Ga Ga - not the lady.

Exodus 2:5-6: Then Pharaoh's daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the river bank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her slave girl to get it. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. "This is one of the Hebrew babies," she said. 

Our church has baby dedications once a month.  All the parents bring their new babies to the front of the sanctuary and the church gets the honor of praying for the Godly upbringing of the child. Meanwhile, I sit in the pew with my husband 'oohing and aahing' over each little bundle that comes before us.  I even go so far as to inquire of my husband if he thinks it would be nice to have another.  My husband, knowing that our child-bearing days are gone, agrees that we should definitely keep trying as much as possible.

I often feel that my emotions are common. Doesn't every woman's heart long to hold and cuddle a child?  Then I am brought back to reality when I read the news about the mother in Alaska who let her toddlers freeze to death http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/04/alaska-girl-locked-freezing-bedroom-dies_n_1319634.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000008 or in Pennsylvania http://www.wpxi.com/news/news/local/bridgeville-couple-jailed-abuse-charges-baby-suffe/nLSkD/ and after more research, I learn that this behavior is not as uncommon as we would think or hope.

Abortion and murdering of babies was not uncommon in the 1100s BC either. The pharaoh had put a law in place that all first born sons of a Hebrew woman were to be put to death. A pharoah in Egypt was powerful, his family was well cared for - this included his daughter.  One day, his daughter went down to the Nile to bathe - who bathes in a river with crocodiles?  Maybe that's why she needed the attendants.  The Pharoah's daughter saw baby Moses in a basket and took him in to her home.  She doesn't turn him over to authorities - even though she knew he was a Hebrew baby. She doesn't have him killed - even though that was the law her father had in place.  She takes him as her own and calls him Moses - even though he was not of royal blood.

We don't get to hear much more about the woman who raised Moses, we only see the results of her actions. The man who led the captives out of Egypt under God's direction.  We may never see the end results of the effort we take in raising our own children or investing our lives in someone - but God is using the mother, the Sunday school teacher, the AWANA leader, the nurse, the principal, the bus driver . . . in a big way.

John the Baptist - It's a Boy!

Luke 1:57-58 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

The terms "Crime of Passion", "Hate Crime", "Jealous Rage" - are all very familiar to us today. These words litter police reports, news headlines and court proceedings. We live in a world where our actions are controlled by our envy. A society that has led us to believe that we can not be successful until we match the Jones' and once we've accomplished that, the Johnsons' and so on and so on. What if we went back to the way Elizabeth's friends responded to her joy.

When Elizabeth finally had her baby - there was no backtalk about how old she was, there was no comment under the breath about the struggled marriage with a mute man, no one questioned why God had chosen to speak to her about the birth of John.

It says that her neighbors and relatives 'shared her joy'. When was the last time you were happy simply because someone you knew had experienced a joyous moment. Whether it was a promotion or bonus, a gift or a new relationship - without the undertone of wishing it were you. I wonder what our headlines would read today if we all had neighbors like Elizabeth...

John The Baptist - How Good Are You?

Luke 1:5-7 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.

Cancer, AIDS, abortion, abuse, poverty, obesity - the list goes on of the things that plague America today. The question is often asked, "Why does God let bad things happen to good people?" While that question is very common today - the truth is - it's been a common question for a long time.

Our first insight into John the Baptist is a look at how he came to be. The first chapter in Luke shares a little about the life of his parents before he was born. Both of his parents were "upright in the sight of God". Now there is something to have written on your resume. If I could have one person stand up on my behalf and be able to truthfully announce - "She is upright in the sight of God" - I would count myself blessed. There is no greater compliment. The Bible further states that they followed God's law - blamelessly. WOW. These were some good people.

However, Elizabeth could not have children. We all know the importance of bearing children during this time in history - and yet, they, these upright people, were barren. Why does God choose to let these things happen? We know the outcome of this story, but the outcome can be true in all of our lives. If we just trust God and step out in faith - there is a greater purpose and one day, we will know Gods plan.

Tamar - Ends

Genesis 38:28-30 As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist and said, "This one came out first." But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she said, "So this is how you have broken out!" And he was named Perez. Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread on his wrist, came out and he was given the name Zerah.

This sounds like a very painful childbirth - babies popping out body parts and then pulling them back in - epidurals were not common place at this time. But the point is not lost:

Perez and Zerah were now sons of Judah - belonging to the tribes of Judah. Perez, who in all the confusion of being born, ended up coming out first and became part of the direct line of descendents for our Savior - See Matthew Chapter One.

In this Soap Opera storyline, Tamar became a grandmother of Jesus (great grandmother X alot) but a grandmother - nonetheless. Are we willing to do whatever God calls us to do - to further His kingdom, whether we know what the reason is or not?