Open Christmas Theme Topic (150 words maximum)
The Christmas Rush
by Lynda Otter
Christmas is coming! I have my list! Somehow, it seems longer than usual. Unexpected circumstances including sickness have put me behind. I read the list and already feel burned out. When did it get to be this way? Why do we have all these expectations of ourselves? Sighing deeply, I retreat to spend time with God. And slowly, deep in my spirit, I begin to feel the hope, the peace, the joy, and the love of this Christmas season. The hope of Christ’s birth, and of his second coming. The peace of the Holy Spirit dwelling in me. The joy that has nothing to do with my circumstances and everything to do with Jesus. The amazing, deep, all-encompassing love God showed for me by sending his son to take my sins upon his shoulders. And so, I relax and say with all the saints, ‘Come Lord Jesus, come.’
My First Christmas in New Zealand
by Deborah McDermott
I was in love with New Zealand long before our plane landed at Auckland Airport on 20 April 2006. Kiwis often ask me if I miss Zimbabwe and I can honestly say no. There is so much here that is appealing. For instance, the number of birds in New Zealand may be vastly fewer than in Africa, but what is lacking in quantity is made up for in character. I think in particular of the tui with their funny white neck feathers and amazing variations in their calls, and the pukeko with their quirky gait and cheek.
One of my most poignant memories of my first year in New Zealand is of the lovely Pōhutukawa trees coming into flower just before Christmas. Their rosy blooms made me think of Zimbabwe’s red poinsettias: two very different plants, yet both blossoms representing the most significant event in history. Now, how sweet is that?