Christmas 2022

Familiarity

The concept of familiarity is everywhere. In our marriage, relationships, jobs, etc. We become bored with grass growing, flowers blooming, the moon rotating, the sun shining, the starts twinkling, the birds chirping.

Children do not bore of such, it’s captivating to them.

That concept is no different than with Christmas.

We need to not just celebrate the birth of Jesus without remembering who we would be, where we would be, and what our future would be without him.

Reminder of our state apart from the gift of Christmas.

If it was not for the savior humbling himself as a baby born in a manger to grow and give his life for ours to save us from sin, death, hell, ourselves.

May we never become familiar with this gift, with this person, may we stay in a place of fascination and awe because of His Amazing Grace. May our wonder and awe at Him lead us to enjoying our food, our family, our friends, our nature, our world and give ourselves to him and each other with the same devotion He gave himself to us.

To appropriately honor the savior requires more than an eternity of praise in our every breath, selfless obedience in every action, honor with every word, love in every deed, generosity that knows no bounds. For there never has been nor will there ever be again a gift as great as the one humanity received that Christmas night. One of infinite value, and infinite grace.

With this gift in mind and how it has captivated my heart lead me to count everything else as worthless for the sake of the knowledge of Christ. This Christmas I remember what I would be, where I would be, where I’d be going if it wasn’t for Him.

Mark Original Meaning

What they cannot ascertain is where one so familiar to them could get all this power. Their preoccupation with this issue means that they never get around to asking the crucial question: What does it all mean?