What Hark the Herald Angels Sing means to me.

Have you ever really stopped and thought about the lyrics of our Christmas songs? I mean, really thought about them. I know we’ve sung them a million times. They are as familiar to us at this time of the year as turkey dinner, mistletoe and holiday shopping.

This year, I started thinking about our Christmas story and our Christmas songs.

I read a blog once that talked about Christmas songs being too happy. There is no conflict in Christmas songs, they rallied. It's all happiness and peace and love. 

But here’s the deal. Christmas songs are the beginning victory songs. A baby is born and victory is coming. It hasn’t been won yet, but the end is in sight. The victor has arrived. And that, in and of itself, is cause for celebration.

This year, for some reason, Charles Wesley’s Hark the Herald Angels Sing has captured my attention. Have you looked at the lyrics? Here’s a copy of them:

               Hark! the herald angels sing,

               "Glory to the new born King,

               peace on earth, and mercy mild,

               God and sinners reconciled!"

               Joyful, all ye nations rise,

               join the triumph of the skies;

               with th' angelic host proclaim,

               "Christ is born in Bethlehem!"

               Hark! the herald angels sing,

               "Glory to the new born King!"

Can’t you just see it? Multitudes of angels proclaiming glory to Jesus and declaring that peace on earth has come and God is reconciled to man. Sunday in church, the preacher, Mike Dillard, asked us to consider the term “peace on earth.” This phrase does not mean peace between men, but peace between God and man. Peace between men isn’t going to happen until Jesus comes back and sets the world right. But Jesus’ birth, perfect life, and death on the cross allows for the relationship between God and man, the relationship that was broken because of our sin, to be reconciled. There can be peace between God and man.

And because of this, we can joyfully sing, "Glory to the newborn King!"

               Christ, by highest heaven adored;

               Christ, the everlasting Lord;

               late in time behold him come,

               offspring of a virgin's womb.

               Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;

               hail th' incarnate Deity,

               pleased with us in flesh to dwell,

               Jesus, our Emmanuel.

               Hark! the herald angels sing,

               "Glory to the new born King!"

This Christ, who was from the beginning, who was with God and who is God, he veiled himself in flesh and came to earth. He was born of a virgin. He was fully God and fully man. For some reason, a glorious mystery, he chose to dwell among us. Not to save us from the oppressive government of the time, but to save us from our sins. To give life to dead ones. He is Emmanuel. He is God with us.

And because of this, we can proclaim, "Glory to the newborn King!"

               Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!

               Hail the Sun of Righteousness!

               Light and life to all he brings,

               risen with healing in his wings.

               Mild he lays his glory by,

               born that we no more may die,

               born to raise us from the earth,

               born to give us second birth.

               Hark! the herald angels sing,

               "Glory to the new born King!"

I think this verse pretty much says it all. This baby who came, the one that the angels proclaimed, he is the Prince of Peace…not the peace that the world gives, but the peace that only comes from the Father (John 14:27). This peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7). But he is also the Sun (some versions say Son) of Righteousness. He is righteous, pure, holy…all that we hope to be but fall terribly short of on our own. Yet it is through this Sun of Righteousness that  light and life comes. He says, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12) He says, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me” (John 14:6)

"Mild, he lays his glory by". “He who being the very nature,  God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very form of a servant, being made in human likeness” (Philippians 2:5-7)

"Born that man no more may die…" He came to give life and and give it abundantly (John 10:10).

"Born to raise the sons of earth. Born to give them second birth." Through the humbling of himself, through his sacrifice, through the fact that he freely gave his life as a ransom for many, we never have to face the second death. We never have to pay the ultimate punishment. It has been paid in full. We are no longer dead in our trespasses, but alive in Christ (Romans 6:11). We are new creations. The old is gone, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17).

And because of this, once we choose to follow Jesus, we, like the angels, cry, “Glory to the newborn King!”

lyrics from http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh240.sht

Christmas in Central Texas!

With the very real possibility that I will be far, far away next Christmas, I thought it only fitting to take a moment and jot down why Christmas in central Texas is so special.

1. Caroling on a clear night beneath the huge, starry Texas sky. Singing favorite Christmas songs while filling neighbors and friends' evening with a surprise blessing.
2. Speed scrabble with the family.
3. Long walks on crisp winter evenings with mom and dad.
4. Mexican food for Christmas Eve.
5. Greenburg smoked turkey from Tyler, TX (complete with leftover turkey and swiss sandwiches AND, if I'm lucky, some turkey leftovers to take back to north Texas with me)
6. LOTS of skyping with friends and family all over the world. :D (BTW, this tradition will most likely continue... I'll just be one of the ones skyped in....)
7. Watching some new action movie with  my brother in theaters...sometimes, we even watch two...
8. Going through the must-see Christmas movie list- While You Were Sleeping, It's a Wonderful Life, and usually either The Grinch or A Christmas Carol.
9. Last minute Christmas shopping with my brother.
10. The simple Christmas Eve candlelight service (complete with a little girl yelling, "Yay!!!" after we sang Oh, Come All Ye Faithful)
11. Reading the Christmas story before we open presents.
12. Inviting our friend from Morocco to join us for Christmas lunch.

I am blessed.  

Surviving the Icepocalypse

For those of you who didn’t hear, Fort Worth was completely shut down when a freak ice storm by the name of Cleon came rumbling through. In 24 hours, it went from 80s to 20s with precipitation all night long. We woke up to a wintry wonderland…minus the snow. What looked like snow was actually ice and sleet that made the roads impassible and even the usually 10 minute walk to the campus nearly impossible.

It didn’t end there, though. During the day, the ice and sleet would sort of melt and then refreeze that night, making it slicker and more treacherous the next day. This lasted Friday-Sunday. Schools cancelled Friday. Many things didn’t open Saturday. All church activities were cancelled on Sunday. Monday, we carefully went back to work and school, watching for ice patches and thankful for our landscaping crew that salted the sidewalks and cleared walking paths for us.

What did I learn through all of this?

1.  When you find ice skates on sale, buy them! You never know when it will go from 80s to an ice skating rink around your apartment in 24 hours.
2. All Texans should learn to walk like penguins. That would help tremendously.
3. New vocabulary words! Who knew that words like freezing fog and cobblestone ice existed? Even if we knew they existed, who knew what they meant??? Ready for the next time I take my GRE test.
4. Making cider from apples takes a long time...and the cheese cloth is definitely needed. 
5. Sun is good. The sun came out for three hours on Sunday and it seemed like the heavens had opened and the Lord was smiling down on us! 
6. Sometimes, those fun moments with friends, those memories, are worth the fact that you are stuck where you are for days. Sometimes, the break from life makes the ice and the cold worth it. 
7. God is good. He paints a beautiful picture when he fills the trees with snow and the pathways with ice. It is a blessing that Texas doesn't get to experience often.

Was it frustrating? It some ways, yes. Was it craziness for those who had to be at work? Definitely! Did it cause some problems? Yep. But even in a crazy, freak ice storm, it's good to take a moment to enjoy the small things. Pictures, cider, decorating Christmas trees, trekking through the snow, cups of hot cocoa, a good book...oh, and studying for finals...

A Clean Floor

You can normally tell how stressed I am by how messy my room is. You know it's really bad if the living room is cluttered, too. Because, you see, I can close my bedroom door and no one is the wiser. They don't see the crazy mess that is threatening to engulf me in my room. And it's usually in my most stressed time that I stare at the mess in my room, feel incredibly overwhelmed, and break down and have a cleaning marathon. 

This occurred in my life this weekend. I had cleaned the living room and the bathroom...but my room...that was another story. So, on Saturday, I decided it was time to clean. I stuck in my Castle DVD and played two episodes while I cleaned my bathroom and my room. 

And I went to bed feeling like I had accomplished something. 

The next day, I got up and got ready for church and as I was walking through the living room, I heard, CRASH! and froze. I turned towards my room, praying that the people above me had just dropped something that had sounded much worse below them. But as I walked, I heard CRASH, BANG!!!! 

I ran into my room to find that the rod in my closet had come off....shelf and all. My clothes and anything I had stored on the top shelf were thrown every which way. So, I began to clear out the closet. After an hour or so of spring cleaning, closet was emptied (well...as much as it needed to be!) My shoes lined the bathroom. My clothing was stacked in the corner. My boxes and bags were placed where ever there was room. 

But at least my floor was clean. :) 

(Happy to report that our maintenance department is AMAZING and my closet has already been fixed and things are returning to normal in my room)

Learning Patience...Now!

Ever struggle with patience? I’ve often wondered when I will master the art of patience. When I will really be able to wait on God’s timing without getting antsy, without forcing my own way.

Sometimes, my life is marked by impatience.

I want to know what’s after graduation….today.

I want to lose weight…today.

I want to be fantastic at this new thing I decided to attempt…today.

I want to get married…today.

And lately, I’ve been reflecting on this impatience in my life. Where does it come from? Why do I struggle with it over and over again? Why does it seem like God has to keep teaching me the same lesson about patience? When will I learn?

And I’ve realized that impatience, at least for me, comes from a desire to skip the journey and just get to the result. But the thing is, the journey is what makes it all worth while.

I’m about to graduate with my masters. This has definitely been a journey. When I started this program, I was only planning to get a few credit hours for personal enhancement (and to qualify myself for a job opportunity I was pursuing). And somewhere in the first year, God made it pretty clear I needed to stay and finish this degree.

And I’m going to be honest. Letting go of my plan and my time frame was one of the hardest things I have done. What started out as maybe a year has become a three and a half year journey. And many times along the way, I have wished that I could have my degree…today.

And now that reality is right down the road. And I look back and see this journey that I have been on. I see its ups and its downs and I realize I wouldn’t trade that journey for anything. Because in that journey, I discovered a bit more about who I am…and more importantly, a bit more about who God is.

I read so much about patience in the Bible. “Love is patient” (1 Corinthians 13:4).“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12).  “And after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised” (Hebrews 6:15).

And here's one thing I’ve learned about patience: it goes hand in hand with faith. I can be patient in affliction because I have faith that God sees a bigger plan. I can be patient like Abraham, waiting for God to fulfill his plans for my life, because I trust his character. I can love patiently because God is so patient in the way he loves me.

And so I look at these things that I am impatient about: my future, my body image, my hobbies, my future family, and I see amazing journeys ahead…and there is no telling what the next turn will bring. 

My name

My name is Anna. Somewhere along the line, I discovered I enjoyed learning the meaning of names... I think that developed as I spent some time in India where names are actually a word in Hindi or Sanskrit or insert one of many other local languages here. I knew a person named moon. My landlady's name was heavy rain. Some shared the name of their deity. Some bore the name of a cherished characteristic like truth or wisdom. And then I look at my own name. Anna. Most name guides will tell you that Anna means graceful.

I grew up wishing I was graceful. I am a tall girl who is naturally a bit broad. I've struggled with weight and height and build since I was the tallest person in my sixth grade class. I have terrible posture and in all honesty, graceful has never been one of the attributes I would use to describe myself.

And one day, when I was in a bad mood, I said that to my mom. "Why on earth would you call me graceful?! I am so opposite of that!"

To which my incredibly wise mother said, "Maybe it wasn't meant to be a physical attribute. Maybe, just maybe, you are supposed to be full of grace." 

Full of grace.

So that is how I have tried to live my life. I want to be full of grace. I want to be a fragrance that lingers long after I am gone. Not so that you will look at me...but so that you will look above.

Because of what my Lord did, I hope that my steps are continually filled with grace...the grace that comes with a life completely surrendered...a life that says "I am the Lord's servant. May your word be to me be fulfilled”

So that no matter where I go, I can be stepping gracefully.