"With my own eyes I've seen your salvation; it's now out in the open for everyone to see: A God-revealing light to the non-Jewish nations, and of glory for your people Israel. Jesus' father and mother were speechless with surprise at these words. Simeon went on to bless them, and said to Mary his mother, This child marks both the failure and the recovery of many in Israel, A figure misunderstood and contradicted—the pain of a sword-thrust through you—But the rejection will force honesty, as God reveals who they really are." Luke 2:30-35 (the message paraphrase)
"For my eyes have seen Your salvation." Luke 2:30 (HCSB)
I will NEVER forget my first Christmas as a first-generation NEW BORN Christian...I was a 22 year old married young mother that accepted Jesus 07/21/85 and now I was celebrating JESUS for my very first Christmas (12/25/85)! My husband had just become a NEW Christian a few weeks before Christmas and WOW did we have so much of JESUS to Celebrate-tears flow from my eyes just remembering such a MIRACLE my life in Christ Is! When I read "The Christmas Story" from The Book of Luke~Chapter 2 for the very first time in my very first BIBLE, I could not hardly take in each word without Joy bursting from my heart and tears gushing from my eyes...I didn't just read these words, I felt them just like they are written in Luke 2:32-35, "with my own eyes, I've seen your salvation" and I wanted EVERYONE to know HIM & celebrate JESUS with us! "This child (Jesus) marks both the failure and the recovery of many..."; that is what my First Christmas represented so deeply I can hardly express it to you in words...a life that had been radically "recovered" from darkness into His Marvelous LIGHT...a LIGHT that I will NEVER get over and hope to PROCLAIM to others so that they too will experience JESUS now and for eternity!!
I have many examples I could share with you of Christmas' before Jesus came into my life and set me free with His Gracious Salvation...God uses those memories to remind me to never forget what it was like being LOST and use those feelings to reach out to others that NEED TO BE FOUND~BORN AGAIN...My First Christmas began as a grown woman of 22 but I felt like a new born child that the manger represents to me in so many ways!! God has my heart gripped with memories of my life "before Jesus & after Jesus"...let me just share that EVERYONE is searching for real meaning in this world and they will NOT find it until they meet JESUS and FOLLOW His Light everyday, there is not doubt that I know how to reach out to those that are searching searching searching...if we do not lead others to JESUS, the STAR of BETHLEHEM, they will continue to search in darkness that leads to an empty Christmas of unmet needs that Jesus so wants to fulfill!
What a JOY & PRIVILEGE to give the greatest GIFT that we could GIVE this CHRISTmas...Let's Share JESUS with someone that is searching searching searching for the cry of their heart=JESUS!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OIWymhNEbw
(Cry In My Heart!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hls8lCHtSS0
(Glory To God In The Highest!)
