sisterdot

      The essential indispensable element in prayer is attention.

“ Jesus asked, “ Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner ?” Luke 17:17 – 18 “ Gratitude recognizes that a gift has been given, a favor has been done by someone. There is a gift and a giver. But there is more. Gratitude also calls for a response to that gift. We thank the giver with an expression of appreciation – a handshake, a hug, a note. A gesture of gratitude completes the exchange, closes the circle, lets the love flow back to the giver . ” Don Postema, Space for God. I needed to read that quote. It was an “ Ah ha ” moment for me—it made so much sense. Many gifts I have given in the past have left me with a sense of emptiness because I never heard back if the gift was appreciated or not. I felt kind of empty. The circle was not closed—I didn’t feel love flow back from the person I gave the gift to. But there have been so many times when I have not taken the time to thank the giver of a gift to me.

“ The angels left them and went back to heaven. The shepherds said to each other , “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about .” Luke 2:15 Christmastime is a season when many people are more interested in the present than the past . But, it is the past that Christmas is all about. It started over two millenniums ago with a baby in a manger when God became incarnate in man. There were shepherds in the fields attending their sheep. They were itinerant in that they had no home and lived a nomadic lifestyle following the green pastures and cool waters, such as they were, in the barren lands around Judea.

“ When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy…. And they fell down and worshiped him .” Matthew 2:10-11 Worship was such an important part of that first Christmas . The wise-men worshiped Jesus in the house where they found him. The prophetess Anna and Simeon worshiped in the temple. The shepherds’ hearts were filled with praise as they hurried to find the child and then shared the good news with others. The place of worship was different for all of them but their hearts were overflowing with praise and adoration. Do we take the time to worship the Lord during this Christmas season ? It doesn’t really matter whether we worship in our home, in our church, at a Christmas concert or banquet or maybe it’s, ‘ on the run ,’ as we dash through the mail and hear the music, “ Silent Night ”. The only thing that matters is that our hearts are lifted in praise and worship to the Lord. Is there a song of praise on our lips at Christmas? How easy it is to see the work, feel

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”  Luke 2:14The root cause of it all is greed and sin, something God sent His Son to free us from, but before He came, when He came and ever since He came, people have rejected both Him and His Father. In 1 Samuel (10:19) we read “You have rejected God…and asked for a king“.   As long as people are looking for earthly power (a king) and not heavenly power (God), nothing will change. As we look around the world, people are aiming their weapons as one another and even shooing their own, all in the name of greed, power and international control.   As we enter this yuletide season amidst a fallen world of strife and conflict, we should be reminded about what Jesus said about peace.   In Matthew He said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (5:9) and “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly

“Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” 1 Timothy 4:16 (ESV) I have been a witness to some extraordinary moves of God in my lifetime but, as said, they were extraordinary. Like many I live, bound up in life’s issues day-to-day, coping with the curve balls that speed my way. I have not been saved from life’s shortcomings, as I might be tempted to believe I deserve, so I just keep moving on. With the arrogance and curiosity of being willful I stopped looking to Jesus and looked over the edge of the Narrow path where safety lies. Out of nowhere arose inner-conflict, a disparity between what I know to be true and what were my expectations for God’s will. As I teetered on the edge I looked, and it seemed to be a long way down. Like a party balloon that has hung too long, neglected on a wall, the life in me became limp. I had been distracted by life, from seeing my Savior’s love. For me this