Awwwwww….The hustle and bustle of Christmas season. The lights are twinkling, the trees are decorated, the crowds are maddening, and some of us spend more than we can afford so we can enjoy the happy faces of kids, family, and friends. We all have memories of different times we have had at Christmas. I thought I’d share a couple of mine.
We lived on a farm in Western Nebraska and money was always tight. However, we always had a nice Christmas. I was some where around 8 or 9 years old this particular Christmas. It was Christmas eve and we were starting to open our presents. The first one I opened was a screw!!! Well I tossed that thing right into the pile of wrapping paper garbage. Dad did a swan dive to recover it. The next package I opened had some kind of wood thing inside. The next one had some kind of metal thing in it. I had no idea what was going on!! The last one had a gun barrel in it. Dad finally put it all together and low and behold, there was a 22 caliber bolt-action rifle. Oh, how funny it became when all the pieces were found and put together. I was totally surprised!!
The other story I want to share was the Christmas right before my Dad went to be with God. The family all gathered at my Mom and Dad’s house in Dix, Nebraska. The food and fellowship was beyond compare. Fabulous, you might say. It was a bitter sweet time knowing that Dad didn’t have much time left. Christmas eve it snowed and Christmas morning when we got up, it was spectacular looking outside. My sister and her family were living in Dallas and snow was a rare occasion there. My nephew, Kevin, had his girlfriend with them and when she saw the snow outside, she said, “Oh, look, it snowed, just for me!!” We all had a good laugh over that. The cheer and the gifts were plentiful. Good times for all. Dad joined God about a month later. Fabulous memories of that last Christmas with my dad.
This Christmas is also going to bitter sweet. It will be the first Christmas, in many years, that Peg and I will spend the holidays with out any of our family around. It’ll be quiet, but, a fun time for us. We get to share a lesson and Sermon with the Saints in Pahrump. Desert Church of Christ, in Pahrump, has been such a blessing for us, to not only work in God’s kingdom, but also cultivate long lasting friendships.
This is also the time of year that most will remember and give praise to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Churches will have special events to celebrate the birth of Jesus. We don’t know exactly when Jesus was born, but, this gives everyone an opportunity to remember Him. God wants us to go to Worship services each first day of the week. We, as Christians, remember Jesus’s birth, death, burial, and resurrection every Sunday and not just on “Special” days. Will we see you in Worship this Sunday? God wants it that way.
MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL!!!!
