Remembering what it's all about!

Today is my first day back in Louisiana after an amazing time up north visiting Mark's family.  I'm very thankful for the chance I had to meet more of Mark's family and I'm grateful for these next few weeks we have down south.  Mark's best man Joe arrived today with his wife and we're excited to have them here to serve alongside and share our lives with them.

Now that it's December I begin to feel the tug of end of year responsibilities.  Making sure to get out end-of-year newsletters, buying Christmas gifts, planning Christmas travels, and attending various Christmas gatherings, which are all good things but can start to distract me from what Christmas is all about.

One of my staff members pointed out that it's cool how Christmas falls at the end of the calendar year because the other thing we can think about in December is all the ways God has provided for us and protected us throughout the year.  So as we're thinking about all that God has done in the year 2013, we can also think about how He sent His one and only Son Jesus Christ to be born of a virgin, without sin, fulfill the Old Testament prophecies, and be a perfect sacrifice for our sins. 

How awesome is that! We get to take intentional time this month to celebrate our Savior's birth!  My prayer is the same of another staff member's this month, Babette. She said that she wants everything she does for Christmas to glorify and represent Christ.  So with every light strand hung outside her house, she wants it to represent Jesus who is the light of the world.  For every nativity scene displayed, it is to show just how our Savior humbled himself to be born in a manger and humbled himself even to death on a cross for you and me.

Let us not forget that our savior left his heavenly home to come to our world that he may identify with us.  In the words of Chris Rice song "welcome to our world," he wrapped our injured flesh around him, breathed our air, and walked our sod, robbed our sin and made us holy.  Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus! Let's celebrate Him this season in all our December activities!