Christmas Eve 2024

I have been enjoying vacation and will be off from work for 2 weeks. This is the busy time of year for my wife Julie. She is a mail carrier and her post-office is short-handed. She has worked Christmas Eve more times than not over the past 10 years. She was home by 5pm this year, and we were able to attend Christmas Eve church service.

As we were getting ready for church and driving there, we discussed some challenges in our lives. For example: finances, family, changes in our culture, and how we might change our actions if given a second chance. While some of the specifics are unique to our situation, I believe the concerns are universal.

Every Christmas, I think about the story in Luke Chapter 2. As a child, my cousins and I would act out the story. I always wanted to be a shepherd. I wonder what the shepherds talked about on Christmas Eve, assuming their sheep were safe from wolves? They may have made small talk, or they may have kept quiet. They lived in a very difficult time, filled with poverty, sadness, and little hope. I believe they had some of the same concerns, Julie and I talked about today.

I would love to know what it was like for them when they heard the good news and glad tidings that night. I can guess what it was like, but I think the hope and joy they felt were beyond my imagination.

Julie and I enjoyed the church service tonight. We sang Christmas carols, listened to the scriptures and the pastor’s message, and finished by lighting candles while singing “Silent Night.” I am grateful for the hope the Savior brought to our world.