The Innocence

Article Published in the Meade Co. Messenger on December 9, 2009

by Kevin Hatfield

The day had been a long one, filled with the usual pressures, as Karl finished his evening sitting at his desk, staring face to face with his laptop.  The coffee he nursed filled the study with rich aroma as his daughter walked in.  She asked if she could do her homework in here with him if she promised to be quiet.  Karl agreed, knowing she would be hard pressed to keep her promise, but he let her anyway.  In the background he had his usual selection of music faintly playing a soothing sound of worship that drifted through the air.

He was hard focused on his task at hand trying to meet a deadline, when soft humming caught his attention.  He paused, and then looked over his screen to see his youngest girl fully engrossed in her math, but humming to the music just the same.
The song played on and she continued never missing a beat, completely oblivious to her harmonic sounds.  What he saw was a glimpse of pure innocence.  Her face changing as she thought through her homework,
almost angelic in beauty. Daddy’s girl didn’t know the true evils of this world yet, and was completely content sharing the study with her Daddy. He felt a lump swell up in his throat and a tear came to his eye. All he could do was watch and share in song of her heart.

Mary was in the manger when the shepherds came in.  Telling a story about an angel, and how they followed a star just to see this baby. When they had finished she looked down at Jesus in her arms, Joseph by her side, and saw true innocence. A baby born, given to all of mankind for one purpose, to share the perfect gift, Love.  She pondered these things in her heart.

Many years later, she watched the terrible scene of her son being beaten, and then paraded through the streets of town to full fill that gift of love.  As he hung on the cross in open shame before all, she again remembered that night so long ago, and could still see the innocence.

Karl and many of us will spend Christmas with family and friends this year hoping we bought the right presents.  Wondering how we shall recover from all the spending.  But the real Christmas is celebrated in our hearts, sharing in a story of love and kindness, filled with peace and joy.

This year let’s get past the usual and find what Karl found right in front of him. This Christmas besides enjoying family and feast, find the true innocence.  God has pulled up two chairs, sat down, invited you over, and said “Let’s talk.”

The Shepherds

Article Published Dec. 2,2009 Meade Co. Messenger

The Shepherds

By Kevin Hatfield

The gentle evening breeze blew out the fading sun as the shepherds’ day came to an end. The sun had been especially hot and they were tired as they put the animals down for the night. With all today’s activities coming to a close they settled down around a small fire, snacking on a small meal, and reminiscing the struggles of their day. As dusk faded into dark and their conversation wound down something happened that would change their lives forever…

As we approach Christmas this year we come face to face with difficult challenges. We find ourselves in precarious times, the worst recession in my adult lifetime, a weakening dollar, record unemployment, foreclosures, and a troubled real estate market, to say the least. Safe to say Christmas couldn’t come at a worse time for many families in our area. But with all these pressures there is still hope.

Times are changing and we must change with them. Our culture of .coms, huge profits, and excessive living have come to a close. We must adapt our lifestyles to fit our budgets; get back to the basics if you will.

Vincent Lombardi, all American football coach began each season with a lecture to veteran players and rookies alike. Holding up a football in one hand and said, “This is a football…” Get back to the fundamental basics.

The basics: In generations past, before the big economic boom, families helped families, neighbors knew each other, and people took care of people. Christmas wasn’t about how big the gift was, or how much we spent. It was about families getting together and sharing. It was about celebrating Christmas a time of joy, not worries, and financial pressures. It was about Love and the first present, the real gift.

The story I started with is a back story of what might have happened to the Shepherds you read about in Luke Chapter 2 of your bible. But my question is this; What would cause these shepherds to leave their flock and begin a journey to Bethlehem? What could possibly be so important to them to walk away from everything they had worked for? The answer…Hope.


The shepherds were also in an economic struggle. They were oppressed by a Roman occupation of their country with no end in sight. Taxation to Caesar taking from their ‘pockets’ at every turn. Which is why Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem when Jesus was born. The shepherds knew the stories of a leader that would come and deliver them, but not just some leader, a messiah, a deliverer.


…Just as they were about to fall asleep for the night, a bright light surrounded them, and a group of angels were with them around their fire. They were so scared they couldn’t even move. Then one spoke “Fear not, I bring good tidings of great joy…” The angel told them a baby was going to be born in a manger and to follow the star. They immediately left guided only by the star to the manger to see the hope they had prayed would come. The savior, the messiah, the deliverer of all mankind.



This Christmas we still have this hope. Our present given to us back in Bethlehem is love. A love that is much more important than anything we could purchase this year. Better than the toys or electronics that will become old and outdated. It’s something that will last and see us through our struggles. It’s a love that is bigger than just some empty story, it’s a love that will guide you to help a neighbor in hard times. Give you support from a church family as you struggle. It will help you make good decisions, and direct you to be a better person. And it’s already paid for.

It led shepherds to leave all they had to find, and guide you back to find all you left chasing the American dream.

This Christmas let’s find the basics in our homes: Faith, Hope, and Love. The real present is Love. And that’s a Christmas worth celebrating.

Christmas, Kelley, and a man from Bethlehem

Christmas eve, when all parents do their last minute shopping. Such is the case this year, but this year we shop in Florida. While visiting my parents, Felicia and I were shopping this afternoon and stopped for a bite to eat at a Steak & Shake (one of her favorites that I hate:). We ordered some food and when it came to the table I spoke with our waitress Kelley, and mentioned to her that we were going to pray for our food and ask if there was anything she would like for us to pray for. Apparently shocked at my question, she said yes there actually was, her mother in law had had a stroke this morning and she was finishing up her shift, and leaving to go see her. And also that she had five kids and one on the way, she always was in need of prayer. So we invited her to join us and we prayed for her needs as well as our food.

Now the point of this story is this: In all our shopping, running around, fast paced, lives do we ever stop to notice the simple people we come in contact with. By simple I don't intend to mean less than, or subservient, but what I mean is the people we just brush in passing, not the ones we have appointments with, or family, just the casual moments we share. Like a waitress named Kelley.

Christmas is a time of celebration, a time of family, a time of reflection, and a time of joy.

I also met a man from Bethlehem today at the mall. Now I don't mean that jokingly, actually from Bethlehem. He was a vendor selling Holy land treasures, some wood carvings of nativity scenes, and such. Felicia and I made a small purchase from him, and sparked up a conversation. Turns out his family, and his brothers' family makes these things and sell them to tourist in Israel, and two months out of the year he comes here to sell them. He was going back on January 4th. After our conversation, he wrote his name down for me and ask me to look him up if ever in Bethlehem. I assured him I would.

People are the only special commodity we have here on this earth. Now where in scripture does it say Jesus came to save the temple, or to save the land, or to save anything but people. They are just that important. So as my family tears open enough paper to start a bon fire, and settles back down for coffee, I plan on reflecting on the true blessing we have each day, looking at us across the breakfast table. The ones we have on speed dial in our cell phones, with the cool ring tones for. The ones we neglect most by working to much, the ones that seem to get under our skin. The ones we love. I'm thankful for my family, and this year has been a tough one for us, so I'm thankful for them all, including my mom, who has looked death in the face, and by His grace, starred it down and smiled for another Christmas.


Lord,
I am so humbled by the grace you have shown me and my family. We thank you for the special gifts of mercy you have shown us this year. Thank you for seeing us through. Forgive us for getting excited about the presents and not being as thankful for your present in our lives. Thank you for this trip and getting to spend time with my parents. We are so blessed.
Remember Kelley and her family in their time of need. Bless them with your goodness and mercies this season. Remember Hanna Mitri and his family back in Israel. Bless there business, and the ministry these carvings will bring. And above all we are thankful that you loved us enough to give us Jesus. In His name I pray... Amen



Merry Christmas to you all.

Kevin

Look up, Live life, and be thankful.

Article in Local Paper this week

Each year about this time Children from around our country start their Christmas list with “Daddy I want this for Christmas, and this, and this, and this.” It’s no secret that the retail industries will do a bulk of this year’s business from now till the end of the year. But what is Christmas? For some it’s a marketing campaign. For some it’s a pagan holiday, for most of us it’s at least a day off, a day of gifts, good eating, and family time.

Christmas isn’t just a calendar day we celebrate the birth of Christ. Christmas’ greatest present is recounted all through the pages of scripture, its stories that teach principles to live by, how to have a relationship with almighty God, His grace through Jesus to forgive our sins. But that isn’t the whole present. Now before I loose you, let me say this, all of those things are very important, but it was not only the Gospels, not even only the forgiveness of sin, but it was God’s love for you that makes up the whole Present. He gave us instructions in the Bible, He gave us Jesus to serve out our sentence for the sins we’ve committed, He gave us a direct phone line to heaven through our prayers, but His love encompasses it all.

He has made a way for us to live this life in relationship with Him, and to prepare for what comes after. We celebrate that with the image of a baby in the manger. God’s gift to the world, His love and forgiveness, his provisions and care, all wrapped up in swaddling clothing in Bethlehem (Luke Chapter 2).

Dear God,
May we never forget what Christmas is all about and teach our children it’s not about what we get, but what you gave. May your peace and love find its way into our homes and into our hearts this Christmas. In Jesus name…Amen


Look up, Live Life, and be thankful.

Kevin