Daily Devotional

Christmas is one of my favorite times of year due, in large part, to the music!  I’ve played and sung Christmas music every year since I was a child and so many of the songs never get old. As an adult, the music of Advent is especially meaningful. Advent is such a beautiful season of the church calendar as we reflect on the coming of Emmanuel – God with us.

A Christmas carol that has remained one of my favorites since childhood is O Holy Night, a beloved ‘standard’ in the Christmas music repertoire. As a musician, I am moved by the impressive vocal range and beautiful harmonies, demanding respectable vocal skill to perform. As a Christian, however, I am more deeply moved by the message of the song…

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. – Luke 2:7

When I was growing up, the Christmas story always bothered me that the innkeeper couldn’t find a place for Mary and Joseph to stay. Standing in front of him was a pregnant woman about to give birth to her first son and a better place couldn’t be found than a barn for her to stay in? It seemed to me that he could have found more mercy in his heart and better accommodations for her.

Truthfully, the Christmas story never tells us that the innkeeper put them in a barn…

Traditions are my favorite part of the Christmas season. Every year, I watch the same holiday movies, eat the same Christmas Eve meal, and visit the same family members on Christmas Day.

A particular tradition that has always struck me for its beauty and simplicity is the Norwegian tradition of Santa Lucia Day, held every year on December 13th.  It is told that Saint Lucy, a Sicilian woman, wore a laurel wreath crown adorned with candles to light the way for persecuted Christians hiding in the darkened tunnels of Italy. The Scandinavian version says that she was a young woman who delivered baked goods to surrounding farms on the longest night of the year, what was then believed to be December 13, wearing a white robe, red sash, and a crown of lights, with a torch lighting her path…

There is joy and excitement in the sights and sounds of Christmas all around us. Beautiful decorations and lights on homes, businesses, parks, and streets. The calendar fills up with special events in our community and churches or with family and friends. If we look around, we see that for many there is a great anticipation and a hopeful expectancy of something good to celebrate and treasures to unpack during this season.

But our world is also weary and troubled, and there are times that the season doesn’t feel as joyful, exciting, or merry as we would want to feel…

My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me – holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors. – Luke 1:46-55

This proclamation comes after Gabriel appears to Mary and tells her she will conceive Jesus. She asks “How will this be?” and Gabriel tells her that her cousin, Elizabeth, who was aging and barren, was also bearing a child. This was done so she could glimpse God’s power, and believe. Mary rushed to see her cousin…

Advent is a season of waiting, preparation, and expectation for the incarnation of the Savior, Jesus Christ. Advent means “coming.” The mysterious beauty of the incarnation, God made flesh, captivates us. Not only does this season symbolize the expectation of Jesus’ first coming, but it is also a reflection of the longing of our hearts for the day when all things will be made new. The incarnation of Christ reveals this to us and is wonderfully portrayed through the age-old carol, O Holy Night.

I have wonderful memories of singing this beautiful song on Christmas Eve, and while there are many Advent and Christmas hymns that touch me, O Holy Night is the one that captures my heart. Truly, Christmas Eve would not be complete without singing O Holy Night. The music composition has huge swells that seem to lift you up to where the stars are brightly shining and carries you to the place that you want to fall on your knees in adoration.

One of my favorite memories took place at McFarlin Church in Norman…

In the midst of the twinkling lights and festive melodies that fill the air during the Advent season, it’s easy to be swept away by the hustle and bustle of the upcoming holiday. However, as followers of faith, it’s crucial to intentionally carve out moments for the sacred amidst the celebrations. Let this Advent season be more than a season of presents; let it be a season of presence – the presence of the divine in our lives.

I like to think of the stillness of that holy night when the Savior was born. The shepherds, diligent in their duties, were granted a divine interruption. They were about to witness something extraordinary in the midst of the ordinary…

Around five years ago, sickness had taught us a lot. We sought a new way of living and moved to a farm to share all we had learned. Now healthy, I felt God calling us to open our farm to the community, not just for events, but for Christmas. However, I admit I was also afraid because we lived in an area where most people did not seek God. It was only a few weeks before Christmas when we finally decided to trust and began the preparations for a Christmas Eve service at our home.

After hours setting up the event barn with decorations, holding the tensions of eagerness and a little bit of fear, my favorite Christmas song, O Holy Night, began to play on my phone as I walked outside…

One of my favorite Christmas memories was the year I wrapped “A Countdown to Christmas” with The Twelve Books of Christmas for my son. Every night before bed, he would unwrap a book and we would read it together. Each book had a different theme and different storyline, but I found myself explaining in each book how Jesus teaches us to do these same things. One of his favorite series when he was young was “Little Blue Truck,” a series about how this little blue truck helps his friends in different situations…

O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by thy justice here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

Many of our beloved and favored Christmas Carols center around the nighttime and darkness. Carols such as Away in aManger, It Came Upon the Midnight Clear, O Little Town of Bethlehem, The First Noel, and Silent Night sing of the holy and sacred night when Christ was born. For me, it is poignant that Christ was not born in broad daylight when all kinds of human activity would create all kinds of distraction from this holy moment…