Welcoming the baby Jesus this Christmas season...

December 11, 2016

Merry Christmas everyone!

I can't believe another Christmas is upon us - and the end of another year. As our family was doing Sunday morning Bible study together, Roger started us out from the very beginning; in Genesis chapter 3 with God's first proclamation of the Gospel. Speaking to Satan, God said, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

We talked about several reasons why Jesus had to actually come to earth as a man; to save us from our sins, to be able to be a high priest who understands us and has compassion on us, and to crush our enemy. This is the simplified version...

We all know, of course, that Jesus wasn't born on December 25th. And there are many Christians who choose not to celebrate Christmas for various reasons. Some say that we shouldn't celebrate the birth of Christ - that his death, burial, and Resurrection are what are ultimately important. And yes, of course. The question was asked of Amy and Josiah this morning: Could God have saved us without sending Jesus? Could He have? I supposed He could do anything He wanted. But the beauty of the incarnation is Emmanuel; God with us.

Jesus is the very face of God - the express image of His likeness. In Christ we see not only God's holiness, but also God's love, God's grace, God's mercy, God's compassion...John 1:17 says, "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." Emmanuel; God with us. Wow. God chooses to dwell with us! The question remains, what will we do with Emmanuel? Will we welcome him and worship him? Or will we, like the inn-keepers in Bethlehem, find no room for him in our inn?

This Christmas, we are reminded of this in another way as well.

I've seen some things on social media lately about "unnecessary and unwanted children" flooding the foster-care system because of pro-life legislation being passed. I don't think Jesus considers any child "unnecessary" or "unwanted." God, Himself is the giver of life; life is a gift.  The people in Mary's community may very well have considered Jesus both "unnecessary" and definitely "unwelcome." His was a life surrounded by shame and disgrace and inconvenience. But God often uses the shameful things of this world to confound the wise. Jesus gives us the example, both in word and in deed. "Let the little children come to me," he said...and did so, astounding the adults who viewed the children as entities to be seen and not heard. In a chilling passage of Scripture in Matthew 25: 31-46 He said, "As you do it to the least of these, so you do it to me," and, "As you do NOT do it to one of the least of these, you HAVE NOT done it to me."

Children are valued in God's economy.

This Christmas, God has given our family the privilege of welcoming "one of the least of these." Her name is Tina. Tina was born about 28 weeks gestation, according to the hospital, and was promptly abandoned. At 1 week old, my friend Jedidah (who runs Mercy Rescue Children's Home), began working to "rescue" her from the hospital. Tina was strong, but not being well fed or cared for. It's not that the nurses don't care, but there are so many who need care, and so few staff to do the work. Tina was abandoned, so there was no family to help care for her - she just didn't rate the time and attention needed to keep her alive and healthy.

The weekend before Jedidah was able to get her released from the hospital she called me. "It's okay to say no, but is there any way you could help out with her for a while?" I told her I'd run it by Roger and get back with her as soon as possible.

Roger and I talked about it; it was a really busy time for us. Chloë is a total handful of a toddler right now; I was in my very last week of my counseling class, and my final exam was a 16 page research paper on attachment disorders; Amy and Josiah were coming home and needed our attention. We didn't think it was possible to add a 28 week old preemie who would need around the clock feedings to the mix. We made the decision to say no.

That night as I worked on my research paper, I was writing about the good observations and recommendations secular psychologists have made about children who have been robbed - for a variety of reasons - of the chance to form attachments; observations and recommendations we need to listen to and be aware of. At the same time, secular psychologies only get half the story - if that - because they discount the reality of the spiritual battle these children are embroiled in. They don't realize that "...we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12) God began to speak to my heart and empress on it that His people need to be willing to stand in the gap for these precious, helpless, most vulnerable little ones. They are victims in a plan of attack to obliterate God's image from the face of the earth. Satan knows he's lost the battle, but the battle isn't over yet, and he still has his sting. Is there ever a "convenient time" for spiritual battle? "Oh, I don't think I'll go into spiritual battle today; I have too much to do."

Sounds a lot like that passage in Matthew 25..."Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ (vs 41-45) - "My name was Tina..."

I talked to Roger after that and lo and behold, he'd been thinking the same thing. Imagine that. We called Jedidah and told her yes.

So, Tina came. Oh, the precious little one. And yes, we are tired. But she has been rescued from the death grip of her Arch Enemy.

Since then, Roger and I have felt led by God to work with Mercy Rescue Children's Home and help them when these tiny ones come their way. Amazingly, we have experience, having done this with both Chloë and now Tina. We've learned how to handle these tiny ones, how to feed them from a feeding tube, how to keep them warm, and how to teach them to eat from a bottle. Most of all, we love them and give them one-on-one contact that is so imperative to their growth and development (Jedidah has told us she sees and unbelievable difference between infants who have this one-on-one attention and infants who do not). This time around we also have a good pediatrician to consult with; I have her personal phone number and What'sApp contact and can get in to see her immediately when the need arises. These preemies only come around a couple of times a year, but that's good, because when Tina goes to Mercy Rescue, Roger and I are going to need some good solid nights of sleep!

So, we are asking you if you want to get involved. It'd be good to have things on hand when the need arises instead of scrambling around trying to improvise at the last minute. There are two ways you can help; one more immediate, and one more future.

First, there are supplies we need to stock up on. Preemie diapers, formula, bottles and nipples, clothes, pacifiers, etc. I have created a "wish list" on Amazon.com that gives details for all of this. If you want to help out, please go to this link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/19X2PEG4Z7A4J/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_2  If you wish to help us with these needs, you can find our mailing address in my profile.

Second, these precious ones will need temporary sponsors once they go back to Jedidah at Mercy Rescue Children's Home. The reason I say temporary is because one of the missions of Mercy Rescue is to match these precious children with Kenyan foster parents who will love them and raise them as their own. This is no small task and takes a lot of vetting and follow-up, but I love this part of Mercy Rescue. Until that point, though, diapers and formula are really expensive. For an infant, I estimate the sponsorship would be between $65 and $70 per month. This would cover diapers, formula, and medical care. If this is something you would be interested in, you can contact Jedidah on their website: http://www.mercyrescue.co.uk/ Or, you can find them on Facebook. You can even contact me if you are interested specifically in one of the babies we help with. When the babies are with us, the costs will come out of our pocket; that's the way we want it; but we can help you get in touch with Jedidah for when a particular baby will be back with her and you can begin sponsoring the child at that point.

In the next day or so, I will set up a page on this blog that will keep track of the children. Right now, of course, there is only Tina.

Would you please consider helping us help these precious little ones today?