Artwork by Patrick B.
Isaiah 2:1-5
by Amy Hubbard
Christmas is one of my favorite holidays. I definitely get a charge out of shopping, decorating, gift wrapping, baking, attending church and school events, and giving and receiving gifts. The excitement of the season keeps building as Christmas Day draws near. Of course every year, just as I’m in the throes of the preparations, the pressure and stress of getting it all done starts creeping in. Christmas Day starts to look like a giant mountain whose peak I’m never going to reach!
As a parent, I believe it’s important for my children to grow up realizing that the magic created by Christmas is what walking in God’s light is all about. I keep looking to God trusting that he will give me the strength to get it all done and to make the message of the magic come through. After all, we are celebrating the birth of Christ! And, as they say, anything worth doing right is never easy.
God sent Christ into our world so that each of us could live and love and be loved by his grace and goodness. Despite the inevitable hardships and stresses that we face, Christmas is a moment in time to rejoice that God’s glory can still be displayed in our lives. On Christmas Eve, sitting in church with family and friends, with the whirlwind all in the past, it’s finally a peaceful time – a time to join hands with our fellow man, to reflect on and take joy in our many blessings and to realize that Jesus is the light of the world. Following him means that light will always shine in our hearts.
Prayer: Dear Lord, as we prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth, please help us to see your light and to follow your path so that we will not be in darkness and help us to spread your light onto the path for others. Amen.