Last December, I traveled to Washington, DC to meet my daughter, who, at the time, was working there. One of the things we were excited about seeing was the Starbucks Signing Store. Located near Gallaudet University, a university for deaf and hard of hearing students, these employees are fluent in American Sign Language and ready to create your order. Not being confident in ASL, we wrote our order and happily waited for our lattes.
Coffee shops are usually filled with noise, conversations, hustle and bustle. Not this one. Most of the patrons are students at Gallaudet, so it was quiet. Quiet and calming.
We enjoyed our lattes as well as the relaxing atmosphere. When it was time to move on, I thought it would be nice if I told the baristas Merry Christmas. I did a quick
tutorial video and as we left, I signed Happy Christmas. (The ASL sign for “merry” is “happy”)
I can’t describe to you the joy that erupted from the faces of the four baristas. I entered their silent world with two words, conveying a message of hope, and they were elated! They returned our greeting, and we all waved good-bye, leaving in wonderful spirits as that joyful event made our day!
A few thousand years ago, a baby entered a silent world with a message of hope, love, and salvation. And that event made our life complete. That night was truly a holy night filled with joy. For Mary. For Joseph. For the Shepherds. For us today as we remember the news of the angels:
…behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Luke 2:10
That good news is our hope. What a joy that Jesus entered our world to take our sins and replace them with righteousness. A Christmas gift like no other.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God Ephesians 2:8
So this week, as we begin walking through the last few days of advent and we anticipate the joy of Christmas, I challenge you to share your faith. Enter into someone’s world and tell them the good news of great joy – that Jesus Christ came to save us. It just might be an event that changes their life.
1 thought on “Happy Christmas”
This Happy Christmas post meant so much to me! We were talking about sharing our faith with others just this past Sunday in my Sunday school class. We discussed how the joy of knowing Christ should be apparent in our demeanor.
Coincidentally my hotel was right next to Gallaudet when I was in DC in June. I’d never heard of it before that and I was so thankful to learn it exists. Next time I want to also visit the signing Starbucks! What a joy you are to others! Thank you!
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