A Life Worth Living

Christmas season is upon us and my family and I love all the things that come with this season. As soon as thanksgiving rolls around the corner, my oldest will be begging for us to start decorating. As we take out the ornaments and lights his face lights up. You would think he’s won a ticket to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. His joy is palpable, his excitement contagious.

As I think of the start of this Advent season, my heart is filled with a different kind of anticipation and no its not the lights, or the Christmas music, or the gifts. There is something bigger than the commercial allure of the holidays and more dazzling than the lights. There’s an extraordinary story that has unfolded and captured my heart. Can we marvel together and see how God fulfilled his promise to his people?

Many moons ago God said through Isaiah “Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot -yes, a new branch bearing fruit from the old root. (Isaiah 11:1) And again He said, “The virgin will conceive a child. she will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14) And of the place the child would be born? “But you, O Bethlehem, Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf. “(Micah 5:2) As you read through the story of the birth of Jesus, you will see how God kept his promise.

As I think of reading this story again with the kids. I am praying for their eyes to be filled with the wonder of what God has done. I think of Psalm 145:4 which says, ‘one generation shall commend your works to another.’ I want to impress on their little hearts that God did what He said he would do many moons ago. I want above all things, their hearts to be bedazzled by God this season so that all the other things will be and remain lesser lights and lesser treasures.

Come though long expected Jesus by Meredith Andrews

As we continue this season of Advent, I hope you will join me in looking at the birth of Christ with new wonder for the next 3 Fridays.