It starts in October when the first decorations go up in the stores. Come Thanksgiving there is Christmas music on the radio and playing in the malls. The malls are packed with shoppers rushing from store to store trying to find the perfect gift for everyone on their list. Tensions rise, tempers flare, fights even break out. Suicide rates and credit card balances go up. Is this Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year?
If you find yourself somewhere in that last paragraph, stop and listen. Listen hard. Do you hear it? No? Listen again. There it is,the cry of a baby, a baby born 2000 years ago. A baby born in a stable. You may hear it in the voice of a teenage clerk telling you to have a good day and actually meaning it. It maybe in the ringing of the Salvation Army bells, it may be in a child's giggles.
If you listen hard, you will find that Christmas is still there beneath all of the rushing and glitter. When you find it, share it with those around you. The small cry of a baby born 2000 years ago can still be heard above the din if you will only stop and listen for it. In the words of the Psalms, "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10a)
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