Rachel's Ramblings

Waiting for Immanuel

Tears are falling,

hearts are breaking

How we need to hear from God

You've been promised,

we've been waiting

Welcome, Holy Child

Christmas isn't, of course, all beauty & joy. To deeply hurting people it can be especially painful:: a time of highlighting the loss, lonliness or need that shatters their hearts and wounds their spirits.

Which is precisely why we need Christmas!

The coming of Imamnuel.

The gift, not of Someone who would make everything perfect, but of a God-man who would enter into our broken world

and experience our hurt

and weep with us in our pain.

Bring Your peace into our violence

Bid our hungry souls be filled

Word now breaking Heaven's silence

Welcome to our world

*

Earlier this year I found this verse and have been drawing comfort from it ever since: The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18)

If we ever needed God with us it is now!

So wrap our injured flesh around You

Breathe our air and walk our sod

Rob our sin and make us holy
Perfect Son of God

Welcome to our world

- lyrics from Welcome to our World - Chris Rice

December 3

Just finished making this today:: a new flag to put beside my front door.

December Photo Project

Do Less, Worship More

Recently, I attended a Ladies Day at Open Door. I made these adorable snowman cookies at one workshop, and crafted a sparkly snowflake pin at another. The third workshop I attended was a talk about focusing on Christ at Christmas.

The lady who spoke shared some really great ideas that she has used with her kids. The thing she said that stood out most to me was that we should be intentional about not doing so many things at Christmas so that we have more time to worship. That really struck a chord with me! As I reflect over my recent Christmases-past, I quickly see that I have done too much. I make Christmas cards by hand - over 100 last year; hand-craft most of my gifts; and bake lots of Christmas goodies. I do these things because I love to do them, but by the time I get to the day or two before Christmas, I am exhausted! And I'm disappointed, as I realize that I haven't had time to just sit & soak Christmas in.

With all this in mind, I've made a few changes this year. I had Christmas cards made - as it happens, I got a great deal on them so they were free! I ordered them early, so I could get them all addressed. Right now, they are all on the top of my piano waiting to be mailed, which has got to be a personal record! I have also been shopping sales & using some great websites to create gifts that cost me less of my time but are still meaningful. This Christmas, I'm committed to being quiet more; to stilling my heart & my mind so that I can focus on worshiping God for his gift of a beautiful Savior.

What ways do you plan to worship this season?