Oh! Oh! Oh! Sometimes the anticipation of the day before the thing, the very eve of the coming event is almost too much to bear. The emotions run high, the sense of the thrilling appearance is soooo difficult to contain. And then we wonder why God didn't give anyone the date of Jesus' returning. Can you imagine how awful the anticipation would be if we had the date circled on the calendar? What if the date was so far out there we couldn't buy that year's calendar yet? Aiieee! Some things are best left unknown. The eve of our celebration of the birth of the Christ child is enough for us to bear right now. Today we look for the worship and celebration to begin for yet another anniversary of that blessed night in Bethlehem. We have all we need for today.
The eve of Christmas is a wonderful time to gather with Jesus and thank Him for coming down to this place. Some put pressure on us to have large gatherings of family or friends, but that isn't always possible. Others say that a certain amount must be spent to make children happy. Many cannot afford to do that. Still others will use the holiday to further their own cause or agenda. However, we can gather always with our Lord, whose holiday this is, and celebrate His birth with Him in quiet prayer. We don't need noise, or sugar treats, or gifts, or singing of carols, or any of the other things commonly associated with Christmas to celebrate a time with our Lord Jesus.
Before you go tossing all the Christmas decorations in the box though, all of these things do add to the festive atmosphere of the season. I think God likes a good celebration. Did you put lots of effort into the holiday? Good work! Did the cost of your gift-giving hurt a bit? Excellent job! Are you remembering the central reason for Christmas, the very root of the word? Better still! Let your let shine for Christ on Christmas!
Have a wonderful, merry Christmas!Bucky
P.S. I do plan to write a Christmas devotional tomorrow, if God is willing.
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