Celebrating Christmas (no more "Bah! Humbug!")

As Christmas approaches once again, I'm digging deeper into the gospel accounts of Jesus' birth - deeper than in prior years, learning line upon line, precept upon precept.  There's no better way to prepare your heart for Christmas.  It's so easy to get distracted, and caught up in the busyness, and all the things "to do" during this season.  For many years, I honestly couldn't wait for Christmas to be over - December 26th was my favorite day of the year!  I'd feel such relief from stress on that day - I'd wake up feeling like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders.  That's what the world, and materialism, and maybe our own expectations, have made of the holiday.  But it doesn't have to be that way.  And I'm not talking about "getting organized" - I've tried so many different methods and gimmicks in order to have that "perfect" holiday... 

It doesn't work.

No, the best way to get ready for Christmas is to spend some time in the first two chapters of both Matthew and Luke.  Read and study those passages.  Go back in time over 2,000 years to the tiny nation of Israel, which was under the thumb and oppression of the mighty Roman Empire, where something was stirring...something was going on... whispers in the night... angels... miraculous events... scandal... magi... murder... a star...

The nation of Israel is God's chosen people.  He chose Abraham to be the father of that nation, another 2,000 years farther back.  He led Abraham to the land of Canaan, the Promised Land, which He gave to him and his descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey.  And even though Abraham and his wife, Sarah, had no children, and were well past the childbearing years, Abraham believed God when He told him he would have as many descendants as there were stars in the heavens.  Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.  God promised Abraham many things, but the greatest promise was that through him, through Abraham, all the families of the earth would be blessed.  ALL the families of the earth!  All of us!  God would send the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior - through His chosen people. 

God led His people into Egypt to survive a famine, and out of Egypt, out of slavery, over 400 years later.  God led His people THROUGH the Red Sea, through the wilderness, in spite of their stubborness - all the way back to the Promised Land.  And when they turned against Him, and did exactly what He told them not to do, and worshipped other gods, false gods and man-made idols...He sent His prophets to them, to warn them, that their unfaithfulness would not go unpunished.  But they didn't listen.  He allowed them to be conquered and taken away to foreign lands.  But He led some back - to rebuild - and they rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem, and rebuilt their temple...  Through all of this, His prophets spoke His words to His people.  But then, after Malachi, the last Old Testament prophet...there was silence. 

For 400 years, there was no prophet, no word from God, no consolation, no comforting, no word. 

Just silence.

And then...it was time.

God sent His messenger, His angel, Gabriel, to deliver a message to a priest named Zacharias.  And what a message it was!  Oh my Goodness, the story's just getting started...


Now the Lord said to Abram,
   "Go forth from your country,
     And from your relatives
    And from your father's house,
    To the land which I will show you;
    And I will make you a great nation,
    And I will bless you,
    And make your name great;
    And so you shall be a blessing;
    And I will bless those who bless you,
    And the one who curses you I will curse.
    And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."
(Genesis 12:1-3)