"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.

In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:  which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:1-14).

There is a powerful story about worship recorded in the Bible in Matthew 2:1-12. Here we have the account of men from a religious class from the region of Iran. They specialized in astrology, medicine, and natural science.  (their study of astrology was not the same as modern astrology)

These men set out on a mission to find the King of the Jews and to worship Him. "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."  (verse 2)

These were scholars who had to travel many days and miles to find the Christ Child born in Bethlehem. Today, we do not have to travel to worship, but we can travel in our hearts by crossing over our attitudes and affections. We can rightly place Jesus Christ in the very center of our hearts so that pure devotion and worship spring forth. We can be like Mary, the mother of Jesus, as she rejoiced in her heart with worship and praise. Luke 1:46,47, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior."

I love the word holiday. Just the thought of celebrating is something that I look forward to. The word comes from holy, plus day (a holy day).

1. It can be a day set aside for special religious observance

2. A day of freedom from work; especially one in commemoration of an event

3. A vacation

I am so glad that God loves holidays. He not only asked His people to observe His feast and festivals, but He planned the greatest holiday ever. It was "out of this world!" The holiday originated in heaven.

God planned two trips for His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The first trip happened in very humble surroundings - a feed trough (open box for livestock feed) for the Savior's baby bed. Our Lord Jesus chose to lay down His royal robes for a season and allowed Himself to be wrapped in long strips of cloth (swaddling cloth for infants). We can easily see that a joyful Christmas holiday can be maintained by the lowly in heart (those who will humbly love and serve others).

The second trip that Christ will make will be the holiday of all holidays! (Talk about taking a break, celebrating with friends and family, dining in elegance...) The Second Coming of Christ will be a time that you will never forget. Put it on your calendar. You can make a reservation by placing your trust in the gift of Christ.  He is worthy of our celebration and praise.