Tracy's Blog

Luke 2:8-20 What is the most amazing thing you have seen happen? How did it impact you? Did you tell others about it? Witnessing something significant, spectacular, or miraculous is always memorable and often life-changing. Today I want to focus this Advent reflection on the shepherds who were witnesses to Jesus' birth so long ago. Luke 2:8-20 tells us about the shepherds interaction with angels in which they hear the good news that "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11). After the angels leave, they decide to go "to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." (Luke 2:15). And that is exactly what they do. They go find Mary and Joseph and the baby. They see Him with their own eyes. They are witnesses to the Advent of the Christ. What is their response? Verse 17-18: "When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, an...

Matthew 1:18-25 Awkward. That's what it was. Mary, his betrothed, was pregnant.... and he wasn't the father. What was Joseph suppose to do? "Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly." (Matt. 1:19) But Joseph doesn't go through with his plan. Instead he takes Mary home as his wife (Matt. 1:24) because the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and told him to. He also told him the good news that Mary's child is "from the Holy Spirit" and that Joseph is to name Him "Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:20-21). What an challenging position Joseph was in! He seemed to be a gentle sort of man since he was thinking about a quiet divorce instead of publically disgracing (or stoning???) Mary. But his desire to avoid public attention doesn't keep him from be willing to obey the messenger of God despite the difficult ci...

Luke 2:26-38 Advent is the season set aside to remember Christ's coming in the manger in Bethlehem so long ago. It is also a time to remember and prepare ourselves for His second Advent. In my personal Bible reading this week, there have been many passages talking about Christ coming again. "Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him...." (Rev. 1:7) is what I read today. These passages leave me wondering...how?...when?....what will it all mean? As the first Advent of Christ was proclaimed by the angel Gabriel to Mary, she experienced a range of emotions and questions. Maybe observing Mary's responses can help us in our wonderings. Luke 2:29 tells us, Mary was "greatly troubled" and "wondered what kind of greeting this might be" when the angel Gabriel visited her. The messenger hadn't yet shared the good news that the "Son of the Most High" who would be given the throne of David with an never ending kingdom (Luke 2:...

For the full story see Luke 1:5-25; 57-80 The Advent season is here and with it comes the anticipation of celebrating Jesus' birth. Often in the busyness of preparing, we feel that Christmas is coming too fast. My hope for you this year is that through Advent, you will experience (even briefly) time to contemplate the signficance of that first Christmas and that what you discover will permeate even the most hectic days. Where do we start? The silence of God. The Old Testament ends with a promise from the Lord to send "the prophet Elijah" before "that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes" (Malachi 4:5). It is over 400 years before John the Baptist would cry out, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near" (Matthew 3:2). Although they had the promise of a Deliverer, the Scriptures weren't added to in that time period and so Israel had to wait in the silence of God. How hard it must have been! It is striking that Zechariah, the father of John the ...

Starting next week until Christmas, I will be blogging along Advent themes so I thought this would be a good week to update you on my "Sunday Afternoon Blues" (see September 22) as promised. First, I need to be honest and admit that I didn't get around to copying the prayer I wrote and taking it into the car with me. Instead, the drive home served as a prompt to pray through the transition from church. So, what happened? I'm grateful to report that I was less irritable and that by God's grace, I was more diligent to attend to my needs for food, a tidy house, alone time, time with others, and rest. The most surprising thing for me has been how frequently I cry on Sunday afternoons. For some reason, Sundays are my day to grieve. (I suspect that part of my anger/agitation has been desiring to grieve but not having the emotional space or time to do it and being frustrated about that.) What am I grieving? Different things: my own sinfulness, the personal losses and dis...

November on the prairies is a bleak month as the only colours are varying shades of beige to brown (hay bales in the fields, long grass in the ditch, and leafless trees all around). It's cold, often cloudy, and there isn't anything to catch your eye. The days get shorter, the wind turns colder, and we have to wait for snow and the Christmas season to lighten things up. When I was in university, I went through a difficult period of time and I later described it to friends as "feeling like it was November all the time". Because November in Ottawa isn't so monochromatic nor cold, my childhood thoughts about November resurfaced now that I'm back on the prairies. But I was surprised. I no longer viewed it as ugly nor as something to get over with. I appreciate the time of waiting and can see the beauty in the barren trees and empty gardens. I also know, without a doubt, that it won't last forever. Change will come. My perspective on November (and the time of li...

Last Saturday night, Abigail was at a friend's house for a sleepover. The topic of church came up and her friend asked, "Do you have to pay to go to church?" Considering that this girl has no memory of ever being in a church and that she would pay to go to a concert, a sporting event, or an exercise class, it is a valid question. Abigail's response was a calm "No, it's free. Anyone can come." During the sermon the next day, the pastor told a story about a woman in Toronto who wanted to try going to church so she asked someone "Where do I get a ticket?" In her mind, one would need a ticket for church or at least an invitation like we get for weddings to ensure there was a place for her to sit. Hearing these stories helps me consider how strange church may seem to many people I interact with day to day and that those of us who go to church regularly cannot assume that our friends or family members know what it is like or what goes on there. It mo...