Today, Dec. 22nd, is my youngest son’s birthday. Like any day with a new baby being born, there was some stress and pain. I will never forget that day. What a joy filled my being when I held him for the very first time! We had been preparing for months and people were waiting in anticipation for his arrival. My husband’s friends arrived at the hospital with a miniture Green Bay Packer cheesehead from Wisconsin. This gift was so special and thoughful because we knew that it had taken some planning to get to Oklahoma. (That was before you could order anything you wanted on the internet and have it shipped to your home.) It represented the passing on of a value that ran strongly in his paternal family to this newest member. It also reminded us what good and thoughful friends we had. The outfit he wore home from the hospital on Christmas Eve was also one that had been made by a friend. We were surrounded by family and friends who rejoiced in the birth of our son with us.
My thoughts are with Mary and Joseph and how difficult the birth of thier first son must have been. The travel alone would have stressed them both out and been difficult on Mary physically. The crowds in town and having no “reservation” to guarantee them a place to sleep would have compiled their distress. The unpleasantness of the manger will come with relief and difficulty as they adjust their expectations. I can’t help thinking that their assurance that this child was a special gift from God must have given them a sense of peace that others would not have understood.
As I look forward to this first service for Living Water on Christmas Eve, I can’t help having an anticipation and excitement much like a present for me wrapped under the tree would produce. I have a sense of peace I have been trying to hold on to in the moments of stress. But much like the birth of my son, I know I am surrounded by friends and family who have helped me prepare. This first Christmas Eve service is just the beginning. The really hard work will be coming next. Nurturing and caring and preparing will be a constant for us as a community as we create and build the body of Christ in our own special way. It is important that we recognize the miracle of God working through us in the midst of strife and hold on to our sense of God’s presence that enable us to do his work. Let’s offer our gifts with thoughfulness and love to this new creation of God’s.
by 
