advent: god with us

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." — Luke 2:8-12 (ESV)

This was our third reading for our Family Advent Devotionals. We reflected on the "baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." Thinking about how God came to be with us and went through growing up just like we do. We were with two other families. So we talked about Jesus being a baby like Eli, 2 like Caleb, 4 like Ashlyn and her friend Maria, 6 like our friend Ella, 9 like our friend Jack, 11 like our friend Connor, and 14 like our friend Jenny. Each kid shared what they like about being their age and we imagined Jesus like that. We talked about playing, toys, church, friends, puberty, and hormones.

How good it is to know Jesus wanted to be with us so much he was willing to go through everything we do! He can sympathize with our weaknesses and challenges, but showed us a better way to live!