Author: Kristi

Collect: January 9, 2012

It is our privilege to pray with and for you.  If you would like to submit a personal petition to be included in our prayers, please send your request via the “Submit a Question” page on this site.  

Collect of the Week: 

Let us pray…

Father in heaven, at the Baptism of Jesus you proclaimed Him to be Your Son.  Thank you for claiming us as your own through our baptisms.  Your Son Jesus took us – filthy of sin – and clothed us with Himself.  We now stand before You as pure sons and daughters.  Grant each of us joy in our daily callings.  Give us Your Holy Spirit to ward off temptations of the flesh, such as jealousy and pride; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

New in Christ

A new year.  A new beginning.  A fresh start.  All sorts of thoughts, dreams, and adventures await.  Is this the year we get pregnant?  Is this the year we adopt?  All sorts of things lie ahead for each one of us.  Would we want to know what we each day holds?  Would we rather be surprised?

One thing that should not surprise the believer in Christ is the fact that she is the Lord’s child.  In Holy Baptism, she has been given a fresh start to each and every day.  Water was poured over her in baptism, and all her sins of thought, word, and deed were drowned.  She is given a clean slate.  She is forgiven of all sins.

I take great comfort in knowing that I am forgiven.  You see, I already have lots of hopes and desires for the year.  I know what should happen.  I’ve got it all mapped out.  I have plans to grow my family through adoption.  I know that my dear friend would love to get pregnant and have a baby.  I think I have all the answers.  My thoughts are sinful because I’ve dictated to the Lord what He should do.  I’m wrapped up in myself.  For those thoughts, I confess my sins and ask for forgiveness.  Then I pray that my life would always reflect the life of a baptized Christian.  Will my thoughts edify the body of Christ?  Will my words benefit my neighbor?  Will my actions demonstrate my love for self or others?

Each day is a gift from the Lord.  When I am given the gift of a new day, I pray that it might be a blessing to my husband, my daughter, and my neighbor.

This is a new year.  Dear sister, begin each day in the name of the Triune God – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  You, who are baptized into Christ, are given a new beginning.  Let us rejoice in the gift of new life in Christ.

Collect: January 1, 2012

It is our privilege to pray with and for you.  If you would like to submit a personal petition to be included in our prayers, please send your request via the “Submit a Question” page on this site.  

Collect of the Day: 

Let us pray…

Dear Heavenly Father, through Holy Baptism You called us to be Your own dear children.  You have forgiven all of our sins in this holy gift.  Your crucified and arisen Son Jesus intercedes for us now in heaven.   Grant that our lives may daily give proof that the Holy Spirit is working within us.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but trusting that You are leading us and loving us every step of the way; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

A Child For You

Christmas is going to bring me to tears this year.  It has happened for the past several years, and I’m ready for it.  Any time a baby is born, that is a time to rejoice.  God has brought forth into the world a tiny baby, one who has been formed and knit in a mother’s womb.  That’s a miracle.  Grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and more gather around to welcome this child into their family.  A baptism brings even more joy as the child becomes part of the family of believers.

At those times, my arms ache for a child I also wish to hold.  I ache to nestle a child close to me and ponder her future.  I wonder when it will be my turn to parent a baby.  Will there ever be a child for me?

On Christmas, we celebrate the birth of another child.  However, it’s not just any child; it’s the birth of Jesus, the Christ-child.  This is the child who would endure the most difficult life ever.  This child would be spit upon, scorned, bruised, beaten, rejected, and nailed upon a cross to die.  This child would be mentally tested time and time by the devil, who would seek to ruin Him.  This child would defeat sin, death, and the devil for you.  This child is preparing a place for you in heaven.  This child stands in your place before the Father and covers your iniquities.  There is nothing within us that deserves any of these gifts.

But Jesus, the Christ-child did it anyway because He loves us.  And that’s what brings me to tears.  Christ became a baby for me.  He lived a perfect life for me.  He died for me.  He rose for me.  Now He lives for me.  My tears at Christmas are tears of repentance and tears of joy.

So rejoice, dear sister, there is a child for you.  The words of the Christmas angel are meant for you, “You will find Him wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:12)  Christ the Savior is born FOR YOU.

A Season of Waiting and Preparing

By now, you’ve noticed all the of hustle and bustle that surrounds December.  We’re all getting ready.  People are making quick maneuvers to snag the coveted parking spot.  The cashiers carry looks of weariness after scanning people’s purchases.  People zip in and out of stores, hunting for the perfect gift.  The toy aisles are especially crowded.  Men and women pick up one toy, compare it to the next, and drop one into their carts.  I wonder if the gifts are for their children, nieces, nephews, neighbors, or godchildren.

We’ve been in those aisles, too.  What will excite my nieces and nephews?  What will thrill our daughter Joanna this year?  I get caught up in finding the right gift for adults, too.  What would make my friend’s life easier?  Will she like it?

I’ve also been preparing my home for Christmas.  We put up our tree and decorated it.  We have the red and green paper chains hanging above doorways.  The baking has begun.  The Christmas letter mulls around in my head.

One of my favorite things about preparing for Christmas, though, is putting out one special nativity set.  A dear friend made it for Jerome and me as a wedding gift.  It is lovingly handcrafted.  I am reminded of God’s great love for me as I unwrap Mary; she is the handmaiden of the Lord.  Watchful Joseph protects his family as best he can in meager surroundings.  The manger is filled with hay.  I don’t put Baby Jesus in it, though.  He won’t be placed in the manger until Christmas Eve.  That used to puzzle Joanna, but she has learned that Advent comes first.

Advent is a time of waiting and preparing.  During Advent we recall our sins and how much we needed Jesus to become a man and live a perfect life for us.  We use the weeks of Advent to confess our sins of coveting and hear the good news that we are forgiven of those wrongful desires.  It is a time to clean out our hearts and make ready to receive the Christ-child.

I need Advent.  My heart is full of sin.  I covet other couples’ children.  I covet the husband and wife who will be surrounded with children and grandchildren at their dinner table.  I want to hang several stockings for little ones in my house.  I’ve been waiting a long time to do that.  Yes, the Lord has been gracious and given us Joanna, but I desire more.  I’ve been waiting for another child to become part of our family.  I feel I’ve been waiting long enough.  These are the times when I forget that God gives me the things I need.  I need a Savior – one who saves me from my wrongful thoughts and desires.

And so I continue to prepare for Christmas.  I go to the Word, where I hear the words of John the Baptist.  He says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”  In God’s Word, I hear and read that my sins are removed by the crucified and arisen Christ.  I have Jesus.

Now I’m awaiting Jesus’ final coming when He will take me and all believers to Himself in heaven.  In this earthly life, I am hoping and praying that God would end my wait for a larger family.  While it may or may not happen, I don’t have to wait to find out if heaven is for me.  Jesus has told me that He is there, and He is preparing a place for me.  Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Collect: Nov. 28, 2011

It is our privilege to pray with and for you.  If you would like to submit a personal petition to be included in our prayers, please send your request via the “Submit a Question” page on this site.  

Collect of the Day: 

Let us pray…

Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Your only-begotten Son, who has won for us life eternal by His death on the cross.  Remind us that our hope is in You alone, not in what we can do for you.  Grant us faith to trust firmly in You, despite our troubles and sorrows.  Comfort all parents who mourn the death of a child, especially Teresa and her husband.  Take them into Your care and lead them to look to You for confidence and strength as they face the future.  Comfort them with your everlasting love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Collect: Nov. 14, 2011

It is our privilege to pray with and for you.  If you would like to submit a personal petition to be included in our prayers, please send your request via the “Submit a Question” page on this site.  

Collect of the Week: 

Let us pray…

Almighty and ever-living God, You have given exceedingly great and precious promises to those who trust in You.  Thank you for the life you grant us in our baptisms.  Thank you for your promise to never forsake us, even in our times of sorrow.  Dispel from us the works of darkness and grant us to live in the light of Your Son, Jesus Christ, that our faith may never be found wanting; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Contentment Is Not Perpetual Happiness

In a world that tells me I can “have it all,” it is quite hard to accept the fact that God may not have a houseful of children planned for me.  I’ve wanted that since I was young.  As a little girl, I saw lots of moms with their children.  I saw the joy reflected in the faces of mothers and their children as they interacted with each other.  Motherhood seemed to be a happy time.

The truth is that I don’t always get what I want.  As a young, married woman, I saw that I was not receiving a quiver full of children.  Without lots of children surrounding my table, how was I going to be happy?  Thus began a struggle to “have it all.”  I had forgotten that God provides what I need, and He knows what is best for my eternal good.  God provides abundant blessings to all of His children, whether single or married.  God’s sons and daughters receive the forgiveness of their sins and eternal life and so much more. Those blessings can only be good gifts.

I never imagined that barrenness would be part of my vocabulary.  I never dreamed that it would be part of my life.  To hear the word “barren” would conjure up visions of darkness, loneliness, and lack of hope.  What a wrong picture that was.  God’s blessings abound for the Christian, barren woman.  She is a baptized child of Christ.  The Lord is with her always.  He grants to her the forgiveness of sins and so much more.

The Lord, in His mercy, has granted me a loving spouse and a dear daughter.  I know that I gain nothing by trying to control my own fertility, or by coveting the children that have been given to others.  I have learned to rejoice in the blessings that have been given to me, and that has helped me to be content.

If my source of contentment is myself, then my world will constantly make me unhappy.  I am a sinner, and my feelings will often lead me to pity myself, to covet the gifts others have received, and to be angry at God.  None of that could ever lead to happiness because it is subjective.  There will be no contentment for me when I focus on my selfishness.  Things go wrong.  My life is not always a happy place.  If I’m going to trust contentment to come from within me, then I’m going to be sad nearly all of the time.  There is suffering in this world, and Satan uses suffering to lead us to despair.  He tells me that my barrenness is what’s giving me sorrow.  If I can find some way to “fix” my barrenness, then I will be happy.  If I have one child, then I will be happy.  If I have another child, then maybe I’ll be happy.  To that, I say, “Satan, be gone!”  Barrenness is a cross to bear, but Jesus Christ has borne my sins and sorrows for me and gives me Himself.

True contentment can only come from outside myself.  Jesus Christ is the only true source of peace.  Thus, being content does not always mean that I will be happy.  And thanks be to God that my contentment does not rely on me.  There will continue to be times of sorrow throughout my life.  I have pain and trouble; I don’t always feel happy.  Thank God that my faith in Him does not depend on my feelings.  I know with 100% certainty that I am saved from myself through the blood of Jesus.  Because of His grace and mercy, I can go to sleep in peace.  My world is filled with troubles, but I know that I rest in the arms of Jesus.  There is no safer place to be, for it is in Him alone that I have complete comfort.  I am at peace in Christ alone.

On Being Weary

It’s been five, long years since our adoption paperwork landed itself on a desk in China.  Five years – that’s a milestone.  In those five years, we have seen our doctors on a yearly basis for an updated medical history and had our blood drawn several times for a variety of tests.  We know the state patrol officer on a first-name basis since we’ve been fingerprinted so many times.  We’ve met with our case worker several times to verify that our home is safe for children.  We’ve taken the necessary parenting classes.

Five years have passed.  We actually started the paperwork process eight months prior to that.  And I’m weary.  This isn’t what my husband and I signed up to endure.  At the time, nobody anticipated the long wait.  And yet it’s happened.

So what do I do?  I could get angry.  I could demand answers for the slow-down in placements.  I could expect more pity from my neighbors and friends.  I could take out my anger on my family.  I could shut the rest of the world out and wallow in my misery.  I could turn my back on God because He hasn’t given me what I want – when I want it.

But that’s no good either.  For you see, God IS still taking care of me.  He has given me a loving husband, who has taken every single step of this lengthy journey with me.  My spouse of 13 years has signed every piece of paperwork and seen the slow pace of referrals.  God has given me friends and neighbors, who have shared hugs with me.  God has given me loving family members, who continue to pray that the Lord would bring the right child into our family in His good time.  God has given me all of these people in my life to uplift and pray for me in my weariness.

But I’m weak from putting up a strong front in public.  I’m tired of signing papers.  I’m weary of the long wait.  There are days when I’m ready to throw up my hands and give up the whole adoption process.

Holy Scripture says in Isaiah 40:28-31 –  Have you not known?  Have you not heard?  The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.  He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.  Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Did you hear that?  God is not weak, nor tired, not weary.  He is strong!  He beckons us to come to Him with our griefs and sorrows.  He has granted us Himself in Holy Baptism.  He renews us with the gift of the Holy Spirit and comforts us.  Christ has overcome every evil of mind, body, and soul and keeps us to Himself!  No matter how tired and weary we may be, God carries us.  He knows our hurts and that we are tired, and He renews us with Himself.  I come to God with an empty sack, and He fills it up.  It’s all His work; I am the blessed recipient of His grace, mercy, and comfort.

I get tired and weary, but I know that my hope is in the LORD.  He knows me and grants me what I need: Himself.  He also gives me a loving spouse, who walks faithfully beside me.  He provides loving family and friends, who share hugs when I need them.  I am not alone; I don’t have to carry this burden myself.  My hope comes from the LORD, for He will provide what is best for me.  I can rest in Him.

God Gives Good Gifts

God commanded Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply.  I can get on board with that.  And yet, I haven’t been given several fruits of my womb, nor have they multiplied  around my table.  Are there other good gifts from God for me?

YES, dear friend, there are many good gifts for you!  We can start by looking at Martin Luther’s meaning of the First Article of the Apostles’ Creed.  I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them. He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil. All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true.   God gives you His love each and every day.  He has designed you and created you. And while you don’t understand why you don’t have childlren, God still cares for you.   He has given you a long list of earthly possessions and takes care of you on a daily basis.  He has given us His very words in the Holy Scriptures.

God has given you more than earthly blessings, though.  He has given you His Son.  Look at Luther’s meaning of the Second Article of the Apostles’ Creed.  I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord. Who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true.  Sin is every thought, word, and action which goes against God’s will.  I have been been envious and angry at God regarding my barrenness.  I have lashed out at God and tried to dictate to Him how my life should go.  I have tried to be in control.  There is no way I can make myself right with God once again.  Thus, He gave His Son Jesus to be the sacrificial payment for all wrongdoing.  I am forgiven!  This all comes by God’s grace.  It’s FREE – nothing we can do can merit God’s favor.  All our righteous acts are now good because of Jesus.  That’s quite a gift.

We receive even more gifts through the Holy Spirit.  Examine Luther’s meaning of the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed.  I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true.  There is no way that I can receive full comfort for my barrenness unless I have faith in the Triune God, who truly knows me and cares for my entire being.  By faith, I can say, with confidence, that God has given me all good gifts.

At times, it’s hard to remember that God gives such goodness.  Go, dear sister, to your pastor and share with him your hurts.  He will, in turn, share Christ’s good gifts with you.  You receive Christ in Holy Baptism.  You receive forgiveness of sins through Christ’s Body and Blood in the Lord’s Supper.  You hear God’s promises for you in the words of Holy Scripture.  You pastor will rejoice with you in your baptism and the promises of God.  Our Lord Jesus Christ has only good gifts to give, and we are blessed to receive them.