We’re suprised that you’re even reading this post. 
We’re taking some time off this week and will return next Monday. Have a wonderful week…and perhaps if you have some time to catch up on some reading you can take a look at some past posts you’ve missed.
Happy New Year!
This is a modern Christmas Hymn. I hope these words touch your heart the way they did mine!
"Joy has dawned upon the world, Promised from creation—
God’s salvation now unfurled, Hope for ev’ry nation.
Not with fanfares from above, Not with scenes of glory,
But a humble gift of love—Jesus born of Mary.
Sounds of wonder fill the sky, With the songs of angels
As the mighty Prince of Life, Shelters in a stable.
Hands that set each star in place, Shaped the earth in darkness,
Cling now to a mother’s breast, Vuln’rable and helpless.
Shepherds bow before the Lamb, Gazing at the glory;
Gifts of men from distant lands, Prophesy the story.
Gold—a King is born today, Incense—God is with us,
Myrrh—His death will make a way, And by His blood He’ll win us.
Son of Adam, Son of heaven, Given as a ransom;
Reconciling God and man, Christ, our mighty champion!
What a Savior! What a Friend! What a glorious myst’ry!
Once a babe in Bethlehem, Now the Lord of hist’ry."
"Joy Has Dawned upon the World"
Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
Copyright © 2004 Thankyou Music
Christmas is Monday!!! If you’re like me, you have had your fill of shopping, wrapping, baking and parties. This is all meaningful and worthwhile, but we have limitations as to how much "Merry" we can fit into the Christmas season. The day is about to arrive that commemorates why we do what we do – Christ has come to us – what a gift! It’s time to slow down and choose to do things that will be meaningful, yet not overwhelm your time. May we not slide into Christmas morning exhausted from all the planning and activities and miss the most important part.
My gift to you for Christmas morning is to offer a recipe to try that is quick and easy for your family (and it smells yummy too!)
Quick and Easy Sticky Buns
3 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup Karo light syrup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped nuts
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 can of refrigerated biscuits (10 pack)
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. In 9-inch round baking pan melt butter in oven. Remove. Stir in next four ingredients. Arange biscuits on top of syrup mixture.
3. Bake 15 minutes or until biscuits are well browned. Let stand in pan 5 minutes. Invert on serving plate.
Prep time: 5 minutes Serves: 5
May your Christmas be filled with sweet smells in the kitchen and special moments of savoring our Sweet Savior in worship and adoration.
Merry Christmas to you and yours on behalf of the Metro Mom’s blog!
Posted by Debi
"Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
the little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head:
the stars in the bright sky look down where He lay,
the little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay."
One of my fondest childhood memories is attending church at Christmas time to see the manger scene. All of the figures appeared very life-like as a small child. I would kneel down and gaze at the little baby Jesus and marvel at all I beheld.
Every year, I look forward to putting out the manger scene that was given to me by my mother-in-law. Looking at it from time to time throughout the Christmas season helps me to remember the greatest Gift I’ve ever received….Jesus!
"Away in a Manger" remains one of my favorite Christmas songs, and I even enjoy singing it as a lullaby to my children. It’s such a sweet, simple song that gives a tiny glimpse into what that night may have been like. Oh, to have been among those who had the privilege of beholding the blessed event of our Saviour’s birth!
Posted by Michelle
"In the twelfth century the French mystic Bernard of Clairvaux wrote in Latin, "Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee." One of the blessings of songs like this is to build a vocabulary of delight into our minds even as the affection of spiritual pleasure is wakened in our hearts by the contemplation of Christ."
Jesus, the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills the breast;
But sweeter far Thy face to see,
And in Thy presence rest.
Nor voice can sing, nor heart can frame,
Nor can the memory find,
A sweeter sound than Thy blest Name,
O Savior of mankind!
O hope of every contrite heart,
O joy of all the meek,
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
How good to those who seek!
But what to those who find? Ah, this
Nor tongue nor pen can show;
The love of Jesus, what it is,
None but His loved ones know.
Jesus, our only joy be Thou,
As Thou our prize wilt be;
Jesus be Thou our glory now,
And through eternity.
O Jesus, light of all below,
Thou fount of living fire,
Surpassing all the joys we know,
And all we can desire.
From God Is The Gospel, by John Piper
"It all happened in a moment, a most remarkable moment. As moments go, that one appeared no different than any other. If you could somehow pick it up off the timeline and examine it, it would look exactly like the ones that have passed while you have read these words. It came and it went. It was preceded and succeeded by others just like it. It was one of the countless moments that have marked time since eternity became measurable.
But in reality, that particular moment was like none other. For through that segment of time a spectacular thing occurred. God became a man. While the creatures of earth walked unaware, Divinity arrived. Heaven opened herself and placed her most precious one in a human womb.
The omnipotent, in one instant, made himself breakable. He who had been spirit became pierceable. He who was larger than the universe became an embryo. And he who sustains the world with a word chose to be dependent upon the nourishment of a young girl.
God as a fetus. Holiness sleeping in a womb. The creator of life being created….
God had come near.
He came, not as a flash of light or as an unapproachable conquerer, but as one whose first cries were heard by a peasant girl and a sleepy carpenter. The hands that first held him were unmanicured, calloused, and dirty.
No silk. No ivory. No hype. No party. No hoopla.
Were it not for the shepherds, there would have been no reception. And were it not for a group of stargazers, there would have been no gifts…..
"I am with you always" are the words of a God who in one instant did the impossible to make it all possible for you and me.
It all happened in a moment. In one moment….a most remarkable moment. The Word became flesh. " Max Lucado
Posted by Elyse
So why all this talk about traditions? Or what do you say to your children when they ask why you even have traditions? Here is an excerpt from the book,"Treasuring God in Our Traditions" by Noel Piper that helps explain this:
"In the book of Exodus, Moses displays his understanding of the nature of children and the responsibility of parents: ‘And when your children say to you, "What do you mean by this service?" you shall say, "It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s Passover, for he passed over the house of the people of Israel in Egypt” (12:26-27). Moses assumes children will ask why. And he instructs parents to give an answer that speaks of reality. This instruction is all in the context of laying out for children ceremonies that will portray the answer. He is giving them the answer, both spoken and displayed. And the answer is God–God saved us, and we honor him, worship him, thank him. We and our children need this kind of yearly repetition to impress us with the weight of what God has done. "
So in our traditions — spiritual and not-so-spiritual — let’s remember to help our children to honor, worship and thank Him! In everything we do this week, may we seek to impress them with the amazing weight of what the Savior did when He became man to take their sins.
Posted by Taraleigh
Do you know your neighbors? If not, this may be the best time to break the ice and introduce yourself with a homemade baked gift from your kitchen. After living in the same neighborhood for fourteen years, I can say that our relationships with those God has providentially placed us near have deepened — perhaps because of Mom’s yummy banana bread. You may have your own recipe, but I guarantee that this one is worth trying. Enjoy…
Banana Bread
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 overripe bananas
1/2 cup nuts (optional)
Mix all ingredients . Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake at 325 degrees for one hour to one hour and fifteen minutes. Test with toothpick to check for doneness. Makes 1 loaf.
If you already know your neighbors, why not add a personal note telling them what you appreciate about them. Merry Christmas!
Posted by Debi
It was our first Christmas in Florida after moving from Virginia. We were out of sorts.
In Virginia we had decades of traditions to work from. We knew which neighborhoods to visit for a parade of well done lights. We looked forward to our annual visit to Downtown DC to see the National Christmas Tree and the reindeer, the bonfire and the free hot chocolate. And we looked forward to Christmas Eve at Mammaw’s and Christmas morning at our house with the craziness and fun of all the extended family.
Christmas of 2000 was just us. Mom, Dad, and the kids. We were sad that Christmas Eve. We didn’t know where to go to find lights or reindeer or hot chocolate. So we went to find go karts. We thought doing something completely different and zany would stop the sadness of missing the dear and familiar. So go kart riding we went! We laughed alot — not just at the fun of racing each other around the track, but at the complete weirdness of being in Flordia doing "vacation stuff" on Christmas Eve.
But we found out two very special things that Christmas. First, we love each other. Really love each other. We missed Bobi and her family, Mammaw, and Uncle Clint. We missed the cold, the fireplace, and the spot downstairs where we always put the tree. But the most important people in our lives were sharing together the laughter of seeing dad’s wild and wind blown hair as he climbed out of the go kart. We were far away from home and we were lonely. But those that mattered most were there to do all different things that had no special meaning…which made that first Florida Christmas special in it’s own way.
And, second, we learned again that there is One who never changes. When God’s providence invades our lives and so much has changed that we no longer have solid ground to stand on, we can be assured that He who set the stars in place and has named each one also holds us in His firm and loving hands.
Are you experiencing unsettledness, change, disappointment, defered hopes? Is this Christmas going to be "different" for you than Christmases past? Is there something you hoped to have by this Christmas (a new baby, time with cherished family or friends, a new home to celebrate in) that has been providentially denied? Then remember that something hasn’t changed and will never change. In the midst of life’s unplanned happenings, God is sure and faithful and always near.
May the Unchanging One fill your heart with peace as you enjoy both the familiar and the unfamiliar plans He has for you this Christmas.
P.S. By the way, over the past 5 years Florida has become home and we no longer ride go karts on Christmas Eve. We haven’t found reindeer and we have to open our windows to cool down the house enough to enjoy the fireplace. God is faithful. He uses time to heal broken hearts and bring biblical perspective on how change can be used to draw our hearts toward heaven when we will meet the Unchanging One face to face.
Posted by Sheree
There are many special memories that come to mind when I think of my first Christmas with Todd. We enjoyed creating traditions of our own, and we also enjoyed implementing those of our families that were dear to our hearts.
The evening that we brought our "first" Christmas tree home is a story we still tell to our children…and to anybody who wants a good laugh =). We decided to purchase a tree with its roots in tact that could be planted after Christmas was over. This plan sounded innocent enough, but executing it was a completely different matter. Trees with their roots packed in dirt are quite heavy =). Hauling one up to a third story apartment on a rainy evening is an adventure we’ll never forget. It took four grown men to complete the task!
We planted the tree on Todd’s parent’s property, and looking at it each time we travel home for Christmas still brings a smile to our faces. It has grown quite a bit these last 12 years and is a funny, but sweet memory of our first Christmas. Decorating our first tree together is another wonderful story.
Todd handed me a box and a note on that memorable evening. The note conveyed his excitement about sharing one of his family traditions with me…his wife =). Each year his parents had allowed him to purchase a new tree ornament to be collected so that he’d have something to put on his own tree when he got married. 1994 was the year….and I was the blessed recipient of a beautiful collection of ornaments. What a memory!
We have carried on this tradition with our own two boys. Our tree is filled with many unusual, fun ornaments that represent well the character of each of our children. Todd and I still collect an ornament each year as well. You will find everything from racing cars to angels on our tree…and usually 2 or 3 ornaments on a branch until I quietly and unobtrusively rearrange things a bit=).
I hope some day my boys will have the joy of handing the wife God has chosen for each of them a special box filled with cherished childhood Christmas ornaments, and that I get to see how beautiful they look on their tree!
Posted by Michelle
