With Christmas rapidly approaching, I find myself remembering our Christmases past: Being stuck in the snow on Christmas Eve in Lithuania, the Christmas markets in Prague, preaching in Macedonia, making our intimate Christmases special in Zambia, and opening gifts in Cape Town last year. Sprinkled in between these different destinations, we have enjoyed many delightful Christmases in Spokane, Fresno, and Pasadena, being together with family.
It feels odd being back in Fresno after all these years, and especially in the holiday season, so many things are new yet familiar. The orange trees laden with fruit, the damp fog that chills you to the bone, the smell of wood fires burning, the frost on the grass. It is a huge change for our boys who associate different things with Christmas after living in Zambia: huge thunderstorms, power outages, just a few decorations in our home to make it feel a bit more Christmasy, wearing shorts and T-shirts and playing soccer in our muddy front yard, mangoes ripening on the tree. We are recognizing that each place had and has its gifts to offer in the Christmas season. Zambia allowed us to intentionally choose how we wanted to celebrate Christmas; making peppernuts and gingerbread cookies and crafting homemade gifts for each other. Here in Fresno, we get to be part of a worshiping community that celebrates Advent in anticipation of Christ’s birth, and sings familiar carols. In Zambia, the consumer pressures didn’t exist for us and we could celebrate in simplicity. In Fresno, we get to be near family and spend the holidays with them and we are being inundated with homebaked goodies from neighbors and friends. We are thankful for all the good things that we get to experience here and for the treasures that we have experienced in the past.
May we all be filled with gratitude for the many gifts that we have received from God. May our hearts and lives overflow with generosity to others, born out of thanksgiving for all that we have been given.
Merry Christmas!
Cheryl, Peter, Brendan and Jason
No comments:
Post a Comment