Merry Christmas!

JOY TO THE WORLD, THE LORD HAS COME!!

What a busy week! Christmas week is just full to the brim with wrapping, last minute errands, and baking. I am finishing up my last few gifts to wrap tonight, I have an errand or two to do after church tomorrow, and I hope to bake Monday. I don't think I will have the time to blog after today until New Year's, so for my final post before Christmas I have a few things to share with you.

First, I want to show you a wonderful birthday gift I received from my daughter and her family. My birthday was a couple of weeks ago but everyone in our family has passed around a nasty virus so we were not able to get together as a family as we would normally do. My daughter called a few days ago to say she was near our house and she absolutely must stop by to drop off my birthday gift - so I could use it. Her children were sick so she ran up to the house and handed me the loveliest 4 foot white feather tree! It is just precious. She also gave me a wrapped box to open - and asked me to open it while she stood at the door with one eye on the kids in the car! I opened the box to find the most glorious mercury glass Christmas ornaments, each one carefully wrapped in tissue paper. There were also some sweet, sweet silver bird ornaments - I love birds! I was just thrilled with my gift and so grateful for my daughter and her husband, who freely shower me with love. I couldn't wait to place the tree in my living room on top of a library table and hang those gorgeous ornaments from their sweet white organza ribbons.

I thought my living room tree looked really pretty this year with it's red packages underneath - so I thought I would show it to you!

Yesterday my husband carried in a hunormous box from the postman! It was a gift from our dear friends CeeKay and her Hubby. Isn't this the prettiest Santa you've ever seen, with his white clothes and gorgeous porcelain hand painted face?

CeeKay also sent me some things for my birthday in the same box - some wonderful bath products in lavender (which would match my guest room, but I intend to use them myself!), a matching lavender candle, and a darling hot pink sleep mask. Do you thing it will work even for ME, Queen of Insomniacs, CeeKay? There was also a little green box to open. It contained seven, yes 7, pairs of pearl earrings, all in different shades. What a great gift!

Finally, before I say goodbye for a Christmas break, I want to share with you an excerpt from a book by Max Lucado, God Came Near. Lucado is a phenomenal writer. His style is easy to read and understand, even when the topic is complicated. The portion of the book that I am sharing with you today is a beautiful description of the birth of Jesus and the importance of it. It is easy to get caught up in the busyness of the holiday season - shopping, parties, gift giving, etc. But the reason for the season really is the birth of Jesus and the reason for His birth was to grow into adulthood and take the sins of the world on to Himself so that we can choose to believe and accept Him.

Just a Moment

by Max Lucado

It all happened in a moment, a most remarkable moment.

As moments go, that one appeared no different than any other. If you could somehow pick it up off the timeline and examine it, it would look exactly like the ones that have passed while you have read these words. It came and it went. It was preceded and succeeded by others just like it. It was one of the countless moments that have marked time since eternity became measurable.

But in reality, that particular moment was like none other. For through that segment of time a spectacular thing occurred. God became a man. While the creatures of earth walked unaware, Divinity arrived. Heaven opened herself and placed her most precious one in a human womb.

The omnipotent, in one instant, made himself breakable. He who had been spirit became pierceable. He who was larger than the universe became an embryo. And he who sustains the world with a word chose to be dependent upon the nourishment of a young girl.

God as a fetus. Holiness sleeping in a womb. The creator of life being created.

God was given eyebrows, elbows, two kidneys, and a spleen. He stretched against the walls and floated in the amniotic fluids of his mother.

God had come near.

He came, not as a flash of light or as an unapproachable conqueror, but as one whose first cries were heard by a peasant girl and a sleepy carpenter. The hands that first held him were unmanicured, calloused, and dirty.

For thirty-three years he would feel everything you and I have ever felt. He felt weak. He grew weary. He was afraid of failure. He was susceptible to wooing women. He got colds, burped, and had body odor. His feelings got hurt. His feet got tired. And his head ached.

To think of Jesus in such a light is—well, it seems almost irreverent, doesn’t it? It’s not something we like to do; it’s uncomfortable. It is much easier to keep the humanity out of the incarnation. Clean the manure from around the manger. Wipe the sweat out of his eyes. Pretend he never snored or blew his nose or hit his thumb with a hammer.

He’s easier to stomach that way. There is something about keeping him divine that keeps him distant, packaged, predictable.

But don’t do it. For heaven’s sake, don’t. Let him be as human as he intended to be. Let him into the mire and muck of our world. For only if we let him in can he pull us out.

It all happened in a moment. In one moment … a most remarkable moment. The Word became flesh.

There will be another. The world will see another instantaneous transformation. You see, in becoming man, God made it possible for man to see God. When Jesus went home he left the back door open. As a result, “we will all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.” (1 Corinthians 15:51–52)

The first moment of transformation went unnoticed by the world. But you can bet your sweet September that the second one won’t. The next time you use the phrase “just a moment, … ” remember that’s all the time it will take to change this world.

From God Came Near© (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006) Max Lucado

I want to take this opportunity to wish each of you lovely ladies in this blogging community we all enjoy a very Merry Christmas. You have become true friends! May you and your families be blessed this Christmas by all God's best and may your New Year be filled with much love and joy.