My friend Debbie Beck has a beautiful take on Christmas that reflects my own heart. I hope her enthusiasm encourages you as well:
I love Christmas! Let me say it again in case you missed it… I LOVE Christmas! I love the Christmas story. I love Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus. I love the angels, and the star and all the wonderful visitors who came to worship Him. I also love the sweet traditions we have that celebrate this season.
I love the lights. I love the trees. I love the music. I love the time spent with family and friends. To me, it really is the “most wonderful time of the year.” Have you ever heard the saying, “the best things come in small packages”? Nothing could be more true about Christ’s birth. Inside that tiny body, wrapped in “swaddling clothes” was the best gift of all: love.
This one little baby and this one little word made a way for all humanity to find its way home to a Father who was waiting with open arms.
As Jesus grew, He would demonstrate this love over and over in ways that would puzzle and even anger people around Him. He would instantly forgive the woman caught in adultery. He would love the rich, young ruler enough to tell him the truth. He would take time to minister to little children that the disciples tried to send away. He would allow the sinful woman with the alabaster box to come close enough to worship and receive forgiveness. He would heal a man who was involved in His capture in the garden.
Even on the cross, He offered love to those crucifying Him as He asked the Father to forgive them.
Of all the precious gifts we have been given, there is none sweeter than the love that Father God sent to earth on that starry night over 2000 years ago. So, while we enjoy the shopping and the gift-giving of this season, may we be overwhelmed with the desire to pass this great gift of God’s love on to everyone we can.
What gifts can we give the world this Christmas season?
May we forgive those who’ve hurt us, even if they knew what they were doing. May we give the gifts of patience and kindness to our spouses and children in this busy season and always. Let’s make room at the table for those who have lost their way and need help finding their way home to God. If we really wanted to get radical about this whole love thing, we could even start praying for our enemies– not for their demise, but for their salvation and restoration. (Just sayin’.)
Why do I love Christmas? It’s just so marvelous! Angels sang… the star shone on the stable… kings trembled… and wise men worshipped. But the biggest reason of all is that when I think of who Jesus was and what He came to do and who He did it for, there is one thing that makes my heart sing more than everything else put together: that first Christmas night so long ago was the night love was born.
