Luke 1:14-16 (ESV)
14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will
rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not
drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even
from his mother's womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to
the Lord their God.
When Pope Julius I authorized December 25 to be
celebrated as the birthday of Jesus in A.D. 353, who would have ever thought
that it would become what it is today.
When Professor Charles Follen lit candles on the first
Christmas tree in America in 1832, who would have ever thought that the
decorations would become as elaborate as they are today.
It is a long time since 1832, longer still from 353,
longer still from that dark night brightened by a special star in which Jesus
the king was born. Yet, as we approach December 25 again, it gives us yet
another opportunity to pause, and in the midst of all the excitement and
elaborate decorations and expensive commercialization which surround Christmas
today, to consider again the event of Christmas and the person whose birth we
celebrate.
Dear Lord, as we get ready to celebrate Christmas we pray
that we will remember the true meaning and all that you have done for us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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