"Ready To Go" 11/28/2009
 
Thought you might enjoy this Christmas skit I wrote last week. 

“Ready to Go”  by Bruce Porter  

 

Gabriel           OK Jesus, It’s just about time to go. Oh...this is so exciting – the Son of God
 going to earth to be born as a little human baby! Unbelievable. Well, no…
of course I believe it. It’s just…well you know what I mean.


Jesus            Yes, I do Gabriel.


Gabriel         Right. Of course you do. (pause) So, have you got everything you need?
    Toothbrush, change of underwear, sandals?


Jesus            Gabriel…I’m going to arrive as a baby, with nothing except me. I’m sure my
   Father will provide everything I need when I get there.


Gabriel         Right again. Of course. (Pause - looks at his watch) OK, so, lets review the
    mission – you know, the reason why you’re going.


Jesus            Gabriel, I know.


Gabriel         Oh yea, right again – omniscient. I keep forgetting that. Sorry. Well, then
    just for my sake, can we go over the check-list?


Jesus            Sure – go ahead.


Gabriel         OK, it says here…You’re going into the world to save sinners. 

Jesus     Check


Gabriel   to save the world, not to judge it.

Jesus     Check

Gabriel   to preach good news to the poor
   

Jesus     Check

Gabriel       to proclaim freedom for the prisoners 


Jesus     Check

Gabriel       to proclaim recovery of sight for the blind 
   

Jesus     Check

Gabriel      to release the oppressed
    

Jesus     Check

Gabriel          to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor

Jesus     Check

Gabriel      You’re going so people may have life, and have it to the full.

Jesus     Check

Gabriel         And, you’re going as a light so that no one who believes in you 
    should stay in darkness.

Jesus     Check
 
Gabriel          OK, check and double check. You’re good to go. Well…speaking of light –
     there’s your ride - the star of Bethlehem.

 
Jesus            Yes, there it is.
 

Gabriel         So,  I guess I’ll see you a little later. Your Father has this assignment for me
    to take a few of the guys down to these shepherds who are “watching
    their flocks by night” to deliver a message about your arrival and sing a 
    few songs.  Anyway, you know all that.

 
Jesus            Yes…I do.


Gabriel          Right. OK. Then …You sure you’re going to be OK?

 
Jesus            Don’t worry Gabriel. I’m going to do what my Dad asked me to do and
    everything is going to work out just the way He planned.

 

 © 2009 Bruce Porter

 

 

 
 
Where are you going to have Thanksgiving this year? When I was growing up there was no question – we went to Grandma Frey’s house. Why? Because that’s where the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy was going to be! That’s where the cranberry sauce and my aunt Ilene’s famous green Jello was going to be. That’s where my cousins I loved playing with were going to be. That’s where my uncle Don who was going to take us on our annual hike up to the Indian graveyard in the foothills next to my grandma’s house was going to be. That’s where the pumpkin and mince-meat pie was going to be.   


My grandma lived about 25 miles from our house in a little town called Woodlake. We had to drive the back country roads to get there. And, honestly, if you would have asked me how to get there when I was little, I couldn’t have told you. I just knew that my father knew the way. I just had to get in the car and let him take me there.   


How do we get to the place of thanksgiving as followers of Jesus? We have to let God take us there by following the directions He gives us in His Word. Too many times I have been clueless about my "next step" in life. But, when I've concentrated on just being the kind of person God wants me to be and doing the things I know He wants me to do, things seem to work out pretty well. And when it does - be sure to thank your maker for His good advice!


A pretty smart dude named Solomon said it this way, (my paraphrase) "Be sure to put your complete trust in what you know God want you to be and do. Don't be thinking you've got life all figured out on your own, 'cause we all know how that turns out, right? So make sure you honor God in every choice you make and everything you do." (See Proverbs 3:5-6)

JAVA TIP: 
Want a good cup of coffee? No matter what variety of coffee or method you choose to make it, don't forget the basics - fresh clean water, fresh just ground beans, right brewing temperature, and enjoy with a thankful heart. 
 
 
Have you ever gotten a whiff of a certain aroma and memories came flooding back into your mind? Its truly amazing how different smells evoke memories of a specific person, place or time in your life. For example, whenever I walk past a tobacco shop and catch the smell fresh pipe tobacco an image forms in my mind of my grandpa sitting at his desk by the window of his upstairs apartment on main street working on his stamp collection. On a little table in the corner of the living room his pipe is nestled on its little stand next to a wooden humidor filled with fresh tobacco. As I look around the room in my mind I see the collection of salt and pepper shakers my grandma kept in a black curio cabinet next to the wall. And, best of all, there’s my grandma sitting in her rocking chair gazing out the window with a slight smile on her sunlit face. There’s a dainty hanky that she always held in her left hand and a porcelain cup half filled with percolated coffee  and milk sitting on the sill.  Which, of course, reminds me of the wonderful aroma of coffee. Few things smell as good to me as fresh ground beans and coffee brewing in the morning. 

I think its pretty amazing how God wired us to have an aroma remind us of something significant. Interesting enough that Paul wrote about it in 2 Corinthians 2:15. He said, “For we (followers of Jesus) are to God the aroma of Christ.” Sounded a little weird to me a first. What? We smell like Jesus? I think what Paul was trying to get at is that when we act like Jesus, it makes God take a deep breath and say “Ahhh…now that’s good!” 

Java Tip 
Be sure to take time to smell your coffee! Did you know that one major coffee chain reintroduced the practice of grinding their whole beans on site instead of using their own pre-ground beans because they noticed a decline in coffee purchase? Experts they had employed to do some research on the matter concluded that the aroma from the grinding contributed to the aroma of the entire shop which evoked a good feeling and hence to more coffee purchases.  Ahhh…smell the coffee!


Got any smells that bring back great memories? Leave a comment and let me know!
 

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    Bruce Porter


    Imaginating is the art of imagining what could be and using whatever resources available to you to create something beautiful, amazing, and beneficial to others.  I have this strong belief that being "created in the likeness and image of God" is really about our unique ability to create like The Creator - to simply think of something that doesn't exist and make it happen. Its a gift I believe everyone possesses. How much we use it is up to us. It is the big WOW - the AHA of life - that we can ponder what could be and do something about it. Whether it be in the arts, restoring relationships, righting an injustice, or creating pleasing environments, I believe we are destined to imagine what part we can play in imagining and creating whatever, to inspire, help, and enrich the lives of others for the common good. 

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