Wishing YOU a Merry Christmas

WISHING YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS

It is almost Christmas all around the world and whether you celebrate it in a secular manner or as a Christian holiday (Holy Day,) I wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Christmas, from the Christian view is the celebration of the birth of Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, Emmanuel, (God with us.)  It is a day of honoring and thanking God for sending His son to Earth, taking on humanity for our life-sake.  Jesus is God’s gift to all humanity; but a gift is not a gift until you accept it.  Oh what a wonderful, marvelous gift our Lord God, Jesus is. 

The Son of God left His Heaven home and came to Earth to be born human being both fully God and fully man to dwell with us, teach us His truths and His way, die for us and raise up from the grave our living sacrifice that we may have life also, eternal life filled with peace, joy, good health, prosperity, everything we need and then some, God’s gift to each of us. 

The Bible says “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. (And we beheld his glory, the glory of the one and only begotten Son of God the Father), who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  John 1:14 and this is what Christmas is really all about and why we celebrate it.  We are celebrating the birth of God’s gift of love, mercy, grace, compassion to each of us because He loves us that much…But a gift is only a gift if you accept it.

For the past few weeks as we prepare for the Christmas holiday I have been making and selling Christmas wreaths and helping to sell fresh cut Christmas trees from our local tree plantation.  They are beautiful and we often receive high praise for them.  It is an exciting time of year filled with good will, joy and anticipation. 

I love watching the little children with their parents as they come to buy their tree, searching out the perfect tree for them.  It is fun to see the bright and wide-eyed joy and excitement on the faces of the children; they knowing once that tree is up and decorated it isn’t long before Santa Claus will arrive and maybe, if they have been very good, Santa will bring that very special gift, that one thing they are longing for.

Oh how excited the children are!

I love the music, the singing, and the arrival of Santa in his sleigh to spend a few days here visiting with the children.  I love the lighting of the village tree.  It is beautiful, a sight to behold.  I see folks out shopping despite the economy; Christmas has to happen.  It is tradition.  It is a marker of our faith, our beliefs.  It is a happy, bright and shining time of year even in our darkness.  Christmas is special.

It brings families and neighbors together as no other holiday does.

Whatever you believe, however you choose to celebrate, I WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS.  I wish you love and I wish you the greatest gift of all, the blessing, mercy and grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  That is what Christmas is really all about.  Merry Christmas