HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

May everyone know the joy of Home for the holiday...whether it be in your heart or in reality. We all have a spot within our soul that needs to be filled with Jesus and when that large hole is filled we have home in our hearts. I pray this space in your heart is full of the Savior and his love HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS Home for the holidays-isn’t that a beautiful phrase? For some, home is the light display around the lake, the gold coin in the Salvation Army kettle and the Bell Ridge church children’s program. For others home is the carol floating from the church steeple, Santa’s house on the corner of the Courthouse lawn, and the smiling faces of people who nod in recognition at the Wal-Mart. For many it’s the lunch with friends, and best of all, the family gathering under the same roof to celebrate the birth of the Savior who means so much to all of us. Home has a different association to each of us, but for me it is all of these things and more. Home is Edgar County, Illinois. Here in Edgar County we can still enjoy the manger scene displayed in so many different ways. I enjoy the living nativity at the church drive-thru, but whether the nativity is cast in fancy marble or displayed as a small crèche on the coffee table, it is still a reminder of our Savior’s home when He came into this world. Not a palace, but a stable. Not a home of great renown and wealth, but the lowly dwelling of a teenager and a carpenter. Isn’t it amazing when you think about it? That God would expect a young teenage woman and her carpenter husband to raise the Savior of the world? And yet, it was in this home where Jesus “grew in wisdom and in stature” (Luke 2:52) and became all that He was meant to be. My childhood home and family memories flood my heart during this time of year. I realize how past experiences have shaped me into the woman I have become. I pray that those of us who are parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts remember that as Jesus grew and was influenced by these young parents in their home, so the children around us are influenced by what they are witnessing in us. All are touched by the world’s concept of Christmas. We can enjoy cooking, shopping, and the partying of the holidays. However, my wish for children is that their family memories be centered on the celebration of Jesus’ birth and the knowledge that He came to be the Savior. May your home and your family be a place of celebration and joy for the birth of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. May you enjoy your walk with Him in 2007. Enjoy your walk. Jeremiah 6:16