Merry Christmas!

Here's the photo deemed "good enough" to be our Christmas card. Friends and coworkers have been kind enough to compliment me on our "cute kids!" but I insist they are much more adorable in person.

Today is Christmas Eve, and I must say that since having my own kids, this day makes me very emotional. Part of it is crazy hormones, part of it is just how much I love my kiddos, but I think much more often now of Mary being pregnant and giving birth to the baby Jesus in a barn.

First of all, it seems to me that Mary gave up a lot of her life to do this miraculous thing--after her visit from the angel she goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Seems to me that this was more of a "shipping her off to relatives" done by ashamed parents. It isn't like Elizabeth lived around the corner; she lived in an entirely different town. So she visits Elizabeth, then Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem, then to Egypt, and they never return to their original home. Did Mary ever see her parents again? Did they ever meet her son? Or did she leave them in shock and disgrace and never speak to them again? I doubt they lived another 33 years to see the prophecy fulfilled...

And to cap off this entire scary/confusing experience, she gave birth in a barn. For those of you out there who have personally experienced giving birth or watched it happen, you know it isn't pretty. It is messy and scary. Now imagine doing it lying in a pile of hay. Hay that was "clean" by first-century standards. Good thing this was a divine miracle or they probably would've both died from infection. And poor Joseph--I'm not sure men of that time were trained in the delivery of babies. Did he just stand by and watch? What else could he really do? I'm sure Mary imagined she'd someday have a child, but it would happen at home, with her mom there to help, not all alone with a cow drooling and pooping nearby.

Take the time today to really think about what a miracle His birth was. Be thankful for its occurrence and pray that we might be the kind of faithful, trusting servants that Mary and Joseph were. Pray that we can teach our children the importance of Jesus and his life.

Here's a little music for you to think about.