Monday, November 28, 2011

The Days Between

   We have three short weeks between the two holidays in which to have good school, bake Christmas cookies, listen to Christmas music, and plan and prepare for our family Christmas events. I enjoy these days.
   Today is Monday after Thanksgiving and the boxes and bins of Christmas decorations have been dug up and are sitting here in the living room. My radio is tuned to Chris Rice's Christmas Album Living Room Sessions, thanks to the link Dru sent to me this morning by chat.  The children are studying while I putter about the laundry,dishes, scribbling, and boiling and baking more pine cones for wreaths.
    Downstairs in the pantry lies a large trash bag full of cedar boughs. We're hoping to make a couple of wreaths soon. Frances wants us to bake cookies very soon...something about a Children's Ministry event.
    Thursday evening we will be singing carols at the nursing home for the old folks. And at church for the next few Sundays some of us will request Christmas hymns during worship time. Sometime this month we will bundle everyone up of an evening as a church family and go about the neighborhood singing carols on front porches where ever we are welcomed.  After the evening of getting worn out with running between cars and houses, and hoarse from singing the carols, we will gather somewhere for hot chocolate, finger foods, games, and fellowship.
   All of this to say that I am thankful for a country that openly celebrates the most wondrous event in history, that of God sending his Son to earth as a baby. "His name shall be called Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins."
   And Handel's Messiah strains will again soar into the vaulted ceilings of cathedrals and auditoriums shouting out the facts of the matter of God's purpose and plan in sending Jesus to earth once and soon again to gather us home. I pray again, that this year those singers and hearers will pay attention to the message of the grand and gracious words being sung out of God's own Word. It seems to me that every new Christmas season is another opportunity given to us from God to turn to Him. I feel like the little Herdman girl in her angel costume yelling out to the congregation, "Hey you, Glory To God In The Highest, And On Earth, Peace, Good-will Towards Men!"

2 comments:

  1. I think maybe, this Christmas season, I will refrain from reading any blogs...they're all Christmasy and homey. Pretty much, Thailand is home, but when holiday season winds around, Dru and I both get a bit homesick. (Okay, so I won't actually be able to refrain.)

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  2. Thanks, Arla, for this good reminder post. Today I was feeling almost headachy and a bit stressed about all that "needs to be done before Christmas". You helped me get the right perspective. After all, WHO are we celebrating! Relax, me. It's about Him, after all!

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