I am reminded again and again that Christmas is not our holiday. It does not belong to Americans. It's a huge part of our culture every year, but when it comes down to the essentials, we uncover the reason people all over the world celebrate. Living in a country dominated by other religions makes for a drastically different Christmas experience. Many people here celebrate it, but only as a season to give gifts, have a holiday and wish for blessings of prosperity. My heart yearns for them to know the Father's gift of eternal blessing through his Son.
This is the first Christmas I've spent away from home. Thanks to skype and the power of prayers I can still feel somewhat connected to my favorite Christmas traditions. Every year I love going with my family to cut down and decorate our tree; I love the cold weather, fireplaces, movie nights and all the treats my mom and I make; I always look forward to our game night Christmas party with the Geurins, gift exchanges with friends, our Christmas Eve service, and of course all the Christmas Day activities.
Take away every way I've celebrated Christmas in the past, and now I ask myself, "Can I still rejoice?" The better question is how can I not rejoice even more because our Father unchanging, faithful and reliable. The angels came with a message of good tidings and great joy. The reason we should rejoice is because a Savior has been born who is the promised Prince of Peace. I don't care what culture you're in but THAT is reason to celebrate!
Somehow being away from home and all the familiar Christmas traditions brings me back to the first Christmas when all the had was the birth of Jesus. The beautiful thing is that even when the culture and traditions are different, all believers are still rejoicing the birth of their Savior. I look at all the good things we do at home to honor this time of year and I look at the ways the national believers celebrate. It confirms to me the importance of coming together as the body of Christ to worship him, no matter the customs.
I am so thankful for the fellowship I've been attending and for the community of our coworkers in the city. There are Christmas programs and carol services at our fellowship, and our company personnel can't have enough Christmas parties, movie get togethers or cookie exchanges. It's as if God took me out of a comfortable, God-honoring place, took me back to the basics, then blessed me by refilling Christmastime with new traditions and people with whom to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Merry Christmas!!!
This is the first Christmas I've spent away from home. Thanks to skype and the power of prayers I can still feel somewhat connected to my favorite Christmas traditions. Every year I love going with my family to cut down and decorate our tree; I love the cold weather, fireplaces, movie nights and all the treats my mom and I make; I always look forward to our game night Christmas party with the Geurins, gift exchanges with friends, our Christmas Eve service, and of course all the Christmas Day activities.
Take away every way I've celebrated Christmas in the past, and now I ask myself, "Can I still rejoice?" The better question is how can I not rejoice even more because our Father unchanging, faithful and reliable. The angels came with a message of good tidings and great joy. The reason we should rejoice is because a Savior has been born who is the promised Prince of Peace. I don't care what culture you're in but THAT is reason to celebrate!
Somehow being away from home and all the familiar Christmas traditions brings me back to the first Christmas when all the had was the birth of Jesus. The beautiful thing is that even when the culture and traditions are different, all believers are still rejoicing the birth of their Savior. I look at all the good things we do at home to honor this time of year and I look at the ways the national believers celebrate. It confirms to me the importance of coming together as the body of Christ to worship him, no matter the customs.
I am so thankful for the fellowship I've been attending and for the community of our coworkers in the city. There are Christmas programs and carol services at our fellowship, and our company personnel can't have enough Christmas parties, movie get togethers or cookie exchanges. It's as if God took me out of a comfortable, God-honoring place, took me back to the basics, then blessed me by refilling Christmastime with new traditions and people with whom to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Merry Christmas!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment