I want to tell you a Christmas story. It was Christmas Eve–the one night in the year when 7-year-old Bobby was in a hurry to go to bed. His stocking was tacked to the mantel. The beautiful tree stood in the corner. He kissed his mother and father good night, then he raced upstairs and leaped into bed.
It seemed to Bobby that he hadn’t been asleep any time when a harsh voice shouted, “Get up!” He opened his eyes, blinking in the bright sunlight. Then he remembered what day it was.
With a joyful shout, he hurried into his clothes and bounded down the stairs. On the bottom step, he stopped. No stocking hung from the mantel. The Christmas tree was gone too. “But but I put the paper angels on myself,” Bobby began when the shrill whistle from the factory nearby made him jump.
The Missing Jesus
“The factory can’t be open on Christmas!” Bobby thought, as he put on his coat and ran out of the house. The gateman at the factory was his friend. He would tell Bobby why–, “Clear out of here, you!” The gateman jerked his thumb at him. “No kids allowed!”
As Bobby slowly turned to go, he saw to his amazement that up and down the street all the stores were open. “Why are they open on Christmas?” he asked a woman coming out of the supermarket.
“Christmas?” the woman asked, “What’s that?”
The hardware store, the bakery, the five-and-ten–everywhere it was the same. People were busy. They were cross. They’d never heard of Christmas.
I know one place where they’ve heard of Christmas!” Bobby cried. “At my church! There’s a special service this morning.”
He started to run. Here was the street! At least he thought it was. But here was only a weed-grown vacant lot. The tower with the carillon bells, the Sunday school windows where Bobby had pasted snowflakes-there was nothing here.
Just then, from the tall grass near the side of the road, Bobby heard a moan. A man was lying on the ground. “A car struck me!” he gasped. “Never even stopped!”
“Help!” called Bobby to a lady walking past. “This man’s hurt!”
The lady jerked Bobby away. “Don’t touch him! He doesn’t live here. We don’t know anything about him.
“I’ll run to the hospital. mister,” Bobby promised. “They’ll send an ambulance!” And he tore off down the street.
“Hospital of the Good Samaritan,” Bobby had often read the name over the archway in the great stone wall. But now the stone wall ran around an empty field. Where the name of the hospital had been, was carved instead, “If He Had Not Come.”
Thank God He Came
Suddenly Bobby was running home as if his life depended on it. Last night his father had read from the Bible! Maybe the Bible would tell him why everything was changed. The Bible was still lying on the table in the living room. Bobby snatched it up, and ran upstairs to his room. But where the New Testament should have started, there were only blank pages. There was no Christmas story–no Jesus at all. Bobby flung himself on his bed and began to cry.
“Merry Christmas, Bobby!” It was his mother’s voice from downstairs. “Aren’t you getting up on Christmas morning?”
Bobby sprang out of bed and ran to the window. There was a Christmas wreath on the house across the street. And suddenly the carillon bells from the church tower began to ring: “Joy to the World! The Lord is come!”
“Here I come, mother!” Bobby called. But he paused at the door and shut his eyes. “You came!” he whispered. “Thank you for coming!”
A Christmas Story? For Mother's Day?
A Christmas trick and a Christmas story? In May? On Mothers’ Day? I must have finally flipped and gone bonkers! That may be true. But there is an explanation.
There are only three places in the New Testament that any mention is made of the words Mary, Jesus’ mother, actually spoke. The first incident is recorded in the Gospel of Luke. It’s part of the Christmas story. It is Mary’s response to Gabriel’s message.
“The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a Galilean town, Nazareth by name, to a young woman who was engaged to a man called Joseph (a descendant of David). The girl’s name was Mary. The angel entered her room and said, “Greetings to you, Mary. O favored one! the Lord be with you!”
Mary was deeply perturbed at these words and wondered what such a greeting could possibly mean. But the angel said to her: “Do not be afraid, Mary; God loves you dearly. You are going to be the mother of a son, and you will call him Jesus. He will be great and will be known as the Son of the most high. The Lord God will give him the throne of his forefather, David, and he will be King over the people of Jacob forever. His reign shall never end.”
Then Mary spoke to the angel, “How can this be?” she said. “I am not married!” But the angel made this reply to her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the most high will overshadow you. Your child will therefore be called Holy – the Son of God. Your cousin Elisabeth has also conceived a son, old as she is. Indeed, this is the sixth month for her. a woman who was called barren. For no promise of God can fail to be fulfilled.”
“I belong to the Lord, body and soul,” replied Mary, “let it happen as you say.” At this the angel left her.
For Mary, the most important thing was to obey God– to let His will be done. And if He could use her, that was her heart’s desire. If people did not understand, if people told lies about her, that was okay. She could trust God to work it all out.
I suggest to you that there is no greater attitude, no greater commitment, no greater trust by which anyone can live – man, woman or child – than that which was expressed by Mary:
“I belong to the Lord, body and soul. Let it happen as you say.”
(Luke 1:26-38 Phillips, Paraphrased)
What Mary allowed to happen changed all history. For a horrifying moment Bobby saw what the world would be like if Jesus hadn’t come -if Mary hadn’t been willing to let God use her.
The Power of a Believing Mother
Edith Deen, writing in The Bible’s Legacy for Womanhood, describes the God-given destiny of women and mothers. “Woman’s chief legacy is her divine destiny as outlined in the Genesis story of the creation. She is born to rise toward spiritual perfection until at last she is united with God, her creator.”
“All the imaginative art and technical genius in the world could never develop a creature of such lofty dignity, beauty of spirit, and loveliness of face and form, as woman in the beginning. But Eve’s early transgression illustrates how woman is prone to lose sight of her divine destiny and deny her God-given legacy.”
The Bible is full of stories of great women and great mothers whose lives gave voice to Mary’s words. By allowing God to use them they and their children accomplished great things for God.
These Women:
- Saw and spoke to angels
- Were midwives & nurses
- Agricultural managers
- Masons building towns and walls,
- Diplomats
- Ruling queens
- Weavers and manufacturers of fabrics
- Tentmakers
- Teachers and doorkeepers
- Founders of Hebrew Commonwealth
- Judge and deliverer
- Prophetess
- Liberator
- Teachers of faith
- Bearers of wisdom
- Fearless leaders who taught trust
Four Godly Mothers
I want to briefly tell you about four of these mothers.
Hannah
The first is Hannah. Because of her faith and trust in God, and her desire to serve Him, all Israel was blessed. She was one of two wives of Elkanah. She had no children. To be childless was considered a great disgrace. Her trust in God was rewarded when she finally bore a child.
Hannah had promised God if He would give her a son, that son would be raised in the service of the Lord. Hannah brought Samuel to the aged priest Eli. Each year she wove the boy a coat and brought it when she came annually to Shiloh to make her sacrifice.
Samuel grew up to be one of Israel’s greatest prophet-leaders. Later bless God continued to Hannah and she became the mother of five other children and was regarded as a prophetess. (I Samuel 1, 2)
Abigail
Abigail was the resourceful and charming wife of Nabel of Carmel. Abigail, too, wanted to serve and please God. Her story is a little different. Nabel, Abigail’s husband, foolishly and churlishly turned away David’s messengers. She knew that if David attacked Nabel there would be must bloodshed and destruction. Unknown to her husband, Abigail brought gifts to pacify David, and thus avert the raid on Nabel.
After Nabel’s death, David married Abigail. She shared David’s hardships at Gath, and was even captured once. Later, she lived at Hebron with David and was mother of his son, Chileab or Daniel. (I Samuel 25, 27, 30; II Samuel 2:2)
Deborah
The third heroine is Deborah. In the days of the judges, Sisera and the Canaanites had been raiding the tribes of Israel for several years. Deborah, aided by Barak, rallied the tribes of Israel to unite in an attack on Sisera and the Canaanites. In the great battle at Kishon, a violent storm helped the tribes defeat the and Barak Canaanites. Deborah immortalized the victory in a famous ode or Song. Deborah was looked up to as one of the great leaders and judges of the tribes in the period before the kingdom. (Judges 4-5)
Jochebed
The fourth heroine is Jochebed, the wife of Amram. She is best remembered as the mother of Moses and Aaron. The writer of Exodus states that Jochebed was the daughter of Levi. A resourceful person, Jochebed hid her infant son, Moses, from the Pharoah’s squads by putting him in a watertight crib along the Nile near where the Princess walked. The ruse worked when the princess discovered the baby and hired Jochebed to be the nurse for Moses.
Although Moses was raised in the luxury of the Egyptian court, he never forgot that he was a Hebrew. Jochebed counteracted all the corroding forces of the Pharaoh’s palace during Moses’ formative years and deserves much credit for molding the character of the great leader. (Exodus 2:1; 6:20; Numbers 26:59)
Mary's Heart's Desire
When mothers make Mary’s desire their desire, God is able to accomplish great things through them.
The second recorded words of Mary are also in the Gospel of Luke. Her words are in the lyrical passage called “Mary’s Song.” This is a collection of phrases from the Old Testament. These are the first words of this Song that I want to call to your attention. Mary sings:
My heart is overflowing with praise to my Lord; my soul is full of joy in God my Savior.
For he has deigned to notice me, his humble servant
and after this, all the people who ever shall be will call me the happiest of women!
The one who can do all things has done great things for me – oh, holy is his Name!
Truly, his mercy rests on those who fear him in every generation.
(Luke 1:46-50 Phillips)
In an ideal world, these words would be the song that every mother sings. But this is not an ideal world. This is a world in which many are born unwanted. Many children are abused. Anger and resentment often flow between mother and children. The circumstances under which many children are conceived are anything but ideal.
All of that can be changed in the twinkling of an eye.
It is done simply confessing:
“Father, I have sinned against You and my children. But you can change all that. Right now, in this place, on this mothers’ day, renounce all my negative and bad feelings towards my children and about my children. Right now, I officially make Mary’s Song my song. Thank You for counting me worthy to bear the gifts of the children You have entrusted to me, cleanse them and heal them of all the damage my wrong attitudes and actions have caused. Give me Your Love for my children. And in Jesus’ Name I make Mary’s Song my Song: ‘My heart is overflowing with praise to my Lord; my soul is full of joy in God my Savior. For he has deigned to notice me, his humble servant and, and after this, all the people who ever shall be will call me the happiest of Women! The one who can do all things has done great things for me- oh, holy is his Name! Truly. his mercy rests on those who fear him in every generation.'”
Do What Jesus Says To Do
The third and last recorded words that Mary spoke are in the Gospel of John. They were spoken at a marriage feast in Cana of Galilee. The words are these:
“Mind you do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5 Phillips)
What’s a mother to do? Do whatever Jesus says to do. That’s what Mary did. That’s what Mary told everyone else to do. Jesus enjoys nothing better and likes doing nothing better than helping us come alive to God. That is why you can pray the prayer with confidence to have Mary’s Song become your song.
Luke tells the story. Most people don’t realize what it really says. They want to protect Jesus’ dignity. Jesus had sent out 70 people, advance teams of two by two, to go into all the cities where He would be coming. Part of the instructions He gave them included preaching and healing the sick.
They came back full of joy and excited as all get out!”
“Lord…even the evil spirits obey us when we use your name!” (Luke 10:1-21 Phillips)
Then Jesus got all excited! The King James Version of the Bible says Jesus rejoiced in spirit. But the Greek means to exult or rejoice exceedingly. And the only way you do that, according to the Greek, is by jumping up and down and laughing and shouting “Hallelujahs!” Jesus was having a “hallelujah breakdown!”
Jesus gets excited over you when He can help you grab on to more and more of your rights and privileges as His blood bought brothers and sisters. He gave us the authority to use His name. The world uses the name of Jesus to curse and give people hell. Your job is to use His name and give people heaven. When you do, Jesus has a whopping good time!
What’s a mother to do? Do what Mary said to do – do whatever Jesus says to do. There is a way to pray that can help you do that. It is called a prayer tree.
It might seem at first that this prayer tree is a selfish way to pray. It isn’t meant to be. If you use it right, you will enter more and more into your inheritance as a child of God. and you will do more and more exploits for God.
A Prayer Tree
The prayer-tree is an exciting way for us to line our lives up to receive abundantly from God. There’s nothing about the prayer tree itself that does anything. It’s not some mystical spiritual device. It’s simply a tool to help you release your faith.
Here is how it works.
Take a sheet of paper and draw the base, trunk and three branches of a tree. Write “love” at the base, and the “Kingdom of God” on the tree trunk. The word “love” tells you that our rootage is in love, God’s love. Love is the lifeblood of your tree. Love nourishes the fruit of your tree. Anything that is not loving, anything that is not the most loving thing for you, will fall off the tree. Only that which can be nourished by love will stay on the tree.
The trunk of the tree is called “The Kingdom of God.” This tells you that God has a perfect plan for your life. He has perfect everything for you. That plan of perfectness includes the right people at the right time. You will find friendships you’ve never dreamed possible. There will be places for you to live and visit that will be a joy to you. You will receive material and spiritual things, an abundance of blessings. For all of these things are in god’s perfect will for you.
In order for God to give us His blessings we must be ready and open to receive. The prayer tree is a very useful tool to help us to be open. The roots and trunk are the handle of our tool. The branches are the business end of our tool, Therefore, on one branch write “people”, on the second branch write “places”, and on the third branch “things”, then draw lines radiating out from each branch.
On the “people” branch write the people you’d like to know and be associated with, either individual names, or the types of people you’d like to become associated with. You will discover with the names of these persons, as well as with places and things, your desire will increase for the people, places, and things that are in god’s will for you. People, places and things that are not in god’s will for you, you will lose interest for. Once you have done this, you will find yourself meeting and becoming friends with the most delightful people. You will be thrilled with the people God has for you to meet and know.
Now, on the “places” branch put the various places that you’d really like to visit or live. In time you’ll cross off some, for you will have lost the desire for them. But you will also discover that God will make it possible for you to visit places you never thought possible. Not only that, but God also works things out in a much more marvelous way than we could have done on our own.
On the “things” branch put both material and spiritual things. For example, you want a new coat. Put that on. But also, how about being clothed with a coat of patience? Or maybe you need a new car. Put that down. And while you’re at it, how about sandals of peace to get around in? Put that down too. Everything we want in the material world has its likeness in the spiritual world. It is a good practice to write both the material and spiritual together.
After you’ve made your prayer tree put it in your bible by the first Psalm where it says, “He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season.” as a reminder of those things you are asking God for. When you’ve done this, you will have planted your tree. You can be sure that God will bring forth the right fruit at the right time.
The prayer-tree is an excellent way of discovering and living God’s will for your life. In His will is the abundant life. I’m convinced that this kind of discovering and living of god’s will must come first in our lives. This kind of seeking and obeying will lead us out into the world. We will become involved in social issues, and in helping to right the wrongs done to others. But we will be doing it with power. We will see things happen, changes cone, because we will be acting and moving in the will and power of God.
And in the midst of it all, we will be living the most abundant life imaginable, Try the prayer-tree. It can open the doors for you to enter your abundant life.
