So, are you ready for Christmas?

There’s food to buy, things to cook and bake, decorations to put up.

And I wonder if you have bought all your presents. Done all the wrapping?

Let me ask you: Are you the type who does their Christmas shopping at 4pm on Christmas Eve; or the type who has everything bought and wrapped by August?

For those who prepare for Christmas well in advance, you may be interested to know that preparations for the first Christmas took a great deal longer.

It all started way back in the book of Genesis.

In Genesis chapter 3, we are told that a descendant of Eve will come and destroy the work of the devil. Many years later, in the book of Deuteronomy, we read of a prophet like Moses who will be raised up from among God’s people, Israel. Thousands of years later, Jesus said, “If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.” (John 5: 46)

In the book of 2 Samuel, a prophet declares to King David that his royal throne will be established forever. Jesus would come from the line of David, who in turn came from the line of Judah.

The Prophet Micah (prophesying hundreds of years before Jesus) said,

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

though you are small among the clans of Judah,

out of you will come for me

one who will be ruler over Israel,

whose origins are from of old,

from ancient times.” (Micah 5: 2)

Somebody from Judah’s line will come - a ruler, whose origins are from old. (I wonder if that means from eternity past – Heaven perhaps?). That person is going to be born in Bethlehem.

And Isaiah prophesied “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel.” The baby will be born to a virgin. We know Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus. And the prophecy said he will be called Emmanuel, which means God with us.

By the time Jesus was born there was great expectation of a coming king, a Messiah, from the line of Judah, through David, yet coming from eternity past; a prophet like Moses; he will be born of a virgin, and he will be God walking among us.

So, the time came for a secular government to announce a census, which meant that the newly married Joseph and Mary (pregnant with child) had to travel to Bethlehem. Upon arrival, she gave birth to a child. God with us in human form had arrived. The first Christmas was literally thousands of years in the making.

Many of us will be familiar with the Christmas Nativity – the picture or model of characters from the Christmas story.

We often see these printed on Christmas cards or displayed in churches. Mary is crouched down beside the newborn Jesus who is lying in a straw-filled manger. Joseph, her husband, leans over close to her shoulder and then, further out, a handful of shepherds with their sheep and lambs look on in wonder. On the opposite side to the shepherds, Magi (or “wise men” as they are sometimes called), dressed in expensive robes and embroidered turbans present their mysterious gifts.

Everything is arranged and posed for the perfect photo opportunity.

The original Christmas events, of course, were nothing like this! The Magi likely arrived some considerable time after the birth (up to two years), so they never met the shepherds. Having just given birth, Mary probably did not feel like smiling for any camera, had they existed; and then there would have been the smell! A variety of animals in close proximity with everything that comes with them.

But what the scene does show us is a snapshot of the kind of people God loves to bless and include in His plans.

Nine months before, Mary, a young and innocent teenager, had said ‘yes’ to God’s announcement that the Holy Spirit will grow a new life within her, even though she faced the risk of being shamed and losing her husband-to-be, Joseph. In an extraordinary moment, when we might imagine the angels in Heaven holding their breath in anticipation, she simply said, “May it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1: 38).

We meet Joseph in Matthews gospel after he has found out the news. The feeling of betrayal in his heart would have been overwhelming, but even before the angel fills him in on the details, he puts his mind at rest, and Joseph’s plans to call off the wedding are replaced with genuine kindness and compassion. This descendant of David has a heart like God’s.

Joseph and Mary do get married, of course, and head to Bethlehem to fulfill the requirements of the Roman census. On the night of the birth, local shepherds also have an encounter with an angel, and then more angels. You have to ask: why would God choose shepherds? Shepherds were not found in the upper echelons of society. Shepherds were nobody. But God loves the humble and so he chose them to hear his big announcement.

Finally, stargazers from another land were drawn to the Christ-child. For reasons known only to them, they were compelled to honour the boy and his parents with gifts that speak of royalty (gold), relationship with God (frankincense that was burned in the temple) and a message that, somehow, his death will be important (Myrrh). The Magi were seekers and worshippers. They were people who recognised God’s leading and simply obeyed.

There it is – a simple nativity. Each character representing real people who have an incredible story to tell.

For two days shy of six weeks, Moses had been alone on a mountain in the very presence of God. During that time, he received detailed instructions for the building of a tabernacle, where sacrifice and offerings would become the norm and where the people would meet with God.

The walls, furniture and utensils would be made from materials given freely by the Israelite community, from young and old, from everyone ‘whose heart moved him’ (Ex 25: 1). The donations were so generous that Moses was eventually forced to call for a stop to the giving (Ex 36: 6).

It is one particular aspect of God’s instructions to Moses that fascinates me – in Exodus chapter 28: the design of the priests clothing, their uniform for carrying out their duties. The first couple of verses outline God’s purpose for Aaron and his sons to wear special garments – ‘for glory and for beauty’, it says. The reason they had particular clothes to wear was for glory and beauty.

Nearly every other item to be manufactured for the tabernacle had a clear function. The alter was made to burn the sacrifices, the lampstand to light the room and the ark to contain the 10 commandments. What were the priests’ clothes for? Glory and beauty.

Today, God requires no tabernacle to meet with his people. Jesus’ death on the cross has provided a way for us come into his presence through a simple prayer of repentance and faith. Collectively we become building blocks of a new holy place – the church. The New Testament is clear: every time we gather together in his name, God is there too.

So, what are churches for? Why do they exist? I’m sure, between us, we could come up with a sizable list of functions, from preaching and teaching to ministering to the poor, to sharing the Gospel and so on, but I wonder how many would say, ‘churches exist for glory and beauty’?

You see, the church is also described as a bride, so, question: what is usually said of a bride as she walks down the aisle towards her husband-to-be? Easy - She is beautiful! Right?

I recently, and quite suddenly, saw all of this with new eyes as I was thinking about the purpose of the church today. We congregate in churches, and we do the work of serving and building. We carry out the functions of church, but it struck me that we are also called to be beautiful – to radiate the beauty that God gives us; to shine in the world, boldly declaring what he has done, reigning in life as sons and daughters of God, doing his work, and revealing his glory. We were created to be beautiful.

No wonder Jesus said, ‘let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven’ (Matt 5: 16). When we serve God with all of our hearts, according to his mighty plans and purposes, we not only fulfil the functions of church, we display glory and beauty too.

One day we will see a church of every tribe and nation surrounding the throne of the lamb and I bet many will spontaneously fall to their knees and declare, ‘this is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen’.

I believe God wants us to be able to say that about the church today. Imagine us serving well, building well, with pure hearts and true to his plans. Then, maybe a new generation will discover Jesus and, with tears of joy, say of his church, ‘this is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen’.

This devotion is one of many you can find in Bite-size Devotions for the Busy Christian by me – Terry Nightingale, published by Kharis Publishing and available through any Amazon website. Maybe this would make a good Christmas present for someone.

People have swallowed the weirdest things.

We all expect young children to put small objects in their mouths (and we try to stop them, of course), but then there are the adults.

One man in Croatia was found to have a lighter in his stomach. He had intentionally swallowed it whilst at a police station because it contained a small quantity of drugs and, therefore, incriminating evidence against him.

Another, a 29-year-old in Ireland, swallowed a small cell phone and then there was the story of the 18-year-old who was trying to induce vomiting with a toothbrush and, well, you can guess the rest!

Some things are not meant to be inside us.

Have you ever wondered why are there so many accounts in the gospels about the Pharisees and about their rules and Jesus’ confrontations with them? So serious were those conversations that Jesus felt the need to say to his disciples, ‘Be on your guard against the yeast (the teaching) of the Pharisees and Sadducees’ (Matt 16: 6). We know that ‘All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness’ (2 Tim 3:16), so why do we read so many stories about these guys? Surely, Pharisees don’t exist today!

I was talking with a friend a while back. I had gently challenged him about a particular attitude he was displaying when he asked, ‘Do you think I am a Pharisee?’ Taken aback, I said ‘no, but I think there may be a hidden Pharisee in all of us.’ That may seem a bit of a stretch, but for me if I am honest, I know there is one in me. I try to hide him, but he is definitely in there. What is he up to? Well, like a virus, he is silently trying to spread his influence. So, in what ways does he try to influence?

Let’s try something different. Let me invite you to participate in the ‘Do I have the Pharisee virus?’ test. Are you ready?

1. How hard do you work to look good on the outside? I am not talking about a new haircut to make you even more beautiful; I am talking about your secret desire that everyone you meet will believe that you are a good person? In other words, do you seek the praise of others more than the praise of God?

2. How easy is it for you to apologise? Or are you just never in the wrong? Do you recognise moments when you fall short of God’s best or you or do find it hard to admit a fault?

3. When you meet someone who lives, let’s say, a ‘colourful life’ – do you compare yourself to them? Do you think you are better? When was the last time you prayed, ‘have mercy on me, Lord, a sinner’?

So, how did you get on? Did you think you tested positive or negative for the Pharisee virus?

It is so easy to read the Gospels and pass judgement on the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, but perhaps it takes some humility and courage to recognise that, sometimes, there may be a little Pharisee inside us too. Let’s make an agreement together: our hearts belong to God; the Pharisee has no place there!

This devotion is one of many you can find in Bite-size Devotions for the Busy Christian by me – Terry Nightingale, published by Kharis Publishing and available through any Amazon website. Maybe this would make a good Christmas present for someone.

I was talking with a friend the other day.

He had been offered a role in an organisation where his unique abilities and connections would be vital for the next phase of their vision.

He was flattered with the offer but extremely reluctant to accept it. The trouble was, he had worked for the company several years previously and, although under different management back then, he had not found them willing to embrace his ideas. In fact, the feelings of rejection were still quite raw.

The organisation had moved on since that time with the new leadership team taking it in an exciting new direction, but my friend could only see the pain he felt eight years ago. While we were talking, I found myself thinking of Moses.

Moses had left Egypt out of favour and under a cloud. After a misguided attempt to win justice for a fellow Israelite, he not only felt the rejection of his own people but the sentence of death from his adoptive father – the Pharaoh. Moses had no choice but to close that chapter of his life and move on.

Years later, and now with a wife and family, God called him back, ‘I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt… the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.’ (Ex 3: 7 - 10). I wonder what went though Moses’ mind.

The first question he asks God is, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’ In other words, ‘Lord, I burned that bridge decades ago, they didn’t want my help then; I’m sure as heck they don’t need it now.’ But God had to reassure Moses that things were different now: the elders of Israel will listen to him and there’s a different Pharaoh on the throne.

A lengthy conversation ensued between the Lord and Moses and the reluctant prophet finally agreed to do the job.

The end of the story is worth noting. Moses led his people out of slavery, away from the threat of the Egyptian army to the mountain of God where the community was effectively re-born as people of the living God.

History as we know it flowed from that moment.

Moses submitted to the pain of revisiting the past and a nation was established amidst miracles and wonders. For God’s purposes to move forward, one man had to step back into a place he thought he had walked away from. For Moses, returning to Egypt would have felt like going backwards, opening old wounds, but in God’s master plan it was the key to a significant advance of His purposes.

I wonder if God is calling you to return to something or someone. Life may have moved on, but God is a God of history as well as the future and the two are more than linked. In order for God to bear his fruit in and through you in the future, maybe he is calling you to walk through an old familiar door – even if just for a season. God may have unfinished business for you to attend to in order for you to step into the future.

This devotion is one of many you can find in my book Bite-size Devotions for the Busy Christian, published by Kharis Publishing and available through any Amazon website. Maybe this would make a good Christmas present for someone.

Have you ever read the book of 1 Samuel? This is the book in the Bible that introduces us to the boy who would kill Goliath and eventually become Israel’s greatest king – David. It is a story of faith, failure, triumph and tragedy. King Saul is on a collision course with disaster and David must cling to God’s promises if he is to experience them coming to pass.

For me, there is one message that rings out throughout the book loud and clear: God will do what he has said he will do.

God gave the people of Israel a king. God told him through the prophet Samuel that he will appoint him leader over Israel and, of course, he did, but after King Saul failed to obey God, he was informed that the royal line will no longer continue through his family. In fact, another king will be chosen. David was secretly appointed and anointed half-way through the book.

In contrast to Saul, David understood the certainty of God’s promises and he sought to trust God and obey him. Even at his lowest point in the Cave of Adullam when the armies of Israel were hunting him down, led by a jealous and angry Saul, David declared that God is the one who ‘fulfils his purposes for me’ (Psalm 57:2)

In other words, God will do what he has said he will do.

And that’s a promise for us today. If you are a follower of Jesus like me, then you stand at the other side of the cross to David – forgiven through repentance and faith, and now with a whole new set of promises.

Jesus told us that he will never leave us, he will never drive us away because we belong to him (John 6: 37). If we take prayer seriously, developing our relationship with the Father in the secret place, we will be rewarded (Matt 6: 6). If we seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, then all our needs will be met (Matt 6: 33), and so much more.

I have a pinboard on the wall of my study and over the years I have attached verses that have spoken to me, helpful thoughts that have come through prayer and prophetic words spoken over me by others. I consider them promises from God and every now and then I will read them afresh and cling to them.

Why? Because, like David, I believe God is the one who fulfills his promises for me.

When the tough times come, when there are Goliaths still to kill and when there is nothing we can do but just sit in the secret place and wait, one thing is sure: God will do what he has said he will do.

And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has been mindful

of the humble state of his servant.

From now on all generations will call me blessed,

for the Mighty One has done great things for me—

holy is his name.

His mercy extends to those who fear him,

from generation to generation.

He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;

he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

He has brought down rulers from their thrones

but has lifted up the humble.

He has filled the hungry with good things

but has sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel,

remembering to be merciful

to Abraham and his descendants forever,

just as he promised our ancestors.” (Luke 1: 46 – 55)

Mary, the mother of Jesus, composed these words while staying with her relative, Elizabeth. She had only just received the mind-numbing news that she was pregnant without any physical contact with a man. A baby will be born to you, someone great, a king, the son of the Most High, said the angel who had visited her, one who has been supernaturally placed in your womb.

Upon Mary’s arrival, Elizabeth prophesied, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! (Luke 1: 42). The mother-to-be must have felt so overwhelmed that all she could think to do was break out into spontaneous worship.

The song Mary sang, tells us a lot about God - she clearly wants all praise to go to him. But her words tell us important things about her too.

Mary is humble, in the sense that she knows she is blessed among women, but she is also aware that she doesn’t deserve it. When she refers to “humble state of his servant” she is describing what some might call her “lowly state” – in other words, she is not from a wealthy or influential family.

Second, even though Mary had no choice but to face the enormity of what lay ahead, there is no sense of complaining in her song. “the Mighty One has done great things for me” she sings, giving praise and declaring the holiness of his name.

And finally, Mary’s worship reminds her soul that she is a just a part of God’s much bigger plans. It’s not all about her. God’s mercy extends to all generations, no ruler can stay in power if they are against him. He is the Lord of Israel, faithful to their father Abraham and all descendants after him. The Lord lifts the humble and scatters the proud.

This is humility at its best. Mary doesn’t deny the importance of her calling. She knows all generations will call her blessed. But she knows she hasn’t earned it, has done nothing to deserve it and so she places herself as a simple servant within God’s great power and purposes.

“So, Moses chiselled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the LORD had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” (Ex 34: 4 – 7)

This is God, speaking of himself. Verses 6 – 8 are not the words of a human, but the recorded words of Almighty God. This is what God wants us to know about him. Whatever questions we may or may not wish to ask him, these are the truths The Lord wanted Moses to hear, and therefore the truths he wants us to take on board.

First, he is the LORD. He repeats it: “The LORD, the LORD…”. No-one or no thing is more powerful than he. He is the sovereign creator of the entire universe. In wisdom and authority, he is above all other things.

Yet, perhaps paradoxically, he is also compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness. His greatness and strength never drive him to selfishness or cruelty. He sees our weaknesses and responds with compassion and grace. He hates the wilful sin that occupies the human heart but chooses to slow his anger and act in love instead.

This portrait of the living God is vibrant with love and forgiveness. Despite the darkness that stains the human condition, The Lord is quick to offer new life, sins forgiven, and rebellion paid for by the mercies of God. He will even forgive wickedness.

The Lord wanted his people to know that his love abounds. Anything that abounds exists in large amounts. It is rich and overflowing. The Lord’s love for us is beyond measure, impossible to count or quantify, too big to fully grasp.

But the Lord also punishes. He is a God of justice. The guilty cannot escape him and their punishment even affects their children and grandchildren, a strong encouragement towards genuine repentance.

In just a few short words, God revealed his sovereignty but also his love. He let Moses know of his unwavering commitment to justice, as well as his deep desire to forgive and bless. He spoke of his faithfulness, in order that we might be faithful to him.

What an amazing picture we have here of God.