It Is God Who Gives Life To Everything

Leavenworth is a beautiful, magical town that is alive with exuberant joy and thankfulness.

Although you would never know it today, this same town was once close to death. In the early 1900s, its sawmill was shut down and the Great Northern Railroad was rerouted elsewhere. As a result, Leavenworth was left teetering on the verge of extinction for over thirty years.

But then, in the early 1960s, the townspeople, out of determination and love for their home town, decided to attract tourism by remodelling their town into a Bavarian-style village, using the Alpine mountains as the perfect backdrop. They also created numerous festivals and ceremonies to celebrate the joys of the different seasons.

Befittingly, the town's first and most famous ceremony is the Christmas Lighting ceremony. During this ceremony, the entire town is lit up in thousands of bright, coloured lights to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

Here are just some pictures of the beautifully lit up Austrian village of Leavenworth at Christmas time:

Since the Bible says that Jesus is the One who gives life to everything, He, therefore, is the One who gave life to Leavenworth.

"Fight the good fight of the faith.

Take hold of the eternal life

to which you were called

when you made your good confession

in the presence of many witnesses

in the sight of God,

who gives life to everything."

1 Timothy 6:12-12 (NIV)

If one visits Leavenworth during the Christmas holidays, one won't find the townspeople focused on Santa Claus. Instead, one will find Christ's spirit in their hearts. I believe their wondrous celebration of Christmas is their way of giving honour to the true Giver of Life.