If you don’t know this of me yet, I’m a Christmas nut. It’s as if I lose 30 years of growing up and become like a kid for a few days. I love the food, the games, the time spent with family, and I have to admit I really love the presents.

I attribute a lot of my passion for Christmas to my Grandma Ross. She too loved Christmas, and made it as special as possible every chance she got. I remember the excitement she brought to gifts (both the giving and receiving of them.) I also remember her steeling kisses from a young grandson who wasn’t so keen on the idea. Most of all, I remember the incredible way she brought such a comforting and reliable presence to Christmas without saying or doing much of anything at all. We always knew Grandma was there, and that our simple presence brought her incredible joy. She passed away this year, and so this Christmas is different for us as a family. It will be different in obvious ways; missing her cheering greetings, and generous gifts. More than that, it will be different in those subtle ways that could only make sense to those who knew her.

For many, Christmas is a time of not only joy and excitement, but of loss and grief. Those that are dearest to us make Christmas what it is. The memories and traditions we build together bring such an incredible sense of belonging and love to our lives that to be without them can be incredibly hard. My prayers go out to those of you who find Christmas to be a mix of joy and sorrow. I pray that the reality of Jesus will touch your lives in a special way. I pray too that those who feel loss would find fulfillment, those who experience regret would find forgiveness, and those who know sorrow would find deep comfort and peace.

In Jesus Name, Amen

 

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 23rd, 2006 at 4:50 am and is filed under lessons. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.