Coombe Christmas Letter 07
Imagine the first Christmas gift ever given….
It was a cold winter night when two young teenagers received this gift. A gift so rewarding it would impact generations throughout time and influence millions every year.
But these youths were forced to leave their home because some politician a long ways off demanded they be counted in a certain city. Without grumbling about the governmental leaders or the major inconvenience to their lives, they journey on to Bethlehem.
And they arrive, dirty from a three day’s journey walking in dirt, to the city of their ancestors. They look in wonder of all the sites their Jewish tradition spoke of. But soon the wonder fled as responsibility grew. Joseph needed to find shelter for himself and his wife Mary.
But with the little money they had, they could not find a room. Many in Israel had come to Bethlehem because of the edict and there was nothing left to spare for the poor or strangers. Joseph would come close to cursing God after being shut out of another inn.
Then he saw the pain in Mary’s eyes as she grasped her belly. Oh, no. They had thought the baby would come when they returned to Galilee and be surrounded by family. They were not expecting to be alone in a distant land and homeless.
Where could they go? There is no comfort from God, only hardship in life. “Oh, Lord, show yourself.”
Mary cries out as another contraction hits her. Joseph wild-eyed searches for a place they can rest. He goes to the last of many inns, and get’s denied again.
“Can we stay in the barn; my wife is having her baby?”
Finally, he sees some little compassion in a face. Joseph takes Mary to the dung smelling stable and gathers some hay to rest his wife. Her breathing is rapid and her cries chill his heart. “Where are you in all of this, God?”
And thankfully his search for a midwife is short and the painful ordeal with his new bride begins.
Waaa! The baby cries in Mary’s arms. Her sweat-damp hair plastered upon her face. Joseph smiling and drawing breath, being supportive yet exhausted from his own ordeals. He looks tenderly at his wife and grabs her hand. She looks up and blows him a kiss. Then her eyes fall back to the little person in her arms.
Then some shepherds arrive. They are praising God and tell stories of angels singing and the glory of the child Mary rocks in her arms. Emanuel - God with us. What an encouragement those shepherds must have been.
And we may not ever understand what God is doing in our lives, but He is giving gifts to mankind that are beyond our comprehension. This simple picture of Joseph and Mary’s hardship has been a joy to believers all over the world for two thousand years.
In a much smaller way, the Coombe’s saw a similar gift into their lives this year. With the birth of Eowyn Ruth Coombe, (June 8) our family has grown and so has our love.
She has become a smiling giggling gift for us in Portland and we are very thankful.
Wesley turned four in November and is bounding with energy. Rainy days where he has to stay inside don’t motivate him to be docile. He desires to become Spiderman and leap from tall buildings. Yet, it gives him a chance to build some with Lego’s or drive his cars around the raceway/kitchen floor.
Adele is still continuing to bless people both co-workers and patients at Willamette Falls Hospital. She is the beautiful star in this family that continually draws us close.
Scott is still working on the Internet and being a stay-home-dad. It is his joy to watch his kids grow and steal some time to study in his many interests. He has begun writing devotionals for the Men’s ministry at his church and doing some videos on youtube.
And our church friends have been many and a wondrous blessing. The Coombe’s have definitely seen Jesus there. We love being a part of such a beautiful family.
But Thanksgiving turned our eyes towards the rest of the Coombe family. It was such a joy seeing everyone and brought such sorrow on our return journey that we see them so little. We do want Wesley and Eowyn to see their cousins and grandparents.
So, yet again, we are looking at making the journey to southern California. We know this will make some of our Oregon friends upset, but we feel this season we will need to share with family. And the Lord seems to be blessing our plans.
But, as in the Nativity story, we never really know what God has up His sleeve until it is finally revealed. But whatever beautiful gift He has planned to give, we want to be a part of it.
And we hope you all will be blessed by His touch as well.
Merry Christmas
Enjoy the gifts
Scott, Adele, Wesley and Eowyn Ruth
The Coombe’s