Christmas Passed

I am sitting and replaying all the beautiful memories from the past few days celebrating CHRISTmas with my family! It was so great! There are so many memorable moments but I think the one that has affected me the most was just sitting at the in-laws as so many prayed and thanked God for the reason for the celebration! The fact that God did love us, Does love us, enough to send us His son- in the form of a babe, born in the lowliest of places....a stinky, dirty, cold barn! Wow! The savior of the world and there was no room for Him to be born in any inns in town. Don't you think people would have JUMPED at the chance to be the birthplace of the savior of the world, to have housed Jesus, had they known then what we know now? Yet, we know who He is and we have the chance today to still house Jesus in our hearts and yet, I am just as guilty as anyone of not jumping at the chance to be a house for my Savior. Yes, He does live inside but I find myself thinking that sometimes it's not so different from the place He was born....stinky, dirty and cold. Yet, still He came! I think of the wonder of what that truly means for me still today and then I think wow! That was amazing, but even more amazing then a babe, a Savior of the world being born of a virgin, is that this is just the beginning of the story! Wow! That's the part that still gets me! Yes, He came as a babe, born of a virgin, in a stable, but then He grew to a Man, unjustly charged and then hung on a cross and placed in a tomb... but though that is amazing that's still not the most amazing part! Wait for it..... The most amazing part of the story, the end of the beginning is that 3 days later when the tomb was opened IT WAS EMPTY! I thank God this Christmas as I reflect on how the story started and the amazing miracle in itself of the birth of this amazing child, but I truly can't help but revel in the Hope of the end of the story! I thank God that the tomb was empty!
May you live today and always with the beautiful hope of Jesus born of a virgin but Raised from the dead by God the Father! Be so thankful that He still knocks looking for a place to stay in your heart! Jump for joy that the Savior of the world is looking to be housed inside of you and then thank Him for his unending patience and love for us! Each one of us that He did all this for!
Merry CHRISTmas 2011