Thanks, Mark.

Happy December, my dear friends.

I woke up this morning so excited to write in this space over the next 25 days.

It is with great joy that I sit down at my little desk, turn on the lamp, and settle in with my Bible and cup of tea. There's classical christmas music playing in the background, and the page is blank.

Oh, how I love this time of year.

I decided this morning to read the Christmas story in Mark. I couldn't recall ever reading from this gospel for Jesus' birth story, so I thought I'd give it a whirl.

Well.

Mark likes to cut to the chase, it appears.

No Mary and Joseph. No manger. No little baby Jesus. No shepherds, wise men, frankincense or myrrh. No bright star. No Gabriel. No heavenly hosts.

No silent night.

No holy night.

I was slightly disappointed at first.

If Mark was the sole gospel in which Jesus' entrance into our world was mentioned, I think Christmas would look drastically different.

Would there be gifts? Would there be parades and bows and trees?

Would Linus be there to deliver the most stellar line in the Charlie Brown Christmas special?

Would there be bright shining lights?

I don't know.

But my vivid imagination pictures a wild looking man similar to John the Baptist dressed in leather, preparing the way for Jesus by preaching a message. A message we don't usually hear at Christmas.

A message that's rough around the edges and a little hard to swallow alongside my mashed potatoes and cherry pie.

Repentance.

That one word sums up the beginnings of the Jesus story according to Mark.

“And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins…” (Mark 1: 4-5). 

This is about the place in the message where I start to hope that some people I know are really paying attention. We all do this at times. I know you know what I'm talking about. I climb up on that mental high horse and think, "Thank You Lord for this message that all these people need to hear- because You know how they act. You know how selfish they are. Whew. And you just know how much they need a full out repentance revival!"

It is right at that moment that Jesus whispers to me. 

It's a message to you, daughter. You need this message, Alyssa. I am calling you to repent. This is the way you need to prepare for Christmas in your heart this year.

“I will send a messenger ahead of you, who will prepare the way- a voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him’ ” (Mark 1:2-3).

This girl. 

I can be such a mess. 

But I hear the messenger calling for repentance. 

So, I make the Christmas story not the same old story, but a message meant for my heart. 

... and I whisper once again, "oh, I love you, Jesus. Forgive me. Heal me. Restore me. Those little places I excuse. Those same old things that trip me up. The pride that keeps me thinking it's someone else's fault. The busyness that makes me forget to stop and consider my ways, my thoughts, my actions. You, Messiah, are the best match for my mess."

I doubt this will ever be the most popular version of the Christmas story, but for me this year, it's perfect. 

Love to you, 

Lyss