My Dear friends~ May God use this writing as an encouragement to you on this Christmas Eve, written by my young friend, Abigail Krutz.
Last night I was practicing with the handbell choir from my church. As we played through What Child Is This, the peaceful simplicity of Christmas struck me. In the sanctuary the lights were dimmed, outside the sun had sunk way below the horizon by now, & we just stood there ringing bells. Unless you love music, & were up there playing with us yesterday, you probably can’t comprehend the stillness that was in the air which literally filled my heart until the notes became heartbeats. I fell into the trance of music, & the breathtaking realization of what Christmas really is.
The wonder of a baby who came to Earth as fully God & fully man has turned into a commercialized, busy, & distracting time of year. Everyone is caught up in the gifts, programs, & activities that the world has let take over. But the story & the reason we celebrate is Jesus. The baby in the manger. Immanuel. God who became man to take away the sins of the world.
If you’ve grown up like I have, the Good News has become old news. The day after Thanksgiving doesn’t mean I crank up the celebration thermostat to 100% Happy Birthday Jesus mode, but that I’m now soley worried about all the new Christmas music albums, decorations, & my long lists of wants. Jesus is forgotten. He’s put behind it all. As the years go by, I almost feel as if Christmas is just like any other holiday. Obviously we do put a little more thought & effort into its productions, but like any other holiday, we’ve turned to celebrate people. Why else do we buy gifts? Why else to Santa’s fill our shopping malls? Why else are there parades & parties & gifts? But the whole big deal about this is bringing our attention back to what is supposed to always be the main focal point for our lives as Christians: our Savior. Not at all am I saying we shouldn’t get together & have a party with beautifully decorated trees & stockings & take pictures with the jolly ole guy in the suit, but we have to quit letting that take away the whole idea to be still.
Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”
That should be our purpose in everything during the month of December as well as the rest of the year: to be still & know that the baby we celebrate & the reason we sing is because He is God. Of course we can make Christmas cards & buy loved ones gifts! But instead of pouring all our love into blessings, we should be in constant realization that we have these things because of the Giver of all blessings & good things.
How do we do that though? Because, like I’ve said, the story of a virgin named Mary & a baby born in a barn is getting dusty on our shelfs. We’ve heard it a million times. Nothing’s new. Well the truth is that God’s word is living & active, therefore when we read it we continually discover new truths. Never let yourself be satisfied with your knowledge of the Christmas story. If we would just allow ourselves the ability to hear & read the story with open ears & hearts we might just be able to admire it as if for the first time.
One of my favorite storys is “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” by Barbara Robinson. If you haven’t read it, put me on pause to go buy it – seriously. Basically it’s about these horrible kids (named the Herdmans) who have never heard about Jesus, & they get caught up in a church, with a bunch of people who hate them, & take over the kids Christmas pageant. By the end of the book you more than likely will cry, I will say that. But my favorite part is close to the end, when it seems that all of the Herdmans understand Christmas for the first time. It’s the end of the pageant & one of the girls, Imogene, just breaks down in tears; right there in front of the whole church, while holding the baby doll representing the baby Jesus.
That should be us. Horrible people who get caught up in the miracle of Jesus & His becoming man to save us. We should be completely taken aback. We should be able to sit, in the gap between all the unknowns of our lives, in complete stillness of Christmas. With our tear-streaked faces, & hearts overflowing with gratefulness, we should praise Him.
So be reminded, loved one, of the grace showered upon you in the form of a baby, your King & your Savior, who once apon a time was born in a broke down ole barn filled with smelly animals. Because that’s the wonder of Christmas.
& with so much joy in my heart I wish you a very merry one.
xoxo,
abigail“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.'” Matthew 1:23
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6
About the Author – a delightful daughter of a precious friend of mine – would you believe she is only 13 years old??? Meet Abigail Krutz, daughter of Jason and Jennifer Krutz:
Hey, I’m Abby. I love my big family, music, ice-cream, Sprite, interior designing, new books, Food network, Fall, front porches, & walks around the block with my puppy, Delta.
Though I’m homeschooled, I’m really just your typical teenage girl who happens to love writing. If I have to tell you one thing about myself it’s this: I’m totally not as put together as my writing may deceive you to think. I’m a mess. I continually break glass (many stories behind that), fall down (& up) stairs, and act extremely awkward in awkward situations. Truth is, 90% of the things I write I would never, ever say to you in person. My Father has given me the ability to write out my thoughts somewhat beautifully, & it honors & humbles me to get to share it with you. “Grace Upon Grace” blog {GraceUponGrace8.weebly.com} is that place where I store up and share all the nonsense, thoughts, and struggles of a 13 year old sinner who needs God’s grace every single second… All of this & all of me is from Him, through Him, & to Him.
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 1 Corinthians 12:9
A merry merry Christmas to you all, from my family to yours!
