Far as the Curse is Found

I have only been to a fifth-world country once, but the poverty and devastation of that small country will be forever embedded in my mind. Over half the country suffers from malnutrition, gangs and drug-lords rule the street, outright paganism is practiced, and buying a child slave is almost as easy as going to the shopping mall. At this time of year, it is difficult to see the hope of Christmas in that dark land.

However, this morning in church we were reminded of the world into which Jesus was born. Bethlehem is only 6 miles away from Jerusalem. The Herodian, a large man-made mountain erected by Herod the Great, can be seen in the distance. This large monument serves even today as a constant reminder of who the King of the Jews was at that time.

While Herod the Great is known for constructing the Herodian and reconstructing the Temple, he is also known for his ruthlessness. He had 3 of his 4 sons, and his father- and mother-in-law murdered. He ordered non-loyal priests to be drowned. Even his wife was killed before he died. So the idea of ordering infanticide in Bethlehem shortly after Jesus was born was a simple solution to a simple problem.

With such a ruthless king, corruption must have run rampant in Israel at the time Jesus was born - probably similar to the uncontrolled paganism in parts of the world today. Yet into this darkness God sent a light. This thought makes the lyrics of one verse of Joy to the World have an even greater impact: He comes to make his blessings flow, Far as the curse is found...

The curse was easily found in Bethlehem 2000 years ago, and is still found in parts of the world today. And, though we don't like to admit it, is often found in our own hearts here in the USA. These are exactly the settings into which Jesus was sent to make his blessings flow.

So, while Joy to the World is a great Christmas song, so is It is Well with My Soul, which we also sang this morning. Verse 3 reads:

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

It is this miraculous truth that saved me from pride and self-righteousness, brought peace to my friend Greg's alcohol and drug-abused mind, and can make God's blessing flow as far as the curse is found.

Advent Traditions

Every year we LOVE reading through an Advent book. Many years ago we discovered this 3 book trilogy by Arnold Ytreeide. Each year as we re-read one of these books -- because by now we have been through each of them several times-- our kids are still captivated by the adventures.

This year we are reading about the adventures of Tabitha, a young girl who is the daughter of a shepherd. Her journey takes her to Jericho, to Zechariah and Elizabeth, and climaxes in Bethlehem. This is a great family tradition that we still enjoy each Christmas.

For several years all 3 of these books have been out of print, but "Jotham" -- the first in the series was just re-released. I am seriously thinking about buying one for each of my kids and putting it away for their families someday, many, many years from now!

UNBELIEVABLE

It all started at 2AM Friday morning when the plague invaded our home -- well really the flu, but it sure felt like the plague!!

Child #1 was up first with vomiting and an hour later child #2 was up complaining of a stomachache. An hour later Rob was up with the with works and then child #3 spewed vomit all over my bedroom! (Note to self-- NEVER feed your children carrots and tomato sauce the night before they get sick!)

After 30 minutes of cleaning everything and everyone up I finally crawled back into bed, only to get up an hour later with more vomiting. NOT a pleasant night!

By 10 am EVERYONE was vomiting except for N. How that happened I have no idea! However, after several hours, the aches and the headaches set in and everyone was miserable and we all went to bed last night feeling like our heads would blow up! Two hours after I went to bed N begins vomiting and continues hourly throughout the night! Will the nightmare ever end?????

This morning we do feel better, although the headaches are still lingering and we are all exhausted. However, our house is a mess, we will have to miss our favorite Christmas party of the year (our favorite because they put us up in a hotel in addition to a great gift exchange and delicious food), and N will miss his first BB game of the season.

Oh what fun it is!!