I’ve come to believe that Christmas is special to so many because of traditions. There seems to be a normalcy for me around Christmas time. It is one of the few times in the year that I can anticipate a routine, reconnect with the familiar and enjoy traditions.
What are your Christmastime traditions and routines?
For me it is eggnog, Charlie Brown’s Christmas Movie, Christmas Vacation, Christmas music and carols, hot chocolate and apple cider. It is the home baked goods, the smells of trees, wreaths and poinsettias. It is the lights dimmed so the tree lights radiate in our home. It is the candles that are lit in our home. My wife always puts out Christmas scented hand soaps, I like this. It is the attitude of generosity that people seem to have around Christmastime. It is the peppermint everything and everywhere time of year.
As a countdown for Christmas, my wife wraps all the Christmas books we have and our son is allowed to open on every day. I don’t know if this is more exciting for him or for me. Some of the books haven’t changed and I remember having many of them read to me as a kid. In high school choir I actually learned the baritone parts to six different Christmas carols, so when I hear them sung I actually think I can help make them sound good too.
Christmas is familiar, there are routines and a sense of normalcy…until something doesn’t go as planned.
As I’m reflecting on Luke 2 this week in preparation for the weekend message, I’m almost shocked at what seems to be such an unplanned event Jesus’ birth seemed to be. If God ever had an opportunity to “show off” it was at the birth of Jesus. In the birth of John the Baptist in Luke 1, John’s birth is proclaimed and announced in the capital city of Jerusalem, at the temple and in the center of the city hubbub. Jesus, His birth is humblest as He is born in a rural country town. John’s father is a priest and his mother is from the line of Aaron. Jesus’ earthly parents are average, middle class and have an average social status.
What was God doing? Why does the birth seem so unplanned and so chaotic? The first Christmas was not the picture we see in an amazing depiction of a nativity scene. Join us this Sunday as we look at the birth of Jesus, our Savior. Invite someone because I believe they’ll walk out with more HOPE than they walked in with.
Blessings!
Pastor Tom
BELONG - GROW - SERVE
No comments:
Post a Comment