Christmas Chaos vs Christmas Spirit

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As we sit on the eve of the most joyous holiday of the year. For me It seems to bring a magnifying glass upon the things of the world that we'd much sooner forget...

Not being surrounded by the beauty of the winter wonderland, the close presence of family and friends, sending wonderful wellwishes and bringing cookies to co-workers. The sound of Christmas music echoing down the halls of a decorated mallway, where we hustle amid the other shoppers anxious to get that 'most special' gift for our special someone, and secretly wonder what we will get in return. These things are but a Christmas "what perhaps it should be" memory, and lucidity.
Instead, here I sit, thousands of miles (in more than a geographic sense) from my 'percieved' Christmas Spirit -- which really isn't 'Christmas Spirit' at all.
Instead I read about wars, soldiers who aren't coming home, and those who can't come home, for death has separated them from this world and propelled them to the next. I read of Children who desire every material extravagence under the sun, while others, depicted in editorial cartoons in the Sunday paper, wish only for their parents to come home, or even, to have a home.

I read about how far away human-kind has willfully separated itself from the love of God, even the love of each other. How we'd rather 'shop till we drop' than drop a dollar into the homeless man's cup, as he shakes on the corner. So as Julia Roberts' (famous) smile dazzles Americans from coast to coast on the cover of some paper magazine I haven't heard of yet, reminding us about the treasures of 'Chirstmas Spirit'. I find that I to need to remind myself.

I need to remind myself of the sacrifice that has brought the disrepair and brokeness of mankind face to face with God's grace. I need to remember that 2000 years ago, God decended from the white unimaginable purity of heaven, down into a smelly, dark, musty, moldy world of His creation, in the loving, achingly beautiful plan to redeem us all.

May we all never forget the sacrifice and love of God, for this world - "that He gave His only Son, so that we should not perish, but have everlasting life"
As my wonderful friend Emily has said to me " Have a Holy Christmas"

Comments

Anonymous said…
This sounds like a time when you should be doing some serious song writing!
12/25/2006 11:58 AM
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