THAT Christmas Feeling

Its now just one week away from the biggest holiday of them all. We've had our first snow, eaten plenty of cookies, even baked quite a few of our own. Yet, that "thing" still hasn't grabbed me. That undefinable "thing" that gives you the holiday high and turns every moving vehicle into a memory of your first bike. It seems to be a longer journey every year that I hope will someday be slightly easier when Rebecca and I decide to have kids. However, I did get a glimpse, maybe a quick drag of Christmas the other night as Rebecca and I read through Luke 2..kind of the cliff notes version of the birth of Christ as compared to Matthew. The verses that lead up to Christ's birth remind me that my annual journey to achieve my Christmas euphoria begin and ends with the peace found in Christ. As Rebecca put it, as we read through the history of God and man we are taken through famine, a call to slaughter a son, plagues, lots of whining and of course war, and here we are at the pinnacle, what it all leads up to, and we get a shockingly peaceful scene.. Nighttime, a small group of wanderers following a star and a couple probably saying very little to each other as they just experienced something that was far too weird for words. Joseph probably still thinking, "I can't believe I'm marrying this girl that totally cheated on me" and Mary thinking "I had no idea this could happen from just holding his hand." Its really beautiful how simple of an image we are left with among the chaos. Its bigger than a pandemic of failed economies, job loss, crowded malls, "I want, I want, I wants." Its a quiet hope of a savior and a deliverer.