death” means an entrance into the incredibly wonderful Eternity with the Lord. In His Word God has said, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” Psalm 116:15 (NKJV)
Rather than praying for healing, I always pray that the Lord Jesus will be magnified and glorified in my life and my death—in health or illness. I love life on this earth, and I certainly am not in a hurry to move on—yet that time has been established in Eternity Past. I desire to rejoice when it comes.
Meanwhile, I went through the surgical preparations which included a thorough physical, a CT scan, and a stress test (already scheduled for me due to another health issue). Joe and I checked in for my surgery, and I anticipated getting the whole thing over. Another pre-surgery prayer which I’d consistently offered was this: that I’d be able to attend the Christmas Eve service at our church. But since my surgery was set for around noon on the 24th, I’d resigned myself to probably being a bit “out of it” for the 5:00 p. m. church service.
Just before the IV was to go into my wrist, the surgeon stopped to do a final inspection which would include marking the surgical site with his pen. Perhaps you have already gleaned the miracle. The surgeon probed, squeezed, and checked my neck for several minutes—and finally he concluded, “The lump is gone!”
What a lot of laughter and rejoicing took place in the pre-op room. Two nurses and an extra surgeon were on hand with Joe and me, and the mass concensus was that indeed this was a Christmas miracle! Later I did attend the Christmas Eve service with Joe. Friends were surprised to see me there, as they had been praying about the surgery. Joe eagerly share the news about our miracle, and there was more rejoicing!
Miracle? Yes, but isn’t all of life exactly that? What is more of a miracle than the fact that God took on human flesh, and was born as a helpless baby in a humble stable? What is more of a miracle than the blood which Christ shed for our sins, at Calvary—and the magnificent victory of the empty tomb. We serve a Risen Lord, a Lord of miracles!
There is still a thigh lump to be removed. Since that’s not in a dangerous place for surgery, the thigh lump will be removed in a normal clinic setting. Yes, I have peace about that one as well. No, I am not praying for it’s disappearance—or for healing in the event that it would be malignant. Yes, my prayerful desire is that the Lord Jesus will be glorified in whatever lies ahead! 🙂
Margaret L. Been, 2012
Christmases Past, Present, and Future
Posted in Amazing Grace, Christian Faith, Christian Living, Christmas Joy, Christmas leads to Calvary and the Resurrection, Contentment in the Little Things, Creative Aging, Creative Living, Creative Memories, End Times, Family Matters, God's Gift of Salvation, God's Love, Great is Thy Faithfulness!, He is coming again!, He is Risen!, Health, Hearth and Home, Peace and Serenity, Reflective Musings, Slow lane living in a fast lane culture!, tagged 4th degree burns, Charles Dickens, Christ is coming again!, Christian Faith, Christian Living, Christmas Future, Christmas leads to Calvary and the Resurrection, Christmas Past, Christmas Present, Family Matters, Great is Thy Faithfulness!, Health challenges at Christmas, Muscle graft surgery, Nostalgic Reflections, Our Joy is in the Lord, Reflective Musings, St. Lucia's Day, Swedish Christmas Custom on December 18, 2012| 10 Comments »
Many of us know by heart, the visitation of three spirits to Charles Dickens’s Scrooge—the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Each year I time-travel in reverse, as I recall our Christmases Past.
The above-pictured familiar drama was performed by three of our children—Laura, Debbie, and Eric—circa 1963. Other memorable Christmases include: 1) the time when some cars failed to start due to sub zero outdoor readings, and the few cars still running shuttled back and forth between homes— bringing family members to our large gathering; 2) poignant Christmases underscored by the loss of loved ones; 3) an ethnic-flavored Christmas when a Swedish friend brought her children, each bearing a battery candle, to our door in celebration of St. Lucia’s Day—the oldest daughter enacting Lucia; 4) and a fair number of Christmas seasons when nearly everyone threw up.
There was a Christmas when we were especially pinched financially, and I made each child (we had our first five, then) a stuffed animal pillow from pre-printed fabric detailed and shaped like the animal it represented. The animal I recall most vividly was Eric’s gorilla, because Eric was attached to his pillow for years. The other gifts that year (an additional two for each child) were necessary clothing items—hats, mittens, or a sweater.
It was a thoroughly blessed and joyous Christmas! We had good food, a warm home, warm beds, and each other! Our family’s happiness never centered around possessions or the lack of them, but rather on the fun of just being together.
Recent Christmases Past featured: 1) the up-north years, when we came to Southern Wisconsin to visit our family members here and stayed in a neighborhood motel with a lovely warm pool; and 2) that “famous-in-our-family” Christmas of 2010, when both Joe and I had major surgery on December 23rd and spent our Christmas in hospital rooms next door to one another—an accommodation kindly arranged by one of our surgeons.
Joe had a muscle graft over a 4th degree burn, and was not allowed out of bed, whereas my surgery required that I get up and exercise as much as I could. So several times a day I shuffled next door with my “dancing partner”—the IV pole—to visit my love. Our hospital Christmas was indeed special, because of opportunities to share with hospital personnel the WONDERFUL REASON for my peace and joy—serious health issues notwithstanding.
Now in 2012, Christmas Present once again presents a health challenge which in no way detracts from the wonder of the fact that our Lord took on human flesh and came to live among us. Again I testify that a challenge actually augments the wonder of it all. Because Christ died to save us, and conquered death to give us eternal life, we can experience irrevocable victory over whatever may be happening around us—or in our bodies.
All of this leads to the fact that Christmas is only part of the story. Christmas culminates in Calvary and Resurrection. And there’s more wonder yet to come—when our Lord returns to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He will return, perhaps in the year of a not-too-distant Christmas Future.