"IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR"

When I was a child I remember the expectation of Christmas morning when we could get up early [one of the few times we wanted to get up early] and open our presents.  It is a joy of anticipation like none another, but it can also be one of anguish and torment.

Mom would hide the presents in different places so that we would not try to shake them or pull the paper back to see what box was underneath.  Later she began to put our presents in other boxes and weigh them down with bricks or other things that would mask their true weight. This would be the cause of the aforementioned anxiety.

When I was a small boy, my Mom would  tell me to put out cookies and milk for Santa and some sugar in a bowl for Rudolph.  You can be sure that the cookies and milk had been eaten and the bowl like an animal had slurped in it.  What an amazing feat to know that Santa and Rudolph had been in our very house that night.

Snow provided us with an additional opportunity to go out and play.  We would build forts out of snow and make snowballs for ammunition.  Neighborhood kids would come over and we would have snow fight until dinnertime.  Man, my Mom could cook!  It would be a feast day to out-do all feast days.

This time of year is a good time to think about what we all mean to each other. Whether we are related by blood or related By The Blood, we ought to consider ourselves very fortunate.  Jesus died for us that we might live.  While the world focuses on the holiday of the 25th, let us also be mindful of those who do not understand what the Bible says about the birth of Jesus.  Beginning today and for the next two Sunday mornings, I will be giving lessons concerning what the Bible says about the birth of Christ. I hope we will be edified and better informed about the wonderful event.

Paul