Merry Christmas (a few days late...)

Our 2011 Christmas Tree

Undecorating for Christmas

I'm not sure "undecorate" is a word. My computer doesn't think it is. But that is what I'm fixing to do. And it feels sad to put the beloved ornaments, bells, candles and nativity scenes away for another year.

One of the best parts of the Christmas season is the looking forward with anticipation to something. The kids make chains and remove a link each day as Christmas approaches. Our wall slowly fills with Christmas cards from people we love. We the Christmas narrative over and over. There is so much forward looking. Then Christmas is over and the forward looking ceases.

But we have something even better to look forward to than celebrating Jesus' first coming. Jesus is coming back! For two millennium that is what the Christians have longed for and looked for. I get so focused on the here and now: the dishes, diapers, dirt. I forget about the glorious future and the Second Coming of Jesus.

This life is often full of pain and failure and disappointment but in Christ we have a perfect future coming. I can put all this beauty away until next year's advent season and still live with such anticipation. Jesus said, "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." John 14:1-2

Jesus is coming again! Jesus is coming again! I can live continually with that joyful anticipation.

Preparing for Death

Obviously I don't write on here much. But I do write. One of the things I write yearly are letters to my kids on their birthdays. I tell them what I love about them, recent funny stories and describe their current interests. But most importantly I tell them what I'm learning about the Lord. I write out the Gospel and anything I would want them to know if I didn't get the privilege of watching them grow up.

I hope I am there when they become adults, get married and have children but there is no promise of that. The only thing that is promised me is that I will die someday. Period. I'm not promised happiness or health or wealth, but I will die (Unless Jesus returns first!! Oh do come Lord Jesus!) and so I have decided to be ready for death. I have letters written to many of the people I love. I haven't had some premonition of an early death or anything goofy like that. And genetically speaking I'll likely live a long time yet. I'm just preparing for my promised homegoing.

And so I write letters to my kids that they may know the glorious riches of life and salvation in Christ. So they may know that while they were still rebellious sinners Christ died for them. So they may know that He Who knew no sin became sin for them so they might become the Righteousness of God. And so they will know regardless of whether I am here with them or not that I loved them.