Words of C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S

December 21st, 2022

Please join me, Holly, today as I talk about a few choice words centered around the Advent of Christ.

We’ve all been preparing for Christmas in some way—over recent days, weeks, and maybe even months—yet we may not be truly experiencing the wonder of the event that paved the way for our redemption.

Today’s blog is going to be short, but sweet.

As a former school teacher and current writer and speaker, I am intrigued by strategies and tactics available to help people remember and apply what they have learned, so that they can truly experience the full benefits of knowledge for themselves and others.

One such device that has helped me retain knowledge and, in turn, that I also used to support my students was acrostic-style memory tools. To learn the order of the planets, for example, we memorized the sentence “My Very Excited Mother Just Sat Upon Nine Pins,” noting that the first letter of each word represented the first letter of a planet and each word was organized in the order of the planets from the closest to farthest from the sun—Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto. (You probably noticed that “Pins” was included to represent Pluto—back in the good ol’ days when it was still classified as a planet.)

One of my daughters is currently in nursing school, and I love hearing about her learning adventure in this field. Recently, she shared with me some of the mnemonics (memory enhancing strategies) that her instructors encourage to instill the procedures of medical practice into the students’ thinking. ABC’s, SPICES, and AIDET are just a few (I won’t take the time to explain these, but just wanted to make the point that mnemonic devices are useful for all ages and in all subject areas.)

So where am I going with all this? The celebration of the birth of Christ, of course.

We’ve all been preparing for Christmas in some way—over recent days, weeks, and maybe even months—yet we may not be truly experiencing the wonder of the event that paved the way for our redemption.

To make my point, I sat down this morning and wrote the word CHRISTMAS in a vertical column for the very purpose of creating an original acrostic free-verse poem of sorts. Why?

Well, just as Mary and Joseph marvelled at the things being said about Jesus at the temple with Simeon (Luke 2:25-33), I too felt compelled to marvel at this holiday with the kind of wonder that honors my Lord.

Christ—the Lord, God's only Son, the Reason for the season

Hope—offered by the Father through the Son; the ONLY hope for our fallen condition

Romans 8:38,39

"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Isaiah 9:6

“For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Shepherds—the first ones approached by the angels to announce the coming of the Messiah

The shepherds were maybe the only ones aside from the priests to understand fully the significance of the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger—the same procedure used for the perfect, unblemished lambs that were to be to used as sacrificial offerings for sin in the Temple. They knew without question that this babe was the perfect Lamb of God sent to take away the sins of the world; in other words, the promised Messiah.

Truth—what we find in God’s Word, and that which sets us free (John 8:32)

John 1:14 reminds me, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Miracles—events that could only be explained by Divine intervention

. . . a virgin conceived; a young man agreed to marry the pregnant girl to whom he was betrothed; God became man and dwelt among us; the Christ child was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, confirming the authenticity of the Scriptures; angels appeared to the shepherds, just to name a few.

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Because Christ came to earth, walked in our shoes so to speak, and can truly understand the human condition, He is uniquely qualified to be everything I need. The fact that He has opened the door for me to come to Him however, whenever, and wherever I need to is marvelous and awesome in the truest sense of the words. Thank you, Lord.

Sanctification–becoming holy and full of grace and truth

Because of Christ and the salvation He brings, I have the opportunity to live and to grow to be more like Him moment by moment, day by day, week by week, and year by year, for as long as He gives me breath.

Wow, it was that simple. By taking just a few minutes to focus on Christmas and what it should mean to me, I am in awe, afresh and anew, of the love that came down as God incarnate—a love that has no equal (John 15:13; Mark 10:45).

Now it’s your turn.

Take a few minutes to do this activity yourself and encourage your family to participate. Give yourselves the renewed opportunity to marvel in the words that are inspired by this event. That, my friends, is what Christmas is all about.

Author Bio:
Holly Varnum, Director of Curriculum Development at Reasons for Hope joined us September 2021 to launch curricular materials to support many of our media resources. With degrees in education, curriculum and instruction, and educational administration, she comes with over three decades of experience in working with teens and adults in camp ministry, teaching and administration, and curriculum writing (A Beka Book, Focus on the Family, and Answers in Genesis to name a few). God has provided her with a well-rounded educational perspective through service in Christian schools, charter schools, public schools, homeschooling, Christian camps, and local church ministry. She has been a classroom teacher, instructional coach, administrator, camp counselor, Sunday School teacher, ladies’ Bible Study teacher, and conference speaker and looks forward to using her passion for God’s truth within the context of Reasons for Hope.

Her hobbies include cooking and baking, hiking, camping, travel, and working on do-it-yourself projects. Holly and her husband, Paul, also enjoy any time they can spend with their three grown daughters, two sons-in-law, and two grandchildren (so far!). They live in the beautiful state of Maine, and yes, eat lobster (properly pronounced “lobstah”) whenever they get a chance!