Christmas




Our theme this year at Beaverton Foursquare is the Hidden Gift. It's tough coming up with a Christmas theme that's fresh each year, but I think this one fits the bill. It's got a lot of depth. On one level, it talks of the small, unnoticed, ways God touches our lives. They're hidden in the main, since few if any outside the touch ever know of them. Though all we have to do is look. They're right there.

For example, I remember the sheer joy of driving over Cooper Mountain on the way to pick my daughters up from dance class and seeing the brushwork of a winter's sunset played on the cloud cover. I felt as if God had given me a treat to brighten my heart—a little hug from God, if you will. I would turn off the radio, and talk with Him. The interruption a welcome invitation.

Somewhat deeper is the theological impetus behind the theme. The humility and condescension of God, who veiled all of Deity in human flesh. As my pastor said, the Cross cast a shadow over the manger. He's right, of course, but what we see so plainly in retrospect was hidden from Jesus contemporaries, and even the foreshadowing prophecies spoken over the Christ child were "hidden" away in Mary's heart. Certainly, those closest to Him were surprised by Easter's turn of events.

The real question is: Why is He "hidden" from so many today? There's a whole other post brewing there, but maybe we can say that we, His followers, could do a better job of inviting others to know Jesus. I know I could.

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