when God speaks...

He says "Jesus." 

The Candlelit Christmas Eve service has always been special to me, as I'm sure it is to many people. A wise man (cough, Buddy the Elf, cough) once said, "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!" and that's exactly what I did tonight during some of my favorites, like,  "O Come Let Us Adore Him," "O Holy Night," and "Joy to the World." 

These classic songs, filled with such meaning, sung by a sanctuary full of people (some I've known for years and others complete strangers) with goodwill in their hearts and candles in their hands... It gets me every year.     

Our pastor said something simple that stuck with me tonight, right after he said the first twelve verses of Hebrews, chapter one.  Now, those are some great verses, but the last few in particular are incredibly poignant. God says to His Son,     

"But you remain the same, and your years will never end."

Pastor Kevin managed to sum up a powerful passage, which I think would be pretty tough, with just a few words. When God speaks, He says, "Jesus."  Now, he went into more detail after this initial thought, but it's what I wanted to leave here tonight. As we celebrate the birth of Emmanuel, the God with us, I am thankful for this knowledge. 

Bad things happen to good people sometimes, and life is not perfect, but through it all, I choose to believe one thing remains: God and His Son's constant, unfailing love for the world. For you. For me.

With that being said, I hope everyone has the merriest of Christmases spent with loved ones! Yay for TBS's 24 hour "A Christmas Story" marathon, yay for twinkly lights and cozy fires, yay for family, and yay God's love.... giving us the best Christmas present of all.