Happy Christmas! We are very close to Christmas today; in fact, tomorrow is Christmas Eve. One neighbor and his family have already set out for the gathering as of last night, and I'm sure others are on the way here or will go today. For this morning's devotional, I am going to attempt to emulate Ken Davis - the fellow you hear on MyBridge every morning at just before 0600.
The Gift Before Christmas
Yesterday afternoon, that old devil of the holiday season stopped by for a visit with me. As I tried to dissolve into self pity at the lack of presents under my Christmas tree, the Holy Spirit responded with a simple question: "What about My Gift?" He asked me. Of course! The gift given to us on that first Christmas! Without thinking, I took the nativity set handed down to me some years ago from my mother and placed it under the tree. Little baby Jesus in the center of the tiny manger; surrounded by Mary, Joseph, a shepherd, a donkey, and two tiny little lambs. A perfect reminder to me of the gift that really matters, I thought, as I looked one last time before retiring for the night.
This morning, I discovered that someone had indeed found the gift given to us by God; the cats were overjoyed at their new-found present. The donkey lay out on the living room floor. Joseph had been toppled and lay outside the manger, apparently given up in favor of smaller and more appetizing fare. The baby Jesus had been batted nearly into the dining room and was still partly underneath one cat. The lambs... well, the lambs took some time to find. One tiny little lamb was all the way out in the kitchen, and the other I didn't find until much later. The cats spent some part of the night enjoying the greatest of gifts in their feline way. Mary on the other hand remained untouched. Apparently future generations of cats would honor her too. Of course, these small figurines are not the real characters in the Christmas story. No harm was done to the nativity set, God would not allow his Son to be beaten up until some years later, and the tiny little lambs did not suffer the indignity of feline indigestion. Also, picking up the scattered little figurines made me realize just how much I needed to vacuum my carpet today!
God provides us with symbols for those times when we take our eyes off of Him for even the briefest of moments. Presents under the tree are not what make Christmas special. Any of us could set up a tree and place presents underneath it any time we want too, even in July. In a similar way we should remember to celebrate Christmas all the year long; no presents required, the gift has already been given. Many people wear small cross figurines to remind them of that great gift every day. Perhaps I need to leave the nativity set where I can see it all year, just not within the reach of the cats.
Have a great and blessed Christmas!
Bucky
Oops! I forgot... lighten up, and live!
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