Christmas....
As a child, I had a love/hate relationship with Christmas. It was always wonderful at Mema's house, but elsewhere it presented challenges within my mind. Growing up with divorced parents always caused me to desire that my kids would never have to face the conflicts that I felt.
As an adult, Christmas is always my favorite time of the year. Although, I am still prone to be a mixture of Scrooge and the Grinch if I am not careful. I am so blessed to have Sandy, the love of my life, help me celebrate Christmas the right way. I find the greatest pleasure simply watching as my family opens their gifts and shows their delight. Tonight I will spend some time in reflection and contemplation remembering the Christmas mornings when our kids were young and recounting their joy and appreciation for their gifts. I am truly grateful to God for each of my kids and their families. Tomorrow, when a number of the family arrives, we will be able to watch as the family opens gifts and I see the same level of delight in the eyes of the grandkids that we saw years ago in our kids.
As I think of the gifts that we share with our family, they are merely a token of the love that we have for each of them. As I think of the gifts for my wife, I realize that she is deserving of so much more than I could ever give to her. Outside of my salvation, she is the greatest gift that God has ever given to me.
Christmas Eve is a time of anticipation and joy as we await the dawn of Christmas, but this was not true on that first Christmas. The text for a recent sermon series, "The Spirit of Christmas", began with "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. (Isaiah 9:2)." The world that Jesus entered was dark, dreary, oppressed, and enslaved by sin. In all honesty, that same condition is true today. Our nation may dress up the holiday and make it a time of celebration and distraction, but the same heart condition of the first Christmas persists today. The ultimate Christmas gift is Jesus Himself! Without a personal relationship with Him, the day loses its true significance. With Jesus, the day is glorious as we remember the birth of Christ our Savior. Without Jesus, we could easily quote Scrooge and say "Christmas is a humbug."
Spend some time thanking God for the "unspeakable gift" of Jesus. In light of the gift of God we can truly appreciate all that Christmas really should be to us.
Christmas is a day to relish. The Savior came and brought light to a dark world. His light in our hearts brings salvation, joy, and purpose. Thank you Father for the gift of Your Son!
