A Pastor's Blog

True Familia

Good day to all who may be reading my blog for the month of December. I pray as you read my blog  that you would receive a word from the Lord that would lift your spirits and encourage you in your walk with Him.

Feliz Navida!!! For those who may not know what these words may mean, I am wishing you all a Merry Christmas in Spanish. Christmas, I just love this time of the year and all that it brings. Not because of the presents I might receive ( I wear XXL in case anyone wants to know) but because of the joyful spirit that Christmas brings to my heart.

I love the Christmas music, all the decorations, the many beautiful lights, the beautifully decorated Christmas tree and all those great tasting Christmas cookies!  Because I grew up in a large Latino family and the fact that my parents didn’t have much money,  presents wasn’t the thing I remembered most about Christmas. What I cherish the most about Christmas was all my family getting together for good food and talk, ( because we were a Latino family arguments were par for the course but we usually made up).  

It was a tradition for all of our family to come together on Christmas Eve to celebrate Christmas. Tamales, menudo, tortillas, I’m getting hungry already, lots of liquid refreshments, (I’ll leave that alone for now) and lots of laughter; what great times they were.

Yet the most fond memories I have of Christmas, besides that of being with all of my familia, was right before we opened whatever gifts there were, we would all come together and sing Christmas songs. Because we are a musical family, singing came easy for us. Those who played guitars would strum as the rest of the family sang. I can still hear my dad singing Silent Night in Spanish.

Then sadly one by one the uncles and aunts began to get older and then die and then once our parents died, everything seemed to change. Soon everyone became so busy with their own families that trying to get together for Christmas became more and more difficult, so little by little our times of getting together for Christmas became less and less; sad isn’t it.

As I read the account in Luke 2 about the birth of Christ, I am reminded that when Jesus was born there was only his dad Joseph, his mother Mary and some farm animals to greet Him as He came into this world. Yes, some shepherds and some Magi came to see baby Jesus, but that was later on

The picture of poor baby Jesus coming into the world with just his parents and some farm animals to greet Him may look sad to our eyes but Luke 2:13 says that a great company of the heavenly host appeared along with the angel Gabriel and sang praises to God saying, Glory to God on the highest and on earth peace to men on whim His favor rests. (That will certainly top any quinceanera I have ever been to, much less any birthday party)

The point I feel the Holy Spirit would want me to make on my blog for the month of December is that just because you may be physically alone this Christmas, if you are a Christian, Jesus Christ lives in you and because of that you will never be alone!!

David declared in Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me.” Jesus said to His disciples in John 16:32 “But a time is coming, and has already come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave Me alone. Yet I am not alone, for My Father is with Me.” 

I truly love my familia with everything that is in me but even my own flesh and blood can’t always be there in my darkest hours but I know that my Savior Jesus Christ is always there with me. The Lord has said, Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”

I don’t know who it is that may be reading my blog right now who may be feeling alone this Christmas but I feel the Holy Spirit would want me to assure you that if you have asked Jesus Christ into your heart and have made Him the Lord of your life, rejoice because Jesus now lives in your heart and because of that you will never again be alone and you have also been adopted into the greatest familia one could ever have!!

John 1:12-13 “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husbands will, but born of God.”

In closing I would like to wish my true familia, all my brothers and sisters  in the Lord, a very blessed Christmas!! Feliz Navidad everyone 🙂

Categories: A Pastor's Blog