Sharing the Wonder, Christmas Eve Devotional

Intro: Christmas Eve Worship is one of the highlights of my entire year.

The music, the participation, the time taken to honor God and just say thanks. The fact that we have a time to gather in the midst of a very busy season to just stop and embrace the wonder of Jesus birth reminds me of the wonder of my own salvation.

Perhaps one of the most significant Christmas Eve Worship Services that I ever experienced happened outside of the Church building.

The congregation I pastored while my Children were in their younger formative years did not have a regular service.

So, we always made a fine meal. We dressed up. We got out the China and the crystal.

And after the meal was over, it was everyone's job to help clean up the kitchen.

The sooner it got done, the quicker we got to the presents.

Kathy and I just couldn't wait. So presents were opened Christmas eve.

One year, just as we were finishing the dishes, and the excitement in the kids was growing, a knock came to the back door of the house.

The parsonage was 100 yards from the off Ramp on I-69. Across the interstate was a Stuckey's Gas Station. They always closed at 6:00.

Two young men were stranded in a broken down car.

Their families lived an hour away.

I let them use the phone, they called for a ride and we waited, and waited, and waited for their ride to come.

Imagine the living room of the house with 4 children who have patiently endured the fancy dinner, cleaned the dishes without complaint, distributed the presents into groups per individual recipient and then were forced to wait for over an hour.

All four Children will tell you that this was the most meaningful Christmas to them.

The wonder of excitement to Children is in the presents.

The wonder of excitement of parents is the delight of the Children.

And I think, that the wonder of excitement for God is in hope that Christmas engenders in a broken world.