Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Live The Gift


Christmas 2006 is now history. For many people, it was stressful, depressing, an economic disaster. Lots of smoke and lights without any real substance that left them with mounds of empty boxes, empty emotions and empty check books...a legacy of debt.
What freedom, what joy we can have as Christians when we consider the reality of the greatest gift ever given--God's giving of Himself in the person of His Son that first Christmas. Everything else is just a pale imitation.
This Christmas eve, Living Hope Bible Church was again privileged to host a short time of remembrance of God's provision to pay our debt of sin. We saw how His promises given to His people in the old testament were fulfilled in the birth of Christ. We sang the story that is proclaimed in the carols of Christmas, and we heard it read in the words of scripture.
We met together with folks we knew and folks we'd never met...in a shed...on a farm...to celebrate Christmas. The baby cried, and the sheep tried to "bale" out...possibly the same things that might have happened on that first Christmas eve in another shed. Then we went home to live out the gift.