Christmas in heaven

Merry Christmas to all of you!

It is rather cold for Southern California today, with rain off and on. So we are inside with our fireplace actually on!

I have been listening to Michael W. Smith’s Christmas CD (that we made available to all of you too) and have really enjoyed it. Later, we are going to have cheese fondue for lunch with our family!

Needless to say, it’s a sad day for us, as this is our first Christmas without our son Christopher.

I have to tell you, Topher loved Christmas! It was always a big deal to him as a little boy, and when he became a father, he wanted it to be a big  deal for his daughters. He always was so thoughtful in his choice of gifts and often made them by hand, which was always a special treat for me. He also had fantastic “wrapping skills,” which I am completely devoid of.

Christmas in heaven

On that first Christmas night, when the angels made their announcement to the shepherds keeping watch over their flocks, came this good news: “Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.'” (Luke 2:10)

This is how heaven celebrated the first Christmas. On this holy night, in effect, heaven momentarily came to earth.

Heaven is a heartbeat away.

In a sense, heaven and earth are always co-existing, but sometimes they can seem worlds apart and other times separated by only a thin veil. When tragedy hits, when illness prevails, heaven can sometimes seem distant.

But when we join the angels in worship, and see God in His greatness, heaven can seem so very, very close.

For us as believers, we are just a heartbeat away from heaven right now. As David put it, “There is but a step between me and death.”

Christmas in heaven is better than Christmas on earth.

As I said, this is my first Christmas on earth without Christopher. It’s been hard, because I am so programmed to go and find something for him. I still see things and think, “Christopher would like this,” or “I wish Christopher could see this!”

Then I remind myself, this is Christopher’s first Christmas in heaven! But then I wonder if he is not in heaven, saying, “Dad would like this!” Or if he is saying, “I wish my wife,daughters,brother mom and dad could see this!”

For my son,this is the most blessed Christmas ever. As Mercy Me sings, “I can only imagine.”

It is pure bliss. Not twinkling lights, but the radiant light of heaven itself. Not metal angels on trees, but real, holy angels of God all around.

You see, in heaven there is peace. On earth there is war. In heaven there is perfect harmony. On earth there is often friction among family and friends. In heaven, feasting and perfection. On earth there is fattening food and expanding waistlines.

Let your family know you love them.

We are not there yet. So we don’t need to sorrow for our loved ones who are celebrating Christmas in heaven, but we do sorrow for ourselves over their absence.

Today, however, remember to let the ones on earth you love know it. Tell them verbally. Because you never know if you or I or someone we hold dear might be in heaven next Christmas.

So have a blessed and Merry Christmas day.