Merry Christmas

I think Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I know there is a lot of hustle and bustle and activity but there is also a lot of quietness. Maybe it is because it gets darker earlier and there are Christmas lights to light up the darkness both inside and outside our homes. There is just something magical about the season to me. I love that there is generosity abounding and the fun of picking out gifts for family members, loved ones and friends. I also love watching friends and family open the gifts I carefully picked out and really hope they enjoy. 

I wonder if I feel that way about friends and family unwrapping gifts I picked out for them, how much more God feels that way about Christmas. When Jesus was sent to the earth by God the Father, I wonder if God had that Christmas feeling of mankind unwrapping the most precious gift God could give. God sent His only son to the earth to bring Heaven back to Earth and restore the relationship between God and man. What a gift!

What I also love about God is that he always chooses to partner with man. God is God. He could have just had Jesus appear on the earth, announce who He is and set things right. However, God values us so much he chooses to partner with us! So how is Jesus sent to us? He is sent through the virgin Mary to be birthed and then raised by Mary and Joseph with other siblings. Jesus learns carpentry from His father and then when the time is right Jesus calls other ordinary men to be His disciples. Every step of the way God chooses to partner with man to bring His kingdom to earth and reestablish relationship with man. 

So to me Christmas is not only a time of celebrating with friends and family but also celebrating that we have been placed in the ultimate family. Because God sent His Son, the most wonderful gift He could give the world, we have the privilege of belonging to God’s family. John 3:16 in the Passion Translation says, “For this is how much God loved the world – he gave his one and only, unique Son as a gift. So now everyone who believes in him will never perish but experience everlasting life.” Because of God’s amazing gift giving, we just have to believe and then have the guarantee of experiencing everlasting life. That is an amazing exchange!

I pray this Christmas season is one of wonder and excitement for you and your family. No matter how different this Christmas looks, God is still on the throne and He still loves us more than we can ever understand. This season I encourage you to give the gift of opening up your heart to God and allow Him to heal you, restore you and give you hope for the next chapters of your life. He is for us not against us!

Merry Christmas!