Christmas 2008

Shh.. Did you hear that? Listen, there it was again. There off in the distance did you catch that? Listen, not with your ears but with your soul, your heart, listen with the God sized hole in your inner most being.
Now, now can you hear it? The sounds of the heavenly host getting ready to sing, to sing with joy and anticipation, anticipation at the celebration of our Lord and Savior. Celebration of when our creator made himself man and came to live as one of us? Anticipation of the miracle of the virgin birth, of God among men and anticipation of the greatest gift in the history of the universe. Celebration that the supreme being, the omniscient, omnipresent, almighty God would sacrifice himself to pay the debt for OUR sins, so we could again be in relationship with GOD our Father.
For over 2000 years this yearly remembrance has taken on many different forms and traditions for everyone except the heavenly host, the angelic choir that announced Jesus birth still sings the songs of Glory and Exultation with the same fervor and love that welcomed Christ to our world as he lay in the humble manger in the small town of Bethlehem.
The choir is warming up and almost ready to sing.Christmas Day approaches quickly and we have given ourselves a million things to do, the shopping the cooking , the wrapping and the waiting.
Oh the waiting, do you suppose the angels were gathered together in heaven as they watched Mary and Joseph go those last few miles, do you think the host nudged one another as person after person turned the expectant couple away. Was there a sigh of relief as Joseph approached the one inn keeper who would offer them shelter in his stable?
Can you imagine the excitement of the angels? They knew the Lord and Savior was about to be born to bring peace and joy to all on earth who accept him. Listen, can you hear the gathering breaths as the angels prepare to welcome the King?
Listen, can you feel the love and joy that starts in heaven at the very throne of God and passes down thru the sky to the lonely field where shepherds are keeping their watch.
Have you heard the singing, I have ,I have heard the angels singing, in the laughter of my children and in the whispering voices of my parents who are still so very much in love, I hear the angels singing as my sister shares of herself as only a true Christ follower can and I have heard the angels singing as I hear the voice of my husband as he comes thru the door at the end of the day.
This year has been one of incredible joy and indescribable pain for me and my family, and we are definitely on the busy track, but my prayer for us and for all your families is that we can all stop and listen. Not with our ears but with our hearts and souls as the heavenly choir once again sings of the birth of Christ in our terribly messy world. A world which now more than ever not only needs a Savior but also needs to recognize that we need a Savior.
May you and your family be blessed this Christmas and in the coming year, and remember if all else fails…listen….shh… just listen.