Christmas House by LoRee Peery

Author:LoRee Peery [Peery, LoRee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christian Fiction, inspirational fiction, Clean and Wholesome Novels, Religion and Spirituality
ISBN: 9781522303992
Publisher: Pelican Book Group
Published: 2022-09-22T00:00:00+00:00

9

Pepper relaxed in the pew next to Foxx. Her third visit to Salt Creek Community Church filled her with a surge of emotions, most of them new. She couldn’t put her finger on what the experience offered, amidst the people around her, but things had changed since her first visit. An energy of expectation and worshipful excitement engulfed her.

She had changed. Filled with sudden joy, she sucked in her cheeks to keep from laughing. The air also surrounded her with hope and peace, a place her soul spirit had never been. Serenity on the faces of singers filtered out and spread their joy throughout the auditorium until no words formed in Pepper’s mind, only a holy communion.

Foxx lowered his voice and sang bass notes on the final praise chorus. Pepper’s innermost self was focused on the stage.

Pastor Willie bounced to the front from his chair. He stopped in the center of the stage, but relaxed against the lectern, rather than hide behind it.

“Welcome to November, everyone. It’s a little early, but the excitement of Christmas has already hit the stores and the airwaves. I’m asking you to join me in preparation, what we call Advent, of the greatest event of all time, before you get sucked into extra activities and the busiest of all seasons.”

As though her ears had twitched to the front along with her jutted chin, Pepper leaned forward, eager to miss nothing.

“Today, I’d like to touch on the Christmas story. I want you all to listen with the rapt receptiveness of a child. I don’t even want you to turn to Matthew or Luke in your Bibles. Just listen. Picture yourselves where it’s warm and cozy, maybe next to a crackling fire with the decorated tree nearby. A beloved person is speaking to you of a long-ago time, in fact, around a time two thousand years ago.”

Pepper had no personal reference of sitting next to a decorated tree. She pictured the fireplace in Foxx’s home.

“This story is found in the Bible where we read that Jesus is the Son of God. Now, the Bible is a treasured book of stories, tenets, and lessons. But the Bible is also about people. And the God who loves his people so much that He sent His only Son to die on the cross for each one of us.”

Foxx wrapped his hand around hers, tucked it until their fingers nestled just-so between their bodies.

“I don’t know about you, but it’s harder for me to imagine an angel coming to Mary, since I’ve never been a girl.”

Twitters surrounded her, but Pepper chased away the potential distraction.

Pastor continued. “But I can picture myself as a man engaged to her, or as a shepherd boy on the hills with the sheep, but I’m getting ahead of myself.”

Pepper sat back and rested her shoulder against Foxx’s arm.

“The way the story goes, in preparation for God to send His Son as the baby boy Jesus, He had to have an earthly mother. Jesus was born to a young girl named Mary.

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