Rev. Ray and Pat Amos
1st Samuel 10:22 KJV
THOUGHT FOR TODAY, December 18, 2019
“Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff.”
I must admit that I find those words a little funny when I read them. Saul was chosen to be the first king of Israel, but he wasn’t so excited about it. When his people tried to find him they couldn’t because he was “hiding in the stuff.” It makes me think about something that has happened on Christmas Day in many houses.
Who hasn’t had the experience of losing something in Christmas wrappings? We find ourselves sorting through the trash looking for our “Needle in a haystack.” Some very valuable things have been lost in stuff. Jesus came to seek and find His most treasured people (like us) who are often lost in our stuff.
The first king may have hidden himself that way, but the King who was born on Christmas Day did not, and will not. How then have so many lost Him from their heart?
During Advent and Christmas some people find themselves with full calendars and plenty of stuff to deal with; and others have empty and lonely calendars, and hardly enough stuff to get by.
We know how to “spend” Christmas; but have we forgotten how to keep it? Mary kept these things in her heart; where are we keeping Christmas? It is the work of the church to be a keeper of the true Christmas story.
May we not lose Christmas in the wrappings; instead, let us lose ourselves in the wonder of its story. A story where the angels said to shepherds (and anyone who will seek Him), “You shall find the Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” Christ the Savior is born!
Grace and Peace, Rev Ray
Link to Youtube – Silent Night
