Casandra Martin

It begins with a single tenor voice offering these words of hope. “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.” These are the opening words of one of the most well-known and frequently performed musical works in Western culture – George Frideric Handel’s Messiah. Written in twenty-four days in the summer of 1741, Handel’s Messiah begins by sweeping through the Old Testament book of Isaiah as it shines a spotlight on the coming of a Savior who will redeem the world. It then moves through the death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah, climaxing in the intensely moving Hallelujah Chorus, as the Christ’s triumph over sin and death are proclaimed to the world.

While originally written in three parts and intended to be a lesson on Christ and His redemption to be performed during Easter, Messiah has found a special place in the music of the Christmas season. The libretto, or text, of the oratorio was written by Charles Jennens, a devout Christian. Using the King James Bible and The Book of Common Prayer, Jennens sought to use the words to introduce an increasingly secular world to Jesus. He brought his completed libretto to Handel, who was reduced to tears as he finished the Hallelujah Chorus. Handel told his assistant, “I did think I saw heaven open, and saw the very face of God.”

That, of course, is the message of the Messiah. Not just Handel’s oratorio, but the message of God through His Messiah. He came so that we could see the very face of God, and enter into a heaven opened by His blood. He came with a purpose to offer comfort to all people. He came to reveal the love of God in a way never seen before. He came to push back the darkness, lighting the way into the Father’s presence for all who choose to name Him as Lord.

My Jesus Resolution today is to listen anew to the message of the Messiah. Our world desperately needs the message of hope and comfort offered by Jesus. I need it. I want to pay attention to the way the prophets urge me to watch with anticipation for His coming. I want to watch with wide-eyed wonder as the heavens open and God wraps Himself in human skin. I want to be broken and made new as the hallelujahs spill through heaven and earth at His triumph over my sin. I want to see the very face of God, and in Jesus, I can.

“Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day.” ~Robert Caspar Lintner 

The seasons have already switched. The dishes are barely done. There are still leftovers in the fridge. Kids aren’t back in school yet, but we have moved on. Thanksgiving is over, and the Christmas season has already been launched. Our national attention to gratitude is ushered out by pre-dawn sales and the rush to make the most out of the next holiday.

Don’t let Thanksgiving go so easily. Hold onto the beauty of a day spent resting in your blessings. Hang onto the contentment you felt in the company of family and friends. Soak in the awareness of God’s hand on your life, His grace on your soul, and His love filling your heart.

Too many times, I flip the pages of my calendar and forget that thankfulness is supposed to be the defining characteristic of a life infused with Christ. Thanksgiving helps me see His fingerprints on my days. Gratitude is the best way to experience the fullness of His presence because it makes my heart tender to His nearness and aware of His gentle tug at my soul.

I am good at counting my problems, naming my burdens, grumbling about my grievances, whining about my work, fretting about my family, fuming at my friends, and cataloguing the circumstances that seem to be against me. Thankfulness is the tool God uses to turn me inside out. Joy flows from discovering the reasons to be grateful in the moment I am in. Love breaks through to my heart when I pause and say thanks. Peace moves in when I turn my eyes from my troubles to His tenderness.

My Jesus Resolution today is to stretch Thanksgiving out. I am going to make it a 365 day event. No, there won’t be turkey every day, but there will be gratitude. I want thankfulness to define the way I see my world. I want it to be evident in the way I treat others, the choices I make, the way I speak, and even the way I celebrate the next holiday on the calendar. Thanksgiving was never meant to be confined to a single day. Be full of thanks and let it overflow into every day.

The jagged pieces of our brokenness startled us as we watched it play across the television. Reporters stared at burning buildings in disbelief as first responders were forced to retreat at the sound of gunfire. Armored cars rolled through the streets in what looked more like a scene from a post-apocalyptic movie script than the actual events in an American city. In the end, no matter your perspective, a young man is dead, a family is shattered, a community is reeling, a police officer is vilified, and a country is divided. Our brokenness lies open, its gaping wound evident across the landscape of our national consciousness.

Normally, we do a pretty good job of camouflaging our brokenness. We cover it up, ignore it, or manage it so that we can pretend that we have it under control. The truth is that sin has so deeply wounded us, infected us, and twisted us that broken is our default. We are so used to broken that we accept it as normal, except on those days when its intense ugliness rears up and demands our attention. Hearts ache and hopelessness swells even as brave talk swirls about changing the conversation and affecting a real change. The reality is that the world holds no answers for what is broken deep down in our souls.

“And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’” (Revelation 21:5a) New. There is the word that speaks to the ache within us. It brings with it pictures of fresh opportunities, new beginnings, and soaring hope. The truth is that Jesus is the only answer for what is so badly broken within us. New can only be realized within the power of His love.

My Jesus Resolution today is to proclaim God’s answer to our brokenness. Today is the day for those of us who are Christians to turn off the news and start sharing the Good News. Today is the day to rise as ambassadors of reconciliation and extend the invitation of peace to all hearts. Today is the day to pray – pray for broken families, broken communities, broken hearts, and broken dreams to find a new hope in the One who is able to heal all hurts. Today is the day to raise our hands and our voices and lift a cross up before the world, declaring the truth that He was broken so that we can be whole.

I have reached “that” age when I catch myself wishing that I knew then what I know now. I look back at myself as a young mom and, more often than not, see someone who was worried, stressed, and always in a hurry. Today I would love to be able to go back, put my arm around that young woman, and remind her to breathe. You are going to make it. It is all going to be okay.

Here are ten things I would tell that young mom.

1. Memories are more important than the mess.
2. Teaching them manners is worth the trouble.
3. We all need grace. It is okay to give it, and even better to receive it.
4. Consistency is one of your most important parenting tools.
5. Make listening your default.
6. Be silly. Life is too short to be serious all the time.
7. Never underestimate your child’s ability to experience God.
8. Invest big in your relationship with your spouse. Your children learn more about love, life, and making it last from the two of you than anyone else.
9. Pray for your kids and with your kids…every day.
10. Teaching them to look like Jesus begins in the mirror.

My Jesus Resolution today is to breathe, smile, and do. When I read back through this list, I realize that I can still bring these things to life in my family. I may not be a young mom anymore, but my children still need a happy, confident, Christ-focused woman in their lives. We all need memories, silliness, consistency, and grace. Most importantly, I can celebrate the Christ-forming transformation that is taking shape in all of us as we grow and learn how to walk with Him together.

She sat quietly in the teacher’s meeting. When it came her time to share what was happening in her Bible class, her face lit up. Her smile stretched across her face, a twinkle danced in her eyes, and passion filled her voice. She teaches our babies, and couldn’t wait to tell us about her class.

Creation wonders filled the sky. Noah brought animals two by two. Baby Jesus makes a quiet, awe-inspiring appearance in a manger. The little ones absorb every song and hang on every story. Her delight, however, magnified when she talked about the moment when squeals of joy are heard around the table. The children are most excited when she passes out the Bible for them to hold and touch. “Bible! Bible!” she told us they squeal. Giggles and grins literally fill the room when these little ones get to hold a Bible.

I smiled. I am so thankful for her commitment and passion to teach these youngest and most precious of hearts the value and joy of God’s Word. Their squeals, however, also served as a mirror for my soul. When was the last time my heart sped up with excitement when I picked up my Bible? Do I anticipate His presence with that much enthusiasm? Is reading His Word the best part of my day?

My Jesus Resolution today is to look at my Bible differently. I want to see it through the eyes of a child. It is a book that tells me how much I am loved, how special I am to the Lord, and how amazing His works are on my behalf. I want to pause before opening my Bible, letting the anticipation build as I prepare to enter His presence. I want to humble my heart in the face of His wisdom, surrender before His sovereignty, and expect to be changed by His power. I might even squeal.

This morning it’s the quiet, solid, determined words of Paul that are speaking perspective and strength into my soul. Listen. “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

Do you hear it? Paul looks at his struggles, his hardships, his brokenness, and his heartaches and sees God at work in them all. God doesn’t waste anything. He takes every tear, every prayer, and every pain, covering them with mercy and faithfulness. He uses every moment to draw us deeper into His purpose and more tightly into His love. Grace has the power to weave its way into our desperateness and change our souls. It can be slow. It can be hard. But Paul reminds us that because of Jesus, what seems like a disaster can be a door deeper into His presence.

My Jesus Resolution today is to not lose heart. I know. The burden is heavy, but God is using every turn, every tear, and every trial to teach me about His glory. Each time I choose surrender over sulking, faith over fear, or worship instead of worry I open my heart to renewal. My circumstances may not change, but a changed perspective allows me to hope and not lose heart.