A Prayer About a Delight-fully HUGE Christmas
“Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. Isaiah. 65:17-19
DearHeavenly Father, the long line at Costco’s gave me more than just a chance to whine about the wait. Casual conversation with fellow shoppers highlighted the privilege and importance of making sure it’s YOU that’s telling me the Christmas story through the voice of the Scriptures.
After hearing a few refrains from shopping-cart-pushing-neighbors lamenting, “We can’t afford very much Christmas this year” and “It doesn’t look like we’re gonna have a very big Christmas,” I found myself so grateful for your Word and so in deed of a little gospel-sanity.
Gracious Father, how I praise you that we’re not the ones who “do” Christmas, you are. How I praise you that the size of our Christmas has absolutely nothing to do with how much discretionary money we have to spend on bigger and better gifts. How I praise you that every Christmas is HUGE, delight-fully HUGE, irrespective any economy or currency.
Through the gift of your Son, Jesus, whose birth we celebrate at Christmas, you’ve promised to create a new heaven and new earth from the stuff of this very broken world-a new creation world in which you will find great delight. We praise you for your generosity and your joy, mighty Father.
You’ve promised to redeem a people from every race, tribe, tongue and people group to live in that eternal world of peace and joy-a people in whom you find great delight and over whom you will rejoice forever. We praise you for your generosity and your joy, merciful Father.
Lord Jesus, I purpose to fix my gaze on you today and not on my shopping cart. For you are the object, author and perfecter of my faith. It’s because you have come, and are coming again, that I live with the certain hope, not only of all of my tears being wiped away, but more importantly, all of my sins. This is HUGE, delight-fully HUGE. So very Amen, I pray, in your holy and loving name.
