Reader,

Tension is mounting.

Despite how much we want Advent to be a season of rest and a slower pace, a time to dwell in the palpable sense of waiting—as the Israelites did for generations—at this point in the calendar, all of that gets thrown to the wind.

There are menus to be planned.

“Just a few more things” needed from the store.

An Amazon cart chock full of gifts that will arrive just in time to wrap and place under the tree.

Do you feel it?

Even sitting here in my home, away from the hustle and bustle of the shopping scene, the worry that I haven’t done enough hangs over me like an ominous cloud.

It’s moments like these when we need a good word—a reminder of why we celebrate Christmas.

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At church, we have been going through the Christmas story as told by Luke.

Naturally. It’s what pastors do this time of the year.

These words have become commonplace. Expected. The norm this time of year.

On one hand, that’s amazing. We know the story. We’ve heard it spoken over us all of our lives (or for as long as we’ve been in church). We can nearly recite the lines along with Linus as we watch A Charlie Brown Christmas.

On the other hand, maybe its familiarity is a barrier to really seeing the story for what it represents:

God coming to earth to rescue His beloved.

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This past Sunday, during the sermon (aptly named Gloria in Excelsius Deo ~ maybe give it a listen while you wrap gifts this weekend), the Father washed a simple truth over me that I have been dwelling on ever since:

He is pleased with me.

Intellectually, I know this. (Plus He’s shown it to me before.)

But practically, I push back against it, functionally believing that I have to earn it through my performance (or perfection), that I must do something (or many things) to be pleasing to Him.

And the truth is: that’s slavery, not freedom. Not love.
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Those shepherds in the field offer us a beautiful lesson:

They did nothing to deserve the privilege of receiving news of the long-awaited Savior.

They did nothing to become "those with whom he is pleased."

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I imagine they were sleeping, some of them at least, and then it happened:

An angel of the Lord spoke and delivered the message. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, shockingly, there was

Can you imagine?

I’m sure it was the brightest array of light these shepherds had ever seen (a bonfire wouldn’t have even come close)!

This HAD to mean something. It wasn’t just for show. Who would bring such glory into the presence of lowly, dirty, stinky, homeless animal caretakers?

God would.

Because He is pleased with them.

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Even today, as I write this message, there’s a lump in my throat and a glistening in my eyes as I consider the magnanimousness of this promise:

He is pleased with me.

Not because of anything I’ve done or might do.

Or because I’ve perfected being human (I haven’t!).

It’s because of that tiny babe, born in a stable, thousands of years ago.

The God of the universe is “well-pleased” with His Son (we see this THREE times in the Gospels: Matthew 3:17, Mark 1:11, and Luke 3:22).

His Son (actually, God Himself) came to us to pay the penalty for our sins.

He lived perfectly. He suffered. He forgave.

He made us His beloved.

He is pleased with me. And with you.

Whatever your dream, it shrinks next to His dream for how you would live:

Knowing and believing He loves you and is pleased with you.

And that that great knowing would overflow in love toward Him and toward your neighbors.

And that’s why I even mention your dream.
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It’s one way you get to partner with God to bring His “Gloria” to earth for all to see.

Reader, as we count down the days to Christmas, I pray you dwell in this truth, that it overtakes you, humbles you, causes you to marvel and see our Savior again, for who He is and what He did for you all because:

He is pleased with you.

All glory be to God in the highest!

Until next time, I am…

With you in the dream.

~ Merritt

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P.S. I see incredible value in you getting unstuck. So, if there’s a way I can serve you in the New Year, whether to help you get your dream off the ground or so you can keep going when it feels hard, why not grab 20-minutes on my calendar in January.

Let’s work through it together.

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