Behold, the world has so much to say

​And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

Behold.

Did you know the word behold is used, when factoring in countless translations, over 1500 times in the bible. And it is almost always used to signal that something very noteworthy is ahead. It almost always introduces a revelation or something significant.

Like, behold, unto you is born this day, Christ the Lord.

The bible tells us over and over to behold, but so does our world.

As I walked onto the beach this morning, I could hear the sunrise calling me; behold.

Pastor David Dwight says that behold is always an introduction to something bigger. Behold is rarely an invitation to stop and see, but an invitation to see and then to keep seeing more.

Like we do with the beholds in the bible, maybe too often we don't pay enough attention to the beholds in our world.

This morning, the sunrise stopped me and reminded me: peace.

This morning, the sunrise stopped me and reminded me: there are days when it's easy to focus on all that is missing, but so much is always here. Like the sunrise.

This morning, the sunrise stopped me and reminded me: some days are hard, but behold, they are always preparing us for a day yet to come.

This morning, the sunrise stopped me and reminded me: the sun rises over us all. It skips none of us. Today a child is born, a child who so deeply longs to skip none of us.

And like the sunrise, and that child, we too are to skip none of us.

Merry Christmas to all of you.

May you behold all that the world is holding for you in the days and weeks and year ahead.

This world is calling you, behold.

Don't miss it.