Feliz Navidad! Merry Christmas!!! It is definitely a different Christmas down here....sweat instead of snow, palm trees instead of firs....but we have ever greens all over!!! I do like a green Christmas. Generally speaking, our Christmas is very quiet.....
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
Philippians 2:6-11
However, the one thing we did do to celebrate christmas definitely was another test of how much I can put up with....how much I can 'aguantar' is the word that Melissa used.....The customary celebration for Christmas is to go out visiting Christmas Eve all night, or until the wee hours in the morning. and eat and eat and eat. Everyone makes tamales and a roast-chicken-dish and bread puddings and has coca-cola in the house. Then everyone goes and visits and gives food away and eats and talks and sits and talks and eats. So, at midnight I was sitting in a relatively bare, bright green living room with a lot of people crammed in it with fireworks outside and meringue music eating tamales. Our 'short stop in and say hello visits' are one to two hours long.....I held out till 1 AM in the morning when the Pastor had compassion on me...or at least we returned home. I fell asleep to meringue music that was almost loud enough to shake the walls from the dance bar on the corner.
My verse for this Christmas has been Philippians 2:6-11. I sometimes feel that I am stretched beyond what I can give....Or that I have nothing to give in the first place. But I am reminded of two things:
1) Christ gave all for me....He gave up heaven to become man. He gave up life so that I can have life. He gave up glory so that I can be exalted with Him. He gave up his heavenly relationship with His Father so I can have a relationship with the Triune God. I can't give more than He.
2) Because he gave all, he is the best I have to give.
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:6-11
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