The walk to the well is usually a time of catching up on the village news, but I left early this morning so I wouldn’t meet the others. As Mary’s pregnancy is more evident, the barbed remarks have increased. This morning, of all mornings, I just couldn’t face them. My tears won’t stop. I am afraid for Mary. It is too close to her time to be traveling all the way to Bethlehem. Yes, I know Joseph will take care of her, Lord, but couldn’t you have delayed the census a little while? Is this old lady’s request too much for you, Almighty G-d? Would it have too hard to have Mary’s needs considered? After all, she sings with great joy that you have chosen her. Yet you let her travel? Have mercy, G-d on this old woman. Forgive my arrogance. I just love my granddaughter and fear for her and the baby she’ll soon deliver. Lord, can you give me a sign… a little one perhaps? To show me that Mary is well? The tears continued to flow, as I neared the well. Oy, at least I can draw the water without the other woman smiling while looking at one another with their “I know the real story” expressions. I don’t even understand… how could they? “Woman, why are you weeping?” Frightened, I turned to see a Roman soldier looking down at me. What does one say to a Roman? He knows nothing about women’s trials or the promised Messiah. “Forgive an old lady, Sir. I am worried about my granddaughter traveling all the way to Bethlehem for the census.” “So you weep? I thought you Jews trusted your god to take care of everything!” He turned and marched off laughing. I sank to my knees and wept bitterly. My G-d, forgive me. A sign… I ask for a sign and you send me a Roman soldier. Oy, after all these years, this old woman still doubts . . . still doesn’t put all her trust in you. Forgive this old woman once again. You alone know why Mary must make this journey. Why she is with child that’s not Joseph’s; and yet he trusts you and takes her into his home. My G-d, my G-d, help this old woman to understand . . . to trust in you in all things. Until the Messiah comes, I am your servant. Little did I know that as I wept at the well, Mary, too, was weeping as she knelt in the hay before the manger that cradled her newborn baby. A son, as G-d had said. To be named Jesus, as Joseph had been told. Yes, Mary wept with both joy and fear as she pondered all that was and was to come. This great-grandmother will not live to see this little one grow into a man. But I will serve the Lord faithfully all my remaining days, as I promised that quiet morning at the well. ~ ~ ~ This writer spent the birthday of the Messiah at home alone and also in tears. Illness kept me from my family and I wept for understanding… for the loss of memory-building moments with my grandchildren and son. I, too, asked for a sign that God was with me for it didn’t feel that way. No Roman soldier appeared. No sign… just the loneliness, and the feeling of being rejected. The next day, I asked the Lord, “What was I suppose to learn throughout the day of tears?” He gave me the story of the anxious great-grandmother, who, even though she loved the Lord, struggled with the unknown. Her fears were real. For Jesus, who left His throne to be born frail and helpless in a stable, and came to deliver the news of hope and forgiveness, was rejected and despised. What loneliness He must have felt as He hung upon the cross for us! Then, like that great-grandmother, I knelt at the Well of Living Water and prayed, My G-d, forgive me. After all these years, this old woman still doubts . . . still doesn’t place all her trust in you. Forgive this old woman once again. My G-d, help this woman to trust in you in all circumstances and for all things. And until the Messiah comes again, I am your servant. [Christmas 2009] Posted by Constance Gilbert at 2:25 PM

Advent - Guest Post

 

HOME OUR LATEST SUBSCRIBE Tuesday, December 13, 2022

Why Advent Is Wonderful for Women Imagine yourself as a woman born centuries before Jesus                        came to earth as a baby. You have no cultural or political                        rights to speak of and your safety is tied up entirely in                              your relationship with your father, brothers,                                                  or husband. But then, you hear the words of a prophet named Isaiah. He describes                        God forming a servant in his mother’s womb who will bring freedom.                        Isaiah says that God labors like a woman for his people’s salvation,                             and remembers his people with the same intimacy as a mother                                   who remembers the nursing baby at her breast. This God, it seems, greatly values women. As Beth Stovell writes in                                a CT Advent devotional, he offers a "combination of global salvation                          and personal intimacy." We see this most clearly in the person of                            Jesus,  whose light brings freedom to those held captive. During Advent, may we celebrate the first coming of a Savior sent                                by a God who loves women, and may we look forward to the second                      coming—the day when all oppression shall cease.

Joe 's Gift of Life

 

SO MANY GIFTS

By Joe Mazzella

I was sitting on a long, black, folding medical table. Beside me was a woman in scrubs talking about the cold change the weather had taken recently. A radio in the corner was playing Christmas music even though it was still weeks away. I took a sip from the bottle of lemonade I had brought with me so I wouldn’t get dizzy. I looked around at all the other people laying back on their medical tables too. Each one of us had a needle in our arms with a long tube running down from it filling a plastic bag below. Each one of us had come to give a precious gift to help others, make the world a better place, and perhaps even save a life.

It was the local blood drive and I had driven 12 miles across snowy roads to get there. I tried never to miss one even in the wintertime. In spite of all the time it took I felt blessed being able to give this gift back to others. I had been given so much in this life: a loving family, many friends, sweet adorable pets, a comfy home, and enough money to meet my needs. Every day my prayers always included the words: “Thank you God for my life.” The gifts I had been given felt wonderful, yet the one thing that brought me more happiness than anything else was giving something back. You see, in this life nothing brings you as much joy as taking your place in the great circle of Love that God created for us all. In this circle you receive and you give until it all becomes one. The more you give back, the more you get in return. The more love you let flow from your heart, the more love flows into it from above.

There are so many gifts you can give in this life too: a smile, a kind word, a few dollars, a hug, a caring letter or e-mail, and even a pint of blood. Each one of them is priceless and precious. Each one of them brings a little more Heaven into your heart. Each one of them makes God smile. May you fill your life with giving then. May you fill your life with Love.

~ ~ ~

I'll leave giving blood to Joe and my son & his wife as I am unable to do so. I am home-bound and unable to gift folks with a smile, a kind word, or a hug as I go about my day.

 Howeveer, I can write thank you notes, pen pal letters, and pray for those in need. I can also write words of encouragement via emails, my blog or through sharing short stories.

Did you know that the Lord commands* us to be encouragers? I even have a red, heart-shaped  "Official Encourager" badge that humor writer, Liz Curtis Higgs gave me in 1996.

Years later, using Florence Littauer's book, Silver Boxes as the basis, I taught about encouragement at several women's conferences. Every lady in attendance left with a tiny one-inch silver box with a silver bow on top and a magnet underneath. I suggested that they keep their tiny gift near the spot they talked on the phone the most often. It was to remind her to speak only kind words.

For me, encouragement as a part of Thanks-Living each and every day. How about you?

__________

* Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

[Ephesians 4:29, NIV]