Dear Friends,
For the past few years, a friend has given Bonnie a nativity set as a Christmas gift. Each has been unique, so we were excited to see what this year’s set would be. We were delighted as we opened the box and carefully set each piece on display. When the box was empty, Bonnie asked, “Where are Mary and Joseph?”
“Maybe Mary and Joseph went out to dinner and the shepherds are baby-sitting!”
I responded helpfully.
The next morning during our morning meditations, as we read from the devotional The Christmas Code by O.S. Hawkins, we got a better answer to the question: “Let me ask you a question,” Dr. Hawkins writes, “Are the keys on your typewriter [I-pad, I-phone, or computer] black, grey, or white? The truth is, most people cannot give a definitive answer without looking at the keys, even though they look at them several times every single day. The point? There are a lot of things in life we don’t really see.
“Take the nativity scene. You have seen it depicted thousands of times, but have you really seen it?
“Look at the entire nativity scene. It is a worship service. Crop it a bit and you find a family in the middle: Joseph, Mary, and the Christ. Crop it a little more and you see Jesus only. Christmas is about Jesus. Keep him at the center of your celebration this year.”
“…and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.” Matthew 1:23b
Next week we will look at how to recognize the baby in the manger for who he is
Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ
Because He Loves Us Press 