Discussion:
From the holly berries to Santa himself, red is by far one of the most prominent colors of the holidays. However, my favorite red items of the holidays are the Poinsettia plants used for decorations. There is an old Mexican legend about how Poinsettias and Christmas come together. It goes like this:
There was once a poor Mexican girl named Pepita who had no present to give the baby Jesus at the Christmas Eve services. As Pepita walked to the chapel sadly, her cousin Pedro tried to cheer her up.
“Pepita,” he said, “I’m sure that even the smallest gift given by someone who loves Him will make Jesus happy.”
Pepita didn’t know what she could give, so she picked a small handful of weeds from the roadside and made them into a small bouquet. She felt embarrassed because she could only give this small present to Jesus.
As she walked through the chapel to the altar, she remembered what Pedro had said. She began to feel better, knelt down, and put the bouquet at the bottom of the nativity scene. Suddenly, the bouquet of weeds burst into bright red flowers, and everyone who saw them were sure they had seen a miracle. From that day on, the bright red flowers were known as the Flores de Noche Buena, or Flowers of the Holy Night.
The red of the holidays should remind us of the sacrifice that Christ made for us. Also, how we should give back to Him with love every opportunity we have.
Prayer Requests: ____________________________________________________________________