Terms once complimentary can be turned into something derogatory. One of those terms is bleeding hearts. Once the words were used to describe a sincere desire to help those less fortunate. They were associated with the love and generosity of our Savior. Now they are used to insult those who wish to support the needy in our world as overly sympathetic simpletons. How have we come to this! We who are charged with words from our Savior himself to care for the stranger, fatherless and widows among us! Lord, help us!

As believers Scripture tells us we are the body of Christ, but sometimes I wonder about myself. When I look at myself it’s difficult to imagine such a thing. I’m far from perfect and Christ is absolutely perfect. Can there be any faulty cells in Christ’s Body? I know the answer; there are no faulty cells. That’s what this season is all about. He came as a human in the same way as us, a helpless baby, and lived and died in perfect submission to his Father. He knew we couldn’t live perfectly so he did it for us. He is perfect and in him we are perfect too. Thank you, Lord!

My grocery cart was stuck on the curb. As I struggled to release it, a car stopped and a young man jumped out, ran over and lifted the cart off the curb and onto the street. Without a word he returned to his car and waited there blocking traffic until I and my contrary cart were across the street. How often do you meet an angel in a Snoopy sweatshirt and a Santa hat at the Walmart parking lot!

My prayer life can be a mess sometimes. It’s not just interruptions, although they can be a problem. I find it hard to focus as a multitude of thoughts try to bully themselves into the front of my attention. So many items hanging around on my to-do list. Did I forget to call someone or reply to a text or email. When I realize what’s happening I pause, tell God I’m sorry and remember three words. When I’m talking to my Father, I need to be concentrating on being thankful, thoughtful and absolutely truthful with him.

Like most of you, I pray every day for my family, my friends and others who need God’s help. My prayers are for their various needs, but always they’re for their safety. I pray for lots of angels to go with them wherever they go, to hover all over and around them and keep them safe. Then one day, it came to me, why am I asking for so many angels. Wouldn’t one angel be quite enough?

The king shouted, yelled, jumped up and down like a receiver in the end zone after catching the winning football pass. Bang the symbols and drums! Blow the trumpets! Let all nature join in the excitement! He threw off any clothes that hindered him in his wild enthusiastic worship dance before God. The ark of the covenant, the symbol of God’s presence, was entering Jerusalem. This Advent season reminds us Jesus is coming to bring hope, peace and Joy to this earth, ending a world of suffering. Our Savior is coming! Can our worship be any less!

How can I love him? I can’t pray enough. I can’t give enough. I can’t serve enough. I can’t obey enough. I can’t read my Bible enough. Maybe I need to fast more. No, none of what I can do is enough to express the love, appreciation and thankfulness I have for what my Savior has done for me. He has given me the greatest gift, the pearl of great price, and that gift is him.

“I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith” (Romans 1:11-12, NIV). When I read these words of the apostle Paul, it reminds me how important it is to connect with other followers of Jesus. Though it’s best to meet in person, one good aspect of our modern technology is that even the home bound can attend church and Bible studies and participate in support groups online. We don’t all have the same gifts. We need one another’s encouragement in the faith.

Have you ever thought about how many ways God shows his love for us? He designed this earth with us in mind. Unlike other planets in our solar system ours is perfect for us in every way. Our world is not only functional, it is also beautiful with mountains, rivers, streams and gorgeous sunrises and sunsets. He gave us the colorful exotic birds, fish and other creatures he’s designed for us to enjoy.  When we had three inches of rain after weeks of dry weather that rain was worth millions of dollars to the farmers and ranchers here. God’s love is limitless!

When Jesus came to resurrect Lazarus I’ve wondered why he was so troubled and upset. He knew he was going to resurrect Lazarus in a very short time, yet he wept. Was he sorrowful about death itself, yet he was death’s conqueror. Then I heard a pastor say Jesus was experiencing Mary’s and Martha’s grief, taking their grief into himself, feeling their pain. Yes, our comforter, our dear friend, grieving with us when we grieve and rejoicing with us when we are joyful. That sounds like the Jesus I know!