December 24
Bible Verses Covered
Devotion: As our family read this very familiar part of the Christmas story this past week, a recurring thought was how very ordinary it is. Over two thousand years later we can still easily relate to this tale about taxes, long family trips, accommodations gone awry and the joy of wrapping a first born in toasty warm blankets. We wondered; did Joseph or Mary ever get grumpy? We speculated about the inn keeper; was he (or she) pleasant and accommodating or irritated by yet another guest. My husband shared stories about occasionally sleeping in barns as he biked around Ireland in college (and how comfortable it could actually be) and about getting a good night's sleep in a chicken coup in Nicaragua (while on a 4th church mission trip). Our daughter noted that Jesus was not born to royalty or wealth. This segment of a very extraordinary story seemed very ordinary.
Perhaps this 'ordinariness', this connection to 'real people' helps to make the story of Christ's birth and his life so very special. God sent Jesus to live with us, in our world, to understand our lives, to show us how to live and to offer salvation.
We made up a little Christmas song a few years ago that we like to sing with our daughter. The refrain captures some of this feeling:
Christmas is all about -- love and a baby -- love and a baby
Christmas is all about -- love and a baby -- love and a baby
a baby like you
Prayer: Dear God, thank you for the extraordinary gift that you sent into our ordinary world - a baby in a manger. Please remind us of this very special gift every day throughout the year. Amen.
Devotion: As our family read this very familiar part of the Christmas story this past week, a recurring thought was how very ordinary it is. Over two thousand years later we can still easily relate to this tale about taxes, long family trips, accommodations gone awry and the joy of wrapping a first born in toasty warm blankets. We wondered; did Joseph or Mary ever get grumpy? We speculated about the inn keeper; was he (or she) pleasant and accommodating or irritated by yet another guest. My husband shared stories about occasionally sleeping in barns as he biked around Ireland in college (and how comfortable it could actually be) and about getting a good night's sleep in a chicken coup in Nicaragua (while on a 4th church mission trip). Our daughter noted that Jesus was not born to royalty or wealth. This segment of a very extraordinary story seemed very ordinary.
Perhaps this 'ordinariness', this connection to 'real people' helps to make the story of Christ's birth and his life so very special. God sent Jesus to live with us, in our world, to understand our lives, to show us how to live and to offer salvation.
We made up a little Christmas song a few years ago that we like to sing with our daughter. The refrain captures some of this feeling:
Christmas is all about -- love and a baby -- love and a baby
Christmas is all about -- love and a baby -- love and a baby
a baby like you
Prayer: Dear God, thank you for the extraordinary gift that you sent into our ordinary world - a baby in a manger. Please remind us of this very special gift every day throughout the year. Amen.