Category: Holidays

Today is Epiphany. It’s the day when the church officially recognizes the visit of the Three Wise Men or the Magi. Have you ever wondered just who these guys were and why they brought gold, frankincense and myrrh?

The Magi were from somewhere in the far east like Persia or Arabia, no one knows for sure, but they traveled a long way to worship Baby Jesus. The scripture doesn’t say how many there were, but the assumption has been that there were three because they brought three gifts.

They would have been very well-educated and had obviously read Old Testament prophecy, possibly written by Daniel. They would have likely been born into being Magi and would have counseled kings on what they knew of the stars. They were very well-respected by all people, including kings, for the special knowledge and wisdom they possessed.

The gifts they brought were very expensive and traditional for kings. The deeper spiritual meaning is that gold represented his kingship and divinity. The pagans often used gold to make idols. By presenting Jesus with gold, they were acknowledging that he was from God. Frankincense was used was often used in worship and with burnt offerings. It would have been symbolic of Jesus having a priestly role. Myrrh was used for embalming and the myrrh foreshadowed Jesus’ death.

Jesus was probably not a baby when they arrived. The scripture says he was a child. Theologians guess he was between one and two years old. When King Herod learned they were in his country, he requested a meeting with them. They told him they had come looking for the King of the Jews in order to worship him. Herod told them to come back to him when they found the child, so he could worship him too.

They continued to follow the star until it stopped over the place where the child was. (By the way, no one can explain the star. It was a supernatural gift from God.) “When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother Mary, and bowed down and worshipped him.” Matthew 2:10-11.

When it was time for them to go, they went home another way, because God warned them in a dream not to return to Herod. Ever notice how God has his hands all over the place, when you really look? These guys were the first on record to worship Jesus. They were the first to acknowledge his divinity and kingship and God protected them by telling them to go home another way. They were the first to seek and were rewarded with God’s protection.

Like the Magi, when we seek Jesus, we will always find him. The question then becomes: What do we seek from him? Do we seek forgiveness, healing, guidance, peace? Do we seek to worship?

I’m asking myself this Epiphany what it is I’m hoping to find on this quest for more Jesus. Maybe you would like to join me? Feel free to share.

Have an Awesome Day!

Wendy 🙂

Well, Thanksgiving Day has finally arrived. The dressing and pies have been made and the turkey has been cooked. I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for taking a few minutes out of your day each day, to read my posts. I have had so much encouragement from my readers. So, thanks from the bottom of my heart for sharing this journey with me.

While this day is a very happy day for many people, for others, it’s a really sad time. If you are one of those people, lean into Jesus today and ask for some strength and peace. He will give it to you. Be sure to keep your eyes and ears open for people who reach out to you. He may have sent them.

If this day is a happy day for you, I would like to encourage you to grab a piece of paper and jot down the ten things you are most thankful for. I’ll bet you will have a hard time stopping at ten.

Each year right before it’s time to eat our feast, my hubby quietly lights a candle in memory of his mom. He never says anything, but it’s a beautiful reminder that those we love never leave us. They will always be with us as long as we remember them. Feel free to join our tradition.

Please join me in a prayer for those men and women who can’t be home today because they are serving our country and keeping us free. Please join me in saying a prayer for those who are struggling today and extend a hand to help if you can. Please join me in a prayer of thanks for our many blessings because as a nation, we are truly blessed. “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. ” Psalm 107:1 I hope you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving!

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

     

Mission Nombre de Dios

Today is All Saint’s Day. I was raised Protestant and never gave All Saint’s Day a passing thought. I believed it was a Catholic holiday and I wasn’t Catholic, case closed. As I grew older, I began to think of All Saint’s Day as a day to be thankful for the saints who have passed through my life.

Dictionary.com defines a saint as a person of great holiness, virtue or benevolence. If I were to ask you what person or people in your life were most instrumental in pointing you to God, I’ll bet someone pops into your mind immediately. Many of us have been blessed with many saints along our way, those who always embodied the virtues of Jesus; you know those people who were always willing to share faith or show faith in their actions.

One of the saints in my life who I always say a special thanks for on All Saint’s Day, was my cousin Janice. She was more of a grandmother figure than cousin, and she was always at church. She and her husband Leonard, would come and pick up my sister and me for Sunday school every Sunday morning. My mother would meet us there for worship service. For some reason, Mom had a  difficult time getting two little girls who were fifteen months apart and herself, ready and dressed in time for Sunday school. That was also back in the days where you had to have a huge Sunday dinner on the table immediately following church. I’m sure she was exhausted.

Anyway, Janice was always happy to help. She also directed VBS every year. She would line us up outside of church and march us in singing, “Onward Christian Soldiers.” She was always involved in putting the yearly Christmas Pageant together as well. I accompanied her on more than one occasion where she brought dust rags and mop buckets to clean the church and even then, we weren’t allowed to run in the sanctuary. “It was God’s house,” she explained. We were supposed to respect it. There were many other church events at that tiny country church from Easter Egg hunts to cookouts and Janice was always there.

She was also the one in our super large family who organized baby showers and wedding showers and helped the bride get dressed on her special day. When my grandaddy died, she was the first one at our house. She always had a smile on her face and loved to laugh. She went home to be with God close to twenty years ago and I still think of her every time I begin organizing VBS each year. I think of her every time I contemplate putting together the next Christmas play and I think of her on All Saint’s Day.

Janice was one of the many saints in my life who left permanent footprints on my heart. Her faithful example of Christ helped to inspire me to try to do the same. So today, I will say a prayer of thanks for Janice and for all of the saints who have helped point the way to Jesus and I will pray that God will help me to be a saint in someone’s life. What about you? Who do you have to be thankful for on All Saint’s Day? Who has helped you on your faith walk? How are you helping others? Feel free to share.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

September 11th is still a tough day for me. It’s hard to believe that it’s been twelve years since our country was attacked. It seems just like yesterday. I suppose, for those of us who are old enough to remember it, it will be just like when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded or for my parents, when President Kennedy was shot. In moments like these, when unfathomable tragedy strikes, time seems to freeze. We are paralyzed with fear and  shock.  We all pull together as a nation. We are kinder to our neighbors or a stranger on the street. We drop down on our knees and pray. We go back to church. Life becomes more precious, for a time.

As life goes on, and even after the darkest times, it does, we forget. We forget the shock and pain. We forget the things in life that really matter most: faith, family and friends. We forget to take time to be kind to that stranger or our neighbors. We forget to pray. We get busy again with work, schedules, practices, kids, you fill in the blank. We get busy with life and we forget, until the next tragedy occurs.

Whether it’s a national or personal tragedy, we promise ourselves once again, to do better with balancing what matters the most and everything else. We make promises to turn back to God where we get our strength and peace. I am going to take this day to thank God for the blessings He has bestowed upon our country. I’m going to thank Him for freedom and peace here in our homeland. I’m going to pray for our leaders and that He will grant them wisdom to lead us in this deeply divided world. I’m going to ask Him to help our nation turn back to Him. I’m going to ask Him to be with those who lost someone precious to them on that day. I’m going to thank Him for my husband and my children, for my friends and my family. I’m going to ask Him to help me remember that everyday on this planet is a gift.

Then I’m going to go hug my children, kiss my husband, pet my dogs and take a walk and soak up His creation. I think I will have ice cream for desert. Because this is the day that the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it. Let’s make every minute count. How will you remember 911?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂