This year we experienced what is was like to have a quiet, meaningful Christmas, separated physically and in some cases, emotionally and spiritually from adult children which other parents will also experience at times. But that gives us the ability to focus on the real meaning of Christ’s first physical appearance on earth as a human, which we did.

We read Matthew’s and Luke’s account in the Complete Jewish Bible version, which brings out a Jewish perspective on the events surrounding the birth and early childhood years of Jesus. A day or so before that I was reading these same passages and came up with 10 questions that came to my mind as I read the text. Questions like, what the political environment was that made Egypt safe at the time when Jesus was a toddler?

We discussed the nature of Joseph, the husband of the mother of Jesus and realized through the text that his attributes and devotion to the Jewish traditions were part of God’s plan of protection of His Son in his formidable years. We marveled at what it might mean when Scripture tells us that Jesus grew in favor with God and others, and what those differences might be. A nugget of truth that favor was most likely predicated on obedience inspired our conversation.

There were other questions and discussion on the possible answers to those questions that became a part of that blessed time we shared together. Later on we conversed with some of our adult children over the phone and via text. We had joy in hearing and seeing the wonder and joy of toddlers, our grand children, experiencing their first Christmas. We are joyful that they are experiencing this Christmas in a similar way to how we did many years ago as a young family. Yet their experiences will be different than ours in some ways, which is the evidence that we are all experiencing life through different lenses. Oh for the day when those lenses are finally made clear and revealed for what they were!

Yet I wish for anyone reading this to have the same joy, peace and hope that Christ brings to any and every family situation. There is a present and future joy for all those who know and love the One who came to live among us, and personified the meaning of truth. We experience it daily, and know that tomorrow will not disappoint in that regard. Merry Christmas!