“For unto us a chid is born, unto us a son is given.” Isaiah 9:6

Merry Christmas one and all!  Deepest thanks to those of you who continue to read despite the absence of recent posts.  I am grateful for you all.  These last few months have brought stressors and life interruptions that have limited my opportunities to write.  With God’s help, I will prove more faithful in the New Year.

Tomorrow is the day that has occupied our thoughts, planning, time and pocket books for much of the last few weeks.  Tomorrow the presents will be opened, families will gather to celebrate, and feasting on favorite meals will take place. However, that will not be the case for all.  Just as Mary and Joseph could only find boarding in a stable, there are those who will not experience all the perks of a luxury Christmas day such as ours.

Deep down, I think we all know that to be a fact, but we busy ourselves just enough to avoid staring it right in the face.  And in that same hustle and bustle, we lose the gravity of what happened that first Christmas.  There is a song performed by David Phelps for which I will include the link that takes me to the very moment and the deepest meaning of Christmas when we received the greatest gift of all, God’s only son.

The words of the song “Joy, Joy” remind me that just as Easter is about sacrifice and the giving of one’s life, Christmas is one in the same. In order to bring the “Joy to the World” of which we sing and celebrate at Christmas, God had to send His beloved Son from heaven’s hall to a lowly manger to fulfill His plan of redemption for our sins. The Father knew what would this would ultimately mean for His Son, yet He made that sacrifice. Try to  imagine making that sacrifice with one of your own children, knowing full well all that was to come.

The song goes on to say, “Jesus took off His crown and laying it down said, ‘Father thy will be done’.”  For us, Jesus sacrificed all that is Heaven as an act of obedience to God, his father, in order to make the ultimate sacrifice of a painful death on the cross for our sins. The gift of Christmas is not only a babe in a manger, it is the gift of sacrifice by God the Father and God the Son for our salvation.

This Christmas, try not to freeze frame Jesus in a manger scene. See the sacrifice, the obedience and look for opportunities to do the same for your Heavenly Father.  We tend to avoid such acts, knowing that pain can be the cost. What if Jesus had refused his father out of selfishness. Instead he honored him with His compliance.  Be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit as an act of honor and thankfulness.  Give of yourselves, give to meet the needs of those less fortunate, and give Jesus and His love to everyone you can.  God bless you as you seek His will for you in this life. As Jesus has come to bring joy to this world and your life, share that JOY! To God Be the Glory!