Matthew
2:1-2 Now when Jesus was born in
Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men
from the east to Jerusalem,
2
Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in
the east, and are come to worship Him.
When
I was young, Christmas was an exciting time to look forward to – all those
presents, singing Christmas carols, decorating the tree, baking all sorts of
delights, but then I grew up. That time
of the year didn’t seem so special anymore, until I had kids. Then it was a special time of the year again
and so much fun to see their excitement and wonder of the season.
And
then they grew up. The holidays became a
stressful time for me – where to find the time to write and mail out Christmas
cards, to buy all the presents (with the added stress of trying to find the
perfect present for everyone), wrap all the presents, bake all sorts of
delicious things, plan the Christmas meal, decorate the house and tree. I think you get the picture. I started
dreading the month of December and looked forward to it being over.
So
this year, I knew my attitude needed adjusting.
Christmas is not about all the myriad of things to do – it is a special
time to reflect on Jesus – His miraculous birth, the reason He left the glory
of Heaven to be born in a place only fit for beasts, the sole purpose of His
life to carry our sins to the cross and impute to us His righteousness. And as I focused on Him, preparations went
much more smoothly. The Christmas card
was easy as it was mostly pictures, the hymn I wrote came together very
quickly, the gift shopping and wrapping all went smoothly and lo and behold, I
am actually enjoying this wondrous time this year!
My
prayer for you is that you will take the time to ponder His birth and the
reason we celebrate this special, Holy time.
The Newborn King
He is born in Bethlehem is what the Angels proclaimed,
To shepherds long ago watching sheep on a hillside.
A sinless, newborn King who would for our sins be blamed,
And bring new life, salvation for all in Him who will abide.
The shepherds then went to see this tiny, newborn babe,
Born in a lowly stable, bereft of Heaven’s glory,
All wrapped in swaddling clothes and in a manger laid,
Gifted by God, the Father above, to Joseph and Mary.
The wise men sought and found Him by following a bright star,
That came to rest above the bode of His family.
For the Christ child they came to worship traveling far.
They presented their precious gifts to Him down on bended
knee.
What a wonderful love gift that first Christmas all received.
A love gift so divine from the Father up above.
Eternal life bestowed to them in Him who believed.
Will you open up your heart to Him, receive this gift of
love?
12/12/2017
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