From Barbara Wahlbrink, Director of Communications …
Well … after weeks of preparation and anticipation, Christmas has come and gone. The cookies have crumbled, the wrapping paper is in the trash, and the greenery is starting to droop. The house is in a shambles. And those long-awaited presents, they might be tossed aside (already). Or maybe you didn’t even get what you thought you might. Santa FAIL! Kinda like the day AFTER a pristine snowfall, about now things are looking gray and dreary. The party’s over.
Or is it? The world these days says Christmas starts in November. There’s “merry hype” non-stop from Halloween to Christmas Eve. And then it’s gone.
But the world is wrong. The miracle of Christmas STARTS with the arrival of Immanuel, God with us. Stop and think about that. The Mighty One came down as a humble child of lowly means, to walk the earth, live among us, teach us, and save us from ourselves. Christmas is just a reminder of the miracle that goes on every day, until forever.
So, let’s start the party now. If you didn’t have time to reflect, listen, enjoy the season of joy due to all the distractions and obligations the world put on you (or you put on yourself) – NOW is the time. Take that walk in God’s creation, listen (really listen) to those carols and that scripture story. Ponder what it means that GOD IS WITH US. Open every day of the twelve days of Christmas and the whole new year with that prayer of thanks for God’s grace, love, and presence WITH US, now and forever. The Kingdom of God is here. Joy to the world!
The virgin will give birth to a son and He shall be called Immanuel, which means “God with us.” Matthew 1:23