Preparing For Christmas

Preparing for Christmas usually means decorating the house, running from party to party, spending money on expensive gifts, baking and cooking, and getting the house ready for visiting family that you only see about once or twice a year. For me, preparing for Christmas is preparing for the birth of our savior Jesus. I wonder how the people of Israel prepared for Jesus' birth long ago. I doubt it was the way we prepare for Christmas. This is such a wonderful time of year and I am filled with immense joy, knowing that tomorrow will be the day in which we celebrate God joining the human race through Jesus. It is very easy to lose sight of what the true meaning of Christmas is in today's world. It seems as though Christmas has become such a commercial, retail obsessed holiday, where all we think about is getting presents, and the stress level becomes so high with the preparations, that the joy of the holiday season is gone. Since I have a lot of time on my hands, I have been meditating and reflecting on the holiday season, and the true meaning of it. I have really been turning to scripture and reading the story of Jesus' birth, and for some reason it has really been spiritually nourishing to me. I feel with everything that has happened this past year, that this Christmas is really special to me. I am so blessed to be able to have a wonderful family and friends, and to not be in the hospital this holiday season. I do know that the greatest gift that I can receive is the gift of Jesus. As we are busy making last minute preparations for Christmas, I hope we can all take a minute to slow down and remember what we are really preparing for. As Luke 1:76-79 says, "And you, my child will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace."


Joyful Love
         &
Blessings In The Lord
Alexandra K. Acosta