Friday, January 14, 2011

Day 5 - A Good Time to Celebrate

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.


Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:1-7


Hilarie and I took the kids to Dunkin Donuts Thursday afternoon. While chatting, we reminisced giving birth to our children, the details of our labors, the pain medications, and the length of that exciting time. For moms, this is a time that we reflect on often, a time that changes our lives forever, no matter if we have 1 child or 19, like Michelle Dugger.

As special as the births of our children are, there is one birth in history, more special than any other, that changed the world forever.

The birth of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

The story of his birth is one I’ll never tire of hearing.

We can only imagine what that night was like. Mary and Joseph there alone (not really, God was with them). They were not in a place with ideal conditions. It was time, time for the birth of the King. There he was born among the animals, humble, innocent, HOLY. As much as I’d like to paint a wonderful picture with words of this miraculous event, no words I come up with do it justice.

I think of the first time I held each of my children after birth. Gazing at them. Touching them. Gently kissing them. What a very special moment that was. Each time was like the first time.

But oh, how did Mary feel? Holding her Savior. Gazing at him. Touching him. Gently kissing him. How much greater this birth was than any other! I just can’t imagine.

As I read Beth Moore’s thoughts on the day we celebrate his birth and how people question the exact day, I thought back to a sermon from our preacher this past December. He posed the question, “Does it really matter that Christ’s birth is celebrated on December 25?”

What matters is we celebrate HIS birth.

What matters is we not only celebrate his birth on December 25, but we also celebrate EVERY day of the year.

I have noticed that the older I’ve become, the closer to God I become, the more Christmas means to me. With all the changes our family has gone through this past year, this past Christmas was very emotional for me. My heart melted as I watched our children in their programs. Carson’s program at preschool was precious. These innocent children learning about Jesus and celebrating Him through song and scripture. The program Hilarie did with our children at church, WOW. She always does such a good job not only telling the Christmas story, but also including the reason for his birth and the path to becoming a Christian. The program is always unique and moving. Oh, and the job Leslie did with the preschoolers and kindergartners. The innocence of it all (to have the faith of a child). During our candlelight service at church, I fought back tears, tears of joy and thanksgiving that God our Father, gave his Son for us. What greater gift is that? This may sound crazy, but I even became emotional during our Christmas parade. I was thankful that God placed me where I am with those I love to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

This year, I bought an Advent calendar for my boys. They loved it. Each night we took out a mini book, read it, and hung the book on the Christmas tree. We started a new family tradition.

I want my boys to know why we celebrate Christmas. God gave us the first and greatest Christmas gift of all, his Son Jesus. The things we do are to celebrate his birth. The gifts we give are to be reminders of the gift of Jesus, but we could never top that gift. Santa and gift giving are fun, but not what Christmas is about. We are to praise God for all he has done.

Through daily thanksgiving, I think it is possible to celebrate the birth of Jesus year round. We can do this through prayer, Bible study, praise, worship, and fellowship. We can do this by our thoughts, words, and actions. I think it is important to celebrate daily the birth of Jesus. If we show our love for him in all we do every day, people will catch on and want what we have…..HIM.





If you want to hear the video, mute the playlist at the botton of the page.








5 comments:

  1. Thinking back on the birth if my two girls. Clara's birth was hard and difficult where Carlee's was laid back and wonderful. However, I to remember the first cries and the love I was consumed with just knowing they were here. In my mind I know God was with Mary at Jesus's birth, but as mothers we do know the intensity of child birth. This birth is the most important birth in our lives so even though I have never read it anywhere Mary probably experienced the almost unbearable pain that any woman would suffer during birth. So my point is I feel empathy towards Mary being so young, giving birth with only Joseph to give physical help in the stable. As important as Jesus is to us I can't see how his birth could have been an easy one. In my life I've learned anything that wonderful is definitely worth fighting for then and now.

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  2. I never get tired of thinking about His birth, either. I love to think and wonder what it was like that night for Mary especially, i think the most special thing about Christmas is that God choose to come to us in a way we could understand....he sent us Jesus, His son, fully human yet fully God.....now that just blows me away. His goodness to us is too much to comprehend sometimes....To think that He calls us His children.....and to think that the love He has for us is so infinitely more than the love that we have for our own dear children.....Wow.

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  3. I never get tired of thinking about His birth, either. I love to think and wonder what it was like that night for Mary especially. I think the most special thing about Christmas is that God choose to come to us in a way we could understand....He sent us Jesus, His son, fully human yet fully God. Now that just blows me away. His goodness to us is too much to comprehend sometimes. To think that He calls us His children.....and to think that the love He has for us is so infinitely more than the love that we have for our own dear children.....Wow.

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  4. Natasha, you mentioned that we should celebrate the birth of Jesus every day, not just Christmas. Last year, during the Children's Sermon, our pastor did something pretty cool He gave each of our children a Christmas ornament. He said this ornament was special, that when it was time to pack away the tree and put away all the decorations, the kids should keep this ornament out and display it the whole year, to make everyday Christmas and remember it. Hayden still has his and remembers exactly why we keep it out. It's a great reminder to me too.

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  5. Christmas and Easter are my two favorite times of the year. I get to hear about the beautiful birth of Jesus to remind me why we are here. Plus the death of Christ to remind me why he died and I am here.

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