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Pete Vecchi
I Am Tired of Christmas"Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you," declares the LORD. Zechariah 2:10, NIV It was just a few days before Christmas, and to tell the truth, I was getting pretty tired of the Christmas "season." Christmas decorations had been in stores since late October. The airwaves had been filled with the same Christmas carols for several weeks. Our Christmas shopping wasn't yet completely finished, and we had to run our already hectic family schedules around getting to special Christmas banquets, parties and other activities at which our presence was expected, and rehearsals for two different Christmas plays at church (one for the teens, and one for the younger children). Throw in the wintertime colds and sniffles, and all I could think was "I can't wait until Christmas is over." One of the activities where my presence was expected was the annual Christmas cantata put on by the largest church in our community. Although I really didn't relish the idea of sitting through another evening of Christmas songs, since I knew many of the people in the cantata, I attended the performance, mostly out of a sense of obligation. Yet as I was listening to the music that evening, something wonderful happened. A "living manger scene" was depicted during the cantata, and at one point during this scene, a spotlight focused on the little baby who was being held up to the light by the person portraying Mary. All at once within my spirit, I was reminded that this baby represented Jesus, who came to earth to save us. Our all-powerful, holy, omnipotent God came to earth as a helpless little baby in the person of Jesus Christ. Suddenly, a peace filled my spirit as I dwelt upon this awesome truth. In the Old Testament book of Zechariah, God told His people, "For I am coming, and I will live among you (2:10, NIV). The little, helpless baby named Jesus fulfilled that long awaited prophecy. He came to live with us and to save us, because He loves us. This year as Christmas approaches, despite the over-commercialization of this "season," I hope that the knowledge of God Himself coming to dwell with us will be the overriding thought within my heart. Today's Scripture Readings* Prayer: I thank you, Lord, for loving me so much that You would humble Yourself to come to earth as a little, helpless baby. Please help me to keep this thought foremost in my heart during the rest of this Christmas season. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen ~ Pete Vecchi
*These readings are adapted from the Daily Office of the Book of Common Prayer, Year 2. For Year 1 readings, see Daily Readings, Advent 1. |
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