The Christmas to Remember

Memories are made at Christmas. Such memories might include receiving that toy or other gift you had wanted so badly, having a family member home after a long absence, cherishing a special time when all the family was together and happy, or marking a special celebration, like an engagement or a wedding. Memories like these are good. They can even sustain us when other times are not so good. May you have many good memories of your Christmases. One Christmas, though, always bears remembering. In a time when the secular celebration of Christmas tends to overwhelm the religious significance of the holy day, we would do well to focus again on the source of the celebration-the birth of Jesus. Much of the secular celebration of Christmas is delightful and can even contribute to the joy of the true meaning of Christmas. Even so, to celebrate Christmas best, there's no substitute for remembering the first Christmas and what it meant and means. The events of the familiar Christmas story are found in the early chapters of the Gospel of Matthew and the early chapters of the Gospel of Luke. These five meditations on the first Christmas are based on Scripture texts from those chapters. Focusing on these texts can remind us of the meaning of the first Christmas for this Christmas.