Amy Seiffert's Blog, page 3

Gift

And so this is Christmas. In a few days we will wake up to the wonder of it all. I am really hoping this has more wonder for us all than before.

The wonder which comes from all the gifts.

All of them.

The ones we can wrap and the ones we cannot.

The shiny and fun ones you are really hoping you get, the ones you are really excited to give, the gifts under the tree, and the gifts in spirit around us. I used to feel bad about really loving giving and receiving gifts, as if it was unspiritual and I should be only thinking about baby Jesus and the real meaning of Christmas.

But then I woke up!

Dearest friends, gift-giving is quite spiritual and it is why Christmas exists! God Himself loves to give good gifts. And that is the whole entire thing about Christmas Day.

Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”

— Luke 2

God loves to give good gifts! He is a master Gift-giver. And He loves that we enjoy gifts and love to give them too. He has given us sunsets and raindrops and stars and mountains and friends and family and jobs and leisure and babies and angels. Every good gift is from His hand.

One of the beautiful gifts we will continue to unwrap long after Christmas Day is the gift that Jesus brings with Him at His birth.

He gives grace.

Grace. It means unmerited favor. Favor upon you, a favor that you simply cannot earn. Favor where God looks at you, smiles at you, loves you, and says: "That's my girl." and "This boy's mine."

Grace and gift are actually synonymous.

There is no earning on Christmas. There is no earning in knowing Christ. He has come to be With-Us and to rescue us from our sin-mess. And we cannot earn that. Not enough of any good works would add up to PERFECT. So let's be done with all the trying and let's replace it with trusting. That's why it is a gift from God. Look back at this again:

God saved you by His grace when you believed.

And you can't take credit for this, it is a gift from God.

Jesus with His grace comes and says: Stop trying to be perfect (I Am). Stop beating yourself up (I will be). Stop thinking you have to earn my love (I give it freely). Stop and see Me. See Me in a toddler's belly laughs. See me in the quiet deer in your backyard. See me in the delicious coffee and cookies and family laughter. See me in the piles of presents and the wrapping paper everywhere. See Me saying rest. See Me saying Come to Me, all you who are weary and laden with heavy things and religion, I will give you rest. I have come to do the work. Your work is to believe that I am King. That's your only work. Believe in Me.

Merry Christmas, Dear Ones. May we celebrate the Joy to the world, with wonders of His love.

God’s love is a free gift.

You can’t earn it.

You don’t deserve it.

You can’t pay for it.

You need only open your hands to receive it.

— Sally Lloyd -Jones.

Joyfully,

Amy

Immanuel

Immanuel....it's a total Christmas word. You only really hear it during this time of year. For most of my life I had no idea what it meant: God with us. Literally, the Hebrew “Im” is with and “el” is God. The "with-us" God. I love that.

God with us.

This transformed my life to know that God didn’t just create the world, set it into motion and sit back in Heaven to watch us all flounder and try to live it out…but that He said – I want to be with you. I want to come to you – because you cannot possibly do enough to get to me.

He saw our deep problem of being separated from God by rebellion in our hearts.

He saw that we had no solution on our own.

He decided to be the solution. To be the rescuer. To be with us.

He is not far, He is near.

This God (the One Who spoke and creation burst into being)

This God (the One who holds the mountains in the palm of his hand)

This God (the One who was, and is and is to come)

This God (the One who reigns as King of Kings)…..came and lived among humanity.

As you sit here today, in this moment in your life, where would you need God to be with you?

Do you need Immanuel to be WITH YOU when anxiety overtakes you in your bed at night?

Do you need Immanuel to be WITH YOU when you are lonely?

Do you need Immanuel to be WITH YOU when you feel unloved, unwelcomed and unwanted?

Do you need Immanuel to be WITH YOU when there is an emptiness that kinda gnaws on your soul every now and then….like you are made for more?

Do you need Immanuel to be WITH YOU when your loved when has cancer, when you can't conceive, when you are out of answers?

For several years of my marriage I needed a WITH-ME God as I struggled, wrestled, wept through infertility. And He was with me. He was with me in the darkness. And he has been with me in the light of my own THREE children now.

Immanuel. God. With. Us.

I invite you to ask Immanuel to be with you if you never have. His very name means that He longs to be with you.

Today, The With-Us God.

See you tomorrow,

Amy

Gabriel

Let’s talk about Gabe. We see him at least four different times in the Bible: twice in Daniel and twice in Luke. What I love is that he seems to be the chief messenger always sent by God, for God. He is pleased to bring the news of the King. The birth of the Savior was such an amazing event that God made sure everything was understood and clear. It could have also been Gabriel who talked with Joseph, but that one is not named. What I do know is that this angel has a name and a purpose and it’s all about God.

“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

— Luke 1:26-35

One of the best lines most angels seem to start with is: do not be afraid. Clearly, having an angel show up was a frightening experience. But Mary is told NOT to be afraid and that she has found favor with God. What a lovely messenger Gabe is—full of peace and good tidings!

Today, let’s think about Gabriel and what a joy it is to bring good news, blessing, and encouragement to someone. Maybe we can follow in his footsteps today, bringing peace and assurance to those around us.

Joseph

So, Joseph.

Sweet teenage boy. Engaged to his girl. Looking forward to the up-coming wedding, to his fiancee becoming his wife, to living a quiet, respectable life in society.

And then, THIS.

"I'm pregnant."

The room spins a little bit. Is it hot in here? What did she say? Surely not pregnant? She's joking. Haha. Joke’s on me, right? Right? What? When? Now what? What in the world?

"I'm pregnant."

Her dad is going to kill me. My dad is going to kill me. I'm dead meat and I did nothing.

"I'm pregnant."

I am supposed to hear these words out of her mouth about MY baby. Not someone else's.

"I'm pregnant."

His world is spinning. What felt like faith now looks like failure. He needs a way out.

But he loves her and he is a noble man.

He is chagrined but noble. Humiliated but honorable. Distressed but upstanding.

I just adore Joseph. Some men would be in a flying rage, embarrassed and out to blame. Not Joseph. He's God's man in this. And God makes sure to reinforce that with a message in a dream.

Stay in the game, Joseph. This is the most unexpected news, but expect Me to be in it. Because I am. I always Am. I Am.

Dreams and Angels and Babies. What a Christmas. Seriously, Christmas is outlandish! It's WAY over the top. Virgins and Shepherds and a Choir in the sky? Unbelievable. Unless you believe. Which is the fun part. The faith part. The fantastic part.

Joseph made plans to "take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced." I have no idea what kind of plans he had, but I know one thing: he had grace in his heart for Mary.

Just like God had grace in His heart for us. Joseph's heart mirrors the One he is about to raise.

What a gift to everyone involved. God keeps unexpectedly giving good gifts in the Christmas story. We turn the page and we find another. Joseph.

Something else to note: God loved Joseph and had a plan to bless him and have a relationship with him. He wanted to increase Joseph's faith in this outlandish virgin birth plan. So He gave him a dream and an angel. What a Good Dad He is! He loves His kids and loves to help them, give them good things, show them the way.

Maybe the next time something seems outlandish and straight up impossible in our lives (in our infertility, in our broken marriage, in our jobs, in our loneliness, in our depression, in our move across the country) we can recall Joseph. We can remember God in Joseph's impossible story. We can expect the unexpected to help us believe. We can remember that God is very FOR us and loves us with a gift-giving love. Thank God.

Today, Joseph.

Cheers,

Amy

Mary

I had a great uncle John who spoke Slovak and drank whiskey and ate rum balls with my Grandpa during the holidays. He was fantastic. Always laughing. Telling jokes. His ears were the size of Texas and he gave great hearty hugs. Uncle John didn't seem to get out much, but when he did, he said hilarious things; he was always telling us grand stories. He was a good man.

Simeon in the Christmas narrative feels like my Uncle John. A good man. Getting up there in age. Most likely big ears and jovial laughter. Always telling grand stories. And Simeon has this interaction with Mary that feels like a lot:

In Jerusalem at the time, there was a man, Simeon by name, a good man, a man who lived in the prayerful expectancy of help for Israel. And the Holy Spirit was on him. The Holy Spirit had shown him that he would see the Messiah of God before he died. Led by the Spirit, he entered the Temple. As the parents of the child Jesus brought him in to carry out the rituals of the Law, Simeon took him into his arms and blessed God:

“God, you can now release your servant;

release me in peace as you promised.

With my own eyes I’ve seen your salvation;

it’s now out in the open for everyone to see:

A God-revealing light to the non-Jewish nations,

and of glory for your people Israel.”

Jesus’ father and mother were speechless with surprise at these words. Simeon went on to bless them, and said to Mary his mother,

“This child marks both the failure and

the recovery of many in Israel,

A figure misunderstood and contradicted—

the pain of a sword-thrust through you—

But the rejection will force honesty,

as God reveals who they really are.”

— Luke 2

What a tender moment we get to be a part of. Simeon asking Mary, "May I hold your baby?" Mary passing her boy off to the gentle, prayerful man.

It's the sweetest thing when old people hold babies. A tiny new hand wrapped around an old shaking finger. Old eyes gazing into new ones. Generations holding each other.

The expectant one, holding the Expected One.

I am sure young, new-mom Mary was speechless and surprised by Simeon's words: "With my own eyes I have seen your Salvation." What a statement. They had been visited by angels and had some outlandish dreams, and now, Simeon. Who essentially says now he can die - he's seen the Savior of the world.

But that last part. Did you see that last part? Her baby boy will grow up and be "misunderstood and contradicted - the pain of a sword thrust through" Whew. No one carols about that. We don't usually focus on this in the Christmas story and if I was Mary, I'd stumble, and grab onto something to steady myself. Swords on Christmas? It's a lot. Mary holds her baby boy, Simeon points out joy and grief.

Joy and grief on Christmas. God knows we have both this season. And Mary started to grasp it. Sweet thing. She had a lot going on. So much to ponder. So much to sort through. So much to discover. I find her to be amazing, strong, and faithful. She held joy and grief in tension, all wrapped up in her arms. All wrapped up in her baby boy.

Today, Mary. A teenage girl, who God looked at, loved, and blessed with the best gift in the world. So amazing.

See you tomorrow,

Amy

Joy

Tidings of Comfort and Joy. It’s what we sing about this season and really long for, right? Comfort and joy. Who doesn’t want a good dose of both? There seems to be a clear distinction between joy and happiness. I have heard it said that happiness is based on happenings, and joy is based on choice. Happiness can come and go based on what is happening around you and what your circumstances are.

But real joy is a choice. It’s an inside job; you can make joy the underlining current of your life. And the only real way we can do that is to have our joy rest on the real deal: God Himself who does not change. And whose plan is for our good and His glory.

We can be joyful this season even in the middle of chaos, of demands, of expectations, of obligations, of whining, of entitlement. We can dump out our cup of frustration and get a fresh refill of joy when we shift our perspective and remember that God’s got this.

He loves you. He has a good plan for you. He will provide for you. He will not fail you. Even when it looks like he’s forgotten or is failing, He truly is not. He is working, always. His love never fails, never runs out, never tires. He looks at you, with such delight, like a proud Father. Just because you’re His. And that is a joyful truth we can bank on.

So today, joy. We can rest, as the song says, and not dismay and remember Christ’s saving power.

“God rest ye merry gentlemen

Let nothing you dismay

Remember Christ our Savior

Was born on Christmas Day

To save us all from Satan's pow'r

When we were gone astray

Oh tidings of comfort and joy

Comfort and joy

Oh tidings of comfort and joy”

Choosing joy today with you,

Amy

Shepherds

Let's talk shepherds.

Both literally and figuratively they were outside of society. They had a lonely job and were removed from any positions or influence in the market place. And in general, they stunk.  

"Shepherds had a hard time maintaining religious purity as the Pharisees defined it. They couldn’t keep the Sabbath because sheep need constant protection. Shepherds spent most of their time in the fields away from society and had no influence to speak of. In modern terms they were blue-collar workers largely unnoticed by those in power. Shepherds were in the lower classes of society." - Gabriel Powell

And if you're going to make a rather large, life-changing announcement, you wouldn't make it to a disheveled group of men who move sheep around in the lonely hills. At least I wouldn't. 

But that's God for you. Doing the unexpected. Always loving the unlovely. The scruffy. The smelly. The not-shiny. The Too Much and Not Enoughs of the world. 

Here's how it went down (we’ve read some of this already in our 12 Days of Christmas, but there’s more here to see):

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us. And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

— Luke 2

God seems to have a soft spot for shepherds. Remember King David? Long before he was king, he was an overlooked shepherd kid. Straight-up forgotten. When every other brother was summoned, he was left with the sheep. 

But God turned that sheepish shepherd into a kingly king. 

And let's not forget that later Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd. Herding us stubborn folk into a better pasture, even when we insist on eating from the dry and brown and patchy places. 

And maybe that's one of the most unexpected moments: where God announces, like a proud Dad, the arrival of his Baby Boy to some nobodies. With angels and singing and festive lights. With a symphony that out-sings any one of us. With pomp and a puffed-up Dad chest. 

He reveals this to shepherds who were keeping watch over their flock by night. These are the ones that are much like God Himself. Keeping watch over His people at night. In the darkest hours. Not sleeping; instead protecting. As if to say: "Hey, shepherds: I know your kind. I know your work. And I want you to know that today, this very moment, a Baby-King is here. And he's very much like you. You're gunna like Him. He will shepherd. He will herd. He will guide. Why don't you go tell the others about Him for me, will you? Since he's your kind?"

 Thank God for his love of the stinky shepherds. For his love for you and me.

Peace

Peace.

The opposite of much of our days as they are peppered with worry, anxiety, fear, and insecurity. We long for peace in every part of our lives. In every corner of our house. In every cubicle of our workspace. In every fiber of our being.

I just adore the fact that God gave some very specific names to Jesus and one of them was exactly what each one of us needs, right now, right here: The Prince of Peace.

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

-Isaiah 9:6-7

Let’s keep it very simple. Today, whenever you have an anxious thought rise up about having enough money, being enough of a mom or friend, or doing enough—interrupt that thought with a simple prayer: God, be my Prince of Peace. Amen.

That’s it. One little interrupting sentence. Let God meet you in your insecurity with His peace.

Or try some breathing-mindfulness: Breathe out your worry, and breathe in His peace. Take 5 breathes, right now, and name your anxiety with each exhale. And then repeat" “God is my peace” with each inhale.

He came to bring peace. Take advantage of it!

Angels

Today our one word is angels. When they show up, they always signify something crazy is about to go down. They interrupt the everyday ordinary lives of human beings, breaking in for some major heavenly news. And the birth of the Savior is no different. One angel opens up the sky to let the sleepy shepherds know that something is coming…and then a whole host of them show up! Can you imagine? It’s quiet, dark, peaceful. The sheep are asleep and you are drifting and WHAM! Light and singing and excitement - like fireworks - but WAY better. And also terrifying, as noted below:

“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.    He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.   While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,    and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.    This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

I love thinking about the pomp and glory of angels singing out about peace on earth and the firework voices scaring the daylights out of the shepherds! God started with a show stopper, and He used angels to do it.

So today, think about the angels. They were just the start of heaven breaking through.

Hope

Hope. The Bible tells us it anchors the soul. But we have to ask: what is the hope that will keep our soul-ship from sailing away? What do we hope in when it comes to Christmas?

When it comes to our spiritual state, Jesus is actually our only hope. When everything broke in the Garden of Eden, God spoke of the hope of One to come who would crush the separation, the death, the sin that kept us from God. God has always given us a hope of light in the darkness, of oak trees from tiny seeds, of life from death. He made promises of hope that were fulfilled in Jesus Himself.

When the angel came to Joseph, to encourage him to stand by Mary in her pregnancy that was clearly NOT with Joseph, he says this, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

He will save his people from their sins. And that is what He has done. So we have hope. Hope that we are freed from the impossible price of paying for our sins.

And we can also celebrate a future hope because of Jesus. That one day, the first things will be done, and the last things will come. I turn to the last pages of my Bible often to anchor my soul in the future hope of this coming reality, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”  - Revelation 21: 3-5

So today, whatever battle you are fighting, whatever disease follows you around, whatever tantrum your toddler is having: we have hope. We hope in what has come through Jesus (freedom from sin) and what will come in Him ( freedom from pain, death, crying, tantrums, disease, sickness, yelling, abuse, Crohn’s disease, fear—EVERYTHING CRAPPY). Here’s to Hope this season!