Christmas Memories

       Last night we had our small group Christmas party. It was hosted by our leaders Danny and Susie Walker and as always they truly out did themselves! We were all instructed to not bring a thing except for our favorite Christmas memory. The evening was filled with wonderful ciders and coffees, delicious foods and sweet fellowship. After we had all eaten we went into their family room to share our favorite Christmas memories and have a devotional.


     We got to here memories from everyone and it was neat how different everyone's favorite memories were. Some were hillarious (Brian driving a dirtbike into the side of a barn), Some were so sweet (the Jones taking cookies to the fire dept on Christmas day), some were sad ( Susie's last Christmas with her dad) and some were exciting (Brittany and Todd finding out they were pregnant with Hudson on Christmas morning).  With every memory shared I felt closer to the person sharing it. One thing that every memory had in common was that the memories were created with family around and everyone said in some way that family was what made Christmas so special.

      After the memories, Danny and Susie shared with us the purpose of the Advent wreath. This is not something that I was familiar with but I must say that what it represents is something that should be memorable for us all. This is a very brief description of the advent wreath but what it represents is very powerful.
           
           THE ADVENT WREATH It is a circular evergreen wreath (real or artificial) with five candles, four around the wreath and one in the center.
The circle of the wreath reminds us of God Himself, His eternity and endless mercy, which has no beginning or end. The green of the wreath speaks of the hope that we have in God, the hope of newness, of renewal, of eternal life. Candles symbolize the light of God coming into the world through the birth of His son. The four outer candles represent the period of waiting during the four Sundays of Advent, which themselves symbolize the four centuries of waiting between the prophet Malachi and the birth of Christ.The Center Candle represents Christ.

Last night was great! The memories shared were priceless. May we all celebrate our friends and family and put them before all the shopping, hustle and bustle of the season. May we never forget that Jesus came! He was born in a manger to a lowly girl for you and for me! Let's celebrate His birth and our salvation and let us make His story one of our very best memories!!