God with us!

Christmas is my favorite time of year for countless reasons; the songs, the secrecy of presents, lavish decorations, family coming together and the once-a-year kind of foods!  But, as the Grinch learned, even when you take away all the trappings and feasting, Christmas is about oh-so-much more!
The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel [which means 'God with us'] Matthew 1:23
God. With. Us.  How do we even begin to comprehend this?  Every single human being is sinful and wretched from the moment they are born into this fallen world.  We deserve Hell.  The only way we could be redeemed was if God Himself came to earth and paid the price for our sins.  And God so loved the world that HE DID!  God with us!  He sent His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life! [John 3:16!]  He knew exactly what it would take to save us and He said we were worth it!

We've been 'on vacation' this week.  Coffee picking came to a screeching halt after two days when we reached the point where all the remaining cherries had either gone bad or weren't ready to be picked!  I did my best to mask my sheer giddiness at this realization, but I don't think I fooled anyone!  It was perfect timing.  We were able to help set up for the Christmas play at church, get some last minute shopping done and spend an afternoon at the beach!  After putting my family straight to work, relaxing was absolutely lovely and strolling around downtown led to the discovery of an amazing pizza place!  Our cultural experience of the week was a Celtic concert that Dad read about on a poster.  Not quite what we were hoping for; it definitely provided some laughing material.  It also cost Dad his entertainment choosing privileges for awhile!
When we were picking this last week, I couldn't get enough of David Crowder's version of the old hymn, "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing".  The words are incredible!  'Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God; He, to rescue me from danger, interposed His precious blood.  He sought me!  He rescued me, by sacrificing Himself!!  O to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be!  And it all started with the birth of a baby, Emmanuel.  God WITH us!
Christmas is a great excuse for parties; a chance to give gifts and wear ugly sweaters.  Beyond that, however, is the celebration of God coming to earth!  Do I truly understand what that means; what He sacrificed for me??  The Author of Life entered this world through a birth canal, just like me!  The Word of God learned how to walk and talk and eat mashed up bananas!  Thinking in those terms is mind boggling.  The King of Kings became a servant, washing the feet of His followers.  Jesus Christ went against every social and religious 'norm'.  His ways seemed backwards and confusing to those waiting for a victorious ruler.  But to those with childlike faith, He was the epitome of love.  He was exactly what the world needed and NEEDS!  And in the end, He WAS that victorious ruler!  Jesus crushed death and the Devil and set me FREE!  That's why I love Christmas!

[our Christmas tree quilt, thanks to Mom!!]

This year's celebrations have been unlike anything else we've known.  It's still a balmy 72 degrees and instead of fur boots or a new ski coat we put a swimming suit or new surf board (wait, Derek.. what!?) on our wish list!  Not wanting to slave away in the kitchen all day, our Christmas menu consists of delicious, yet significantly simpler meals.  We're excited about our tropical celebration plans, but there is something special about turkey, mashed potatoes, and the works.  Last night, however, we had dinner with a couple from church and imagine our surprise upon finding that they had cooked the full, holiday meal for us.. complete with green bean casserole!! YES!  God provides, even the simplest of needs or desires.  He is an amazing God who gave EVERYTHING, His Son, that we might be with Him and know His LOVE.  I'm so excited to celebrate Jesus, today, tomorrow and every day of the year!  Because of His birth, because of the freedom He gives, I have everything to be thankful for- everything to celebrate!!  God is WITH us!