A Mary Christmas

I. Introduction: As the calendar turned to expose November, my mind immediately turned to Christmas…(how could they not when the stores had already decked their aisles)...how were we going to afford it, where were we going to put the tree and decorations, we are in a new house after all, would Meredith be here, would my mom visit, I really would like to get the kitchen painted before the holiday, what picture will we send out this year…..but regrettably I admit, none of my thoughts were consumed with how can I “Worship my Savior”, how could I “Prepare for His Birth”….they were all selfish/self-centered thoughts and worries.

So I began to be convicted daily about the amount of time I spend Preparing to Celebrate the Season when what I truly wanted/needed to do is Worship my Savior….. How do I Worship rather than Celebrate….To Celebrate is to observe or commemorate and event through public festivities and gatherings…To Worship is to express adoring reverence or regard personally through ardent devotion….WOW, I don’t’ know that I have ever really worshipped Christmas (the coming of the Savior...) but I know I have done a lot of celebrating.

In my effort to seek out how to do just that…Worship my Savior this year rather than merely Celebrate the Season, I began daily reading the account of Christs incarnation and studying the ONE biblical example of a woman who had Prepared for the Saviors arrival….Mary.

So how do we have “A Mary Christmas”?

II. Read: Luke 1:26 – 39 and Luke 2:4 – 20

III. S – I – M – P – L – E

S – Scriptural : Mary sang hymns and spiritual songs…”The Magnificat”, she recognized the Messiah of Old Testament as the angel appointed her mother of the Most High God.

So often this time of year when our focus should be on God and His Word, it is laid aside in an effort to accomplish the many other tasks on our to-do list….we’ll get back to a quiet time in the New Year…we’ll resolve.

Make Christmas Scriptural….We give our children three gifts each year, a gift of want, a gift of need and a gift of love…in keeping with the 3 gifts Jesus received from the Maggi. I read an ariticle this year of a family whose gifts are based on Luke 2:40..”And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upon Him.”. Is your Advent calendar filled with candy or treats, do you open the door to receive a sweet, or do you open the door to taste and see that the Lord is good…add a short Scripture reading to each day.

I – Intentional: Mary was intentional about her preparation…she asked the angel a specific question in verse 34 of Chapter 1, “how will this be”. In v. 39 of that same Chatper, Mary got ready and hurried to Elizabeths hme.

We receive so many invitations and offers, we have so many commitments this time of year, each student has a concert or performance, the angel choir is singing, the company Christmas party, the ladies Christmas brunch….the list goes on and on….but we need to be intentional with our time…Determine in your heart and mind ahead of time what you will and wont participate in, the activities you do and don’t have time for….and I promise you, it is easier if you keep in mind that you want to Worship the Savior this year rather than Celebrate a Season.

M – Memorable: Luke 2:19, But Mary, Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart”….The word treasured in that verse in the greek means to “preserve” or “to make a memory of”…Mary made a memory of these things…..

Is my Christmas memorable to me and my children, or do I want to forget them at the end of December and rush into January….am I making memories?

P – Purposeful: in verse 31 – 33, Mary receives her purpose, and she then lives the rest of her life fulfilling that purpose.

If my purpose is to Worship the Savior this December, then the commitments I make, events I attend and gifts I give should be fulfilling that purpose….what is my purpose behind baking 15 types of cookies..? To bless the neighbors with a plate, or to win the Betty Crocker award? What is my purpose for attending all of those events….to be the Christmas Queen, to impress someone else, or because it’s an opportunity to witness to the lost world around me…? What is your purpose…?

L – Lasting/Eternal: Mary had an eternal perspective…in v. 33, the angel told Mary, he (the son you will bear) Jesus will reign over the house of Jacob forever and his kingdom will never end.

Is what I am doing to prepare this Advent season temporal or eternal….do those 15 different types of cookies have any eternal value….Yes, if they are given with a card that shares the true meaning of Christmas, but No, if they are just for the neighborhood cookie exchange….

Luke 2:19 again says Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart….

What are you treasuring up this Christmas…? Matthew 6:19 - 24 tells us, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

E – Enjoyable: In the midst of announcement, anticipation and arrival…Mary pondered which in the greek means “to meditate, to think quietly, soberly, deeply” “ to appraise, to weigh in the mind the value of”…Mary sat in the straw of a stable, cuddled the Savior and enjoyed….as the angels around her rejoiced, the shepherds beside her shard, and she enjoyed…..

I pray you have “A Mary Christmas”….May you Worship the Savior!
Tracie Nall

“Are you laying down your Life?”

I have been in several conversations with men of all statures, and have heard them all say they would gladly lay down their life for their wife and family. What I heard them saying, is they would jump in front of a stray bullet or push them from in front of an out of control car. But what I didn’t hear them saying while they were talking about their lives is this. I will lay down my life for my family. Let me explain. In this day and time “Life” can be defined in many ways.


The obvious is the opposite of death, in that we humans are still breathing and have a heartbeat. A little less obvious is by the life that we live, whether it be our accomplishments, our status or just merely the mundane everyday things that we do. A popular country song talks about this a man falls off the wagon and his friend finds him at the local bar. He is discouraged because he’s been out of work, several things are broke and he just found out he is going to be a dad again. His friend simply says “it sounds like life to me”.

In Matthew 16:24 Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” I can’t help thinking that Jesus was saying, leave everyone and everything behind. Jesus lived a very simple life in front of his disciples for them to learn from and now we read about it in our bibles, thus giving us the same example to follow. In John 15:12 Jesus gives us this command, “Love each other in the same way I loved you” and then followed it with verse 13 “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

In 1 John 3:16-18 we are told what real love is, “16 We know what real love is because Christ gave up his life for us. And so we also ought to give up our lives for our Christian brothers and sisters. 17 But if anyone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need and refuses to help -- how can God's love be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions.” So if we are going to say we love our families, our actions better say the same. We might have to give up a lot of our personal time to spend with our families, we might even need to work a little less, even in these days of economic hardships. Nothing tells your family that you love them more than your TIME. In Ephesians 5:25 Husbands are instructed to love their wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life to follow God’s plan for all of mankind, will you do the same today?

Remember “Step up not Out” by laying your whole life down for your family not just your physical life. Giving up the physical is easy, but truly giving your life to better another’s life, man that’s something you can hang your hat own!

Cost of Freedom

The cost of freedom varies but it has one common thread that flows through it - LIFE.


Jesus gave His life on the cross so that we might have Eternal Life with Him and the Father. Our military men and women give up the life that others take for granted on a daily basis so there country and all of its population can enjoy the Freedoms that our founding Fathers broke away from England for us to have. The simple things like hanging by the pool with your kids on a holiday weekend, seeing your little ones take their first steps or say their first words, their first communion, any number of birthdays and holidays or maybe just being a part of their everyday life. After all it's those simple freedoms that get forgotten so quickly. Our military does this 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week knowing that any moment they may be asked to make the ultimate sacrifice for their country. It's not for the great pay and benefits, it's because we all believe in the rights and freedoms of all men not just ourselves. Being a retired Navy man that always had the support of his family and friends it breaks my heart to see how little the American people care. Everyone wants to live in America the Land of the Free, but very few will every say thank you let alone stand up and fight for that FREEDOM. You see Freedom always comes with a cost of LIFE are you willing to give yours up? This week as we continue to celebrate Memorial Day say thank you to our Lord and Savior first of all for His example and second for those Brave Men and Women who have answered the call to STEP UP NOT OUT!!!!

Feet to Faith

Question for all who know Him as Lord. Why is it that we can find more compassion and concern from our unsaved friends? It seems to me that we as Christians have this concept all wrong. I have a couple of non-believers as co-workers and friends, there’s not doubt in my mine that they would willingly give me the shirt off there back or the meal on there table if they thought I or my family needed more, but as for as the average Christian I’m not sure they would give me the quarter needed to call one of my friends who truly cared. Just a thought, looking for a reason we don’t help more in need. Here’s what I hear in most every Christian gathering, “How can we pray for you” or “I’ll be praying for you”. Not that we don’t need others praying for us, but when did become the standard that all a Christian was good for was to pray? What does it take to get someone really involved in the life of another human and show a little compassion for him? After all, our Lord wept for us and then died a painful death on the cross. Don’t you think the least we as followers of Him could do is show genuine concern and compassion for the lost and dying world? Jesus did after all model this concept to us as He discipled the 12. The best way for them to see Him is through our actions! What are the actions of the average Christian saying? What kind of Christian are you?


Shall we all put FEET to our FAITH by “Stepping Up Not Out”!