Merry Christmas! And as I write this letter the outside lights are being hung and the Christmas trees are finding a home in the corner of somebody’s house. I pray that in all the hustle and busyness of this time we don’t neglect to find our way to the manger and, just like the wise men did at the first Christmas, worship Him.
Maria and I just recently returned from Bethlehem. We paid our taxes and now we have returned. We met a couple there -Mary and Joseph, she was pregnant, last time I saw them they were looking for a room to land somewhere. Of course, I am kidding, we didn’t pay our taxes. Again, just kidding. We did go to Bethlehem though, Bethlehem Pennsylvania and the couple wasn’t Mary and Joseph, but Miriam and Carlos, great friends of ours and yes, no taxes were assessed, only tolls for the travel. The last day of our visit Maria and Miriam went for a walk together while the men stayed at home and drank our coffee. Maria shared with me what she saw on their walk. There was a home that still had their Halloween decorations up. All the ghost, skeletons, and witches. You know all the ungodly decorations that go with that night were still up. And right across the street a house had already put up their Christmas decorations. All the lights, and signs of Christmas, and of course the manager scene as the center focus. There could not have been two more different scenes on display. The one focused on death, the other on Life. When we walk the land that we are pilgrims in, what does the world see in us? What do we have on display in our life? I pray that those who encounter us see life, see Jesus. Because that is what the world needs now more than ever is to see life, that kind of life that only Jesus can give. As Maria and Miriam turned to come home one of the huge blow-up skeletons bowed down from loss of air as though to pay homage itself to the Christ child depicted by the manager across the street. And why not, because Life will always triumph over death!
To the one and only wise God be glory and honor both now and forever! May you experience all the blessings of Christmas this season and always!