Merry Christmas!

Here it is Christmas morning.  What a great day to celebrate the Lord's birth. Like most families last night the children sat out the cookies and milk for Santa and when they were fast asleep we put put the gifts.  But this morning I think our family is a little different then most families.  The children are excited but not about the gifts under the tree.  You see we have taught our children the reason we have Christmas at all.  They, minus the 2 year old understand the true meaning of Christmas.  They understand the gifts we give to each other can never equal the gift Jesus gave us through his birth, life, death and resurrection. 

Every Christmas morning before a present is touched my family sits around the tree and reads the story of Christmas from Luke 2.  We read about the miraculous virgin birth and the baby King that was born in a stable.  We hear about the wise men that followed the star with gifts.  Everything in this very detailed account has a purpose.  Oh how Mary must have felt holding her saviour. Augustine said "He was created of a mother whom He created. He was carried by hands that He formed. He cried in the manger in wordless infancy, He the Word, without whom all human eloquence is mute." So this Christmas BEFORE you open your gifts I hope maybe you will take the time to reflect on Jesus and what he did for you. He came to earth and lived a perfect life only to die on a cross for our sin.  Oh what LOVE!