Friday, December 23, 2011

Humble & Heavenly

As I was laying sleepless a couple of nights ago and waiting for family to arrive the next day, I wondered about this idea of family gathering for Christmas. When did this idea begin? When did we fiercely begin to defend and work hard to be together this time of year?

Mind you, I'm not complaining one bit about this idea! I love it and will continue to defend it and work hard for it. I was just curious ... and couldn't sleep so what else is there to do?

And, He speaks to my heart in the quiet - the very first Christmas was a gathering of family too.

Mary & Joseph were headed to their ancestral town ~ surely they had some family living in their hometown? It's a logical thought - though I certainly cannot verify the actual fact of the idea. Whether or not there were actual family members in Bethlehem for them to reconnect with, it was still a gathering.

A gathering of the humble and the heavenly.

The humble: the sweet parents willing to do God's will so fully and willingly, the shepherds who believed what they had been told and went!

The heavenly: the sweet baby ~ Jesus, the angels ~ heavenly hosts!

And, the ideas beckon me to want to be one of the humble joined by the heavenly this Christmas in celebrating, remembering and worshiping Him. I am so thankful for that first family gathering which changed history forever ~ praise the Lord!

Today, I am also thankful for the gathering of family - two thousand years later, thankful that we can still return to our roots and be reconnected as families. Oh, how this ancient census feels like a blessing to me this Christmas when I realize the tradition it began. And, how true that during times we want to make really special - we long to gather those we love close.

May your Christmas be blessed, sweet friends, with gatherings of the humble and the heavenly!

2 comments:

~katie~ said...

Beautifully articulated! Merry Christmas to all of you as you gather together!

"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." ~Matthew 18:20

♥ Katie

Heather's Blog-o-rama said...

BEautiful, Monica ;) :) Happy CHRISTmas to you and your family :) Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather :)