These pictures of my youngest son were taken in 2005. He was 4 years old. The three stockings were for our 3 kids. The three presents were for Jesus. It's one of our traditions. Whenever our kids do something that pleases the Lord (being kind, helpful, patient, humble, putting others above themselves, etc.), my husband or I write it down on a little piece of paper and put it into their boxes (I cut a little slit on top of each box). On Christmas day, after Daddy reads from the Bible about Christ's birth, the kids open their presents for Jesus and we read out loud what they have done to please the Lord. By the way, to us...it doesn't matter if Jesus's birthday is not Dec. 25th, we want to celebrate Him and His birth anyway :). I expressed my thoughts on this issue in my poem, "What Really Matters".
May Jesus always be on your mind and may His love, peace, and joy always be in your heart! Merry CHRISTmas and have a blessed New Year!
P.S. I'm hosting a book giveaway on my HSB blog. You can win a copy of 40 Loaves: Breaking Bread with Our Father Each Day by C.D. Baker. The deadline is this Sunday, Dec. 20th at midnight (Pacific time). Hope you will stop by and enter :)!
It is mind-boggling to me that some people get more into debt so that they can buy Christmas gifts for their families and friends and/or get so stressed out decorating, shopping, baking, preparing for Christmas. I don't think that's what Jesus has in mind how He wants His birth to be celebrated. In my opinion, we, Christians, should celebrate Christ's birth, life, death, and resurrection...celebrate Him all year long any way, not just at Christmastime. How should we celebrate?
Note: Please turn off my music playlist at the bottom of this page before starting the videos.
"This is love for God: to obey His commands." (1 John 5:3a) Jesus would want us to celebrate Him by obeying His Word. "Therefore go and make disciples of all naitons, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20) "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess His name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." (Hebrews 13:15-16) We can celebrate Jesus by spreading the Good News, worshiping Him, proclaiming His name, doing good and sharing with others. "Others" do not just mean our families and friends. "Sharing" doesn't just mean gifts/things.
Let's take a lesson from Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol (by Charles Dickens). After having been visited by his dead partner Marley, the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, he was given a second chance to live right and to celebrate Christmas. What did he do? He paid for a prize turkey and had it delivered to Bob Cratchit's. He gave money for the poor and destitute. He visited his nephew, Fred, to have dinner with him and his wife. Notice that Scrooge did not buy gifts for his nephew or his nephew's wife. His gift to them is time and his love & acceptance. Scrooge raised Bob Cratchit's salary, helped his struggling family, and took care of Tiny Tim (who was a cripple). He used his resources to help those in need; he discovered the joy of giving!
450 billion and 10 billion...what a difference! We need to use our time, talents, and treasures wisely and for God's glory. There are many ways to do that: serving at a soup kitchen, donating money/blankets/coats/ canned foods, etc. to the homeless shelters, visiting/go caroling at nursing homes, buying grocery for families in need, shopping through catalogs from organizations such as World Vision and Samaritan's Purse for the poor and for things that transform lives like Bibles, Gospel tracts, etc.
In this day of over commercialism, how does your family keep a meaningful and Christ-centered CHRISTmas? Please share.
~Please visit here for the links to other Spiritual Sundays posts. Thanks so much to Charlotte and Ginger for hosting Spiritual Sundays every week. Have a blessed day in the Lord, everyone!
