before christmas

Love is meant to bear fruit.
In the absence of green stems of forgiveness, reconciliation, sacrifice, and generosity, love would be meaningless, empty words and deeds as brittle as the twigs of hollow brush.

In the house where Hannah dwelled, she was loved by her husband Elkanah and ridiculed by her rival, Elkanah's other wife Peninnah. No manner of Elkanah's caring gestures
could compensate for Hannah's inability to bear his child. On a perfect balance sheet of harmonious households, Hannah's apronstrings should have tied to as many children as Peninnah's. But children are not parcels of fairness nor are they created as pawns in a domestic battleground.

In the darkness of Hannah's pain, her silent prayer mushroomed.
A fervent prayer for a son whom Hannah would not keep to herself, but intentionally sacrifice to the Lord's service. Scripture says Hannah's prayer was remembered by God. Did it remind him of his own love for Jesus? Generations later, Hannah's prayer was carried in Mary's heart, as she, too recognized sacrifice born of truest love.

Hannah prayed:
My heart rejoices in the Lord;
my horn is lifted up by the Lord.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
because I rejoice in Your salvation.
There is no one holy like the Lord.
There is no one besides You!
And there is no rock like our God.

And Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior,
because He has looked with favor on the humble condition of His slave. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed,
because the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His name.
His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear Him.

Hannah:
Do not boast so proudly,
or let arrogant [words] come out of your mouth,
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and actions are weighed by Him.
The bows of the warriors are broken,
but the feeble are clothed with strength.

Mary:
He has done a mighty deed with His arm; He has scattered the proud because of the thoughts of their hearts;
He has toppled the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly.


Hannah:
Those who are full hire themselves out for food,
but those who are starving [hunger] no more.
The barren woman gives birth to seven,
but the woman with many sons pines away.


The Lord brings death and gives life;
He sends [some] to Sheol, and He raises [others] up.


The Lord brings poverty and gives wealth;
He humbles and He exalts.

He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the garbage pile.
He seats them with noblemen
and gives them a throne of honor.
For the foundations of the earth are the Lord's;
He has set the world on them.

Mary:
He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.

Hannah:
He guards the steps of His faithful ones,
but the wicked are silenced in darkness,
for a man does not prevail by [his own] strength.

Those who oppose the Lord will be shattered;
He will thunder in the heavens against them.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth.
He will give power to His king;
He will lift up the horn of His anointed.

Mary:
He has helped His servant Israel, mindful of His mercy,
just as He spoke to our forefathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.

making a list and checking it twice

Can Martha have a Mary Christmas?

I haven't read this book, but the title just zings to me.
It's a Martha (Stewart) world and there's pressure
on women, especially, to achieve perfect Christmas performances.
I confess that holiday stage fright has paralyzed me.

Ask someone today's date? If they're kids or Christmas addicts, they're likely to tell you how many days are left until the 25th.

Our neighbor rang the door bell yesterday and with pen and list in hand, tried to organize an impromptu cul-de-sac party. There is not the single inkling that we are Christmas people--no lights are up, no tree is decorated nor stockings hung. I suspect she was at the door to convert us or sell us a fix.

Seeing her lined yellow pad, though, inspired me.
I went to sleep last night, thinking I really must face these last days of
December. As Garrison Keillor put it, A lovely thing about Christmas is that its compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together.

This morning, my list began:
1) make it a short one to include dusting for health reasons and getting the garden hose wrapped up before it freezes again; then cross off everything that is meant to impress others. ( caution: do not eliminate the lighted tree, bare minimum tradition.)
2) delegate the gift list to my husband; he's experienced in meeting deadlines with an expense account.
3) save the cards for New Year's
4) play more music
5) bake a birthday cake for Jesus and take it to the cul-de-sac party

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.Philippians 4:6-7

Some house projects are too high, too heavy, or admittedly take too long
for the two of us to complete, so we've found a nifty source of help.
Her name is Angie.

The electrical power went ka-put in our bedroom last month, so I called an electrician on Angie's list who lives in my area. He stopped on his way home to fix the problem and didn't even charge an emergency rate.

When we were curious to know if our basement crawlspace needed attention, we called three companies listed with Angie. The first one tried to sell us a big project, the second told us that no work was needed, so we gleefully cancelled the third.

Recently, a squirrel and a woodpecker teamed up to gnaw the front of our house. I noticed wood chips on the deck, then looked up to see a new door to the attic. With Angie's help, I found Harold the handyman who lives around the corner from us and across the street from our long time church secretary. (Angie makes the big world a little smaller!)

Harold spoiled the critters plan a few days later and gave me a quote to paint the trim across the front of the house. (It's amazing what you notice when you look up.)

For filing over 15 reports last month, Angie has promised me a digital camera.
If this way-back-when 4-H photo grand champ can figure out how to snap the pics, maybe my whiz kid daughter will show me how to upload them to this blog.