Dec. 24 - Christmas tears
Contributed by
Ericka Schrock, senior art major from Goshen, Ind. on Sunday December 23
Scripture
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.
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Devotion
It was the annual Christmas Celebration in the small indigenous church hiding in a Talamancan valley of Costa Rica. On this particular Christmas Eve, the humble, rough-hewn church building was complete with a palm branch manger, paper chain decorations and most of the village people sitting shoulder to shoulder and filling the doorways.
It was a very special time when most people in the village made an appearance whether or not they normally attended church. I realized early in the service that my Costa Rican parents, who did not normally attend, were situated directly across the aisle from me.
The service ended with the annual Christmas play and a sharing time. Some shared about the gifts that God had given them, gratitude for their Savior and how God had been with them in the past year.
As the sharing proceeded a young woman began to speak. I suddenly felt a sudden and clear burden to pray for my Costa Rican father.
So I prayed.
I prayed that God would speak to my father deeply, revealing divine love in a new way, and comforting him.
I opened my eyes and continued to look forward, but I was curious. When I glanced across the aisle, I found that my father was weeping. I was amazed at the tears running down his face.
May we all walk in obedience and faith, opening the door for God to use us and bless us in mysterious and awesome ways.
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