Christmas is one my favorite times of the year. The trees, lights, decorations and of course all of the wonderful aromas such as baked goodies and certain spices you only smell during this time of the year. There is nothing better than being with family and friends to enjoy fellowship, fun and lots and lots of food and in the case of my family, the feasts and fellowship continuous all the way through the New Year until the last relative boards their plane and returns home. I often wonder if we are the only family who cooks all day long and then as we gather together to enjoy the meal, spend the whole time discussing what we will prepare for the next meal…must be a Cajun thing.
Christmas has been extra special this year because God blessed me with the opportunity to spend a week in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina celebrating an early Christmas with my two dear friends Randy and Ronda. How awesome it was to spend a week with two dear friends surrounded by the presence of God. I had the opportunity to visit their church, meet their wonderful family and friends; we attended an awesome Christmas show, visited the famous Biltmore House, viewed the Christmas lights of Asheville and Gatlinburg, toured the national parks in the mountains, viewed the world’s greatest gingerbread house display sipped hot chocolate by a roaring fire, and baked Christmas cookies, all of this while praising His Name. WOW! It was all so “Christmasy”. When I got back from North Carolina, I came home to a beautiful Christmas wonderland. To help celebrate the first year in my new home, my sister Nancy and her husband Linus surprised me by decorating my home complete with a Christmas tree, stockings, a nativity scene and outdoor lights. This Christmas has been very special and the memories I have of it means the world to me and will stay in my heart forever.
As we gather with our family and friends during this wonderful time of the year and celebrate the birth of our Dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I am in awe of how great God’s love is for each and every one of us. Yes, our almighty and all powerful God loves us so much that He wrapped Himself in flesh as a baby and came down to Earth to live among His people and teach of salvation and to redeem us. Can you imagine all that He gave up for us? Our great and almighty King of Kings, worthy of all of the finest the universe has to offer, came down to Earth in the lowliest of conditions - born in a stable and slept on hay in an animal trough.
Jesus came as a King for ALL people, regardless of their social or religious status. Yes, our Almighty King lived among His people including sinners and the outcast. He shared His life with them, He cried with them and He touched them with compassion and healing. He extended His love to everyone so that all is people could have the opportunity to understand that God’s mercy, grace and compassion are intended for ALL of mankind.
May we never forget what our Lord has done for us and how much He loves us. May we follow in His footsteps and be willing to allow His love to extend through us to all of our fellow brothers and sisters.
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