Come and Gone

Christmas 2020 has come and gone. For months, everything has been building up to this one special date on the calendar. When it is in the past, there seems to be a let-down. Perhaps I should use this time post-Christmas to reflect on the Day and its meaning.

Of course, first and foremost, Christmas is the day we celebrate as the birthday of Jesus Christ. Whether it is this exact date or not is debatable. But, the Lord was born on a certain day in a manger in the small town of Bethlehem, and the world has not been the same since because with His birth came love and forgiveness.

The gifts we give are a way of showing love. But, somehow, those gifts never seem sufficient. At least, that’s the way it seems to me. How can I express the love I have for my family with something so tangible? I can try, but love truly has no price tag.

As I sat down for Christmas dinner around my mom’s hundred year old table, I was more grateful than I could say for the family sitting around the table with me. Grateful too, for those who were not there. None of us knows what lies in the future and if I think about it too long, it robs the day of joy. The future is uncertain at best, but there is today.

With love and faith in God, the future loses some of its uncertainty. Christmas! I’ll keep its warm glow within my heart to light the days ahead.

And now, something I seldom too–an add on several hours after I posted the first post. My son, daughter-in-law, and my two grandchildren light the Advent candles on the Sundays preceding Christmas. We started this practice several years ago. Either Sara or Nathan light each candle as we read the appropriate Scripture and discuss the meaning of the four words and four candles, Hope, Peace, Joy, Love. Then, yesterday, Christmas Day, Sara lit the white candle, representing Christ and I got to read the age-old Christmas Story of the Lord’s birth in Bethlehem. I’m so glad for this tradition and hope my grandchildren carry it on when they have homes of their own.