Family

It is hard to believe that the count to Christmas is going so quickly. These devotions have now a twofold purpose: get me in the Christmas spirit and focus my thoughts on the reason for the season. Although some ponderings have been late in posting, I have wanted to continue my emphasize my priorities.

The verse on Teddy's countdown was "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"
His activities were to count the number of parents, grandparents and great-grandparents he could name and to draw the family tree.

That is one of the wonderful things about this holiday season. Everyone wants to spend time with family. I never wanted to be away from my home church for the Christmas service but I'm anxiously racing to spend time in Connecticut with family. Other family relationships are often mended with the goodwill spirit of the season. Cards are sent to extended family spread across the miles to try to bring them at least close to mind.

Yet family is more than others who were raised with you when you were but a child. My fellow Stephen Minister Leaders are more like sisters than friends. I share things with a few work peers that are generally masked from view. We were adopted by the family of Linda, a good friend for many years. Who is in your family? How would you define it?

All of us who believe in that babe in the manger are part of my bigger family. There is the unity created through holy communion. I frequently stop to wonder how many people have sung those sacred hymns like Silent Night. How many people will be singing them with me (if you can count what I do singing) this Christmas eve? What a comforting thought. What a wonderful thing to ponder.