Christmas Eve 2018 Meditation “Breathe!!” December 24th Pastor
Jacqueline Hines
How
wonderful it is to celebrate, to rejoice, to be glad in the house of the Lord!
We gather with family and friends, loved ones who give us a reason to live and
who are a source of God’s greatest
blessings to us. [slide # 1
family is a blessing]
Christmas is
a time, in spite of the hustle and bustle, it is a time to relax, to take a
holiday, to take a break and rest, to take a much needed breather and let all
the joys of the moment sink in, and let the peace permeate our minds, and let
our love grow stronger and richer.
The joy, the
peace, the love of Christmas all begin one breath at a time. Every breath
counts and moves us forward to the place we need to be. Especially in these
anxious times, we need to remember to breathe.
Interestingly
enough, the word for “breath” in the bible is the same word used for “spirit”
and “wind.” The first thing
doctors want newborn babies to do is to breathe, to show signs of life, to
clear pathways, allowing the Spirit, the air of God to flow to and through the
body.
Clinicians like
Harvard trained Dr. Andrew Weil [ slide # 2 Dr. Weil with his dogs] remind us to
take deep breaths when we are under a lot of stress. We need to be as calm and
carefree as a little baby, learning that God provides, growing confident that
we are loved and held precious and dear.
Baby
announcements are always special [slide # 3 baby announcement]
and they are just as special in the bible. Scriptures tell us that an angel
appeared to shepherds watching over their flock in the cool of night. [slide # 4 shepherd…terrified]
Encounters with God often leave us trembling with emotion and falling to our
knees. So, the first thing the angel said to the shepherds were the first words
angels usually say before they speak to us humans, “Don’t be afraid!...I have
good news…news for everyone. A savior is born today. [slide # 5 shepherds in awe ]
God entered
this earthly realm in the form of a little baby. [slide # 6 manger scene] God crashes through our
fears and chaos with a baby. A baby is the least scary of all humans. A baby is
the greatest symbol of hope and happiness in the midst of our economic evils, [slide # 7 happy baby] our political problems, [slide # 8 two babies ] and our violent
vicissitudes. [slide # 9 baby with a peace sign] God gives us
years to tend to the new hope that God sends into our lives. God gives us time
to learn how to care for the word made flesh that has come to dwell among us. [slide # 10 growing chart] God gives us all the
love we need to nurture good news until it is strong enough to overcome our
worries. What do we
worry about? We worry about having the right job, the perfect marriage, the
most lucrative degree, good health, plenty of money, and when we do get the things
we long for, we may worry about losing them.
Rather than
worry, we need to calm down and breathe. [slide # 11 just breathe] Each breath comes from
God as a wonderful gift. Breathing does not cost anything and it pays off in so
many ways. Breathing gives us energy, calms our nervous system, improves our
respiratory system, releases muscle tension, helps our heart, relaxes the mind
to help focus and learn, and makes us look young and alive. Breathing also
detoxifies, increases endorphins that put us in a happy mood, lowers our blood
pressure, and brings more oxygen to the brain which helps our whole body
function better. [slide # 12 hands
up in field]
When we
sing, let out a sigh of relief, or go for a run, we are breathing, connecting
to the Holy Spirit and embracing the start of a mighty wind that carries us to
good places. The breath that God has given us is designed to make our lives
better. Whether we are living in the best years of our life, the worst years or
somewhere in between, just breathe. Just breathe. [slide # 13 just breathe] Amen. [slide # 14 Merry Christmas…]
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