2 Posts in 1!

You get two posts in one today...

First, one of the beautiful things about teaching the faith to your children is that in your moments of darkness your children preach it back to you. We were driving to the library to meet some friends yesterday, and on the way we passed the lighted holiday decorations on the posts at the intersections. There are snowflakes, Santas, angels, wreaths, etc. Annie says, "My favorite lights are the dove and the candle. And the angel. And stockings. The dove because it reminds us that Jesus is our Prince of Peace. And the candle says that He is the Light of the World. And the angel...the angel came to tell good news, Mama. To Mary and to the shepherds..." And I heard that familiar refrain in my head...I bring you good news of great joy which shall be for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord. Annie picks back up, "...and the stockings, Mama, Santa fills them with gifts to remind us of the gifts the wise men brought to Jesus." Whatever else I'm doing wrong in parenting, we've got this part right. Her soul is filled with Truth and it overflows to all of us.

On to the second thing.

This Christmas has obviously been difficult for us, as joy and grief are so prominently mixed together. I have focused much this season on Advent--the waiting for Christ's coming, the traditional candles of peace, joy, hope, and love. Perhaps especially hope. All that is now is not all that will be. Redemption has come and it is coming again in it's fullness.

These words of Jon Bloom summarize a lot of what I've been thinking (link here):

"We too are caught in the cosmic crossfire of Christmas. We experience both “joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (1 Peter 1:8), as well as burdens so great we despair of life itself (2 Corinthians 1:8). Both are beyond our powers to comprehend because there is so much more going on in reality than we can yet understand.

The thrilling joy of Christmas and the hard realities of life are both beyond our powers to comprehend. When the deep darkness falls and never seems like it will ever lift again, that’s when we must pray for strength to comprehend what is beyond us (Ephesians 3:18), and trust in the Lord’s promises, not the way things appear to us (Proverbs 3:5). For this is what Christmas is all about: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).

No matter how dark the current chapter, all our stories in this age will end in everlasting joy in the omnipotent Light that shone first from the little town of Bethlehem."

Christmas is really about the Light of the World, coming down for us. And when the night seems blackest and the world seems to grow darker in sin and hatred and evil by the day, the Light shines all the brighter. And the darkness will never overcome it.

I should ask Annie to sing "This Little Light of Mine."

May you know the peace, joy, hope, and love of the Savior this Christmas.