Marilyn's Mussings

Have you ever watched someone with a baby? Oh, the faces, voices and sounds! The love that wells up in us for an innocent baby tends to make our response honest and vulnerable.  What then is our response to baby Jesus? God lovingly placed a star in the sky the night Jesus was born. Far away in the east, the Magi saw it.  Much of what they did involved the stars, so God put that star where they were looking. He meant for them to come. Scripture says they went straight to Jerusalem and asked where the baby was. It must have puzzled them that the religious leaders did not know about the birth of the new King. By now Jesus was no longer a newborn. The religious leaders knew the scripture but were unaware of the Savior.  With new information, the Magi headed to Bethlehem. As they began, that same star reappeared! They followed the star to the exact house in which Jesus lived. There, they bowed down and worshiped the Christ Child.  "Worship" in the ancient Orient, paints a...

I love nativity sets. I love each artist's depiction of Mary and Joseph with hearts to follow God, and the sweet baby they both look at adoringly. As we gaze with them, we are acutely aware of what Mary and Joseph knew then, and what the world did not yet know. This baby was the Son of God, Immanuel, Jesus the Christ. There was no fanfare in the city of Bethlehem the night Jesus was born. Mary and Joseph slipped in so unnoticed that there was not even a place for them to stay. Our Savior's first bed was a manger. It was a non-event for the city. People went about their everyday routine interrupted only by the activities of the day.  The fanfare happened in a nearby field with shepherds and sheep. It was unexpected and sudden. The shepherds found themselves standing in the midst of great light - the glory of the Lord, the manifest presence of God Himself. An angel appeared with a message. It was good news, the best of news, news of great joy for all people. "For Unto you is...

Have you ever thought that if God would just call you by name and tell you what to do, you would do it?  That’s what happened to Mary. She was a young, innocent teenage girl when God sent His angel Gabriel to her with a message. He called her name, eased her fear, and told her that God had chosen her to be the mother of the long awaited Messiah. She got important details. The pregnancy will be a work of the Holy Spirit. The baby will be the Son of God. His name will be Jesus. Mary's response was simple and full of peace. "I am God's servant. May it be as you have said." She got some personal information too. Her relative Elizabeth, who was way too old to have a baby, was six months pregnant. "Nothing is impossible with God." So Mary went to see Elizabeth. It was there, through Elizabeth, that God lovingly confirmed what He was doing in Mary. With the confirmation came more peace for Mary, so much so that it propelled her to song! God still speaks today. Not ...

Did you have plans? Then something unexpected happened? Joseph had plans. He was going to make Mary his wife and they would have a life like those around him. Yes, he was of the line of David, but so many others were as well. He surely had no idea how that detail would play into his future. And then he found out his anticipated bride was pregnant. In kindness he prepared to remove himself from her quietly, but before he could, an angel came to him in a dream and stopped him. The baby Mary carried was from the Holy Spirit. This was the sign Isaiah told us would come. Imagine the intimacy both Joseph and Mary felt when God revealed that long awaited sign to them personally. Oh, the hope that must have swelled in their hearts! And now that God-given hope would empower Joseph through the coming hurdles. With purposeful obedience amidst the hushed voices around him and the questions within him, he proceeded. He journeyed to Bethlehem with Mary, full term, and found there was no place to ...

Have you ever pondered exactly when Ruth became a believer? Naomi had two daughters-in-law. Scripture is clear that they both had a good relationship with Naomi. She was special to them in that she was the mother of their husbands. But upon the death of those men, they were forced to walk together through a tragedy like none other. The shared grief must have fostered a unique kind of closeness between the three women. When Naomi decided to go home to Bethlehem, she encouraged the two young women to go back to their own homes in Moab.  "May the Lord show kindness to you, as you have shown to your dead and to me. May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband." (Ruth 1:8b-9 NIV) Scripture says that she kissed them but they wept aloud as they protested. After some discussion, the one daughter-in-law, while weeping, kissed Naomi and left. She loved her and maybe it was hard, but she left all the same. Ruth stayed. Scripture says she clung to Nao...

When Ruth said to Naomi, "Your people shall be my people," neither of them were thinking about where they would spend Thanksgiving or which traditions they would hold on to for Christmas. But those decisions have the potential to crumble mountains in some families. Decisions about the holidays may be the hardest "in-law" test for new couples and their parents. From what I have observed, the mothers-in-law that navigate holidays the best are those who had the most heartache as daughters-in-law. The difficulty they experienced seems to make them the most gracious to the new couple. Holidays are hard. My first thanksgiving with my husband's family was a bit of a shock. Everything was completely foreign to what I knew and I wanted to cry. Every couple's prior holiday experiences are different and both assume that what they came from is the right way. They will need time to adjust and figure out what their own holidays will look like. I came to appreciate the Joh...

Entreat me not to leave you, Or to  turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people  shall be  my people, And your God, my God. Ruth 1:16 The many years of history you shared with your son have built the relationship you have with him now. The years were full of happy, caring and loving experiences, as well as hard experiences. You went through them together. You also had misunderstandings the two of you wrestled with and resolved. That combination fostered the strong, trusting relationship you both enjoy. You know his heart and he knows yours. Communication at this point in your lives is easy.  Your time with your son's wife is obviously quite a bit shorter and is at least in some part filtered through your son. As much as you may want it, your relationship with her will never be what she has experienced with her own mother. You just don't have that history. Still, your relationship with her ...

Autumn is peeking in my window and while the air is crisp and cool, my heart is warmed at the sight. The beautiful trees that have been slow to cooperate with the calendar show vibrant colors that contradict the loss of life within. It is the rhythm of the seasons and it reminds us that our sovereign God controls the universe.  There is a rest in Autumn unlike the other seasons. It is as if the activity of summer stops to regroup and shift gears, carving out a time of quiet that is full of expectation. The stores declare that Christmas is nudging its way in, but we refuse to listen. We need the sabbath of Autumn. The change in season doesn't last long but if we want it, Autumn offers a time of relative calm, and renewed perspective. The season itself prompts us to look outward, beyond ourselves, and forward to all that is coming. The sights and smells stir up the heart's memory and bend us toward thankfulness. One of the constants in our life, no matter how we have celebrated i...

Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. Ruth 1:16 NKJV During the late 1970's and early 1980's, this was a much loved scripture chosen many times to be read at weddings. As a young woman, I too loved it and thought it to be romantic. The fact that it was in the Bible made it all the better. While these words are beautiful when read aloud and are certainly fitting for a wedding, the context of the scripture is not about a marriage relationship at all. They are words spoken by a woman to her mother-in-law. The life story of that woman, Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi, is written in the Old Testament book of Ruth. God used the lives of these real women to tell about the coming Christ, our Redeemer, who would come years later from the lineage of Ruth. Naomi, her husband and two sons found themselves in the midst of a fami...

From the moment they put him in your arms, he captured your heart. You wondered how it was possible to instantly love him so much. But you did, and it was wonderfully satisfying. You were forever a willing captive to that love. You took that precious blue bundle home and showered him with love, kisses and snuggles. The two of you began a journey in which your lives would forever be intertwined.  By the time he was a toddler, he was your little man. You cared for him, prayed for him and supported him in every aspect of his life. You were there when he fell off his big wheel, kicked the soccer ball and struggled with his math facts. When he asked Jesus to come into his heart, you were there too and you got to watch him grow in his faith. You prayed him through middle school and prayed for the woman he would marry. In what seemed like a blink of the eye, your little man became a responsible, accomplished grown man.  Somewhere close to the same time that you were snuggling with yo...

While I was teaching at Jacksonville State University, students many times would wait after class to ask questions. One day a young man approached me with quite a different question. "You are a Christian, aren't you?" he said. During the conversation that followed, I learned that he too was a believer in Jesus Christ and we formed a friendship. He had an elderly grandmother who lived in Gadsden, where I lived, and she was a member of Twelfth Street Baptist Church, where my membership was. She had been a shut-in for some time and I had never met her.  A few years after John graduated, his grandmother died and I went to the funeral home hoping to see him and offer my condolences. I walked into the parlor where her family was receiving friends and did not see John. I had not so much as seen a picture of her or any other member of the family. I suddenly panicked and wondered if I had walked into the wrong place! That's a little bit how I felt this morning when we went to ...

We were living in Japan in the Fall of 1967 and Billy Graham was coming to Tokyo. The whole church buzzed with excitement. As they made plans to take a group each night, I made plans to invite my friend Maya. Maya did not attend our church, her family was Catholic, but she was a good friend and I loved her. She was as excited as I was at the prospect of an adventure to Tokyo and ran into her house to ask her mother if she could go. Maya's mother said yes, but with one requirement. She had to go to confession first. My 11 year old mind was puzzled. Not knowing the mind of her mother, I still wonder if she wanted to make sure Maya was all "confessed up" before going to a religious gathering, or if it was such a bad thing to go hear the protestant evangelist that she needed to confess ahead of time. So I dismissed the whole priest thing at that point and decided that was for Catholics and the Old Testament.  You can do that for a while...until you read Hebrews. God began app...

It was Leah's birthday and her big present was a new desk for her room. Stephen was four and very excited to be in on the secret. We emphasized over and over that he was not to tell Leah about the gift. That evening, the cake was set before her and the candles were lit. Before we could sing the first note of "Happy Birthday," Stephen blurted out "We got you a present and it's not a desk!" Kids are easy to read, so much so that many times there's no reading involved, just listening. Adults, however are much more savvy. Knocks in life teach us to hide thoughts and feelings that might make us vulnerable. Even in our inner dialog, we may question, spin, and justify motives until we have masked the truth from ourselves. God knows, but a busy life is fertile soil for not acknowledging Him in those matters. Hebrews 4:12 is a verse we all love and many have memorized.  For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword. It speaks of the p...

I was reading through the book of Revelation this week and as I began I was struck by the apostle John's situation. He was the last living apostle and he was old, around 90. All the other apostles at this point were gone, having died horrible deaths for their faith. Now here was John, the youngest disciple, still alive, still sharing Jesus. And that's what got him in trouble. Because of his continued testimony of Jesus Christ, he was exiled to the Island of Patmos. So I was thinking about what a rich life he had lived, all he had seen and experienced, how we got to see him mature in his faith. He was "the disciple that Jesus loved." He knew Jesus loved him! But then, at the end of his life, he was taken away from the every day of his home, his people, and his God given ministry. A 90 year old man, alone, left to die out in the elements on a small island, certainly not able to do ministry. But we don't have to wonder what he was thinking. While I might ha...

The Toddler Challenge has been all over social media and even showed up on some news programs. A mother sits her toddler at the table with a cookie or a bowl of candy and tells the child not to eat it until she returns. She leaves for a short time and keeps the camera rolling. This results in so many cute pictures of precious, though not always innocent toddlers. My favorites are those in which the child licks his lips, or smells the treat, or just excitedly holds his hands back in anticipation. But the one that made me laugh the hardest was the little fellow who popped a piece of the candy in his mouth and chewed fast, while full body dancing. He then calmly sat down to wait for his mom, the picture of innocence. The Toddler Challenge is interesting, funny and sweet, as well as a great open door for teaching. Our response to "challenges" are not usually interesting, funny or sweet, but God always intends they be an open door for Him to teach us. He sets us up wi...

It has always bothered me when people have said that Jesus was tempted so He would know what it feels like for us, and help us. That doesn't make sense to me. Because Jesus is God, He would have known that before He ever came to the earth. So was it that He was tempted so that we would know that He knows? Or is it simply part of Him being fully man?  Then Hebrews 2:18 tells us that because Jesus "suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." Why did Jesus suffer when tempted and how does that help us? Obedience is not always easy and we are faced with the temptation to not obey every day. Just making those decisions can be painful and choosing to obey even more painful. We don't always stand up to temptation very well. Sometimes we do okay but other times we don't suffer at all as we choose to disobey.  But Jesus learned obedience when tempted and it was painful. While He never sinned, as a man He was susceptible to sin.  Suf...

Barabbas was a really bad guy. Mark 15:7 says he was "among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder."  Jesus, on the other hand, was the Son of God and the only one who has ever lived a perfect life. Jesus's mother was Mary, but Jesus's Father was God Himself. Mary was a virgin when the Holy Spirit put Jesus inside her womb. As an adult Jesus taught, healed the sick, miraculously fed thousands and even raised the dead. People got really excited about all that He was doing and began to gather in large crowds around Him. But then things changed. One week they were waving palm branches and praising Him as he entered town, the next week they wanted Him killed. An angry mob had Him arrested and beaten. Ultimately they would nail His hands and feet to a cross and leave Him hanging there until He died. But the best part is that three days later He conquered death and rose from the grave, never to die again! In so doing He made a path to eternal life for us. W...

The first temptation that resulted in the first sin has had an effect on all mankind since Adam and Eve. The serpent told Eve that she would not die if she ate the fruit of the tree that God had forbidden, but that she would be "like God." (Genesis 3) I have had a hard time relating to that exactly. I think we are like God in that we are made in His image, and that's huge! So why was that a temptation to Eve, and how does my sin say that I want to be like God? It was in fact a temptation to Eve and she succumbed to it. She looked at that tree and saw that it was good for food , and a delight to the eyes , took the fruit and ate it! (Genesis 3:6) But wait, God had filled the earth, and specifically the Garden of Eden with oh so many trees and plants that were  pleasant to the sight and good for food . "You shall have them for food" He said. All except one.  (Genesis 1:29-30, 2:9,16-17) So why was that a temptation to Eve? What she wanted God had alrea...

What most of us know about leprosy is that it was a really bad skin disease. The previously incurable disease wreaked havoc so long ago it's hard for us to wrap our heads around it today. During Bible times, it was completely incurable and effected more than skin but also blood and bones. The body and life of a leper literally rotted away. A leper was considered unclean and was isolated physically, socially and emotionally. We know now that leprosy spreads by airborne respiratory droplets. Sound familiar? As I studied this passage for Sunday, my head and my heart went soaring to the many accounts of loved ones in hospitals fighting Covid-19. Like leprosy, it also is a cruel disease that has demanded its victims fight and even die alone. They too are isolated physically, socially and emotionally. In Mark 1:40-45, we see that Jesus was busy in His earthly ministry and getting a lot of attention. So much so that He got the attention of a leper. While the leper should have ...

My friend Miriam is an excellent seamstress. One Spring she was busy working on a soft blue one piece outfit for her newest grandson. His big brother was close by and asked "MeMe, what are you doing?" "I'm making an Easter outfit for your new baby brother." Recognizing the very real and normal possibility that he might be jealous of this new little person in his life, she went on to reassure him that she would also be making him an Easter outfit. With long legs, a horrified look, and a bit of a quiver in his voice he said "like that?!" We all laughed as she retold that story but it came back to my mind this week after having some intentional conversation around the table. I was one of six ladies, all different ages, all different stages in life. We all agreed that as believers we want desperately to be in God's will. For the most part our struggle is not choosing between good and bad. We for sure recognize that choice. But what abo...