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A Window View to My World of Christmas in my delightful home in Oxford. A tiny tree was the first Christmas gift to grace our home, followed by a star, candles. But the amazing thing is that my landlord adorned our flower boxes with brand new plants to reflect the purple royalty of Christ the king. How fun!
Most of us are entering into the Christmas season. We are trying to figure out how to take care of the needs of our loved ones, keep feeding the masses throughout the month, maintain our responsibilities and stay sane and above water.. Yet, there is a part of me, through the years, that has learned to “give in to the Christmas Season.” I don’t mean the commercialism or being too busy and over committed. But learning to enjoy the gifts given, however simple, the simple celebrations of home, the lights and the mystery of imagination that can be so much a part of the joy of life.
As a sparkly-eyed little girl idealist and dreamer, I remember Christmas as a time of lights, twinkles, smells, color and delight. Christmas touches on parts of our lives that point to the ways God wants us to find delight and joy throughout eternity. Most nights in December, I would sit under our tree and look at the lighted loveliness and dream about life, and what I might someday become. Romantic thoughts of every kind floated through my head. Lilian is just old enough to dive into this world all on her own. She spends hours looking at the lights, the ornaments, and like I did, dreaming of all the stories we have read to her.
There is another delight that I still enjoy so much. One of the gifts my mother gave to me through this sacred season was a love for hospitality--sharing this life, love, friendship, beauty with those in community. Even yesterday, we took folding chairs, a couple of small tables a large tray filled with mugs, cinnamon buns and had a party outside our front door on the road by the bench. We weren’t allowed inside but we did have so much fun outside.
Sometimes the imagination for us to ponder that Jesus is preparing a feast for us, that He cast the stars into place where the angels sang, to understand His glory comes from experiencing this kind of sparkle, beauty, light, celebration in our real lives.
God as a light to brighten our lives becomes real when a child sits under a sparkling Christmas tree and hears, “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. - 2 Corinthians 4:6
“Taste and see that the Lord is good,” is much more easily imagined in a home where hot cinnamon rolls are consumed with great joy together as they emerge from the warm oven.
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” - (Luke 2:14) is more easily believed in a home where the sparkles of beauty show the possibilities of a heavenly sky and the generosity of love gently given through a warm touch or sweet words are given when peaceful relationships are shared.
The hospitality of God, His desire to give food to the hungry thousands who had come to see Him, to provide manna for his traveling millions across the desert, the banquet at the end of the world can be imagined when hospitality is a grace of every day life.
Today, Joy and I wanted to share some of our own Merry Christmas ideas with you. We talk of our favorite albums and ways we are seeking to be faithful at cultivating the joy we need to move in the direction of.
Hope you enjoy this podcast and bear with our giggles. It was good for us to laugh.
May God bring some laughter your way this season. We send our love and prayers for encouragement in your life.
This Christmas, I pray you’ll find ways to spread Christmas cheer first to your own home—and then maybe invite someone in to enjoy it with you!
Peace be with you today.
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