Take It All In

Good evening everyone!

It has been a couple of weeks since my last post and I pray that you had Thanksgiving celebrations that were filled with the joy of family and the wonder and awe of God's presence in your midst.

My son Ethan likes to watch ESPN when he wakes up in the morning (I love watching him grow up!). Two days ago they were running a special piece on a 7th grade boy named Jake. I came into the room in the middle of the segment. Apparently, Jake had to have one of his eyes removed due to a cancerous tumor earlier in life and he was now facing the realization that his other eye would have to be removed, rendering him blind for the rest of his life.

One of Jake's wishes was to be able to spend some time with his favorite college football team, the University of Southern California (USC) Trojans. They showed clips of Jake at practice over a period of time and visiting with some of his favorite players. They showed him giving the pep talk before a game and cheering on his favorite team. They had interviews with players on how much of an inspiration Jake was to them. The USC football team took this 13 year old boy under their wing and treated him as one of their own.

It was a touching story, but what touched me the most was the interview just days before his surgery. I watched as this courageous young man told the interviewer, and the millions of us watching, that all he wanted to do was "to take it all in". He wanted to take in the faces and mannerisms, not only of his favorite players and team, but more importantly he wanted to take in his dad, his mom, and his sister. He said that he wanted to be able to have their image in his head every time he heard their voice after his surgery. This young man knew he was going to be blind and he wanted to take everything in so that he would never forget.

Before his surgery, Jake broke down in tears. But the Jake that came out of surgery was still as strong as the days and weeks before. He was okay with what had happened. He even said that during one USC practice he heard a bone-crunching hit and that it was cooler to hear it than it was to see it! What a perspective from such a young man!

I got to thinking about Jake, and Christmas, and Jesus and I think there are some parallels to their stories. During Christmas we celebrate the fact that God came into our world in the child, teenager, and man of Jesus so that we could "take it all in". So that we could see, with our own eyes, what it meant to be in a perfect relationship with our Creator. Christmas is a time in which we confess our own spiritual blindedness and in this season of "seeing", we take in all of who Jesus was and is in our lives and in our world.

We take it all in so that when we cannot see Him, we will still know His voice when He speaks and know His touch when we near Him. We take it all in, so that in those times when He feels farthest away, we can close our eyes and have the comfort in knowing He is still beside us.

During this Christmas season...take it all in. Take in the traditions. Take in the many opportunities to be with family and friends. Take in the kettle-ringers and the Christmas music. Take in the crisp winter air. Take in the Star. Take in the faithfulness of Mary and Joseph. Take in their journey of heartache, pain, and rejection. Take in their experience of God. Take in the thought that God loves you so much that He was willing to come to your own messy, smelly stable to be with you. Take it all in. Take in JESUS.

What does His birth mean to you? How does His life affect your own? Have you been taking all of Him in, or just the parts you're comfortable with? Friends, take all of Jesus this Christmas!

Loving God, forgive me for letting a part of You into my life. Forgive me for showing a part of you to the world. Redeem me. Transform me. Make me whole again this Christmas so that ALL of You will come into my heart and my life. Amen.

Take Care & God Bless,

Pastor Don