When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. - Exodus 3:4-6 (ESV)
 
Have you ever been somewhere when you felt the presence of God? Maybe it was in a specific church whose architecture seemed to point your thoughts toward heaven. Maybe it was somewhere out in nature looking at the vastness and beauty of creation. Maybe it was in the quiet stillness of a moment where you knew God was with you. All of these in some ways could be considered sacred spaces. They are places where you felt met. They are places where God was tangible to you in the moment. Finding spaces like that can be both encouraging and faith producing.

Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed. - Psalm 34:5 (ESV)

The Lord has given many great and precious promises to us as believers in Jesus Christ - one of which is our freedom from shame.
 
Shame is a prominent part of our experience as human beings in a fallen world. We sense it every day, even when the word is not spoken. It is a multi-faceted experience that appears many times in Scripture yet remains misunderstood today. Our freedom from shame is so central to our hope, the hope of our standing before God in shameless perfection at his coming, because of what Christ has done for us and in the hope of the resurrection. Shame is also part of our daily experience in the struggle against sin and in our walk with Christ. Often times we are aware of our own experience and what God says is true, but our experience feels out of sync with what we know from Scripture. As we grow closer to the Lord, what we know becomes increasingly what we experience.

Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” - Exodus 1:8-10 (ESV)

I like to get to the movies early. I know you can see previews online. But there is something about a trailer on the big screen. You get a glimpse at what is coming. You get to take in all the cinematic flair that can be packed into about two minutes. It’s a lot of fun.

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. - 1 John 4:9-10 (ESV)

Christmas is a time of year when we feel the love of those around us. We receive and give gifts to demonstrate it. We spend time with those we love. We share special memories and experiences. But what if that love is not returned? It can hurt us deeply when we give and don’t receive in return. How would you deal with that?

Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the LORD.' - Exodus 6:6-8 (ESV)

Gaining a better understanding of where something comes from gives you not only a greater appreciation for it but also a deeper knowledge and enjoyment of it. I remember years ago reading a book about the history of Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Company. Even though I’m more of Chevy guy, it helped me to appreciate the engineering innovation and the business acumen that Ford developed in order to mass produce cars. Amazingly, over 100 years later the company and even some of those original cars are still going strong.

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days. - Micah 5:2 (ESV)

Traditions at Christmas mark out the season. Some traditions are within families. Some have much wider and older origins. Christmas trees and gift giving date back centuries. Included in these Christmas traditions are songs. When hear them it brings us into the season.