Family Matters Blog » Advent

Season of Advent | A Weekly Reading (Week 4)

Tim Kimmel — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:05:23 +0000

Def: (n) advent -coming or arrival.

Advent is a season of spiritual reflection that is recognized by Christians all around the world. Advent is traditionally celebrated in the four weeks leading up to Christmas, starting on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Eve. In the early Church, the Advent season was a time for fasting and penitence until the 3^rd Sunday when the focus shifted to rejoicing in the coming King.

The modern evangelical Church focuses on a sense of hope and anticipation that Christ has come to break the darkness with His light. Along with the hope and anticipation of the Incarnation, there is always the understanding of what He came to earth to do. Not only did He come to show us our own depravity with His sinless life, and thus our need for redemption, but He came to ultimately serve as our sacrificial Lamb; to take on the sin of the world and pay the penalty for our fallen nature.

Please join Family Matters in four weeks of Advent readings. We hope that these readings can assist your family in celebrating the coming of our Messiah – God Incarnate!

Week 1, Week 2, Week 3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Week 4: The Infant Equalizer

The baby lies quiet and still, breathing the deep, steady breaths of a healthy new born. Candlelight, dampness and cold are the ambiance of his first night on the earth, yet he sleeps in toasty comfort, swaddled in a feeding trough. His parents, like any and all parents, would have hoped for a better start. But for this little Lamb of God, it’s the perfect beginning to a perfect plan.

Jesus, the infant equalizer, was born for the sole purpose to die. His death would become the center piece of all time; his resurrection the apex of history. And as he slept that inaugural night, he exchanged the first clean breaths of hope for a world at odds with itself. He was surrounded by a human race in desperate need of a moral and spiritual make-over. This is Christmas.

He was born into a world of heartless extremes that often led to bitter contrasts. The lines that separated the categories within the human race had been drawn deep and thick through the centuries. This baby boy came to erase them all. His solo appearance in time and space would stabilize as it equalized.

This was long over due. Sin and pride had distilled the world into categories where one side was kept down and denied while the other side often operated with an inflated view of their contribution. The baby of Bethlehem came to give the one side the gift of hope and the other the gift of humility. He came to give both sides their only real chance.

Jesus was born to equalize the value between …

… the upper class and the poor

… the free and the slaves

… the elites and the unwashed

… the educated and the unsophisticated

… the privileged and the denied

… those of the pandered races and those of the marginalized ones

… the capable and the handicapped

… the people in their prime and those long past theirs

… the silver spooners and the plastic spooners

… the men and the women.

And so, this Christmas, we celebrate as one church, one heart, one body, one spirit, one fellowship the collective hope of eternity through this baby of Bethlehem. As we head towards the horizon of a new year it behooves us all to ask for His lens of grace to cover our eyes. May we look on one another as He looked on us: with favor, joy and love.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. I have no great joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 3 John 2-4

He rules the world with truth and grace,

And makes the nations prove

The glories of His righteousness,

And wonders of His love,

And wonders, and wonders of His love.

Season of Advent | A Weekly Reading (Week 3)

Tim Kimmel — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 12:49:55 +0000

Def: (n) advent -coming or arrival.

Please join Family Matters in four weeks of Advent readings. We hope that these readings can assist your family in celebrating the coming of our Messiah – God Incarnate!

Week 1
Week 2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Week 3: Twenty Questions for the Shepherds

I’ve always wished there was a postscript in Luke’s account of Christmas that gave us the rest of the story on the shepherds that stopped by to see Jesus. They slip into the story with a bright blast of light and the heralding of angels. Then we turn the page and they’re gone. If I ever run into them in eternity, I’d love to ask them a few questions.

Were you dozing or awake when that first angel appeared?
Did any of you get sick or pass out with fright when he overwhelmed you with his presence?
Did the angels sing their proclamation to you or just shout it?
If they sang it, can you hum me any of the melody?
Was the light so bright that it left you blinded for a while after the angels left?
Did the sheep scatter and have to be rounded up as a result of the excitement created by the angels’ visit?
Was it easy to find the stable?
Did it seem like Mary and Joseph were expecting you?
Was Jesus asleep or awake when you stopped by?
Did Mary let any of you hold him?
When you finally got back to your campfire, were you eager to discuss what had just happened or were you each so overwhelmed by it that you just spent the rest of the night mulling it all over in your head and heart?
What did you tell your wife and kids when you got home?
Did the people believe you or simply think you were nuts?
Decades later, did you realize that the rabbi everyone called “Jesus” was this same baby you were sent to visit by the angels?
Did you ever cross paths with Jesus once He started His adult ministry?
If you did, did He act like you had already met?
What did you think when you later learned that this same baby you visited was executed on a cross outside of Jerusalem?
Did it all come together for you when you heard that Jesus had risen from the dead?
Did it ever occur to you that He came to make your job unnecessary?
How did all of this change your life?

That last question is a good one for you and me too. How is the birth of God’s Son changing our lives? It’s an obvious question for this time of year, but it’s a great question to ask ourselves every day God gives us breath.

“Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” ‘And they came in haste and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. And when they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.’ Luke 2:15b-17

Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultations,

O sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!

Glory to God, all glory in the highest;

O come, let us adore Him,

O come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord!

Season of Advent- A Weekly Reading (Week 2)

Tim Kimmel — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 12:05:30 +0000

Def: (n) advent -coming or arrival.

Please join Family Matters in four weeks of Advent readings. We hope that these readings can assist your family in celebrating the coming of our Messiah – God Incarnate!

Week 1
Week 2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Week 2: The Clock is Re-set

On the night Jesus was born, it was life as usual in every other part of the world. The coffee shops and cafés of London, Rome and Athens had no clue that the world clock was in the process of being re-set. But in a back alley stable in dinky little old Bethlehem of Judea, time was starting over.

There were a couple of people up close to this drama that had a hint something amazing was happening. But even Mary and Joseph couldn’t have imagined all that was embodied in that tiny baby sleeping in the manger. Did they realize his little eyes were already prepared to look on the least as well as the worst of the human race with compassion? As Mary nursed Jesus that first night, it’s unlikely she had any clue that his mouth would some day speak the greatest words of hope the world could ever or would ever hear. When baby Jesus wrapped his infant hand around Joseph’s calloused finger, he couldn’t possibly have envisioned the pain and suffering that hand would someday endure for the sins of the world.

Yet, there they were, two new parents, getting a front row seat to the opening scene of a divine epic—God’s grace-based plan to give the whole world a new lease on life.

And so, this Christmas 2011 Anno Domini, the Year of Our Lord, we celebrate the event that ultimately drove the calendar makers to admit the obvious: “Hope, meaning, purpose and grace have finally visited the human race in person. Everything up to this point was a shadow of what life was meant to be. The Light of the World has removed that shadow for good. History is getting a second chance. Let’s start the clock over.”

“He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation …

“… and He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together …

“… and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything.” Colossians 1:15-18

God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman-(Lyrics date back to the 15^th Century)

“Now to the Lord sing praises,

All you within this place,

And with true love and brotherhood

Each other now embrace;

This holy tide of Christmas

All others doth deface

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy;

O tidings of comfort and joy.”

Season of Advent | A Weekly Reading (Week 1)

Karis Murray — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 03:56:42 +0000

Def: (n) advent -coming or arrival.

The modern evangelical church focuses on a sense of hope and anticipation that Christ is coming to break the darkness with His light. Along with hope and anticipation of the Incarnation, there is always the understanding of what He came to earth to do. Not only to show us our own depravity with His sinless life, and thus our need for redemption, but to ultimately serve as our sacrificial Lamb; to take on the sin of the world and pay the penalty for our fallen nature.

Please join Family Matters in four weeks of Advent readings. We hope that these readings can assist your family in celebrating the coming of the Messiah!- God Incarnate!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Week 1: The Coming King

Scriptural Readings:

Isaiah 9:2-6

“The people who walked in darkness

have seen a great light;

On those living in the land of the shadow of death,

a new Light has dawned.

For unto us a Child is born,

to us a Son is given,

and the government shall be upon His shoulders.

And His name shall be called

Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 11:1-5

“A Shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;

From his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him-

The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

The Spirit of counsel and power,

The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord-

and He will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not Judge by what he sees with his eyes,

or decide by what he hears with his ears;

but with righteousness he will judge the needy,

with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth.

With the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

Righteousness will be his belt

and faithfulness the sash around his waist.”

O Come, O Come Immanuel

By: John Neal-1854

“O come, O come Immanuel,

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear;

REJOICE! Rejoice, Immanuel!

Shall come to thee oh, Israel!”

O come thou Dayspring come and cheer

Our spirits by thine Advent here.

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night;

And death’s dark shadow put to flight!

REJOICE! Rejoice, Immanuel!

Shall come to thee oh, Israel!

Oh, come desire of Nations bind,

In one the hearts of all mankind;

Oh, bid our sad divisions cease,

And be Yourself our King of Peace.

REJOICE! Rejoice, Immanuel!

Shall come to thee oh, Israel!”

What does your family do to celebrate Advent? Please share your Advent traditions in the comments section.

When the Holidays Hurt

Tracy Carson — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 13:19:43 +0000

Whether we want to admit it or not the holiday’s are here! Thanksgiving is less than a week away and Christmas is all around us. For many people this is a stressful yet exciting time. The stress usually comes from good things; scheduling parties, shopping for gifts, baking, and making sure that we keep our hearts in check to remember the reason for the most wonderful time of the year. For most of us, this is a splendid time and we look forward with great anticipation to the joy of the season.

But, what if that isn’t you? What if this season brings memories of heartache or the stress of family turmoil that you could just honestly do without. If you walk into the holiday’s thinking that you might be filled with sorrow more than you will rejoice you probably aren’t alone. Chances are all of us have something about this season that brings stress. Are you nervous or anxious over interaction with a wayward family member? Is there unforgiven sin against you and the discomfort of being around your abuser? Perhaps you are saddened still over the grief and loss that appears all over again when there is an empty seat at your dinner table that will never be filled with your loved one lost? If these scenarios, or ones like them cause you pause as you enter into this holiday season, then take courage for God’s word has great comfort for you in your heartache.

“…our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles…” ~ 2 Corinthians 1:3-4a

Heartache is never easy any time of the year but there is something cruel and unusual and a bit isolating when the rest of society seems to be singing about all that is jolly and bright and you find yourself in a state that is discouraging or less than ideal. It’s just a bummer. And you know what? It is a bummer and you don’t have to pretend that it isn’t. It’s OK to be bummed out about your broken dreams and heartache because this side of heaven there will be heartache and discomfort and suffering and loss. There will be hurt and heartache during the holidays and any other time of the year for that matter. But you don’t have to let it define your holiday season. “In this world you will have trouble, But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) The reality of Jesus’ words don’t leave us in the months of November and December. God’s word rings true 365 days a year and my holiday hope for you is that you would cling to them even more in the coming weeks.

Practically speaking, if you know that you will be engaging in less than ideal circumstances with your family members or just anticipating an overall sadness that comes this time of year, then it is helpful to have a plan. So here are three easy tips that you can use to keep Christ at the center and not your disheartening circumstances.

Know and apply your boundaries. Just because someone is family doesn’t mean that you have to engage in deep conversation with them, or be alone with them, or even pretend that heartache doesn’t exist. If both parties aren’t in a place for reconciliation then don’t force yourself to be there. You can still be kind but create a boundary that prevents any further heartache from taking place. If someone is persistent and presses you for conversation or deeper discussion that you might not be ready for then you can politely thank them for wanting to talk but ask if you could plan a time to meet together when there isn’t so much holiday bustle going on. You have recognized their request and responded with your own need. Just because someone asks you for something doesn’t mean you need to agree to it. For example, if you have a family member that is particularly challenging to be around it’s OK to limit your time with them. Set a clear expectation of when your event will end, or if your time together is extended then make sure you have time to get away; take a walk, be alone, and recharge yourself before more family time.
Keep your nuclear family first. So often as adults when we return home to the house we grew up in, even if we have been gone for decades, we immediately revert back to being a child. We may tend to suddenly act and feel like that child did when they were growing up in the home. Being in your home or engaging in life with your parents might remind you of hurtful times or fights and anger that affected you greatly as a child. Now that you are an adult you don’t think about them much, until you are around your parents or in the home you grew up in. So remember, as an adult you don’t have to become the child again when you see your parents or show up at home this holiday season. Being mindful of the fact that this may be something you are prone to do will help you fight emotionally against it when you do arrive. Strive to run to your spouse first, not your parents. Keep your nuclear families traditions alive, even if you are traveling and don’t be ashamed to say that you do something differently then they way you did it growing up. Just because you are in your parents house doesn’t mean you have to do everything just the way you did it growing up. Prioritize your marriage even as an adult child and you will find freedom to be yourself this holiday season.
Finally, and I hope it goes without saying…Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. (Heb 12:2-3) Jesus is the reason for the season, but it wasn’t just his birth that was miraculous…it was why he came. This little baby born was born a Savior and he knew full well that he would eventually be dying for our sins. We celebrate his birth this time of year but let’s not forget why he was born: so that he could die, to save us, so that we would truly live. Jesus is bigger than heartache, abuse, hurts, and dysfunction. Jesus is bigger than awkward family situations and bigger than our insecurities. Jesus is bigger than our sin and shame and the greatest gift, after the gift of salvation that God gives us, is one that you can give yourself: PEACE. True peace that can only come from Christ alone. He holds it out for you as you embark on these next few weeks. Take hold of it and let it transform your season. I hope it will.

Her Last Christmas

Tim Kimmel — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:44:56 +0000

Life is full of Plan Bs. But with God’s help and His blessing, your foiled plans can be turned into God’s ultimate plan for you.

In the following reading of Her Last Christmas (from In Praise of Plan B), Tim Kimmel tells a story of a woman that chose to accept God’s Plan B for her life.

Learn how your life’s Plan B can be a powerful new launch pad to achieve lifelong dreams – whether in work, play, marriage, family, finances, education, as well as overcoming moral and ethical challenges. In Praise of Plan B is a book that will encourage readers on their journey by showing them how ordinary living can be transformed into an extraordinary life.

Read more about In Praise of Plan B at shop.familymatters.net

Love, Darcy | Homespun Gifts and Holy Grace

Darcy Kimmel — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:00:38 +0000

There were six of us kids sitting around the Christmas tree that year; All eager and expectant of what might be beneath the bright wrapping paper. Our parents looked tired. But then again, they always looked that way those days. Now that I’m a parent, I know that it wasn’t just a look, it was reality. They were in the heavy lifting stages of raising a family and making a living.

Little did any of us kids know just how hard it had been that year to provide for our ever growing family and have anything left to put toward Christmas gifts. We weren’t used to a lot but we had grown accustomed to Mom and Dad making birthdays and Christmas special.

My parents didn’t disappoint us that year either. I don’t remember what my four brothers got for Christmas, but I’ll never forget the gifts that my sister and I received. In fact, one of them stills sits up in Shiloh’s (my daughter) room to this day, providing fun for our granddaughters.

On Christmas morning, we had learned to go one at a time, savoring the unveiling of our gift under the tree. It was my little sister’s turn and she unwrapped a handmade pink cradle with a sweet decoupaged lamb on one end. It was completely outfitted for her favorite baby doll with a pillow, mattress and blanket. I still remember watching her tear the wrapping paper loose and put her hands up to her face in awe.

I was next, and when I unwrapped my gift, I couldn’t believe it. I had my own kitchen cupboard with doors, drawers and a pretty skirt around the bottom to hide all of my play dishes. I couldn’t wait to start cooking!

One gift each. That was it. A cradle and a cupboard. We thought we had won the lottery, we were so happy.

I didn’t realize until I was much older what had been required to make sure we each had a special gift under the tree. I was especially humbled when I learned what these two treasures were made of.

In the small town where we grew up, my Dad owned a liquor/shoe store and, without the money to buy lumber, he had fashioned the cradle and the cupboard out of discarded wooden liquor boxes. We didn’t know because he had painstakingly painted the boxes and enhanced them with all of the special touches. And without money to buy fabric, my Mom had gone into her closet and chosen one of her few dresses to cut up to make the pillow, blanket and mattress for the crib and to gather around the bottom of my cupboard. These had been gifts given with love and sacrifice.

But isn’t that what Christmas is all about? Love and sacrifice. Especially the first Christmas. God the Father looked down at His children and saw our need for a Savior. And He chose to take the most precious possession He had to meet that need.

As we celebrate this time of Thanksgiving and begin the celebration of Christmas, may we never forget the sacrifice that was made for us. And if we don’t receive anything else this year, we already have the best gift of all-God’s grace.

Here’s to Homespun gifts and Holy grace,

Love, Darcy

And walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us,

an offering and a sacrifice to God.

Ephesians 5: 2

Our Top 5 Family Matters Holiday Resources

FM Staff — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 12:08:21 +0000

With Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner we thought we’d highlight a couple of our favorite Family Matters Holiday (web) resources.

Here’s our top 5 links ::

1) 10 Ways to Reduce Family Stress (For the Holidays and Beyond)

Who could use a little less stress around the holidays? ME, ME, ME!!! Be sure to head on over to this post for some great suggestions on how to minimize the stress and increase the joy in this year’s holiday season.

2) God filled (and stressless) Family Traditions for Thanksgiving

Traditions provide anchors during the uncertain times of life. In this post Darcy shares some principles to practice as you establish God filled, stressless family traditions.

3) Recipes for Holidays Treats

Looking for a few new holiday recipes? Just looking at these recipes might make you hungry for some yummy holiday cooking. Don’t say I didn’t warn you

4) Keeping Christ in Christmas

It’s so easy to get caught up in the busyness of the Christmas season. In this link Darcy highlights a few ways they have intentionally worked hard to keep Christ the center of their celebrations.

5) Parenting Q&A

Tim and Darcy answer the question asked by many parents - Now that the holiday season is here, how do we keep our kids from getting the greedies and keep the focus on Christ?

Here are more holiday articles from the Family Matters Website

Reaching Out

Traditions and Tips

Treats & Traditions

For more help in slowing your family schedule and reducing family stress read Dr. Kimmel’s book Little House on the Freeway- Help for the Hurried Home, also available in audio book format. Makes a great Christmas gift!

Season of Advent | A Weekly Reading (Week 4)

Tim Kimmel — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 13:30:23 +0000

Def: (n) advent -coming or arrival.

Please join Family Matters in four weeks of Advent readings. We hope that these readings can assist your family in celebrating the coming of our Messiah – God Incarnate!

Week 1, Week 2, Week 3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Week 4: The Infant Equalizer

Jesus was born to equalize the value between …

… the upper class and the poor

… the free and the slaves

… the elites and the unwashed

… the educated and the unsophisticated

… the privileged and the denied

… those of the pandered races and those of the marginalized ones

… the capable and the handicapped

… the people in their prime and those long past theirs

… the silver spooners and the plastic spooners

… the men and the women.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28

He rules the world with truth and grace,

And makes the nations prove

The glories of His righteousness,

And wonders of His love,

And wonders, and wonders of His love.