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Thursday, December 30, 2010

A Holiday Epilogue


Well Christmas is officially over, at least the actual day. Our own living room still remains festooned with a tree, decorations, and various piles of presents which have yet to find permanent homes. And I must add that we’re still turning on the Christmas lights outside each night. Nonetheless, anyway you slice it we’re definitely on the back side of the holiday, even though I’m only now beginning to recover from the gluttony and sleep deprivation. The final side effect will, of course, come in January when the credit card bills arrive. Yet, as always, we had a great Christmas together. But what is the formula for a great Christmas?

Upon reflection I’ve come to realize that the success of my personal Christmas had nothing to do with lights, decorations, trees, carols, cards, food … or even presents. All of these traditional trappings were the frosting, but they aren’t the actual cake. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a Tibetan monk. I love all this stuff. I relish it and enjoy sharing it with everyone around me. The traditional and commercial items listed above are lots of fun, but they are rarely the source of true joy. In contrast thereto, here are some of the things that brought me true joy this Christmas, by which I mean the season and not just the day:

· Faith. The true and original story of Christmas is about God reaching out and sacrificing his only Son as a payment for our sins. Even though the actual date of December 25th is probably way off this is still the traditional day for our celebration of Jesus Christ, the Son God sent to reconcile Himself to us. I am a Christian, which means that I have acknowledged my sinful nature and accepted God’s forgiveness of that sin through the sacrifice of Jesus on a cross. Christmas means so much more because I believe with all my heart that God and Jesus are real, and that the birth of Jesus Christ as a human baby is the true and historical crossroad of eternity, by which God provided a path for everlasting life with Him.
· My marriage. A happy home makes any holiday more meaningful because it provides a basis for the joy that I believe our lives are intended for. I count myself extra fortunate to have an amazing wife whom I look forward to spending not only Christmas with, but every day of my life. Her beauty, wisdom, encouragement and fun make every day better, and especially a holiday. For over thirty years she has been the center of my earthly life and the fountain of my happiness.
· My children. It has also been my good fortune to have three wonderful adult children who are a blessing in every sense of the word. Sharing Christmas with them is both a pleasure and an honor, and all the more so as I see them embracing the faith and traditions they were raised with. They’ve also given us a first grandchild this year, which just makes everything better.
· Extended family. We are blessed with large extended families on both sides that are both loving and supportive. I’m very thankful the foundation of happiness and traditions that they provided, and which are so much a part of our lives.
· Friends. We’ve also been blessed with a large galaxy of close and long-term friendships. These relationships have added both depth and meaning to our lives in more ways than I can say. Friends have provided a rock of support, a touchstone of faith, and a great deal of pleasure to the life we share together.

I have been particularly blessed in all of the above areas. As you might well guess then, I already had everything I really wanted for Christmas long before the first present was ever opened, or even wrapped. That’s because I have all that I need, more than I deserve, and everything this is important. As for the rest of holidays, the frosting part? It was nearly perfect as well, but all the things that really matter are what filled my heart with Christmas joy. I wish the same for each of you.

Monday, December 20, 2010

His Only Son

Well, we’re right in the midst of that season where our time, money and energies seem to be consumed by everything but the true meaning of Christmas. So I take the liberty of offering the following poem, which is actually a rather true story about one late night in my own parenting past. It was one of those amazing moments when what you know and what you feel suddenly collide with staggering eternal truth. My prayer for you this season is that you may have a similar experience and that, if only for a moment, all the glitter and commercialism will fade away and the true wonder of that first Christmas comes shining through for you. That’s the moment when all the presents and parties and trees suddenly cease to matter and you come face to face with the Jesus whom God sent to us on that first Christmas day. Merry Christmas to all!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16

His Only Son
It was Christmas Eve around midnight
the presents were under the tree
The stockings were stuffed, but
somehow it just didn't feel like Christmas to me
We had read the Christmas story together
before the kids went to bed
But all night I had felt kind of empty
somewhere in my heart or my head
The magic of Christmas was missing
it had faded for me through the years
As tradition became repetition
Until I no longer held Christmas dear
Instead it seemed more of a bother
and an expensive bother at that
Nothing more than an inconvenience
more mess, more bills, more fat
It was late, far too late, I imagined
and the end of a very long day
But I figured I better look in on the kids
before I hit the hay
In my son's room I had a strange feeling
as if something was left out of place
Then I noticed the moon light streaming in
and how it lit up his young face
I thought to myself, "sure, it's Christmas,
there must be sugar plums dancing in there"
I gave him a kiss as I reached down
to brush back a wisp of his hair
Then I knew, in an instant, I saw it
what really happened on Christmas day
As my heart raced back to another child
long ago and far away
To a boy who was sleeping, as mine did
on that very first Christmas night
I saw his peaceful face awash
in the very same moonlight
Then I realized, finally, what God did
and the depth of the terrible price
God paid when He offered His only Son
for us all as a sacrifice
Of course, now I saw it so clearly
in the light of my love for my son
My own flesh and blood, whom I certainly
never would give up for anyone
But that's just what God did with Jesus
he sent Him to suffer and die
God sent Him because of His love for me
as I saw it I started to cry
And me, I was tired of Christmas
but I just didn't know what it meant
I had gotten too busy to notice the Savior
I knew that God had sent
I was filled with the joy and wonder
which eluded me all of these years
Now it was there, I could feel it
as it came flooding in through the tears
There, alone on my knees, in the darkness
I finally understood
That on Christmas God gave the greatest
gift of love that anyone could
By Frank Carpenter ©