December 25
Christmas Day
Praise God in his holy house…praise him under the open skies; Praise him for his acts of power…praise him for his magnificent greatness; Praise with a blast on the trumpet, …by strumming soft strings; Praise him with castanets and dance, …with banjo and flute; Praise him with cymbals and a big bass drum, …with fiddles and mandolin. Let every living, breathing creature praise God!
Psalm 150
The wonder of Christmas is seared into my childhood. I remember the tree that my dad would wrestle into the flimsy tree stand, turning and adjusting it until it got a nod of approval from my mom. I remember the cookies, every shape and form, each accented in red and green. I remember the gifts.
Growing up in a Christian family meant that Christmas also meant church…lots of church. Advent workshops, caroling, and my favorite night of the year, Christmas Eve. The children’s pageant at 7:00, the “midnight” service at 11:00, and the sticky wonder that followed us home.
The Psalmist paints the skies as bursting in praise. I’m still amazed at how much of God fit into the tiny four-bedroom, one bath home the six of us lived in. The Psalmist speaks of praise from the blast of a trumpet; I recall praise following every bite of my mom’s warm, homemade kringle.
Denise and I wish for you and yours a Christmas filled with praise, flashes of gratitude, and wonderfully ordinary God moments. “For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11)
Merry Christmas!
Steve Schaick