Through the Eyes of Others

"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.' Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, 'Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,' which translated means, 'God with us.' And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife, and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus." Matthew 1:18-25

Many today will find themselves in the midst of last-minute preparations and decorations. It might serve us well to take a moment to see Christmas through the eyes of others. Such as -

Dale Evans Rogers: "Christmas, my child, is love in action...When you love someone, you give to them, as God gives to us. The greatest gift He ever gave was the Person of His Son sent to us in human form so that we might know what God the Father is really like. Every time we love, every time we give, it is Christmas."

Charles Dickens: "I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys...And so as Tiny Tim said, 'A merry Christmas to us all, my dears. God bless us, every one.'"

"...God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation." 2 Corinthians 5:19

Remember - The Light that shines from the humble manger is strong enough to light our way to the end of our days.