This will be my 54th Christmas ...The first ones were magical - I could literally hear Santa moving around in the house Christmas Eve and marvelled at the disappearance of the milk and cookies I set out for him. Subsequent Christmas celebrations became a deeper recognition of my dependence on God, and trying to make the holiday special for my own children.
While it's nice in many ways to conclude each year with Christmas and time away from work, I often wish Christmas was the beginning of the year rather than the end. Rather than a season-ending rush through shopping season, a mad flurry of paper, and the anti-climatic thud of it all which leaves us wondering what happened, why not kick-off the new year with the spiritual contemplation of how man and God interact?
I often express frustration with America's political scene in my posts; our politicians seemed to have drifted from the basic Christian attitude of helping one another. They are a reflection of us, however, and that's why we'd be well-served to think of Christmas as a beginning of a personal commitment, not the end of the shopping season.
Isaiah 9:6 foretells of the Savior: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."This seems like an ideal place to start.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
1 comment:
Advent, which is the preparation for Christmas, actually IS the beginning of the church calendar. I turned to the new year in early december
michael
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