Wrapped in the Warmth of God's Love

8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.10But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

14 ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!’ ~ Luke 2:8-14
To most people that live in the northern states, Christmas doesn’t really seem like Christmas without snow. Many people detest snow, except for this particular time of year. They will say that it can snow Christmas Eve and melt right after Christmas Day. We all want to have that perfect “Postcard” scene of Christmas as we celebrate Christ’s birth.

This year, it seems we will have an unusually warm Christmas up north. El Niño has brought with it the winds and temperatures that will bring plenty of warmth and rain, but no snow to set the tone for our carols of “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” and “Jingle Bells”. How can we really get in the Christmas Spirit without snow?

The shepherds and wise men didn’t have these worries as they celebrated the very first Christmas. It didn’t matter if there was snow, rain or warm temperatures. What mattered was the feeling of being wrapped in the warmth of God’s love as they witnessed God’s greatest gift before their very eyes - wrapped in a blanket to keep him warm in his stable bed or in his mother’s arms.

As we celebrate this unusually warm Christmas this year, remember that God is wrapping us in the warmth of His love as we remember and celebrate the birth of His Son. We can rejoice in knowing that no matter the weather outside, God’s love for us is constant and unwavering. As we experience the warmth of the weather, we need to imagine this warmth as God’s warm embrace enfolding each of us in His love and continue to enjoy the season, even if we don’t have the snow as we sing “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!”

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Let us all feel the warmth of Your love enfolding us as we celebrate the birth of Your greatest gift to us - Our Savior, who is Christ the Lord!  Amen.

~ Wendy Miller