Saturday, December 24, 2011

Merry Christmas To All!!! Why We

Merry Christmas !!!!
For these most recent past  weeks I have been ,like you ,enjoying the December energy: shopping, decorating,  and admiring other peoples' decorations and traditions.
Last month, my husband & I traveled to  Fayetteville,North Carolina to spend Thanksgiving with our son and our  daughter in law.  On Sunday we worshipped with them at their church : New Life Bible Church where  Rev Drs. Allen S and Norma McLauchlin are the Pastors. As it happened, we were at the church on the 1st Sunday of the Advent Season and we were very pleasantly taught many things about Christmas traditions. Some of the teachings included:
  • The use of evergreens- Isaiah 60:13-"the Glory of Lebanon shall come unto you , the fir tree, the pine tree and the box together , to beautify your sanctuary."
  • The poinsettia- a Mexican plant whose flower has become a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem.
  • The candy cane - representative of the humble shepherds who were the first to worship the Newborn Savior. The red stripe- the Sacrificial Lamb, the white stripe- our Sinless Savior. The smell & taste of peppermint relate to the herb hyssop-"purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean . Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow" Psalms 51:7 
This list is not exhaustive; many more traditions and symbols were explained in the service . I found it very gracious  that not only did several ministries  have an explanatory part in the service but all the congregation participated , even guests , by singing and by the responsive reading. We had a good time at New Life Bible Church and as we wait on Christmas Eve, it is my prayer that you never forget the reason Christ came , and why we should always remember Sacred Traditions. They keep us in touch with The Reason for the Season.

Prayer - Hallelujah ! Thank You Lord Jesus for laying aside Your Heavenly Glory and coming to Earth so that we may have a Place in Our Father's Kingdom. Without Your Obedience it would not be so.Thank You for teaching us the value of forgiveness. Thank you for enduring The Cross in our place . Thank You for getting up and Thank You for being our Advocate even now. May Christmas with all its traditions constantly remind us of You and cause us to hunger and thirst for Your Presence in our lives even more. Glory , Hallelujah. Amen.
       Merry Christmas & be encouraged. Dr Norma

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