Today, the photo on the BING search engine page is of Wilbur Wright gliding above Big Kill Devil Hill in North Carolina in 1903.* IMAGINE THE AMAZEMENT from his perspective.

Wilbur Wright, Big Kill Devil Hill, Kitty Hawk NC. Dec 17, 1903

And it touches what I’ve wanted to write to you about.

As I contemplate Christmas and read Scripture of the birth of Jesus, our cause for celebrating ~ a sense of wonder washes over me.

Angel Appearing to the Shepherds – G Flinck 1639

First the fact he chose to enter the world as a human (I mean, just think of all that entails!). And then the details ~ Mary & Joseph in Bethlehem because of a royal decree. No room at an inn so they sheltered in a barn … with the animals. Angels announce the birth. Of a Savior! To shepherds! (Did you know shepherds occupied such a low rung of the social ladder, they could not even testify in court?) These are just a few specifics that arouse amazement for me. But all those things are in the past.

By far the greatest truth that spurs wonder in me is a present fact:

God is WITH me.** Every delight, every sorrow, every challenge … I don’t face alone. God is with me. God is WITH you. This is a truth that comforts. It encourages. It makes me pause. And it fills me with wonder.

What types of experiences spur wonder in you? I’d love to hear.

Here’s a link to part of a Christmas story by Tolstoy where you’ll meet a shoemaker who had an encounter that provoked wonder in him. I hope you enjoy it as much as our family does. Merry Christmas, friends. May you always see many reasons to celebrate the wonder of this season.

*photo copyright Library of Congress     **Matthew 1:23