In preparation for our new series beginning this Sunday, Russ Holt wrote the following. I loved it and wanted to share it with you...
As we approach this Christmas season, we have an opportunity to also examine our views and perspectives of Christmas. We often think of angels, antlers, a baby, baking, bells, Bethlehem, Blitzen, bows, boxes, calling birds (four of them), candles, candy canes, cards, cattle, caroling, chimneys, Comet, cookies, Cupid, Dasher, Dancer, decorations, Donner, drummer boys, drummers (twelve drumming ones), drums, egg nog, elves, evergreens, family, feasts, festivities, fireplaces, fragrances, Frankincense, French hens (in threes), Frosty the snowman, fruitcake, garland, geese (six laying ones), gifts, gold, golden rings (five of them), greetings, the Grinch, Herod, holly, holidays, icicles, inns, invitations, It's a Wonderful Life, ivy, jingle bells, jolly things, Joseph, kings, ladies dancing (all nine of them), leaping lords (ten of them), letters, lights, lists, maids (eight of them busily milking), a manger, mall traffic, Mary, mistletoe, myrrh, nativity, Noel, the North Pole, Nutcracker, night (silent ones, and holy ones), ornaments, parades, parties, partridges (especially in pear trees), peace (especially on earth), pipers (eleven piping ones), poinsettias, Prancer, presents, quilts, red, reindeer (especially Rudolph), ribbons, Santa, Scrooge, shepherds, sleighs, snow, songs, spirits, a star, St. Nicholas, stockings, swans (seven swimming ones), toys, tinsel, trees, trimmings, turkey, turtle doves (in twos), underneath the [mistletoe, tree, stars], visits, a virgin, visions (especially of dancing sugar-plums), Vixen, wise men, wrapping paper, wreaths, X-Mas, yuletide, Zion, and Zzzzzz's.
With all of this, how much do we really think about what happened? The only begotten Son of God, Himself God, humbled himself to become man -- fully man -- so that we might have life, abundantly. He did not come as anyone who have expected -- not in a kingly procession with pomp and circumstance; but, rather, he came as a baby, born of a virgin, and laid in a feeding trough in an animal shed. If we are not careful, the trappings will cause us to miss the Christ of Christmas. Join us in December as we rethink Christmas with a fresh look at Luke chapters 1 and 2.
