A simple trip to Shreveport Target for laundry detergent, how can that possibly go wrong? I notice how the air is lacking the scent of pine that hung over our small town when I was growing up. Parking is atrocious. Target is crowded with rude people in a hurry. I don't hear jingle bells ringing, all I hear are kids around me screaming. Finally, after checking out, trudging across a damp parking lot to the truck, and getting everything loaded, I head to Chick-Fil-A to grab dinner for the family. The drive through line is wrapped around the building. My son is screaming in the back seat because he's starving. Dinner for him is CFA nuggets broken up and handed back as I maneuver Youree Drive. Drivers all around are not paying attention - pulling out in front of me, slamming on their brakes because they finally spotted the entrance to the shopping center they were looking for, and just failing to pay attention overall. When did Christmas become so tedious? Better question, when did I allow Christmas to become so tedious?
I remember when Christmas was fun. The excitement of shopping for the perfect present. The feeling of peace and joy all around. When did I allow myself to feel any other way about Christmas? And when did I stop making the reason for the season the center of my Christmas? It started slowly. A gathering here. Another present there. Pretty soon I'm concentrating on cooking, wrapping, gatherings, cards, pictures, and everything else except the one who started it all.
My prayer for myself and everyone else is this: May we all put Jesus in the center of our Christmas and all of our days. May we know that without His birth, Christmas would not exist. And without His death, salvation and eternity would not be ours.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 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.
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. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.
Luke 2:4-21
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