As we entered into this season called Christmas it began to dawn on me that my Chinese students had absolutely no idea what Christmas was all about. So today I began to tell the story and realized you can't start in Bethlehem ... you have to start in Genesis. You have to explain the Roman Empire, Caesar and being Jewish. You have to describe what Angels may have looked like and that shepherds were afraid not because they looked like beautiful women but maybe because they looked a bit scary and large and maybe even fierce. You answer questions like; why did God choose Mary and why did they have to be in a stable with dirty animals? Mary must have been very sore and tired and large and uncomfortable. As I animated and explained they became engaged in this GREAT story. I never realized what a great story it is all by itself without the history of faith. Better with the history but as I finished with the wise men and the horrible deaths of the babies and the escape to Egypt one of the girls said in amazement...this is a great story you have to tell me more.
We need to remember this.. this is not only a great story, it is the first chapter of the best story ever....
If you have been reading my blogs lately you know there are several issues I am dealing with on a personal level having to do with the accident and its raminfications. Today as I saw the delight in the story, the questions and observations I realized in it all I have been given a most amazing gift. I told The Story for the first time to those who had never heard it before.
1 comment:
I don't know if you've ever heard Andrew Peterson's Behold the Lamb of God CD, but it is a great Christmas cd becuase it sings the Christmas story in the context of the rest of scripture. It's fantastic
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