Merry Christmas! I hope everyone had a
blessed Christmas this year. I know for a lot of people, this season
wasn’t what they were accustomed to, given our nation’s current
economy, but I hope that wasn’t a deterrent in you being able to
experience the joy of the season! Christmas really isn’t about how
much you have or how much you spend, it’s about God’s promise of a
messiah manifesting in the person of Jesus Christ. For all of us who
believe, He is the gift we received… the gift that keeps on giving.
So regardless of whether Santa stuffed your stocking with major loot
or you had a Charlie Brown tree with no gifts under it, I hope your
Christmas was joyful because you were celebrating the best gift of
all… the birth of Christ!
blessed Christmas this year. I know for a lot of people, this season
wasn’t what they were accustomed to, given our nation’s current
economy, but I hope that wasn’t a deterrent in you being able to
experience the joy of the season! Christmas really isn’t about how
much you have or how much you spend, it’s about God’s promise of a
messiah manifesting in the person of Jesus Christ. For all of us who
believe, He is the gift we received… the gift that keeps on giving.
So regardless of whether Santa stuffed your stocking with major loot
or you had a Charlie Brown tree with no gifts under it, I hope your
Christmas was joyful because you were celebrating the best gift of
all… the birth of Christ!
This year, I celebrated Christmas with
music. I download a bunch of music and created a playlist with old
Christmas carols. Sometimes you forget just how meaningful the old
Christmas carols are until you really listen to them…all of the
verses, and that’s what I did this year. I used these songs as a
meditation on the meaning of the season. Songs like, “O Come, O
Come Emanuel”, which pleads with God to “…ransom
captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God
appear.” This song is about how believers (which the song refers
to as Israel) are being held captive by satan’s tyrannical reign, and
that Christ’s coming frees us from satan’s reign and gives us victory
over death.
music. I download a bunch of music and created a playlist with old
Christmas carols. Sometimes you forget just how meaningful the old
Christmas carols are until you really listen to them…all of the
verses, and that’s what I did this year. I used these songs as a
meditation on the meaning of the season. Songs like, “O Come, O
Come Emanuel”, which pleads with God to “…ransom
captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God
appear.” This song is about how believers (which the song refers
to as Israel) are being held captive by satan’s tyrannical reign, and
that Christ’s coming frees us from satan’s reign and gives us victory
over death.
Another
one of my favorites, “We Three Kings” is about the long journey
three kings, or “wise men from the east”, as they are referred to
in Matthew, Ch. 2, make in order to find Christ. The song says they
traveled, “fields and fountain, moor and mountain, following yonder
star”. Their trip was not quick and they went through great
difficulty to find Christ, to worship at his feet and present him
with gifts. It isn’t always easy to find Christ.
one of my favorites, “We Three Kings” is about the long journey
three kings, or “wise men from the east”, as they are referred to
in Matthew, Ch. 2, make in order to find Christ. The song says they
traveled, “fields and fountain, moor and mountain, following yonder
star”. Their trip was not quick and they went through great
difficulty to find Christ, to worship at his feet and present him
with gifts. It isn’t always easy to find Christ.
“We
Three Kings” is also a reminder to me that Christ is for everyone.
These kings or wise men from the east were not part of the “chosen
people”. They were not part of the “in crowd “. They were not
the chief priests or scribes (i.e., religious leaders of the day),
they weren’t even Jews, yet God chose to revealed himself to them
anyway.
Three Kings” is also a reminder to me that Christ is for everyone.
These kings or wise men from the east were not part of the “chosen
people”. They were not part of the “in crowd “. They were not
the chief priests or scribes (i.e., religious leaders of the day),
they weren’t even Jews, yet God chose to revealed himself to them
anyway.
Whatever
your circumstances this Christmas, I pray you make the journey to
find Emanuel… “God with us” and give Him the gift of your heart
so that He might give you the gift of victory over the grave…
whatever that grave might be. The journey isn’t always easy, but it
is well worth it.
your circumstances this Christmas, I pray you make the journey to
find Emanuel… “God with us” and give Him the gift of your heart
so that He might give you the gift of victory over the grave…
whatever that grave might be. The journey isn’t always easy, but it
is well worth it.