Christmas Memories

Christmas is many things to many people. I think that a lot of our thoughts and feelings about Christmas are influenced by the traditions that we were submerged in throughout our lives. Whether we continue those traditions or whether we have decided to make new traditions, I think that what we have experienced really does leave it's mark upon our current lives.

As I think about my "Christmas' Past" a few things come to mind. Some of my favorites are spending Christmas Eve at my Grandma Jacobi's house drinking kiddie cocktails (Shirley Temples) in my Grandpa's basement bar and singing Christmas carols with the whole Jacobi clan while my Grandma played the organ. They kept their basement decorated year round for Christmas but it always seemed magical to be down there on Christmas Eve, eating treats and feeling loved by my Grandparents. Since getting married, we have the tradition of spending Christmas day at Ry's parent's house laughing with family and eating ham, potato salad, (watching others eat baked beans) and lots and lots of black olives. It's always so wonderful to be with our family on that special day. I remember the Christmas when I was pregnant with Aaron, when I had such a craving for oranges that I kept eating my mom-in-laws stash of oranges that she had set aside for putting in the toes of the stockings. I remember another one of our early years after we were married, listening to Ryan's dad read an Advent story each evening leading up to Christmas and feeling sad whenever we weren't there to hear it because it was so exciting. I also think of the first year when Ryan, I and the boys did our first Advent Calendar as a family. It was Noelle Piper's and after about the 6th day of repeating the story and adding a new element; the boys had it memorized and would repeat it together. They've gotten older now and we've passed that wonderful Advent Calendar on to a family with little ones to be blessed by it.

Traditions are not so traditional in our household. We are sporadic in our festivities. This year we don't have a tree or an Advent Calendar. In fact the only Christmas decoration that we have is a beautiful Willow Tree Nativity that my mom bought for me as a gift. We haven't baked cookies, done much Christmas shopping, gone caroling or drank any eggnog (thankfully). But we still have Jesus. We still sing Christmas songs with joyful celebration of the Humility of Christ in leaving the glories of Heaven to be born as a babe. We still praise God that Jesus is Immanuel: God with us. We still look with faith filled expectation to the future day when we will celebrate the day of Christ's birth in His presence. And so we rejoice. We don't need a tree or a fancy meal or even a wonderful family to gather together with. There are Christians locked in cold jail cells right now suffering for the love of Jesus, but they have just as much to celebrate and someday we'll celebrate together... and all to the praise of the glory of His grace. So it is Christmas because of Jesus... and because of Jesus we have much to celebrate. May this be our true Christmas celebration!

Happy Christmas Everyone.

Merry Christmas Eve

Like a drama unfolding, the curtain was opening
An audience of angels was holding its breath
A census, a manger, two travel worn strangers
The stage was finally set.

Galatians 4:4 "But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman."

Angels folded their wings at the throne, worshipping
As God whispered, “I love you, my Son.”
Jesus took off His crown and laying it down
Said, “Father, Thy will be done.”

Matthew 3:17 "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

The time had now come for God’s only Son
To be born as a light in a dark, lonely place.
So He stepped from Heaven’s hall to Bethlehem’s stall
Where a star lit His newborn face.

Matthew 2:9-10 "After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy."

Then God called to Gabriel with gladness and tears,
“Play the trumpet, the horns, and the strings.
Tell the shepherds, and the wise men and all who will hear.
Command all the angels to sing
Fill the sky with your voices and sing!

Luke 2:8-13 "In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.' And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.'"

Joy, joy to the world
Praise to the King
Oh, let it ring.
Joy, joy to the world
Worship and sing
Jesus has come to bring joy!

John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world that he sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."

This the power of the cross
Christ became sin for us
Took the blame, bore the wrath
We stand forgiven at the cross

Hebrews 9:22 "And without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."

This the power of the cross
Son of God slain for us
What a love What a cost
We stand forgiven at the cross

Luke 23:33,46 "And when they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified Him....And Jesus, crying out in a loud voice, said, 'FATHER! INTO YOUR HANDS, I COMMIT MY SPIRIT.' Having said this, He breathed His last."

Matthew 28:5-6 "The angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said."

John 14:19 "After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also."

1st Corinthians 15:55-57 "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

It is good to celebrate Christmas! It is good to celebrate the birth of Jesus! If Jesus had not been born, He could could not have lived His life in complete righteousness and holiness. If Jesus had not come, He could not have given His life as the ultimate sacrifice for sin. If Jesus had not been born, He could not have risen again, forever conquering death and securing a place in Heaven with God for His people.

It is good to celebrate the birth of Jesus, for without His birth we would not have a Savior. Without His birth, we would have no way to be saved, no one to have faith in, no way to repent.

Let us thank Jesus for the immense sacrifice that He made for God's glory and our good when He humbled Himself to the point of being born as a baby, in a womb that He fashioned, in a stable whose atoms He held together. Let us thank Him for growing up in a sin-filled world, never once giving into temptation. Let us thank Him for willingly offering Himself up as the sacrifice for our sins so that we could spend eternity in Heaven with God.

Thank you, Lord. Come back soon! Amen

Jesus Tree

Noel Piper had an excellent idea (in my opinion) for a Christmas tradition over on the Desiring God blog a few days ago. I have no children - or even a house of my own! - so I am sharing the idea with you all.

She suggested having a small tree or branch set aside to be the 'Jesus Tree' during the Christmas season. Every ornament on this tree needed to relate to Jesus in someway - be it a little cow from the stable where he was born to a disco ball symbolizing the light that Jesus brought to the world and the multifaceted aspects to His person to a figure of the globe.

I thought it would be an excellent thing to do with younger children. You could have them be responsible for decorating the tree, but with the stipulation that they must explain to you how each decoration reminds them of Jesus first. Its a great way to have discussions with your kids and see where their minds are. What child is not interested in decorating a tree?

It is also another excellent way of keeping in strict focus the point of Christmas - not presents, not fun decorations, not cookies, not Christmas carols, not time off school - Jesus' birth.

Please take the time to read Noel's article that I linked to above. She includes a few more details than I have, including many creative suggestions of ornaments that can be included on the tree. Do you have some creative ideas of how you and your family keep Jesus at the center of Christmas? Please share in the comments.

Merry Christmas!

Haha! This was the best pictures we could get. We were trying to get a good picture to make Christmas cards with, which we didn't get too. lol I love Calvin's cheesy smile!

This Christmas season my family did all the things we usually do. We baked cookies, watched a few Christmas movies, like, The Nativity, and White Christmas. We have gone shopping for gifts, trimmed the tree, made gifts with the kids and have been listening to Christmas music since Thanksgiving Day! This can be a fun-filled, memory making time of year. But the last thing I want to do is make memories that are filled with fun and excitement for my children, and not help them and myself reflect on God coming down among us, to save His people from their sins.


Matthew 1:21"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."


saiah 53 Who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
²For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
³He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
⁴Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
⁵But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
⁶All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.
⁷He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.
⁸By oppression and judgment He was taken away;
And as for His generation, who considered
That He was cut off out of the land of the living
For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?
⁹His grave was assigned with wicked men,
Yet He was with a rich man in His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
¹⁰But the LORD was pleased
To crush Him, putting Him to grief;
If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.
¹¹As a result of the anguish of His soul,
He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.
¹²Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,
And He will divide the booty with the strong;
Because He poured out Himself to death,
And was numbered with the transgressors;
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors.


As we reflect on Jesus as a babe lying in a manger, we can reflect on the fact that our God is a promise keeping God. He is not slow to keep His promises; though at times I think he is. His coming the first time was for some, a sign of hope, but for others, judgment. And it is the same for when He comes back! He will not come back as a suffering servant, but rather; the conquering King! This is hope for His people who eagerly await for the fulfillment of this promise, but will mean judgment and great fear for those who have rejected Him. Each Christmas season, we try to take the time to not only reflect upon the birth of our Savior, but the fact that we are awaiting His return to bring us into glory with Him.

Titus 2:11-14 1For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,

¹²instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,

¹³looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,

¹⁴who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

Lord, we eagerly await for your appearing! Come Lord Jesus!

Keep Christ in Christmas

 

Where has the time gone?  Its hard to believe that its already Christmastime! Christmas has always been a happy time of year for me.  I enjoy looking at Christmas lights and watching Christmas movies on TV and hearing Christmas carols.  Our family usually gets together and we have a fun day of games and special food. This year is going to be very different.  First, my son Daniel and his family will not be able to be here this year.  I believe that this Christmas is the first year that I will not spend with him since he was born in 1983.  Second, my Dad is spending Christmas with Jesus in Heaven this year.  I know he is completely happy, but I will really miss him. I have been thinking a lot this year about what will be missing but the Lord has shown me that I need to dwell on the real meaning of Christmas instead.  Christmas isn't about Santa, trees, lights and movies. Its not about presents.  It isn't really about families getting together and having fun and good food either.  Christmas is a day to remember that Jesus came to earth as a little, helpless baby.  He was born in a stable, not in a nice, clean hospital room with all of the modern conveniences.  His ultimate reason for coming was to die a horrible death on a wooden cross, to pay the penalty for our sins, so that we could have a relationship with Him.  That is real love. So, this Christmas I urge you to take some time to reflect on Jesus and how much He loves us.  That is what Christmas is all about.