The question was "What is your favorite Christmas book?" As I thought about it, I realized that I don't have a favorite Christmas book in the sense of a book that we pull out only at Christmas time or that we read only at this time of the year. I do have a favorite Book that contains the reason that we celebrate Christmas, and I don't only read it at Christmas time. I read it every single day of the year. That Book is the Bible.
So many times it is viewed as being just a book of history or of fairy tales by those who have never allowed the Words in it to change their hearts and then lives. But this Book is far more to me than a book with 66 smaller books inside. It is a love letter from God to His creation, a letter from a Father to His children, a message of love, hope, and forgiveness, and a letter of correction and judgement for those who chose to refuse God's redeeming love.
In this Book, we find mentions of how, because of mankind's sin, restitution needed to be made to restore the relationship between God and His creation, the mirror images and reflections of the coming Savior who would bridge the gap between God and mankind, and then the fulfillment of the birth of His Son, Jesus.
If it weren't for this Book, Christmas would not exist. Jesus was the first gift ever given, and He was given to us from God Himself. The wise men brought gifts as well, but in comparison to the gift that God gave, theirs were small and meager.
At first when I thought of the question, I felt a bit down that I did not have a traditional book that I loved to read at this time of the year. But then, when I thought about what we always read on Christmas morning, my feelings changed. I became happy that God's Word is the foundation for all of our celebrations.
Last year, being Addie's first Christmas, we chose to have Brian read her "Baby Jesus" book instead of reading the Nativity right out of the Bible (baby attention span thing). This year, as we look to what our Christmas morning plans will be, we will probably use the same book to read the Nativity to her. However, this is also not a book we read from at only one time of the year. This has been used as Addie's devotional for quite some time now, and because of it, she now views the word Jesus as "love" and then points to her heart.
So in answer to the question, my favorite Christmas book is the One Book written by God through 40 godly men who came from every social, financial, vocational, and political background imaginable over a span of 1500 years containing 1 central theme (amazing if you consider the odds) and is as true and relevant today as it was so many years ago. It is the Bible.
******************************
I hope you enjoy this classic by Steven Curtis Chapman called Christmas Is All in the Heart
No comments:
Post a Comment