The Tummons iTimes: 2005

Friday, December 23, 2005

Merry Christmas from Istanbul

Merry Christmas from Istanbul, Turkey. As we celebrate the miraculous birth of Jesus, we want to send you our "wish" list.

We "wish" that your holiday season is FILLED WITH:

generous giving-like God the Father lavishly gave to us

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

wonderful celebrations of the birth of our Savior-like the shepherds

And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. Luke 2:17-20

deep meditations on the coming of Emmanuel (literally "the with us God")-like Mary

unrestrained worship of the King-like the wise men

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. Matthew 2:10-11

meaningful fellowship with family and friends

We also “wish” that your holiday season is FREE FROM:

a focus on what you am going to get for Christmas

celebrations of the birth of iPod nano, XBox 360, and other hot Christmas items

disbelief that the Son of God could be born in a stable

putting yourself on the throne of your life

We are thankful that, even though we live in Turkey, we are able to pursue most of the positive aspects of Christmas and avoid most of the negative aspects of the Holiday. In fact, without all the usual distractions and craziness of the typical American holiday rush, we are left mostly with the humble "birth of Jesus" as our reason for the season. What a blessing! If only our family was here, we would have a perfect Christmas.

We will be celebrating Christmas Eve this year with a few friends. Then on Christmas day, we will spend the morning together as a family, the afternoon with our neighbors and the evening at a Turkish Church for a special Christmas service. We are looking forward to spending time with friends and enjoying a simple Christmas.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Tummons’