{"id":29405,"date":"2020-12-20T03:30:30","date_gmt":"2020-12-20T11:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=29405"},"modified":"2020-12-16T14:21:11","modified_gmt":"2020-12-16T22:21:11","slug":"december-20-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2020\/12\/20\/december-20-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"December 20, 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Walk His Way team thought it would be fun to take a little stroll down memory lane this Christmas season. Please enjoy our newest mini-series, Christmas Revisited<\/em>, a collection of devotionals from years past that we hope will remind, comfort, and encourage you as you walk through this holiday season.<\/h6>\n

\u201cDo all things without complaining and disputing\u2026\u201d <\/em>Philippians 2:14<\/p>\n

Bah, Humbug!<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Christmas Revisited<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I wouldn\u2019t necessarily call myself a Scrooge during the holiday season (though others might), but I do admit that it\u2019s not my favorite time of the year. The crazy busyness of it all is stressful for me. I\u2019m not near enough to my family to spend Christmas with them, and I confess the frenzied consumerism bothers me in a world where there\u2019s not enough for so many.<\/p>\n

One highlight for me is that every year I take part in our church\u2019s Christmas parties at Sugar Pine and Ishi fire camps (which are canceled in 2020 for pandemic-related safety). For so many of these inmates, we are the only way they are going to hear about the love Jesus has for them. You\u2019d be surprised at how many of them have never heard the real\u00a0<\/em>story of Jesus\u2019 birth!<\/p>\n

One of the things we do is sing Christmas carols with the inmates. Quite a few years ago, it was decided that one of the songs we would do is Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer<\/em>. I confess, I was not at ALL happy to learn we\u2019d be doing it. Not because I\u2019m so spiritual that I think we can\u2019t do fun, silly songs, but because, to my way of thinking, there\u2019s not one good thing about it. It is as annoying as annoying can be! In spite of my loud protests, the song stayed. And much to my chagrin, as it turns out, it\u2019s always one of the more popular songs that we do. During the chorus, the inmates REALLY get into it! One can\u2019t help but smile at their joy.<\/p>\n

A few years ago we were at Ishi Camp, doing our thing. Next up was that awful Grandma song. I kept a smile plastered to my face, determined to not show my dislike of it. Wait for it, here\u2019s the chorus\u2014keep smiling! I happened to look up at that point, and my eyes fell upon a young man who was singing with gusto. His face shone with unabashed joy as he swayed along to the music. In that moment, the Lord showed me who he had been as a little boy, and how much He loved him still. I completely choked up! I still wonder if I\u2019m the only person who\u2019s ever gotten so touched in the middle of Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer <\/em>that they started to cry.<\/p>\n

Suffice it to say, the Lord can and does use anything He wants to reach His children, and I have no right to grumble about it. Have I learned to like the song? No, but my days of complaining about having to do it ended that night. In fact, I don\u2019t have\u00a0<\/em>to do it; I get\u00a0<\/em>to do it.<\/p>\n

Father, thank You for the lessons You so lovingly give us. Thank You for using the likes of me to further Your kingdom. May we be open to the things You want to show us, and above everything, help us to reflect You during this holiday season, and beyond. In Jesus\u2019 name, amen.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer<\/em><\/p>\n

Randy Brooks, 1978, Epic<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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