When someone is good to you, you want to share it with others.  When they are kind, patient, understanding and self-sacrificing on your behalf, you want to give back somehow.  When someone has extended mercy and forgiveness to you and has pursued you even though you felt you were not worth pursuing, you want to express thanks.  And my way of thanking God is to tell others about Him.  To share with others that He is good, patient, forgiving, humble, and a seeker after them.  When Jesus left this earth to go back to His Father, He told his disciples to tell others about Him.  To let others know that they could come to Him if they wanted to have a life with He and the Father.  Both here and now, and forever.  When I think about Christmas, I think of all of the fun things that our culture does to celebrate the season – the lights, the Christmas trees, the gift giving, but there’s this quiet voice in my heart that keeps reminding me that Jesus was the greatest gift ever given, and that Christmas is about Him being all we need when entering a relationship with God.  We don’t need to make special sacrifices (Jesus did that), we don’t need to put on special garments (Jesus is that), and we don’t need to be perfect (Jesus was that).  All we need to do is invite Jesus into our hearts and lives.  I was lost before He became a part of my life.  I was searching, but I didn’t realize I was searching.  And even though I wasn’t looking in His direction, He gently knocked on the door of my heart and drew me to Him.  There is nothing I can do to repay God for what He has done, but I can tell others that God is hope, and He can fill your heart with it.  That’s not to say that life will be perfect, Jesus told us that life would not be without struggles, but He will never abandon us in those struggles.  It is a Merry Christmas, and it’s all because of Jesus.

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’  Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.'”

(Luke 2:8-14, NIV)