Christmas Picture
Luke 2:6-7 (NIV)
6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Good morning!
Sharing family photo albums and snapping Christmas pictures is a time-honored tradition in the family Spaulding. When our children were little, they would cringe each time I grabbed the camera and said, “Look at me and smile!” “Oh mom, not another picture,” they would moan. “Don’t you have enough already?” Four rolls of film may not be quite enough to adequately document the special day. I keep an extra roll or two handy, just in case. It is a well-known fact that an avid scrapbooker will never have enough Christmas pictures to crop. Now that my children are grown and are having children of their own, it’s fun to watch how they whip out cameras and snap photographs of their children each year. My daughter, daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law to be, all have the scrapbooking bug, much to my delight. Some of our best times are spent cropping family photographs and sharing our memories together.
A photograph captures the special moments of life. As our family continues to grow, we have a visual aid reminding us of how we once looked, what we may have been up to, and even how we might be feeling at that particular moment. Some of my favorite photographs are those which were taken many years before I was born. I can enjoy pictures of my great-grandparents with their parents in some of the older photos my family passed down through the years. It gives me a point of reference to a time that I know little of. Their vision for a future and hope are captured on film. I can see it in their eyes.
If it had been possible, could you imagine what photographs might have revealed about the birth of our Lord Jesus on the night he was born? Luke paints an eloquent picture with words in his Gospel account of Christ’s birth. He said, “While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” I can see a young mother who had just given birth. She wrapped her newborn baby boy in cloths and tucked him safely into a manger bed, to keep him warm and protected in the first hours of his earthly life. There were no vacancies at the inn; no private place to give birth. Mary rested in the company of the animals in the stable that night. She was probably cold, exhausted, and scared. Who wouldn’t be in that situation? Luke’s narrative captures the moment perfectly. His picture of the infant King is mounted on the hearts of all who believe. It is a scrapbook moment, worth sharing again and again.
When you gather with your family and friends this Christmas, be sure to pull out God’s Word and take a closer look at the picture of our infant King. This is a story worth telling again and again. Take a look at that beautiful baby’s face. Can you see your salvation in His eyes?
Grace and peace,
Deb Spaulding
www.songofdeborah.com
Pray for: God to paint a wondrous picture in your mind and heart, as you recall the birth of Jesus Christ. He came to save you. He came to love. Can you see it?
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© Copyright 2006, Deb Spaulding
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