December 24, 2003
Merry Christmas!
Yes, I've been busy during this Holiday Season, and I'm not afraid to say the C word (no, not cancer, but Christmas). Somehow we've gotten nervous about using the word Christmas; when we went to buy a Christmas tree, at a church run Christmas tree lot, the extra-helpful young ladies wished us a happy holiday instead of a Merry Christmas. If you can't mention Christmas in that situation, when can you?
One quick word of advice - be prepared for crowds if you go grocery shopping the day before Christmas Eve. Normally it takes the threat of snow to bring out crowds like I experienced yesterday, but at least the store was ready with plenty of checkers and baggers.
I hope you find the true meaning of Christmas, and not that sappy Hollywood stuff about generalized giving - but the bedrock underneath. Christmas is a celebration that God loves us enough to send the very best -- his Son, not to condemn us, but to save us. Jesus did not come in glory, but as a baby wrapped in rags asleep in a horse trough. So yes, Christmas is about giving, but it's about a particular gift, a great big gift for every one of us.
Merry Christmas!
Posted by Kevin Murphy at December 24, 2003 12:18 PM | Faith
