L’ENCHANTÉ

 Christmas Meditations

December 25, 2020

L’ENCHANTÉ

To whom can you compare God?

    What image can you find to resemble him?

Isaiah 40:18

Every Christmas I love sharing the story of L’Enchanté. This beautiful story comes from the forest of Provence in southern France.  It’s about the four shepherds who came to Bethlehem to see the Christ child.  One brought eggs, another brought bread and cheese, the third brought wine.  And the fourth brought nothing at all. People called him L’Enchanté. 

The first three shepherds chatted with Mary and Joseph, commenting on how well Mary looked, how cozy was the cave and how handsomely Joseph had appointed it, what a beautiful starlit night it was!  They congratulated the proud parents, presented them with their gifts and assured them that if they needed anything else, they had only to ask.

Finally someone asked, “Where is L’Enchanté?”  They searched high and low, up and down, inside and out.  Finally, someone peeked through the blanket hung against the draft, into the crèche. There, kneeling at the crib, was L’Enchanté. – the Enchanted one. Like a flag or a flame taking the direction of the wind, he had taken the direction of love. Through the entire night, he stayed in adoration, whispering, “Jesu, Jesu, Jesu – Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.”

Find time on this Christmas Day to light a solitary candle. In quietness, gaze upon the simple candle and allow your heart to become enchanted with “Jesu, Jesu, Jesu – Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.”

(The story of L’ENCHANTÉ is from, Brennan Manning, The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus, Revell, 2004)

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Zechariah’s Prophecy

 Advent Meditations

December 24, 2020

Zechariah’s Prophecy

“Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”

Luke 1:78-79

Read Luke 1:66-79

Zachariah’s insight into the continuity of God working through his people can be an example and inspiration to all of the followers of Jesus:

“He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant— the covenant he swore with an oath to our ancestor Abraham” (Luke 1:72-73).

Zachariah interpreted God’s action in his son John, and in Jesus, as God’s faithfulness to His covenant promise to Abraham. In Zachariah’s world, the people of Israel had been over-run by foreigners for hundreds of years. Oppression and brutality by invading forces had become their way of life. Most of Zachariah’s countrymen had hatred for both the foreigners and the leaders of their own country. John the Baptist was born into a culture of angry people. Even so, there were still sparks of an eternal hope within Elizabeth and Zachariah.

We too, in this present age, are living in a culture of angry people. The approval ratings of our national leaders reach new lows each week. In print and electronic mediums, we are bombarded with angry messages telling us what to think. In contrast to the present darkness of this age, Jesus calls his followers to also draw hope and strength from the faithfulness of God.

On this Christmas Eve, in the midst of the darkness of a world-wide pandemic, let us draw inspiration from the sparks of hope displayed within Elizabeth and Zachariah.

My Takeaway: As we choose to trust God with our present and our future, we can become counter-cultural and embrace Zachariah’s faith in the ultimate victory of God. Praise the Lord, the God of Hope.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Birth of John the Baptist

 Advent Meditations

December 23, 2020

The Birth of John the Baptist

He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s surprise he wrote, “His name is John.” Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God.

Luke 1:63-64

Read Luke 1:57-66

Zachariah makes a huge leap of faith in the naming of his son John. The cultural tradition called for him to extend his family name by giving his first-born child his own name. Nine months before this, when the angel of the Lord appeared to Zachariah in the Temple, he balked at believing the angel’s prophecy and was made mute. This time, Zachariah didn’t balk at the leading of the Lord, but followed the instructions of the angel of the Lord and named his child, John.

As I reflect on Zachariah’s disobedience and obedience, I am grateful the Lord has not severely punished me for my many acts of disobedience, or failures to follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit. As I have previously noted, the hymn writer nailed me perfectly when he wrote, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; Prone to leave the God I love.” (Come Thou Fount, Robert Robinson)

During the nine months Zachariah could not speak, he could hear. I believe it was during this time Zachariah was inspired by the Holy Spirt to formulate the prophecy which is the passage we will consider tomorrow. For today, let us reflect on how in our silence we can open our hearts and minds to the leading of God in our lives.

My Takeaway: For several months, I have been using a Centering Prayer application on my iPad. I begin my time with listening to my favorite devotional song, I Love You Lord. Then I sit quietly for several minutes with a carved wooden cross in my hand, focused on the scripture, “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) One result has been a keener sense of the prompts of the Holy Spirit and a more willing spirit to obey.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Magnificat

 Advent Meditations

December 22, 2020

The Magnificat

Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.

     How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!

Luke 1:46-47 

Read Luke 1:46-56

Almost every word of Mary’s beautiful song is a quotation of scripture. Elizabeth’s child is John the Baptist, and his preaching will echo Mary’s song.

Mary and Elizabeth are far from naïve. There is yet to come much pain and sorrow in their lives. Why then could they speak with such excitement and joy about a child who then was still thirty weeks from birth? I believe they could celebrate with such uninhibited joy because, as I noted yesterday, they knew they were participating in God’s plan of salvation. In their reading of the scriptures, they met the God of Creation who is the Holy One, the Powerful One, the Faithful One, the Merciful One, and the One who is Love for all of His creation. When they realized God was literally moving within them to fulfill his promises, their spirits responded with words of reverence and joy, the words of scripture.

When I read Mary’s song, I think of that most beautiful of sonnets, Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Sonnet XLIII. It begins “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach . . .”

I believe an appropriate Advent practice for us is to write our own sonnet for Jesus. Our sonnet may begin with the words, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” Then we can fill in the remaining lines with the many ways, grounded in scripture, we have experience God our Savior.

My Takeaway: I’ve never written poetry, so this will be a poem that only Jesus could love. But it will be my expression of love for the One who set me free from sin and death.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

 

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.