What Do You Know About Christmas?

We shuttle our kids through the stores and their eyes are big, taking in all the twinkling lights and dazzling Holiday displays. We drive past the mall and take in the flags flapping in the breeze, proclaiming "Welcome and Happy Holidays!," the message hopeful to draw us in and convincing us that the holiday spirit can be found in stacks of packages on Christmas morning.

And somehow through all of this we try and convince our children, perhaps with a random comment here and there, that Christmas is about Jesus. But actions speak louder than words and kids see and know, why, Christmas is about the tree and the food and the gifts and the music - right?

I'm like any mother and my words fail.  My actions speak to my failures.  Do my kids know, really know, about Christmas?

Do I?

I didn't for many years.

You see, before Mary and the annunciation, before the Star and the Wise Men and the Shepherds and before the Babe - hundreds of years before - that is when the miracle started.  With a promise, a family tree, and then the prophecies  - written down and cherished - that is how it began.  The story of the Christ of Christmas did not begin with Gabriel announcing to Mary.

The entire Bible points to the Glorious Appearing.  We would be remiss to boil it all down to one night in Bethlehem - we would miss out on the extent of the miracle. 

All that happened that night was foretold - and long after those prophets were gone, the stories came true.

This year my family and I are going to be traveling back in time and taking in one miracle after another on a journey called "The Jesse Tree."  We will meet those along the way that point to that distant day when a brand new mama cradled a wrinkled pink newborn in a barn stall.  And together we will marvel.  Won't you join us?

We will be using Ann Voskamp's FREE downloadable devotional.  Please check it out!  We begin December 1st!