For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not
perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NIV
On December 20, 2004, my
Dad passed away. His funeral was two days before Christmas. The day following
his funeral I sat starring at the Christmas tree with the brightly wrapped
presents beneath. I thought how can we celebrate Christmas without Daddy?
Then, these two words materialized in my mind, or maybe it was God's
voice: "Look beyond!" My eyes moved from the tree and focused on the
manger scene. There at the crèche, ALL eyes: those of Mary, Joseph, the three
wise men, the shepherds, and even the animals were focused on the baby Jesus
laying in the manger. God was reminding me to focus on His gift to me. That
gift was his son, Jesus, who would later die on the cross for me and for others
so that in believing, we too would have eternal life.
At Christmas, Hope was
born -- not just hope in that we desire eternal life, but that with faith the
hope becomes a reality. Even though that Christmas was more somber because of
the absence of my father, we could rejoice in what God had given us. I knew
with certainty that my Dad was in heaven because of God's promises in the
Bible.
Prayer: Heavenly
Father we thank you for loving us and for sending Hope to a broken world. That
through our belief in your son and in His resurrection, we too will have life
eternal with Jesus. Amen.
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