"Call on Me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give Me glory." Psalm 50:15
It was such a treasured evening when everyone was able to gather together for dinner. One tradition that usually occurs after the meal is an intense game of “Hide and Seek” with the grandchildren against their Papa. Before the game began, the children were warned by their father not to go behind the sofa to hide in the brand new drapes. Unfortunately, the temptation of such an excellent hiding spot was too great, and the six year old couldn’t resist utilizing this prize location. However, being a well seasoned “Finder”, the little girl’s Papa was still able to locate her, but when she went to get out of her superb hiding spot, she realized that her hair was caught in the window crank and she couldn’t move. Knowing that if she called for help, her cover would be blown and her dad would know that she had indeed disobeyed his directive. So, instead, she decided to turn to her beloved Papa for help. “Papa!” she whispered. “Papa, come here! I need your help but you have to promise you won’t tell anyone! I’m stuck and I can’t move. Can you get my hair untangled, but please don’t tell anyone!”
Dutifully, the loving Papa tried his best to indiscreetly untangle her hair from the mechanism without anyone noticing… until the little brother came around the corner and surveyed the situation. As soon as it dawned on him what had occurred, he raced with excitement into the kitchen where everyone else was gathered and announced, “We have an emergency! Mommy, you need to come quick!" Instantly, the Mommy followed her little boy to the stationary girl who was calmly and nonchalantly waiting for help. Minutes later, the Papa was retrieving scissors from the kitchen, stating, “Don’t ask because I promised I wouldn't tell” to the staring crowd, and within minutes, the little girl was free.
Can you relate to this little girl? There she was, stuck in a very big problem, but trying to act like everything was fine. She was facing a very “hairy” situation, but her first request was to “keep this quiet and don’t tell anyone”. After the crisis was averted, the family jokingly wondered how long she was planning on sitting there hoping that no one would notice? Have you ever experienced a challenging season in life, but instead of being honest, you put on your brave face and act like everything is fine instead of admitting you needed help?
This Sunday, we begin the church season known as “Advent”, which is when Christians begin to prepare their hearts to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Just as the little girl in this story was in serious need of a rescuer, the Lord knew that we needed to be rescued from our sin so He sent His Son, Jesus to be our Savior. The whole reason for Christmas is that our Savior needed to be born so that He could die for our sins.
So many facets of Christmas require time and thought, but nothing is more important than preparing our hearts for the true reason of the season and focusing on the birth of our Savior.
One exciting way that we would like to encourage and invite families to start their Advent celebrations is by attending “Pancakes and Donuts with Pastors” next Saturday morning. During this delicious event on December 9th, families will play a game, assemble their very own Advent calendars, and eat delicious homemade pancakes and donuts, while listening to our Pastors read stories that share the true meaning of Christmas. To sign up, please click HERE.
This will be a very enjoyable event for the entire family, and we hope to see you there!
Wishing you a very blessed Advent season as we celebrate the birth of our "Rescuer".
In Jesus’ Love,
Mrs. Palka