Christmastime has changed for
me. When the kids were young, I would
spend a whole day helping Jan put up the Christmas tree and other decorations
(another half day taking them down). During
the 12 evenings before Christmas, we would do an Advent Calendar - telling
parts of the Christmas story each night.
Christmas songs filled our house.
Cookies, chocolates, and other sweets were shared with our
neighbors. Following a breakfast of
freshly baked cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, we would dig into our
presents, then feast on a traditional Christmas dinner.
Now, my empty nest looks the same
as any other day, except for a lone Christmas reef I hang on my front porch,
just so my neighbors will know that I’m not a grinch. There are no gifts under the Christmas tree
because there’s no Christmas tree. I
feel guilty fixing sweets just for myself, although that hasn’t completely
stopped me from indulging my taste buds in some homemade delights. However, thanks to Skype, I was able to talk
with my kids for at least a couple of hours on Christmas day.
But one thing that hasn’t changed
is the number of Christmas fellowships where our churches gather to celebrate
Christ’s birth. I spoke at 5 of them
this month. Early in the month we
gathered 17 of our former BOOST students and listened to them share about what
God has been doing in their communities.
Last week, several of our churches gathered on the west end of our
island to testify of God’s work in their towns and villages. Yesterday morning, 35 of our house church
leaders crowded into my little house to sing, share, laugh, and pray. What a huge blessing it is for me to hear
about how God has changed attitudes, met phyical needs, encouraged the
discouraged, poured out wisdom, and gave joy during difficult times.
On the home front, Martha had to
work at the hospital on Christmas day, so all my kids gathered at David and
Andrea’s home on the 26th to celebrate Christmas. The weekend before, Sara and Jonathan traveled
to Houston to help Hannah with the Christmas program at the George Ranch. Sara cooked goodies on a genuine 1860 wood-fed,
iron stove. She and Hannah, dressed in
1860’s outfits, acted out drama skits in front of curious guests. Also, the girls are talking about our next
big Moses family vacation in about a year from now that will include me! It’s to a country and continent we have never
been to before. TBA.
Although the way I celebrate
Christmas has changed in recent years, the meaning of it stays the same. God continues to pour out His gifts of
blessings upon me and my kids. We have
much to be grateful for. 2016 will no
doubt have its share of turbulent days; every year does. But every day can be filled with joy knowing
that the Savior born in Bethlehem is today King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
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