my first Christmas post...

It is almost Christmas season. Actually for me, it is already Christmas season. I have been thinking and getting excited about Christmas for a week or two now. I have been listening to Christmas music. And next week, Courtney will help me decorate for Christmas!

Christmas is my favorite holiday. I love it for so many reasons. I love lights and glitter. I love the smell of Christmas trees. I love the food and the drinks and the whole smell of the season. I love being with my family. I love giving and getting gifts. I love decorating. I love the music. I love the advent candles. I love the Christmas eve service at Faith Presbyterian Church.

But more than all of that, I love Christmas because it is a celebration of the birth of my Savior. I am always amazed at the beauty of the story. Our Lord, the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings, came down to us as a baby. He was born to humble parents in a stable. We all know the story. Even if you aren't a Christian, you most likely know the basic facts of the story.

But think about it for a second--how incredible is that? How beautiful and delightful and mysterious and mystical is His birth? I read Luke 2, and I feel as if I am reading an old Hebrew fairy tale. Surely this is not the logical, practical step for God to take to bring salvation? And I am reminded that Jesus' birth is not an inkling of a fairy tale. Rather, all fairy tales, all beautiful stories are based off of the truth of who He is, how He has come, and what He has and will do.

I hope that everyone will take time this Christmas to really consider the beauty of Christ's coming. I know there is so much more beyond that to dwell on--how amazing that He came at all and what He does after His birth. But for now, simply consider the mystery and the wonder.

My favorite verse dealing with Christ's birth, and perhaps one of my favorite verses in the Bible is Luke 2:19:

ἡ δὲ Μαρία πάντα συνετήρει τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτασυνβάλλουσα ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτῆς.

"And Mary was preserving all these words, putting them together in her heart."

(sorry if it's a slightly different version--that's what the Greek literally says)

I am blown away thinking about Mary, a fairly young girl, cherishing and puzzling over the things she had seen and heard through the birth of her child, Jesus. I hope that I too will be constantly cherishing Christ's birth.