The Christmas decorations took over our local CVS months ago, and our kids made their annual transition from constant conversation about Halloween costumes to constant conversation about Christmas gift lists in early November.
All the Consumerism
They got excited. I got tired. Sending Christmas cards and buying presents and decorating and negotiating with family about who might go where and whether it is safe to be together . . . If I only think about these external trappings of our season of excess, I sink into worry and exhaustion.
I’m forgetting that I also love this time of year. I love the lights and bells and wreaths. I love the delight our children feel. I love music and stockings and cookies.
The Story Underneath It All
But more than anything else, I love the story underneath it all.
The story of an unwed mother hoping and believing that God will be faithful to her and to her people.
The story of a father deciding to be faithful amidst public shame and scorn.
The story of unexpected worshippers—magicians and shepherds—who are the only ones who recognize that a miraculous birth has occurred.
The story of a baby born to save us.
Walk With Me Through Advent
If you’d like a way to remember the story underneath it all, I want to invite you to walk with me through Advent with my devotional, Prepare Him Room. Each day you’ll read a short passage from the Bible telling the story that leads up to Jesus’ birth followed by a short reflection about how this story connects to our lives here and now.
Purchase your copy of Prepare Him Room here.
Continue reading with Amy Julia:
- Coming Home to Love
- Announcing Missing Out on Beautiful, Part Two (free e-book of essays about a child with Down syndrome growing up)
- Announcing Head, Heart, Hands (free e-book about healing the wounds of privilege)
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