It’s
Christmas Eve. The last week of Advent
this year will last only two days. All
four candles of the Advent Wreath burn brightly as the days before Christmas
draw near. The Feast of the Nativity is celebrated
on December 25 when the Christ candle (white center candle) is lit for just one
day.
Peace is
definitely what this earth needs most this Christmas. Americans have been crushed by the horrific
tragedy that occurred in an elementary school this 2012 Advent season. On everyone’s hearts and minds we wonder, How will the loved ones of innocent children
and teachers cope this Christmas? At
the Newton, Connecticut, memorial , President Obama spoke these words of truth:
We
know that much of our time will be spent groping through the darkness so often
unable to discern God’s heavenly plans.
There is only one thing we can be sure of and that is the love that we
have for our children, for our families, for each other…A love that takes us
out of ourselves and binds us to something larger. We know that’s what matters…That is what you,
the people of Newtown, have reminded us, that’s how you’ve inspired us…That is
what should drive us forward in everything we do for as long as God sees fit to
keep us on this earth.
I know it’s Christmas Eve, and we
all want to think of happy thoughts. We
don’t want to be insensitive to those who are sad today; yet we don’t want to
feel bad for feeling happy. There’s an
answer for us all in the words the Angels sang to the shepherds: Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests (Luke 2:14).
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests (Luke 2:14).
There is no peace
without glorifying God in the highest and realizing that, in spite of the
tragedies and hardships we face, His favor rests fully and completely on
us! Yes, that is hard to feel at
times—most especially if your Christmas season was interrupted by something as
catastrophic as senseless massacres like
the one that happened in Connecticut and the one that happened during the time
of the birth of Jesus. One of the caves
under the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Israel, is a chapel dedicated to
the Innocents—those young babes in Bethlehem under the age of two whom King
Herod massacred senselessly in his attempts to prevent Jesus from fulfilling
His purpose of bringing peace to the earth.
The Church Calendar includes a Feast Day for the Innocents on December
29.
On this Christmas
Eve if peace is easy to feel in the circumstances In which you find yourself,
give glory to God in the highest with the angels! If your circumstances are closing in on you
in a unique way because it is Christmas, know that you are not alone and
believe the angel’s message. Enjoy your
peace and pray for those whose peace is fleeting this Christmas.
The key to a Merry
Christmas is to glorify God in the highest and recognize that He has indeed
brought peace and favor to the inhabitants of earth in a world-changing way
that began at Christmas.
The pictures on facebook suggest you followed your own advice! It was good to see your smile. I nominated you for the One Lovely Blog Award over on my blog. Hope 2013 is a special year for you.
ReplyDelete