Christ is Born

This Christmas, I am fortunate enough to be able to travel to MI and visit with friends and family that I don't get to see as often now that we live in Brooklyn. Truth be told, I honestly was not looking forward to getting in the car and driving again for the holiday. But now that I get to be here, and hold my loved ones in my arms, see relatives I don't often see, and enjoy time with them, the trip was beyond well worth it. The presents are nice to get, but my emotions again get the best of me as I pause to seriously ponder the love God has for us. And I experience that love deeply in a few ways. One is music-it immediately connects me to our creator. Two is nature-even if it is in the form of a man made building, seeing the creator's creativity in all things blows me away. But perhaps the one He truly intended for us to experience is third-through other people. The innate need for community with others is powerful. And as I sit in this beautiful room that is bigger than most of our apartment, and I look out over the square mile that holds only one house that only two people live in, I realize just how much I personally need community. I miss being in my city where there would be over 26,000 people living and breathing in this square mile.
Don't get me wrong, the pause from the Brooklyn life 'in your face' 24/7 is much needed, and I am enjoying it also. I pause again at the end of another year, and look back a year ago. I didn't truly know what was going to happen with our home, my job, or where we would live. And in all things, God created the perfect community for the kkft. Each of us. And we come back to MI to visit the ones we love that we left behind, and it brings us much joy. Beyond that, Christmas brings me the joy that I receive in Christ Jesus. Born in a cave 2010 years ago, to a scared couple that didn't have any idea what was really going to happen through the life of the helpless child they would raise to become the savior of the world. Imagine God living in your apartment. Your house. Your neighborhood. And so the kkft will enjoy our community visit, and then go back to our 'cave' where we don't know what tomorrow will bring. But we will trust in God and do our best to follow the star in the east that leads us to Christ.

8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

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