WATCHWORD:
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires. Psalm 37:4
I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” Psalm 40:8
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. John 15:11
Meditation:
en·chant·ment
noun: enchantment; plural: enchantments
1. a feeling of great pleasure; delight. “the enchantment of the mountains”
2. the state of being under a spell; magic. “a world of mystery and enchantment”
We are heading into the season of excitement and enchantment, that too often over-rides the reason for the season. Somewhere in the recesses of our minds is the memory of the child that you were as Thanksgiving and Christmas-time came around. Maybe it was the wonderful mystery of the “letter to Santa” where you spelled out your hopes and wishes for gifts. Maybe, like me, you recall, as a three-å year-old coming down the stairs and, for the first time, seeing a tree in the living room! “Daddy, there’s a tree in the living room, come and see!”
Yes, a time of enchantment for a child, like a sugar-high that lasted through the day. But our Lord didn’t promise us a momentary time of pleasure, or enchantment. Remember the Jesus promise: “that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”
I think that is exactly what happens when we live our lives creatively in Jesus. I believe that creativity is a force of enchantment, a grace that flows from our Lord. One of my favorite authors, Elizabeth George, expresses the belief that living creatively is both magical and magic. What she calls an energy life form, I believe is the work of our Creative God, in the Holy Spirit planted within each of us.
It is this that motivates us to live as Jesus would have us live, generously giving and doing likewise as he has instructed. This is really why the sin of worry, anger, anxiety and insecurities, all those negatives are so destructive. They crowd out the motivation to live creatively, to follow our Lord’s wee small voice.
Let’s say that you are aware of someone that is going through some rough times, have become sudden caregivers, adding to all the other demands their lives. Your awareness of their needs is preparing you to consider options that might lighten their load. Then, as you act, as you “go and do likewise”, the spirit of the Lord moves, and you sense the joy of the Lord is in you, and your joy is full. Is it magic? No. Yes. Oh, maybe just a little. But the magic is the touch of the Master’s hand.
It is the season of enchantment, the awareness of the peace of the Lord settling around us, even in the rush and crush of a different and maybe a difficult Thanksgiving time. We are gifted, each one of us. The graces abound in our lives. We are His, the sheep of His pasture. Rest in that Blessed Assurance. Remember to give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One. Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son. So be it.
Bulletin Board:
Courtesy of Country Living –
- “Knock knock!” “Who’s there?” “Norma Lee.” “Norma Lee who?” “Norma Lee I don’t drink eat this much!”
- “Knock knock!” “Who’s there?” “Tamara.” “Tamara who?” “Tamara we’ll eat all the leftovers!”
- “Knock knock!” “Who’s there?” “Arthur.” “Arthur who?” “Arthur any leftovers?”
- “Knock knock!” “Who’s there?” “Don.” “Don who?” “Don eat all the gravy, I want some more.”
Closing Prayer:
For flowers that bloom about our feet, Father, we thank Thee.
For tender grass so fresh, so sweet, Father, we thank Thee.
For the song of bird and hum of bee, for all things fair we hear or see, Father in heaven, we thank Thee.
For blue of stream and blue of sky, Father, we thank Thee.
For pleasant shade of branches high, Father, we thank Thee.
For fragrant air and cooling breeze, for beauty of the blooming trees, Father in heaven, we thank Thee.
For this new morning with its light, Father, we thank Thee.
For rest and shelter of the night, Father, we thank Thee.
For health and food, for love and friends, for everything Thy goodness sends, Father in heaven, we thank Thee.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
