A gift from a neighbor tells the true story of Christmas.
On the day after Thanksgiving, we put up our family Christmas tree. At some point, among the Christmas decorations, my son found an Advent calendar I had saved. When we first moved into our house, my kiddos were 3 and 5 and the sweet lady who lived across the street, brought them an Advent calendar. I had no idea that it was the beginning of a tradition. She brought them a new one every year until they were in middle school.
My son pulled the calendar out and started going through the days, reading them aloud as he went while I continued to decorate the tree. Day one was the Bible. Day two was Joseph. On Day three when he said, “There’s Mary and Gabriel;” he got my attention. He continued and I listened although I didn’t let him know it, until he got all the way to the birth of the Baby Jesus.
I’ll have to admit that this mama’s heart and eyes were both full.
Even thought he’s twenty, there was something about hearing my child recite the true meaning of Christmas that filled me with joy.
I thought about it long after the tree was done. I thought about all of the players that go into faith building. I thought about our sweet neighbor who shared her faith in such a quiet, but incredibly meaningful way. I thought about his Sunday school teachers and the many Christmas pageants he participated in and the Christmas Eve candlelight services where we always sang Silent Night and I thought about the importance of telling the story we believe in.
The Christmas season is fun and meaningful in so many ways. There are parties and gifts, Christmas trees and lots of goodies and beautiful traditions that get handed down from generation to generation. While those are all good things, as people of faith, we are called to remember the true meaning of Christmas and to share the story with others.
The truth is that Christmas is the story of a teenaged girl who said yes to God’s plan for her and her fiance who stood by her although he had every reason not to. That obedience changed the fate of all mankind. It’s the story of God’s provision for His people. It’s the story of the birth of hope. It’s the story of a God who loves His children so much that He decided to become one of us.
It’s a story worth telling over and over. An Advent calendar reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
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