December 2, 2025 • 18 mins
What if the most memorable part of December isn’t the packed calendar but the quiet moments at home? We open the bins of decorations and talk about a countercultural Christmas built on simple traditions, secret generosity, and a steady gaze on Jesus. From watercolor afternoons and gingerbread chaos to favorite stories read by the tree, we reframe “holiday magic” as presence over performance.
Together, we push back against the cultural current that glorifies busy. We walk through practical ways to reject the rush—starting with the planner—by choosing one or two aligned events and protecting unhurried evenings. We share our “one thing” daily focus, why Mary’s habit of treasuring and pondering still speaks, and how morning time with Scripture resets the heart. Then we step into giving: a humble wooden manger that fills one straw at a time for unprompted kindness, neighbor cookie deliveries that light up a block, and ideas for quiet service that doesn’t ask for credit. We also rethink kids’ gifts with a simple three-gift approach that calms expectations and elevates gratitude.
At the center is Christ. We reflect on John 1:14 and the joy of Advent practices that trace the story from creation to the cradle, keeping Jesus in view even as we enjoy seasonal fun. Expect Scripture anchors, family-tested rhythms, and gentle challenges to prepare hearts more than homes. If you’re hungry for a slower season, clearer priorities, and a home that feels like peace, this conversation is your starting place.
If this episode helps you breathe easier this December, share it with a friend, subscribe for more, and leave a quick review to help others find the show.
Recommended Resources:
The Wonder of the Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Leanne (00:50):
Over the weekend, I told my three children that it was
time to decorate for Christmas.
And amongst the squeals ofdelight, they had questions,
because of course they did.
Will we get to do all those funactivities again this year,
like the watercolor painting andthe gingerbread house?
And can we read all of ourfavorite Christmas stories
without cocoa by the Christmastree?
(01:11):
While that child paused to takea breath, another question
surfaced.
When will we deliver all thecookies to the neighbors?
I can't wait for that.
And then another question.
Mama, can we set out thatpop-up Advent tree and put the
ornaments on with the story ofJesus?
I smiled with every questionlaunched in my direction as each
(01:33):
one was evidence that thetraditions our family treasures
most are the simple, unassumingthings that we can do right at
home.
As I opened the holiday binsfull of decorations, I was
struck by how a calm andpeaceful Christmas is actually a
bit countercultural.
Now, please don'tmisunderstand, my kids are very
(01:56):
excited about the presents andall the holiday events and all
the candy and treats thatthey'll find in their stockings.
But I have noticed that whenasked about their favorite
Christmas traditions, it'susually the little things that
they remember best.
It's the opportunities to giveback to our community that bring
(02:17):
the biggest smiles.
And it's the story of Jesusfrom creation to cradle that
inspires the most wonder andjoy.
So as we enter into this seasonthat tends to ramp up and rush,
perhaps we can choose the pathless traveled and instead slow
(02:37):
down to savor.
What would it look like toembrace a counter-cultural
Christmas?
There are three things thatculture in general gets caught
up in during the month ofDecember: the hustle and bustle,
gift-buying galore, and allthings Santa.
In fact, a quick Google searchfor the three things most
(03:02):
associated with Christmas showedthat it was the Christmas tree,
gift giving, and Santa Claus.
Those were the top contenders.
And to be honest, there'snothing inherently wrong with
any of those three things.
But the fact that there was nomention of Jesus is a bit wild
to me.
So for the purpose of thisepisode today, I want to take a
(03:24):
look at how we can, as women ofexcellence, encourage our
families to reject the rush, tochoose giving over getting, and
to keep Jesus at the center ofour celebrations.
And perhaps the way in which weapproach this holiday will be a
witness to others that there ishope available to them in
Christ too.
(03:44):
And maybe we will be inspiredto prepare our hearts more than
our homes for Christmas thisyear.
It's no secret that our worldglorifies busy.
And for women in December, itis almost like a special badge
of honor.
We are busy planning parties,attending parties, shopping for
(04:06):
the perfect gifts, making dozensand dozens of cookies, hauling
our kids to and fro all of thefun festivities.
We bribe them with candy canesand we take pictures of
everything so that we can provewhat awesome memory-making super
women we are.
And then we get to the end ofDecember and we simply cannot
even anymore.
By the time Christmas Day rollsaround, we are burnt out and
(04:30):
weary.
Another Christmas has come andgone, and all that is left is a
living room trashed withwrapping paper.
There has got to be a betterway, right?
Jesus says in Matthew 11, 28and 30, Come to me all who labor
and are heavy laden, and I willgive you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learnfrom me, for I am gentle and
(04:52):
lowly in heart, and you willfind rest for your souls, for my
yoke is easy and my burden islight.
I cannot imagine the Savior whosays these words is pleased
with our performance-basedapproach to Christmas.
So slowing down during thisseason offers more space for
(05:12):
reflection and gratitude andworship.
I don't want to be so busydoing all the things, even if
they're good things, and thenhave no room for Jesus.
(05:33):
For me, and I'm guessing thatthis is true for many of you
too, this making space for theLord begins on the pages of my
planner.
I could very easily fill everyday with some exciting event
that happens only in December.
And yet, I am learning from mychildren, honestly, that their
(05:56):
favorite activities are the onesthat they get to do at home.
They don't need to go to everyChristmas play or holiday parade
or breakfast with Santa event.
They would be just as happyreading all of their favorite
stories by the Christmas tree orhelping me make pancakes with
red and green sprinkles.
For some reason, we believe thelie that it is up to us to make
(06:19):
Christmas magical andmemorable, and therefore the
bigger and more extravagant thebetter.
Our families don't actuallyneed or even want any of that.
So this year, choose maybe oneor two special events to attend
as a family.
Look for the festivities thatalign best with the things that
your family values most, andthen protect the rest of the
(06:43):
days for time at home.
Time to simply be present andenjoy one another.
I also really encourage you toguard your time with the Lord in
this month.
It is so easy to push thatquiet time aside because there
is so much to do.
And yet, I would ask, so muchto do for who?
(07:07):
Don't allow the world'sdefinition of what a magical
Christmas should look likedictate how you choose to
celebrate.
My favorite verse in theChristmas story is Luke 2, 19.
And it says, But Mary treasuredup all these things, pondering
them in her heart.
(07:27):
Give yourself time to ponderJesus and store up these
precious memories in your hearttoo.
Don't wait until December 26thto reflect on the goodness and
(08:09):
love of God.
Psalm 27:4 says, One thing haveI asked of the Lord that I will
seek after, that I may dwell inthe house of the Lord all the
days of my life, to gaze uponthe beauty of the Lord and to
inquire in his temple.
I want to invite you to thinkabout the one thing, the one
thing that maybe is mostimportant for each day.
(08:33):
Make sure that Jesus is thatfirst thing that you reach for
every morning, and then focus onone thing, one thing to give
your attention to every day, notall the things.
And I also want you to thinkabout this.
What can you let go of thisChristmas so that you can make
(08:54):
space for Jesus?
Now, when it comes to giftgiving during the holidays, I
think most of us know what theBible says in Acts 20, 35, that
it is more blessed to give thanto receive.
Unfortunately, our culture hastwisted this give and serve and
(09:15):
love freely to instead emphasizeaccumulation, comparison, and
trying to impress others.
And then we miss out on theblessing of giving when we start
expecting something in return.
And what about other types ofgifts, things that cannot be
purchased in a store?
It's honestly easier to buysomeone a gift.
(09:37):
It's harder to give your time,attention, compassion, or even
your forgiveness.
One of our favorite traditionsin our home is our giving
manger.
It's a simple wooden mangerthat we keep on a bookshelf in
our living room.
And the goal is to fill themanger with straw so that baby
Jesus has a soft place to layhis head by Christmas morning.
(10:00):
For each unprompted act ofkindness that our family does, a
piece of straw goes into themanger.
And this is an opportunity forall of us to look for ways that
we can give to others inselfless ways.
So maybe my daughter washes thedishes for me.
Or one of my boys leaves thebigger cookie for his brother.
(10:22):
When we look past the shinywrapping paper, we begin to see
so many ways that we can blessand serve each other that don't
require an actual gift to bepurchased.
And my kids absolutely lovedelivering cookies to our
neighbors.
This is their favoriteactivity, and it's the one that
(10:43):
they will ask about persistentlyall month long.
We prepare boxes full ofcookies, and then we go door to
door, spreading joy bydelivering the boxes.
And even though they don'texpect to get anything in
return, the smiles that theseboxes bring to our neighbors is
what my kids cannot wait for,and they will talk about for
(11:06):
weeks afterwards.
Matthew 6, 3 and 4 says, Butwhen you give, do not let your
left hand know what your righthand is doing, so that your
giving may be in secret, andyour father who sees in secret
will reward you.
This is a good reminder thatour gift giving isn't intended
to impress or prove how amazingwe are.
(11:27):
It is simply an opportunity toshare love and joy.
Look for ways that you can givein your community.
Whether you donate toys to thenearby foster care center, or
maybe you bring a meal over toan elderly neighbor.
Or maybe something that I amreally looking forward to doing
when my kids get a little bitolder is signing up to help at a
(11:50):
local soup kitchen.
They're a little bit too youngyet, but pretty soon we'll be
able to do that.
And I just love that this givesus an opportunity to practice
giving it generously simplybecause it brings delight.
The last thing I want to sayabout gift giving is to consider
what you are buying for yourchildren.
(12:11):
My daughter's first Christmas,I remember, was very
overwhelming.
There were simply too manypresents.
She's the first grandchild onboth sides of the family, and
everyone was really excited toget her all the things.
And she, I remember she endedup needing to take a nap halfway
(12:31):
through opening the giftsbecause it was just so much.
And she ended up only playingwith like half the toys.
I know some people like tofollow the three-gift rule, like
something to wear, something toread, or something to want that
something that you want.
And I think that that's areally great strategy for really
thinking about, you know, justbuying three things for your
(12:53):
kids.
And I and I I also like thatthree-gift idea.
However, we was to kind of doit in a little bit different
way.
I just ask my children, sincethey're a little bit older now,
to think of three things thatthey would really like.
Within reason, of course.
So it doesn't necessarily haveto be something to wear or read
or that kind of thing, but justthree things that they would
(13:14):
really enjoy having.
And so this means, because it'sjust three things, they really
consider carefully and theychoose wisely.
And as some of you may know, wedon't celebrate Santa Claus in
our home.
So they know that these giftsare coming from mom and dad, and
they're very thankful forthose.
On Christmas morning, they knowthat there will be three gifts
(13:35):
to open, and it's simple, butthe excitement and the
anticipation is still palpable.
They, there's a bit of thisassurance.
They know that they're going tohave three gifts that they're
really excited about coming, andso they stop worrying about it.
It's not something that they'rereally fixated on all for the
month of December.
Yes, they're super excited forthe gifts, but they're not
(13:58):
overly obsessing about itbecause it's like assurance.
They know they're going to getgreat gifts and then they move
on.
With all of these thingsconsidered, I want us to think
about how we can reflect onChrist-like generosity through
quiet, unseen acts of love thisChristmas.
And speaking of Christ, eventhough the word Christ is found
(14:21):
at the beginning of Christmas,Santa schedules and stuff tends
to crowd out our reason for theseason.
John 1, 14 says, and the wordbecame flesh and dwelt among us.
We celebrate Christmas becauseof Emmanuel, which means God
(14:41):
with us.
Jesus gave up his heavenlysplendor to come to earth, to
live a simple and obedient lifeso that he could take our place
on the cross.
Christmas is a celebration ofthe fulfillment of God's promise
to send us a Savior.
We love our Wonder of theGreatest Gift, Advent Devotional
(15:06):
by Anne Voskamp.
I will link it in the shownotes.
Each day in December, weexplore part of the story of
Jesus from creation all the waythrough to his birth.
Every passage of scripture andshort story points to our need
for a savior.
And my kids love putting thelittle ornaments on the pop-up
tree in the center of the book.
(15:27):
These simple Advent devotionshelp to keep our focus on Jesus
in the midst of a verydistracting season.
And while we still love towatch the movies with Santa
Claus and we even read a fewstories that feature this jolly
man, we choose to keep Jesus inthe forefront of our hearts and
minds.
When we slow down and take timeto prepare him room in our
(15:50):
hearts, we are better able toworship our Savior and fill our
gatherings with gratitude.
This year, I invite you tothink about when others look at
how your family celebrates,would they see Christ reflected
in your traditions?
Romans 12, 2 says, Do not beconformed to this world, but be
(16:14):
transformed by the renewal ofyour mind, that by testing you
may discern what is the will ofGod, what is good and acceptable
and perfect.
When you live your lifedifferently, when you choose to
celebrate Christmas in a slower,simpler, holier way, you are
sharing the good news of Jesus.
(16:34):
This Christmas season, rejectthe rush, choose giving over
getting, and keep Christ in thecenter of your celebration.
As it says in Isaiah 9:6, forunto us a child is born, to us a
son is given, and thegovernment shall be upon his
shoulders, and his name shall becalled Wonderful Counselor,
(16:55):
Mighty God, Everlasting Father,Prince of Peace.
To close this episode, I wantto read Psalm 131 to you.
This short and sweet Psalm is abeautiful reminder to calm and
quiet our souls before the Lord.
When the world around us isfocused on rushing and striving,
we can enjoy peaceful rest inour God.
(17:18):
Let us choose to embracecontentment and humility this
Christmas.
O Israel, hope in the Lord fromthis time forth and
(17:48):
forevermore.
Over the weekend, I told my three children that it was
time to decorate for Christmas.
And amongst the squeals ofdelight, they had questions,
because of course they did.
Will we get to do all those funactivities again this year,
like the watercolor painting andthe gingerbread house?
And can we read all of ourfavorite Christmas stories
without cocoa by the Christmastree?
(01:11):
While that child paused to takea breath, another question
surfaced.
When will we deliver all thecookies to the neighbors?
I can't wait for that.
And then another question.
Mama, can we set out thatpop-up Advent tree and put the
ornaments on with the story ofJesus?
I smiled with every questionlaunched in my direction as each
(01:33):
one was evidence that thetraditions our family treasures
most are the simple, unassumingthings that we can do right at
home.
As I opened the holiday binsfull of decorations, I was
struck by how a calm andpeaceful Christmas is actually a
bit countercultural.
Now, please don'tmisunderstand, my kids are very
(01:56):
excited about the presents andall the holiday events and all
the candy and treats thatthey'll find in their stockings.
But I have noticed that whenasked about their favorite
Christmas traditions, it'susually the little things that
they remember best.
It's the opportunities to giveback to our community that bring
(02:17):
the biggest smiles.
And it's the story of Jesusfrom creation to cradle that
inspires the most wonder andjoy.
So as we enter into this seasonthat tends to ramp up and rush,
perhaps we can choose the pathless traveled and instead slow
(02:37):
down to savor.
What would it look like toembrace a counter-cultural
Christmas?
There are three things thatculture in general gets caught
up in during the month ofDecember: the hustle and bustle,
gift-buying galore, and allthings Santa.
In fact, a quick Google searchfor the three things most
(03:02):
associated with Christmas showedthat it was the Christmas tree,
gift giving, and Santa Claus.
Those were the top contenders.
And to be honest, there'snothing inherently wrong with
any of those three things.
But the fact that there was nomention of Jesus is a bit wild
to me.
So for the purpose of thisepisode today, I want to take a
(03:24):
look at how we can, as women ofexcellence, encourage our
families to reject the rush, tochoose giving over getting, and
to keep Jesus at the center ofour celebrations.
And perhaps the way in which weapproach this holiday will be a
witness to others that there ishope available to them in
Christ too.
(03:44):
And maybe we will be inspiredto prepare our hearts more than
our homes for Christmas thisyear.
It's no secret that our worldglorifies busy.
And for women in December, itis almost like a special badge
of honor.
We are busy planning parties,attending parties, shopping for
(04:06):
the perfect gifts, making dozensand dozens of cookies, hauling
our kids to and fro all of thefun festivities.
We bribe them with candy canesand we take pictures of
everything so that we can provewhat awesome memory-making super
women we are.
And then we get to the end ofDecember and we simply cannot
even anymore.
By the time Christmas Day rollsaround, we are burnt out and
(04:30):
weary.
Another Christmas has come andgone, and all that is left is a
living room trashed withwrapping paper.
There has got to be a betterway, right?
Jesus says in Matthew 11, 28and 30, Come to me all who labor
and are heavy laden, and I willgive you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learnfrom me, for I am gentle and
(04:52):
lowly in heart, and you willfind rest for your souls, for my
yoke is easy and my burden islight.
I cannot imagine the Savior whosays these words is pleased
with our performance-basedapproach to Christmas.
So slowing down during thisseason offers more space for
(05:12):
reflection and gratitude andworship.
I don't want to be so busydoing all the things, even if
they're good things, and thenhave no room for Jesus.
(05:33):
For me, and I'm guessing thatthis is true for many of you
too, this making space for theLord begins on the pages of my
planner.
I could very easily fill everyday with some exciting event
that happens only in December.
And yet, I am learning from mychildren, honestly, that their
(05:56):
favorite activities are the onesthat they get to do at home.
They don't need to go to everyChristmas play or holiday parade
or breakfast with Santa event.
They would be just as happyreading all of their favorite
stories by the Christmas tree orhelping me make pancakes with
red and green sprinkles.
For some reason, we believe thelie that it is up to us to make
(06:19):
Christmas magical andmemorable, and therefore the
bigger and more extravagant thebetter.
Our families don't actuallyneed or even want any of that.
So this year, choose maybe oneor two special events to attend
as a family.
Look for the festivities thatalign best with the things that
your family values most, andthen protect the rest of the
(06:43):
days for time at home.
Time to simply be present andenjoy one another.
I also really encourage you toguard your time with the Lord in
this month.
It is so easy to push thatquiet time aside because there
is so much to do.
And yet, I would ask, so muchto do for who?
(07:07):
Don't allow the world'sdefinition of what a magical
Christmas should look likedictate how you choose to
celebrate.
My favorite verse in theChristmas story is Luke 2, 19.
And it says, But Mary treasuredup all these things, pondering
them in her heart.
(07:27):
Give yourself time to ponderJesus and store up these
precious memories in your hearttoo.
Don't wait until December 26thto reflect on the goodness and
(08:09):
love of God.
Psalm 27:4 says, One thing haveI asked of the Lord that I will
seek after, that I may dwell inthe house of the Lord all the
days of my life, to gaze uponthe beauty of the Lord and to
inquire in his temple.
I want to invite you to thinkabout the one thing, the one
thing that maybe is mostimportant for each day.
(08:33):
Make sure that Jesus is thatfirst thing that you reach for
every morning, and then focus onone thing, one thing to give
your attention to every day, notall the things.
And I also want you to thinkabout this.
What can you let go of thisChristmas so that you can make
(08:54):
space for Jesus?
Now, when it comes to giftgiving during the holidays, I
think most of us know what theBible says in Acts 20, 35, that
it is more blessed to give thanto receive.
Unfortunately, our culture hastwisted this give and serve and
(09:15):
love freely to instead emphasizeaccumulation, comparison, and
trying to impress others.
And then we miss out on theblessing of giving when we start
expecting something in return.
And what about other types ofgifts, things that cannot be
purchased in a store?
It's honestly easier to buysomeone a gift.
(09:37):
It's harder to give your time,attention, compassion, or even
your forgiveness.
One of our favorite traditionsin our home is our giving
manger.
It's a simple wooden mangerthat we keep on a bookshelf in
our living room.
And the goal is to fill themanger with straw so that baby
Jesus has a soft place to layhis head by Christmas morning.
(10:00):
For each unprompted act ofkindness that our family does, a
piece of straw goes into themanger.
And this is an opportunity forall of us to look for ways that
we can give to others inselfless ways.
So maybe my daughter washes thedishes for me.
Or one of my boys leaves thebigger cookie for his brother.
(10:22):
When we look past the shinywrapping paper, we begin to see
so many ways that we can blessand serve each other that don't
require an actual gift to bepurchased.
And my kids absolutely lovedelivering cookies to our
neighbors.
This is their favoriteactivity, and it's the one that
(10:43):
they will ask about persistentlyall month long.
We prepare boxes full ofcookies, and then we go door to
door, spreading joy bydelivering the boxes.
And even though they don'texpect to get anything in
return, the smiles that theseboxes bring to our neighbors is
what my kids cannot wait for,and they will talk about for
(11:06):
weeks afterwards.
Matthew 6, 3 and 4 says, Butwhen you give, do not let your
left hand know what your righthand is doing, so that your
giving may be in secret, andyour father who sees in secret
will reward you.
This is a good reminder thatour gift giving isn't intended
to impress or prove how amazingwe are.
(11:27):
It is simply an opportunity toshare love and joy.
Look for ways that you can givein your community.
Whether you donate toys to thenearby foster care center, or
maybe you bring a meal over toan elderly neighbor.
Or maybe something that I amreally looking forward to doing
when my kids get a little bitolder is signing up to help at a
(11:50):
local soup kitchen.
They're a little bit too youngyet, but pretty soon we'll be
able to do that.
And I just love that this givesus an opportunity to practice
giving it generously simplybecause it brings delight.
The last thing I want to sayabout gift giving is to consider
what you are buying for yourchildren.
(12:11):
My daughter's first Christmas,I remember, was very
overwhelming.
There were simply too manypresents.
She's the first grandchild onboth sides of the family, and
everyone was really excited toget her all the things.
And she, I remember she endedup needing to take a nap halfway
(12:31):
through opening the giftsbecause it was just so much.
And she ended up only playingwith like half the toys.
I know some people like tofollow the three-gift rule, like
something to wear, something toread, or something to want that
something that you want.
And I think that that's areally great strategy for really
thinking about, you know, justbuying three things for your
(12:53):
kids.
And I and I I also like thatthree-gift idea.
However, we was to kind of doit in a little bit different
way.
I just ask my children, sincethey're a little bit older now,
to think of three things thatthey would really like.
Within reason, of course.
So it doesn't necessarily haveto be something to wear or read
or that kind of thing, but justthree things that they would
(13:14):
really enjoy having.
And so this means, because it'sjust three things, they really
consider carefully and theychoose wisely.
And as some of you may know, wedon't celebrate Santa Claus in
our home.
So they know that these giftsare coming from mom and dad, and
they're very thankful forthose.
On Christmas morning, they knowthat there will be three gifts
(13:35):
to open, and it's simple, butthe excitement and the
anticipation is still palpable.
They, there's a bit of thisassurance.
They know that they're going tohave three gifts that they're
really excited about coming, andso they stop worrying about it.
It's not something that they'rereally fixated on all for the
month of December.
Yes, they're super excited forthe gifts, but they're not
(13:58):
overly obsessing about itbecause it's like assurance.
They know they're going to getgreat gifts and then they move
on.
With all of these thingsconsidered, I want us to think
about how we can reflect onChrist-like generosity through
quiet, unseen acts of love thisChristmas.
And speaking of Christ, eventhough the word Christ is found
(14:21):
at the beginning of Christmas,Santa schedules and stuff tends
to crowd out our reason for theseason.
John 1, 14 says, and the wordbecame flesh and dwelt among us.
We celebrate Christmas becauseof Emmanuel, which means God
(14:41):
with us.
Jesus gave up his heavenlysplendor to come to earth, to
live a simple and obedient lifeso that he could take our place
on the cross.
Christmas is a celebration ofthe fulfillment of God's promise
to send us a Savior.
We love our Wonder of theGreatest Gift, Advent Devotional
(15:06):
by Anne Voskamp.
I will link it in the shownotes.
Each day in December, weexplore part of the story of
Jesus from creation all the waythrough to his birth.
Every passage of scripture andshort story points to our need
for a savior.
And my kids love putting thelittle ornaments on the pop-up
tree in the center of the book.
(15:27):
These simple Advent devotionshelp to keep our focus on Jesus
in the midst of a verydistracting season.
And while we still love towatch the movies with Santa
Claus and we even read a fewstories that feature this jolly
man, we choose to keep Jesus inthe forefront of our hearts and
minds.
When we slow down and take timeto prepare him room in our
(15:50):
hearts, we are better able toworship our Savior and fill our
gatherings with gratitude.
This year, I invite you tothink about when others look at
how your family celebrates,would they see Christ reflected
in your traditions?
Romans 12, 2 says, Do not beconformed to this world, but be
(16:14):
transformed by the renewal ofyour mind, that by testing you
may discern what is the will ofGod, what is good and acceptable
and perfect.
When you live your lifedifferently, when you choose to
celebrate Christmas in a slower,simpler, holier way, you are
sharing the good news of Jesus.
(16:34):
This Christmas season, rejectthe rush, choose giving over
getting, and keep Christ in thecenter of your celebration.
As it says in Isaiah 9:6, forunto us a child is born, to us a
son is given, and thegovernment shall be upon his
shoulders, and his name shall becalled Wonderful Counselor,
(16:55):
Mighty God, Everlasting Father,Prince of Peace.
To close this episode, I wantto read Psalm 131 to you.
This short and sweet Psalm is abeautiful reminder to calm and
quiet our souls before the Lord.
When the world around us isfocused on rushing and striving,
we can enjoy peaceful rest inour God.
(17:18):
Let us choose to embracecontentment and humility this
Christmas.
O Israel, hope in the Lord fromthis time forth and
(17:48):
forevermore.
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