Merry Christmas!

The Walk Right In Ministries Board of Directors and our many other volunteers wish you a wonderful Christmas enjoying the awe, wonder, joy and peace of Jesus with loved ones.  We share this prayer from Robert Louis Stevenson:

Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and the worship of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.  

Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clean hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be Thy children, and the Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts—forgiving and forgiven—for Jesus' sake, Amen!

The Wonder of God's Christmas Presence (Part 3)

This is the final installment in a series of posts meditating on Immanuel — God with us.  Let's continue worshipping together by thanking God for revealing Himself to us and by remembering how very near and accessible He is.

I have loved re-reading the experiences of the Israelites as the Christmas season comes around again. Not only does it fascinate and reassure me to "connect the dots" of covenant love and the fulfillment of Biblical prophecies, but I personally relate to the Israelite's situation on a few levels. 

It is encouraging to me remembering that just as God’s presence led those freed slaves through a desert to the Promised Land, He is with me through times when I feel trapped in my circumstances or stuck in a wilderness. While God is moving me toward my Promised Land, the Holy Spirit dwells within me to guide me, inspire me, empower me, comfort me, advocate for me, equip me, protect me, reassure me when I'm discouraged, forgive me when I doubt Him, give me grace when I grow impatient and give me a restful peace when I feel frantic and overwhelmed.

I appreciate that the same promises God made to the Israelites remain true for me. And I understand those promises even more clearly now because Jesus' presence brings new layers of enlightenment to what is happening then and now from the broader Kingdom perspective. 

How does God teach or encourage you with these verses about His presence today?

Exodus 25:21-22And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.  

1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? 

Colossians 1:26-28  The mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 

John 17:20-22  [Jesus said,]“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one. 

Hebrews 10:19-24 19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

Luke 2:10 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.   

Colossians 2:9  For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form. 

Romans 8:11  And if the Spirit of him who raised Jsus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. 

1 Corinthians 1:9  God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Ephesians 3:12 Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. 

What are learning or embracing about the wonder and fullness of Jesus' presence as the Christmas season arrives?

Encourage someone this weekend by sharing an answer to this question. Also, consider encouraging me and others here by telling about your experience in the comments below or by writing to me at lisa@walkrightin.org. 

The Wonder of God's Christmas Presence (Part 2)

Today continues a three-part series of Christmas season posts thanking God for revealing Himself to us in Jesus. 

We've had a stretching fall at our house being extremely short-staffed with respite/caregiving support. For a few reasons (some known and some unknown), we've had more difficulty than ever staffing PCA (personal care assistance) positions that opened up this summer when most of our helpers went off to college. My husband does some traveling for work also, so I've spent more time by myself with Carly (who is non-verbal). I've been feeling isolated and the physicality of her care has taken a toll on my body. Between Carly and me, we've spent far too many hours in physician clinics and physical therapy offices this fall. It's frustrating to give away precious hours to appointments like this when I might spend them writing, Christmas shopping or at lunch with a friend. Knowing that God remains with me and for me stirs my courage and helps me persevere.

God has been revealing His presence among us in various ways since the creation of the universe. During the Christmas season, we remember and celebrate how very near, available and accessible He is.  Since Christmas is the celebration of God incarnate — God made flesh in the person of Jesus Christ — let's worship reflecting on ways God has been expressing His presence to us throughout history and creation.

Psalm 19:1  The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 

Exodus 13:20-21   And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people. 

Exodus 14:24  And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic. 

Exodus 40:35-38  And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys. 

John 1:9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.  

Colossians 1:22 He has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him. 

John 10:9-10  I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 

John 15:4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 

Revelation 21:1-3  Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.  

Psalm 16:7-8  I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
 in the night also my heart instructs me.  I have set the Lord always before me;
 because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

 
How do YOU recognize that God is near to you?  

Tell us how Immanuel is revealing Himself to you recently. Share in the comments below or write me at lisa@walkrightin.org.  

The Wonder of God's Christmas Presence (Part 1)

I'm coming into this Christmas season wearier than usual on the caregiving front and wrestling a bit with fears about the future for our 16 year old daughter who has Angelman Syndrome.  My life, like yours, is complicated and sometimes scary.  I can't imagine doing this life without the confidence that God is always near, holy, compassionate, powerful and sufficient for all our needs. Despite that assurance, I still struggle too often between deep gratitude for His presence and longing for a greater sense of it.

How about you? Do you sometimes wonder what God is up to in your circumstances? Have you ever fought off feelings of abandonment and asked God to show you who He is in fresh and tangible ways? Although I see evidence of God, His love and His power every day, there are still areas in my life where I am waiting to more fully understand and see Him.

During this Christmas season, I invite you to join me in asking God to remind us and refresh us in the Truth of Who He is, how He keeps moving toward us and how He makes it a priority to be available with all of his compassion and authority.  

Today begins a short series of posts meditating on Immanuel — God with us.  Let us worship together by thanking God for revealing Himself to us and by remembering how very near and accessible He is.

Matthew 1:23“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 

Exodus 25:8And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. 

John 1:14And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 

Ephesians 2:19-22So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. 

Psalm 139:7-8Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there.If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me and your right hand shall hold me.

What are YOU learning about the presence of God in your life today…in this generation, during this holiday season, on this particular day in history or in this particular season of your life?  

Share with a friend, family member, neighbor, co-worker or even stranger. Tell us in the comments below or write me at lisa@walkrightin.org.  Your encounters with God encourage others and honor God.