My wife and I just returned from a few days at Walt Disney World experiencing the Christmas season at one of our favorite places.  As expected the decorations were beautiful, each themed to the park, restaurant, or resort.  The colors were vibrant, the smells subtle, and the atmosphere electric.  Christmas was evident everywhere.

On Monday evening we participated in the candlelight procession, along with over 2000 others.  Neil Patrick Harris was the guest narrator for the program.  A fifty piece orchestra accompanied a mass choir as well as Disney musicians.  The program was a celebration of the birth of Christ.  Luke 2 and Matthew 1 were directly quoted and the musicians sang and played traditional carols as well as contemporary Christmas music.  We sang along with Silent Night and the harmonies around us told of people how knew these songs well.  Following the Hallelujah Chorus Neil Patrick Harris thanked the people for attending, honored the performers, and then off script said if this program did not turn your hearts to the birth of Jesus you were cold hearted.

This program is presented three times per evening for 36 days.  This means nearly 215,000 people gather to hear the Christmas story each year at this program.  When you consider this has been running now for 15 years at the present location you begin to realize how many people come to hear the birth of Christ celebrated while they are at Disney.  Though they enjoy a fantasy world, they also know the reality of Jesus and what his birth and life means to life today.

Reading through the Old Testament about the coming Messiah and then reading in the New Testament about his actual birth and life is a privilege.  When our children were at home we celebrated Advent, lighting the candles each week along with reading the Scriptures and singing carols.  This became a ritual we loved.  We always remembered the birth story of Jesus as well as the births of each of our children.  We wanted them to know their story was part of a greater story. The same is true for each of us.  Our individual lives are really a part of a great story written by God’s hand.

Standing with the crowd at Disney the other night reminded us both of the days when we celebrated the Advent season leading up to Christmas.  The old, old story continues today as we reread the Scriptures.  Jesus came, lived and died as the human image ofGod, then rose from the grave so we can now celebrate life through him.  The whole story begins with God in Genesis and will end when Jesus comes again.  In the mean time celebrate Christmas with us as we read through the Scriptures this year and hear the story one more time. If you'd like a reading plan to help you navigate through the Christmas story, click here. YouVersion has put together a great plan for you to work through scripture this season.

Myron, Adult Ministry Pastor