God's Tea Party

My niece was at my mom's one day last week. She is the only little girl in our family and I absolutely adore her. I adore all the boys too, but there is something magical about a little girl's imagination.

She prepared a tea party for my boys expecting them to come and dine with her. My mom said she waited and waited and asked over and over when they would be there. She had their chairs arranged, their tea cups in place, and even goldfish on the plates waiting for their arrival. She did all of this first thing in the morning and we didn't drop by until later that afternoon. She was not angry or upset with us, but so excited to finally show them to their seats. She was ready to serve them goldfish and tea and talk with them.

The next day, I was thinking about this wonderful tea party hosted by a sweet 3 year old. I couldn't help but think how this was so like our God. Every morning, He arranges a magnificent feast and beckons us to come and sit with Him and enjoy His presence. There are only two chairs at His table, one for Him and one for us.

How often we make Him wait and wait. We may even busily walk by Him never showing up to this sacred meal. He longs to meet with us in the secret place and listen to us and speak with us.

I see Him with His elbow on the table and His hand upon His cheek listening to His child tell Him everything He already knows, but He still listens ever so intently. Then as we run out of words, He begins to share His dreams and plans for us. He guides us through His word to comfort and teach us. Then when the "tea party" that He prepared with great detail is over, He sends us out to be His light to this world. He encourages us that we can do that because He is with us.

If it's been a while since you've attended one of our Master's tea parties, take heart! Like my gracious niece, He is not angry or upset. He is excited to see you walk through those doors no matter how long He has waited. He will meet you with a smile and an embrace and pull out your chair for you to sit with Him. Even if it's been weeks or years, Jesus patiently waits for you to respond to His invitation to sit and dine with Him.

Oh what a magnificent, merciful, and personal God we serve.

Ponder

Ponder...I simply love the sound of that word. It means to consider something deeply and thoroughly; to meditate.

I've always loved Luke 2:19 which says "But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart." 

We read in Luke 2:51 that once again Mary "kept all these things in her heart." This was after she and Joseph anxiously searched for Jesus and found Him in the temple and He asked them "Why do you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?"

We had our Christmas play at church recently. It was a walk through journey of Bethlehem with all the stops along the way you might expect to see in those days. There were the women talking by the well, the money changer, the Roman soldiers keeping the streets clear, the Bethlehem Inn, and of course the stable with Mary, Joseph, and Jesus.

Our walk through didn't stop at the manger though. There was a gentleman at the end dressed in royal apparel speaking as the ascended Jesus. He told us about his life and how he grew up and experienced joy and laughter but also pain and suffering. There was a cross beside him and he spoke of his death but proclaimed that his story did not end there because he rose from the grave and is alive today.

After this gentleman shared the salvation message, one of the shepherds said " now go and tell the good news! And be like Mary and ponder these things in your heart!"

As I sat in my tent as the Innkeepers wife, I heard him say this over and over with each group. Everytime I would think "yes we need to ponder these things more!"

Mary could have joined in with the shepherds and told of her own encounter with an angel and proclaim that she knew who her Son was, but instead she was quiet and still. She quietly kept all these things, storing them as magnificent treasure and pondering them in her heart.

Mary's gentle and quiet spirit reveals that she trusted the Holy Spirit to sort these things out. There was no need to try and figure things out or to lean on her own understanding. In her wisdom, Mary knew how to shift her focus off of her own fears and uncertainties and look to her God instead. She fully trusted God and His plan for her and her Child and she rested in that by taking time to ponder.

I don't think we ponder enough. In this fast paced world that we live in, we must be intentional about making time to quiet ourselves before the Lord. Even when our bodies are still, its hard for our thoughts to be still so we can hear His thoughts.

I dont think we ponder on Jesus' birth enough, the birth that followed him leaving His throne in heaven. The birth of the King of the world in a lowly stable. The birth that explains why He is named Immanuel "God with us."

We don't ponder enough on His death. He died as a criminal among criminals yet was completely without sin. It was our sin that He chose to bear so we could be free. He is the Lamb of God who laid down His life for us.

We don't ponder on His ressurection enough. It's become ordinary  and something we talk about at Easter when it is absolutely extraordinary and should be celebrated everyday! The grave could not hold Him! He defeated death and sin!

I desire to be filled with passion and wonder everytime I hear or read about the life of Jesus. Never to become numb to it as if I know it already. Truth be told we'll never know these things fully. When we see our Master's face in all His glory and look upon His nail scarred hands and feet, then we may understand a tiny bit more of what His love for us cost Him.

This Christmas may be a joyous time or a time of sorrow for you. Whatever pain or joy we may be experiencing, may we remember and take comfort in the fact that Jesus walked this life before us and He knows exactly how we feel. May we take time to be still, quiet ourselves and ponder. Ponder on God's faithfulness and everlasting truth. Ponder on His promises.

As we celebrate our Immanuel, our Mighty God, our Prince of Peace, our Savior, let us ponder on who He is. Let us quiet ourselves as Mary and ponder on these things in our hearts.