While visiting my daughter over the Thanksgiving weekend, I gazed out the window of her beautiful home early one morning to see a Christmas card scene. All it lacks is a bit of white or clear glitter to make the snow sparkle. What a peaceful scene. I could almost hear the jingle bells and sleigh coming.
As I watched this deer and a companion deer nose around this tree, I could not help but contrast this lovely calm picture with wars, families in conflict, terrorist shootings, death and mourning everywhere. It’s Christmas time.
I don’t know why we expect the world to stop turning when Christmas rolls around. Maybe because we want to hold on to a magical ideal that everything is going to be wonderful and as the carols ring, happiness should sparkle around us like that glitter on a Christmas card.
Real Magic
The truth is: there IS real magic in Christmas. It’s just not found in our expectations of this world. The real magic is that God dropped some of that mystic glimmer down the ages in a promise and through the Holy Spirit into a maiden named Mary. She said, “yes” to God’s plan to birth His only begotten Son, Jesus, into the world.
Just ask the shepherds about enchantment the night the whole sky lit up and angels from one end of the sky to the other sang the announcement of Jesus’ birth and God’s good will to mankind. The angels told them to go and see. They did. Some kind of magic!
No Fairy-Tale, This!
Wise men came from the east seeking this new King. They had studied the ancient scrolls and watched the heavens for the sign to seek the newborn King. These were important men, with all the pomp to go with it. They humbled themselves in worship before this Baby.
They knew He had come to redeem us. They were captivated at God’s breathtaking daring. That He would become a man to save us from ourselves and open heaven’s door to us.
Mysterious now, but Full of Hope
As we live in this world of turmoil, we long for the calm and beautiful magic in that Christmas card. The Good News is that this peace is coming and is even available for us now. Heaven is a magical place lit by God Himself and colors of every kind surround His throne. And we have access to Him. The King who constantly holds out His scepter of approval to us, His own adopted children through the Blood of Jesus, who came to sacrifice Himself to open that access.
Mysterious now, but full of hope.
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid,” John 14:27.
Beautiful! I love your words along with the serene, beautiful photo. We have hope! And it is magical. Blessings! 🙂