THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS

It's easy to almost lose Christmas in the midst of the busyness of the holiday. This past weekend we were able to join Adam's family for their children's Christmas program in the morning and Rachel's family for their evening program. Both kids live 2 hours from us and about 1 hour from each other so lots of driving was involved. But, it was worth it. Both had wonderful Christmas programs, pointing to Jesus' birth making possible the forgiveness of sin and eternal life. Levi, Ethan and Anna's program was very simple and made me think of the simplicity of that first night when Mary and Joseph found "no room in the Inn". With animals of my own, I can easily imagine Jesus born in a manger with the donkey and any other animals that may have been present. I really enjoy being in a stable, but as a mother of two, I don't think I would want to give birth there. God's values seem so different than mine. Scripture is so full of Christ's life of servanthood and simplicity. In the busyness of this season, I intend to take some time out to simply listen to His voice.