Shh....

Shh....Can you hear it?
Christmas is coming...
Take a moment and Remember?

The sounds of Christmas- what do they sound like to you?

I hear the verse in Psalms about being still and knowing He is God...He will be exalted.

Shh....Can you hear it?

There's a reason for hope...a promise for peace.

Close your eyes...slow down...and open them again.

Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting. "Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. Nehemiah 9:5-6

Our family has been in Texas spending time with my family after the death of my grandmother. One of the things we had the opportunity to do was to go to a small town outside of Austin and visit "Bethlehem". A whole city block was remade into a mini walled city- complete with animals, characters, shops and other buildings. My children met a shepherd who was trying to find a child, they almost got run over by Roman soldiers as they dragged people to jail because they couldn't pay their taxes, they saw how ropes were made, and visited a carpenter making shepherd staffs. We saw an Inn and Parker asked the innkeeper if there was any more room, but sadly there was none. He invited us in to see for ourselves and we saw the little rooms upstairs that would hold 10-11 people. And in the bustle of the crowd, and the noise of the characters and those of us visiting...there was a reverence.

Can you hear it? The sound of twinkling stars, silent nights, and animals? As we came out of the top of the Inn and headed down some stars- we saw a bright star shining.

And around the corner- there was the re-enactment of the Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus. They were back in a cave...and all was quiet.

So profound.

Matthew 1:22-23
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"- which means, "God with us."

"God with us". He is with us, all around us, moving in us, working through us; with us! Wow!

Raney Grace is still trying to work through the death of our Grana. Last night she came to my mother and asked, "So, Grana is in Heaven with God, right?" My mother replied, "yes, that's right Raney." Then Raney went on to her conclusion, which seemed to make things right inside her brain...."So....that means Jesus is babysitting all of us still left here on earth."

Praise God for being with us in Heaven and on Earth, Thank you God for your precious son Jesus- whose birth and death changed our options forever...and thank you for 'babysitting' us.

May Jesus, his birth and all that it means, resonate in our lives this Season and throughout the year.

Shhh...can you hear it? Can you hear Him?