"Behold I Stand"
By Gerard Kelly |
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As we come to the end of the year, I am once again overwhelmed by the goodness of God I experience in the company of you, my friends and our larger community of faith. I thank the Lord for the growth and fruit that comes from conversations, interacting around ideas, and watchfulness of what the Spriti is doing. Best blessings in Christ on you as we celebrate the Incarnation! John Chandler
Here's a Christmas gift from my friend, Gerard Kelly, who pastors the remarkable Crossroads International Church in Amsterdam:
When the night is deep
With the sense of Christmas
And expectancy hangs heavy
On every breath,
Behold I stand at the door and knock.
When the floor is knee deep
In discarded wrapping paper
And the new books are open at page one
And the new toys are already broken,
Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
When the family is squashed
Elbow to elbow
Around the table
And the furious rush for food is over
And the only word that can describe the feeling
Is full,
Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
And when Christmas is over
And the television is silent
For the first time in two days
And who sent which card to whom
Is forgotten until next year,
Behold, I stand at the door.
And when the nation has finished celebrating
Christmas without Christ
A birthday
Without a birth
The coming of a kingdom
Without a King
And when I am
Forgotten
Despised
Rejected
Crucified-
Behold, I stand.
http://matterpattern.blogspot.com/2009/01/gerard-kelly-behold-i-stand.html |
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Network Thought of the Day |
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The Christmas Woman
"Luke's Gospel account of the Christmas event is full of activity...And yet, in the middle of the frenetic action, here is this woman wrapped in mystical silence...She demonstrates the necessity of a quiet place within ourselves at Christmastime-that place where we are most ourselves in relation to God.
"It is a place of silence, not because it is untouched by all the activity of our lives, but because it is capable of wonder. Every prayer begins with silent wonder before it turns to words. Our first response to God is dumbstruck awe at who he is and what he has done for us."
William Frebuger |
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