Christmas Time

Christmas was beautiful.

I adore spending time with my families, even if it means just relaxing together. I'm blessed to be surrounded by amazing family.

This was our first married Christmas. It felt a little anti-climatic in that it was the same as last year. Bring married didn't change our traditions. Shaun and I both came to the conclusion that Christmas will get a lot more exciting when we have a family. We didn't do a tree this year but instead gave the money away to help get some great kids Christmas presents. It was something I felt I needed to do because for some reason I am so attached to trees. I'll admit the house didn't feel very christmasy but I knew that money was put to way better use, therefore it was worth it. I got a bread maker from the hubby, yay for homemade and healthier bread and yay for saving money!

God has been teaching me so much lately. Certain aspects of Christmas are setting in in a new way.

A baby changes everything

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

God gave us His son. God gave us salvation. God gave us the greatest gift of live. God sacrifices everything. God gave the crucifixion. God gave us forgiveness.

And it all came in a beautiful baby boy one evening in Bethlehem.

I know we know all this but how often do we actually soak that truth into our hearts.

Mary was just like you & me

You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High....I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her

Well I'll admit I don't know if I would have the willing heart that Mary possessed.

But, the mother of our Savior was an average 14 year old girl. She still had to tell her parents and her boyfriend (who she'd never touched) that she was pregnant. She could have been you or me. She didn't come from a wealthy family. She wasn't a prophet or royalty. She was just a willing servant and God chose her to carry the greatest gift to mankind.

The Shepard were outcasts

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

Mary gave birth to the Son of God and who was invited to worship him first? The Shepard. The Shepard who was hated by society, who was poor, dirty, unloved. God shared this amazing gift with them. That's how much he loves the outcast.

The thing that has become more evident to me this Christmas is that if we North American had written the script for the birth of Jesus I'm afraid it wouldn't look anything like this.

We would have chosen the prom queen to be Mary. She would have given birth to the King of Kings in the most luxurious hospital. To visit this majestic baby we would have invited the richest in society, the most influential in government and probably a few celebrities for publicity sake.

Here's where we miss the entire picture.

God uses the ordinary. God adores the poor and the needy. God protects the widows and the orphans. God turns the rich away from following him. God tells us to sacrifice everything.

So where do North Americans fit into that picture?

That thought kind of scares me.

What if He doesn't choose me because I'm too attached to my stuff, or I care too much about what others think. What if he chooses me but I don't obey because of those things.

Oh Lord, forgive us for our greed and pride. Remind us every day that you came in a manger. You the King of Kings not only became human because you love me so much you lowered yourself to the bottom of society. Let us worship this humble Savior and the ultimate act of sacrifice He made. Oh my soul Praise Him!

"Could've come like a mighty storm
With all the strength of a hurricane
You could've come like a forest fire
With the power of Heaven in Your flame

You could've swept in like a tidal wave
Or an ocean to ravish our hearts
You could have come through like a roaring flood
To wipe away the things we've scarred

But You came like a winter snow
Quiet and soft and slow
Falling from the sky in the night
To the earth below"

-Chris Tomlin "Winter Snow"