Maddie and I sat down last night and read through the Christmas story together. We talked about why Christmas is worth celebrating, and Maddie responded that's it's because we get to go to heaven and have our sins taken away. This got me thinking about something Mark mentioned on Sunday about how much effort the church has put into making sure people are aware that God can save us from our sin, while virtually neglecting the fact that God wants to redeem us completely - to help us live up to the full potential he's given us. What a compelling idea - that Christianity isn't just about "fire insurance", but being redeemed as a whole - every part of who I am - not just my sinfulness! Later that night after Madeline and I read through some more
of the Christmas story, we had a great talk about who God has created her to be and that THAT's part of why baby Jesus was born.