I'm a little behind...
The Scripture:
- Psalm 80:3
- Isa 1:27-28
- Psa. 80:19
- Psa 51:15
- Psa 70:1
Restore us, O God;
let your face shine, that we may be saved!
Zion shall be redeemed by justice,
and those in her who repent, by righteousness.
But rebels and sinners shall be broken together,
and those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
O LORD, make haste to help me!
Restore us, O LORD God of hosts!
Let your face shine, that we may be saved!
Once, a long time ago, I sat in the balcony of a church during the Christmas season. I was volunteering at my church's daycare and took a "timeout" for lunch and the quietest place was that balcony in the sanctuary.
I looked quietly at the giant wreath (horse-shoe) that nearly filled the front platform. Yet what drew my attention was beyond that seasonal symbol. It was the other symbol, the reason for His coming in the first place.
The stained glass cross, the sun shining through, was sending a kalidioscope of colors over the white ribbons on the wreath.
That has stayed with me for years...if we forget the "end game" - the cross - then Santa might as well be the reason for the season.
If the birth is not covered with blood, His blood, there is no reason to celebrate.