Christmas

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

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The Christmas song “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” gives the reason, the story, of the birth of Jesus Christ, and the future of his saints.

Come, Thou long expected Jesus, born to set Thy people free; from our fears and sins release us; let us find our rest in Thee. Israel’s strength and consolation, hope of all the earth Thou art; Dear Desire of ev’ry nation, joy of every longing heart.

Joy to those who long to see Thee Day-spring from on high, appear.
Come, Thou promised Rod of Jesse, of Thy birth, we long to hear!
O’er the hills the angels singing news, glad tidings of a birth; “Go to Him your praises bringing Christ the Lord has come to earth!”

Come to earth to taste our sadness, He whose glories knew no end. By His life He brings us gladness, Our redeemer, Shepherd, Friend. Leaving riches without number, born within a cattle stall; this the everlasting wonder, Christ was born the Lord of all.

Born Thy people to deliver, born a child, and yet a King, born to reign in us forever, now Thy gracious kingdom bring. by Thine own eternal Spirit rule in all our hearts alone; by Thine all-sufficient merit raise us to Thy glorious throne.

Come, Thou whom the prophets promised. Thou of whom the canters sing; Come, Emmanuel, God be with us. Thou our Prophet, Priest, and King. Jesus, Thou are all perfection, Thou whose fellowship we crave; Thou the Life and Resurrection, Come redeem us from the grave.

Come, Thou King, receive Thy kingdom; With the angels, split the skies! Come with shouts and trumpets sounding, Bid Thy slumb’ring children rise! Gather in Thine arms so tender Sinners saved through grace alone; Lead us though Thy gates of splendor Unto our eternal home.

Any questions?

Songwriters: Words: Charles Wesley, 1744 (Verses 1 & 4) Mark Hunt, 1978 (Verses 2 & 3) Ann Aschauer 2022 (Verses 5 & 6)

Copyright © 2024 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

Christmas Hangover?

/ Mark Brady / Leave a comment
Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay

I drive April to work early each morning. Today, on the way back home, I was listening to a Christian radio station. They wound up playing four Christmas songs. You know I was singing along! Loud! I think the station’s computer had not been updated, removing those songs from its playlist.

 I heard someone say the other day, “The build-up before Christmas was huge, and then it was all over before I knew it!” According to Urban Dictionary, “A Christmas Hangover is the feeling you get in your stomach when you realize it’s no longer Christmas.”

Do you feel that way? Did the holiday go the way you wanted it to, or had hoped? Are you disappointed for some reason? I propose the issue for you, may be that “The Day” is more significant than “The Reason.” In other words, the gifts, the food, being with family, etc., mean more to you than the fact that Jesus was born that day.

When you accept Jesus into your life and know that your sins have been forgiven, a particular life or light should start growing within you. It happens as your relationship with God, through Jesus Christ, begins to grow. As it develops, you realize that Jesus becomes very real and is walking along with you. Conversations start to take place, and soon, you know that Jesus is close and will never leave you.

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

“Never will I leave you;
    never will I forsake you.” Heb. 13:5 (NIV)

This kind of “living” relationship changes your approach to Christmas and every day before and after and is the best cure for a Christmas hangover.

Copyright © 2024 Mark Brady  All Rights Reserved

Christmas Cards

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SENDING CARDS
Sending Christmas cards may soon be a thing of the past. I look at it as a way to say, “Hi. I’m still alive. I hope you are, too, and I wish you God’s best for the holiday season.” I once had a tradition where people received my Christmas card the day after Thanksgiving. I did it because I moved so much. I wanted them to have my new address! One year, I received a lady’s Christmas card in September. Inside, she wrote, “By God, you weren’t going to beat me this year!”

FUNNIEST CARD
The funniest card I ever received was in 2020. On the cover, it showed a Christmas tree made from stacked toilet paper rolls. (Leftover from the COVID pandemic. Thanks, Patty.)

MEANINGFUL CARD
There was one card that a friend of mine and I sent back and forth for twenty-nine years. It was the same card. We would find an open spot and sign our name with the year. I calculated that the card had traveled back and forth across America some 22,000 miles. The tradition ended when I lost the card in Chicago. I felt as if I had lost my friend. Two years later, I did.

FAVORITE CARD said:
If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator.
If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist.
If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist.
But since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Savior!

That card said it all. It shared what our greatest need was and what God did about it. If you have not accepted God’s gift of salvation, then it should be the first gift you open this Christmas. In fact, you can open it early and do it now! God is still meeting needs today. He is capable of meeting yours if you let him. Ask, and then believe that He will answer in the best way possible. He knows all the details. The ones we see and the ones we don’t.

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
Phil. 4:19 (NIV)

You may find yourself struggling this holiday season. It’s hard to be concerned with world issues when your issues feel as big as the world. Remember this: God sees you, loves you, and knows what your needs are. Give him a chance to show himself strong in your life.

And back to Christmas cards, take the time to send someone a card. Perhaps they are someone who doesn’t expect to be remembered this holiday season. I assure you, it will meet at least one need in their life.

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady

Sensing Jesus – Nose

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The body’s nose is probably overlooked and perhaps underrated. Some joke about those who stick theirs in one’s business. Others may tease about one at work having a “brown” nose. Yet, the nose has the ability to bring fond memories back to one’s mind. I know whenever I smell dinner rolls, I recall walking into the house I grew up in and smelling homemade dinner rolls baking in the oven. They were usually the last item cooked, so the smell of rolls meant we would be eating soon.

Yet the nose has the power to save lives. Even now, as I am writing this post, I can still smell the remnants of the fire we had here last night. I was upstairs working when I started smelling the strong odor of a burning wire. I found where it was coming from. An outlet in the bedroom. I went and got my tools. When I removed the cover, a flame ignited from the smoldering wire. I didn’t think I had time to run to the garage to kill the power, so I picked up a pair of pliers that had rubber handles and shorted the circuit out.

I removed the burnt outlet and replaced it with a new one. I believe the culprit was a heater drawing too many amps and the breaker not doing its job. (I’m not an electrician, so I’m not sure about that, but I know I need to hire one to check things out.) April and I were relieved and thanked God for allowing me to smell the issue before it caught the house on fire.

Odors can save our homes and our lives. God likes odors or aromas, too. In the Old Testament, we can read that he took delight in the smells rising from the altar of the Holy of Holies. He also took delight when His Son gave himself up for us.

And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. Eph. 5:2 (NKJV)

We, too, should enjoy the fragrance of Jesus’ death on the cross that provided atonement for our sins. He willingly laid out his life on the altar for us. This Christmas, take time to take in the smells of the season and think about how sweet the aroma of life is through the gift of salvation.

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady

Sensing Jesus – Touch

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Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

Physical contact with infants is crucial for their development. Studies have shown that babies who receive more physical contact from their mothers had a lower response to stress-inducing situations later in life. Another study found that premature babies who received three 15-minute sessions of touch therapy per day for five days showed improved brain activity.

On the other hand, babies who do not receive ample physical and emotional attention are at higher risk for behavioral, emotional, and social problems as they grow up.

Newborns denied physical contact with other humans can actually die from this lack of contact, even when provided with proper nutrition and shelter. (See references below.)

As you can see from the studies referenced above, “touch” is extremely important and powerful. When Jesus was born, those in the area would have received a lot if they had only stopped their business, sought Jesus out, and held him in their arms. Simeon did just that. He waited for the King of Kings to be brought to the temple and presented to the priest.

Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, (Luke 2:28 (NIV)

Then there was the woman who was healed of a twelve-year plague simply because her faith prodded her to “touch” the hem of Jesus’ robe. (Mat. 9:20-22)

In this busy holiday season, if you will stop and seek Jesus out, you will find him. There is nothing like a touch from the Master. There is nothing that can compare to sensing His presence. It will touch your heart. Jesus welcomes you no matter what you have done. It’s interesting that when Jesus died on the cross to forgive us of sin, his arms were wide open. That is a position of acceptance.

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady

Sensing Jesus – Mouth

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Image by Giulia Marotta from Pixabay

“For as often as you eat this cup and drink this bread,” said the senior pastor as he was leading us in the monthly ritual of communion. I was 21, a youth pastor, standing on his left, and I had to stare at the floor to keep from laughing.

Jesus made reference that we should drink his blood that was poured out when He died on the cross. And partake of his body, which was broken for us. Now, He did not mean this literally, of course, but suggesting that we take him in and remember what He did on the cross that provided salvation for us and the forgiveness of sin.

The mouth is not only for taking communion, but it can serve as a means to share God’s love through verbal speech. It’s sad when it happens, but it can also tear someone down.

Words kill, words give life;
    they’re either poison or fruit—you choose. Prov. 18:21 (MSG)

Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.
Jam. 3:10 (NIV)

The mouth is an integral part of the body. With it, you can praise and worship God or read his word out loud to yourself or others. You can encourage someone with words spoken over them. Jesus used his mouth to speak of loving God first and then your neighbor. He used his mouth to invite people to accept him.

This Christmas season, sense Jesus. Get quiet somewhere and take him in. Speak the words He spoke. Invite others to accept Jesus. Encourage people with loving words. Use your mouth for good and not hurt or hate. Use it to give praise and worship to Father God. Thank him for his Son, for his blessings. Spread joy throughout this season of giving.

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady

Sensing Jesus – Ears

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In the hustle and bustle of the times, people most likely didn’t notice the cry of a baby coming from the stable. Of if they did, their intellect convinced them that there was no way someone would have a baby there. A lot of Jesus’ story didn’t make sense, so why not where he was born?

Jesus came here with a message that people needed to hear and still do to this day. That word was of God’s plan to redeem us through the sacrifice of his Son. People’s brains had a hard time understanding, accepting, or believing it. God’s action would require “faith” and lots of it.

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Rom. 10:17 (KJV)

Jesus also shared a message of acceptance and one of love. For instance, when He spoke to the woman at the well. (John 4:1-42) Or when He ministered to the man who was possessed by a demon. (Mark 5:1-20)

One can use their ears this holiday season to sense Jesus. Like the last blog, pausing, finding a quiet place to focus, and hearing what message Jesus would say to you. It may be a word of love, acceptance, inclusion, comfort, or guidance. It may be an invitation to accept him. His message may not make sense in your mind, but it is truth. No matter what message Jesus would love to give you, I hope you will hear it, believe it, and accept it.

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady

Sensing Jesus – Eyes

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24-25 But Thomas, sometimes called the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We saw the Master.” But he said, “Unless I see the nail holes in his hands, put my finger in the nail holes, and stick my hand in his side, I won’t believe it.” 26 Eight days later, his disciples were again in the room. This time Thomas was with them. Jesus came through the locked doors, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.” 27 Then he focused his attention on Thomas. “Take your finger and examine my hands. Take your hand and stick it in my side. Don’t be unbelieving. Believe.” 28 Thomas said, “My Master! My God!” 29 Jesus said, “So, you believe because you’ve seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing.” John 20:24-29 (MSG)

Perhaps Thomas was from Missouri – “The Show Me State.” He just had to see Jesus before he could believe that though He had died, He had risen and was alive. The hardest thing about faith is not being able to see the one you believe in. If it were easy, it wouldn’t be faith.

When Jesus was born, so many were right there near the stable but failed to see him. Perhaps they were busy dealing with life and with the census that was going on at the time. The devil will always try to keep you busy with something in life that keeps you from seeing Jesus in your life. And with this being the beginning of the Christmas season, there is so much that can distract us from seeing Jesus.

Celebrate this season of your life with purpose. Purposely, slow down, take a moment to stop and reflect on Jesus. Seek out your favorite spot in the house, sit with a warm drink, and consider how Jesus is alive and active in your life. Look for the moments Jesus has been involved in your life. If you have never accepted Jesus, you might see how He has lovingly pursued you.

My uncle was moments away from entering heaven. My cousin, who was a minister at the time, was sitting beside his bed. His last days were spent with family at home. All of a sudden, my cousin said he opened his eyes big and, with a bigger grin on his face, started exclaiming, “I see Him! I see Him!” My cousin looked to where he was pointing, not seeing anything but sensing the presence of God. My uncle then passed away peacefully with a smile on his face. He got to see Jesus as He came to usher my uncle home. Coincidently, my uncle was from Missouri.

Jesus can be seen if you look intently. You may see his nail-scared hands as He guides you. You may see Him lift you as He carries you through a personal trial. It is possible to see Jesus if you look. You will enjoy this Christmas season better after seeing Jesus, the reason for the season.

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady

But it Doesn’t Feel Like Christmas

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I was flipping through radio stations last week and came across Christmas music. Yeah, one whole week before Thanksgiving, even. Why not? Stores have had Christmas items for sale displayed since Labor Day. But it doesn’t feel like Christmas.

Does it take party invitations or Christmas cards arriving? Making lots of plans for gatherings with family to make it feel like Christmas? How about putting up the Christmas tree? Or hanging some lights on the house? Going around and looking at other homes that put up lights? Do these activities make it feel like Christmas?

What if “Christmas” wasn’t a feeling but an attitude?

at·ti·tude

[ˈadəˌt(y)o͞od]

NOUN

a settled way of thinking about someone or something

So using the definition of “attitude,” I should have a settled way of thinking about Christmas. How does one do that? It starts with a healthy view of who Jesus Christ is. Yes, the baby that was born in a manger who we celebrate at Christmas. But that same child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. And he started his public ministry that wound up killing him. That baby one day hung on the cross and died for our sins.

Having the right attitude of who Jesus is, generates the right attitude about Jesus and Christmas. That means you can get excited about Christmas all year long because that is where God’s love began: He loved us so much that He gave us his only son. And ya know, I can “feel” God’s love; therefore, it can feel like Christmas!

Let us look only to Jesus. He is the one who began our faith, and he makes our faith perfect. Jesus suffered death on the cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing. He did this because of the joy that God put before him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne.
Heb. 12:2 (ICB)

Copyright © 2022 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

My First Christmas in America

/ Mark Brady / 6 Comments

by April Joy Brady (Mark’s wife)

This is my first Christmas in America.  My previous ones have been in my home country of the Philippines.  People’s attitudes here toward Christmas are a lot different than there.  It seems as if some of the people are forgetting the real reason for Christmas.  Some even go as far as to remove “Christ” from the word Christmas with “X-mas”.  It makes me wonder if they have removed Christ from their hearts as well.  I’m not trying to be judging, it would be difficult not to be that way growing up here in America, with constantly being bombarded with TV ads and popular culture.

This season here seems to be more about parties, gifts, and where to spend the holiday.  When in the Philippines, where resources don’t flow so freely, Christmas tends to be much simpler, and we are happy to get to see family and share a simple meal, and laugh.  There is a lot of laughter back home.  I imagine Jesus’s first Christmas was simple as well.  Mary and Joseph adoring their new born son, lying still in a feeding trough with some hay, and perhaps an animal’s covering over him.  A far cry from a beautiful wooden crib from Ashley Furniture with blankets from Macys!

I think I have been blessed to have my previous life and Christmas’ in the Philippines.  I hope in the years to come I do not stray too far from my roots, especially when it comes to the attitude of what Christmas really is, or supposed to be about.

I will enjoy the time spent with my husband and the gifts he has bought for me as well as the other gifts from friends and coworkers, but in my heart I will be in Bethlehem, humming, “Away in the Manger”.

Merry Christmas everyone.  May Christ fill your hearts with his love.

April

Copyright © 2021 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.