Happy Birthday Jesus! ~ Tricia Week 10

Merry Christmas everyone!! It's JESUS'S BIRTHDAY SEASON!!!!! :D I don't know about your families, but whenever we have a birthday, our mom always tells us our birth story. When she found out she was expecting, how it happened, how the pregnancy went, coming up with a name, the first contraction, the first look at us, the first time she held us in her arms, etc. Well, it's getting closer and closer to Jesus' birthday and I ponder about doing the same with His birth story. It's all there for us in God's word. Every single piece mentioned above is written in The Marvelous Book. God lifts the latch to the window of His Son's story to let us not just see the facts of the story-the where and when-but to see the heart. The emotion. People are emotional creatures, made in the image of God, and wired to love stories. To connect to the common bond of experiences and emotions. And in this beautiful story we get to connect to the best, and most powerful birth story ever. The story that stirs our hearts to the Father. In some ways the majority of the Old Testament is the first part of Jesus' birth story. The stories of love and life that led up to that one very dear couple: Mary and Joseph. The preparation of the Savior of the World's birth. I have been doing the Christmas devotional by blogger and author Anne Voskamp. In it every day is another part of Jesus' "birth story". His family history. His people's history. I have so enjoyed this devotional and this look at the ENTIRE Christmas story. To realize that all of those other events and experiences before Christ's birth are leading up to the final stroke in the grand masterpiece. The music is swelling, violins begin dancing, and then the trumpets of the angels sound and The Lamb of the World takes His first earthly breath. The earth is still while we wait for our first glimpse of The Savior. Then He takes our breath away with His last, and awes us with His resurection. We are saved. Redeemed. Free. It all began with the creation of beauty and climaxes at the most beautiful picture of all~Christ laying down His life for His people. A Gift. The lights, the sweet perfumes of the season, the shimmering garlands, the colors of loving sacrifice and friendship (red and green), and the darling decorations everywhere you turn, is all celebrating His Story. The whole story. The love exemplified from Christ's first breath in the cold stable to His eternal breath He breathes into us. So let us celebrate well. Let us sing joyfully in praise of Christ's whole story. May every shimmering light remind us of the Eternal Light from above. And may we remember the entirety of the story and share it with all. Christ is born. He is risen from the dead. We are one with Him again. Come awake. Come awake! Christ is risen from the grave! “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.’” John 3:16-17

Enjoying celebrating with Laina, Melika, and Elliot (M's boyfriend)!! Merry Christmas everyone!!