Merry Everything

I love the Christmas season. This morning while getting ready for church I was thinking that it is only November 28th and I have already completed my shopping (except for two folks I remembered later in the day), ordered Christmas cards, Christmas pictures have been taken, Steve has decorated the outside of the house-it looks beautiful, and yesterday we decorated our tree and I finished decorating the inside of the house. I was thinking now I can enjoy the rest of the season-baking candy, wrapping gifts, and hosting parties.

Then I went to church.
The sermon was on John 14:6 when Jesus very clearly and simply explained who He was to His disciples. It is a verse I memorized as a child. A verse that is the foundation of what I believe. The verse that forms my worldview. A verse that has the ability to make the blind see. A verse that can make those who are dead-alive. That is what it did for me so many years ago. Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through me." Politically correct? No. Comfortable for everyone? No. Offensive for some? Probably.

Conviction. Ugh. Lights...cards...pictures...parties...all good things. But what in the world happened to Christ-mass? The celebration of the birth of The Way? I don't know all the answers, just being transparent in the middle of all the chaos. Is this what Christ-mass has become? Shopping at 3:00am (I'm not picking on you-I was at Target at 4:15am)? Buying gifts for people who have more than 99% of humans who have ever lived on this planet? Decorations, cookies and parties?

...brings me to Merry Everything. While searching online for the perfect Christmas card, I noticed a new "greeting" to place on Christmas cards...along with Seasons Greetings and Happy Holidays we now have Merry Everything. Seriously. Merry Everything? What does that mean anyway? Merry "you lost your job this year" Merry "your child was diagnosed with cancer" Merry " your husband died last week"...these are all things I have known people to face in the past month or so. Merry Everything. Really?

Merry Christmas. Merry "the birth of our Saviour." No matter the circumstance, whether it be as terrible as those I wrote above or as trivial as your heater going out in your car...when you are 2 hours from home...and it is only 30 degrees outside...and you have no tolerance for anything under 70 degrees...

Merry "the birth of our Saviour" makes sense. In the midst of all the yuck of life we can rejoice, not in our circumstances, that would be ridiculous, but in our Lord. "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice."

Our pastor never mentioned Christmas today. The sermon was on the exclusivity of the Gospel, meaning that Jesus is the only way to God. That is the beauty of it. A verse I learned so many years ago. A verse I believe with all my being. Yet He cares enough for me to use that very verse...today... to remind me of the true meaning of Christ-mass.

Operation Christmas Child

Samaritians Purse distributes around 8 million shoe boxes each year. I can't even get my mind around that number 8,000,000 children from over 100 countries around the globe will receive Christmas boxes. For most, it will be the only Christmas present they receive and for many it will be the first time they hear of a God who created them and who loves them. For two decades Samaritians Purse has provided opportunities for folks to share the message of the true meaning of Christmas with others through Operation Christmas Child.

Tonight Steve and I had our second annual OCC Party. We combined it with friends who wanted to have a soup party/recipe exchange and it worked out perfectly! I don't know how many people were here...a few I met for the first time! I think there were 10 or 12 families who each brought 12 items and together we assembled a dozen shoe boxes.

The Lord has blessed us with so many friends in the 10 short months we have lived here. This is a photo of our kids with a few of their friends who are eager to put their gifts in the boxes.