Christmas Blessings For You This Year

Christmas is such a joyous time of year, and I would like to reflect on the many blessings it brings to us during this season of joy.

Back in 2008 our family life was interrupted with my cancer diagnosis.  I had been diagnosed with Stage Three Ovarian Cancer the month before and to say we were reeling would have been an understatement.

Friends had scheduled for us to go on a Christmas holiday right after Christmas but our trip was postponed when, after arriving at our church’s Christmas Eve service, my, then, husband had passed out and it came to light that he was hemorrhaging.

With renewed prayers from our church, the reason for the bleeding was discovered quickly and we were able to take the short trip a week later than planned.

One of the highlights of the trip was a night at Sight and Sound theater to see the show about the birth of Jesus.  It was a treat to watch the live animals marching down the aisles between us and the heavenly host flying above our heads.

The whole weekend was a huge and fun blessing from our church to which I will ever be grateful.

The Bible is full of blessings for the season too and we celebrate these blessings every Christmas.

Luke 1:11-25

There was a couple named Zechariah and Elizabeth who were childless and well-past their child-bearing years.   They were told they would have a son named John who would foreshadow Christ preparing the way.  Zechariah didn’t believe the news at first and was struck dumb until the birth of John. He was given special instructions how to raise John. His disbelief became belief.

Luke 1:26-38

Mary was a virgin pledged to be married to Joseph, a carpenter from the village of Nazareth.  The angel told her she was highly favored and that she would bear a son who would save us from our sins.  I’m sure she must have been afraid, but she told the angel “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”

Matthew 1:18-25

Joseph was in for quite the surprise when Mary told him about the coming baby, and he planned to cut ties with her when God spoke to him in a dream about the circumstances of the conception and told him not to be afraid to take Mary in as his wife.  Joseph obeyed God and immediately took Mary in as his wife.

Luke 2: 4-7

Jesus’ birth is told through these verses.  You have to wonder if anyone in Bethlehem was aware of this miraculous birth.

Luke 2:8-20

An entire angel army arrived to announce the birth of Jesus to some lowly shepherds. It had to have been such a glorious, terrifying sight to witness.  Even more magnificent when the shepherds found Jesus and told Mary and Joseph about the angels. Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. (Luke 2:19)

Matthew 2:1-12

Mary and Joseph were in for another surprise when, before Jesus’ second birthday they got a visit from Seekers from the Far East – Wise Men who followed a star to Jesus and these men brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

My grandson recently turned two and I can’t imagine a toddler being that excited over a visit from a group such as this.  It just makes me wonder what was going through Jesus’s head at the sight of these visitors.

But do you see all the miracles and wonders that went into this Christmas blessing?  God loved the world so much that He sent His son to save us all.  Now that is a real blessing!

In 2011 we were ousted from our house via a flood that destroyed most of it.  We were living in another house when we experienced more blessings from both our church and our community. These were people who were living out the true spirit of Christmas: God’s love come to Earth.

God wants us to be that for others; to be His hands and feet.  Sharing His good news with our actions. What will you do to celebrate God’s miracle this Christmas?

May you be filled with the wonder of Mary,
the obedience of Joseph, the joy of the angels, the eagerness of the shepherds,
the determination of the magi, and the peace of the Christ child. Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit bless you now and forever.
Ray Pritchard