Christmas is coming!

As a child, we can all remember the excitement, as well as the impatience of that kind of statement. Excited because of all the food, the sweet treats, seeing family we haven’t seen in awhile, and of course the PRESENTS! We just knew it was going to be great when Christmas finally arrived. We were impatient also, because it just seems like it took FOREVER for Christmas to get here. We were tired of waiting, can it just be Christmas already.

Have things changed at all since we’ve gotten older and had more than a few Christmases behind us?

We’ve all probably seen a Christmas or two that wasn’t all that merry and bright. We’re told its the hap…happiest season of all, but we’re not always so sure. Some have experienced Christmas when we’ve spent and indulged too much, and then had to pay for it all of the next year. Some have experienced Christmas with a loved one not present because of location or work. Some have experienced Christmas without a loved one because of illness or death. Some have experienced Christmas without much joy or merriment for varieties of reasons. For some of us, Christmas can’t get here soon enough and be gone as quickly. I believe its all the more important for those who may fall into some of these categories, to strive harder to be open to the birth of Jesus. It wasn’t such a great time that first Christmas either. Traveling over rough uncertain roads. Coming into a town that was packed and had no room. Having to make do in a stable with the animals. That’s not such a great birth day in anyone’s estimation.

Jesus came for all those who were struggling with their circumstances. Jesus was born that everyone would be able to see God in their lives. Jesus was sent as a gift to those who had no gifts.

As we approach Christmas, we should reflect on the meaning of this time, what it can bring to our lives, and what in turn, it can assist us to do in others lives. When we see Christmas from the vantage point of all God is doing for us and in us, we may be able to recapture that excitement from days gone by. We might start dreaming of what Christmas can be if we allow it and nurture it in us. We will become impatient once again for the arrival of Christmas, but for different reasons. We will no longer be looking for culinary largesse or the sweetest of sweets. We will not even consider the wrapped packages under the tree, those are secondary at best. We will become impatient because we know what Jesus has done and is doing in us, and we simply can’t wait to share the greatest of all gifts with the world around us.

Shhhhhh, I want to tell you a secret. Christmas is actually already here. Its Christmas every day when we allow Jesus into our lives, and when we begin to approach our lives as instruments of the work of Jesus.

I hope and pray you and yours have the most wonderful Christmas experience this season. Its here, and let’s you and me keep it going long after the tree and tinsel are gone, long after all the dishes have been cleaned and put away, long after all the material presents have been unwrapped. Its been said we are Easter people because we believe in the resurrection. I happen to believe we’re Christmas people too, because we believe in God who would become like us so we could become more like God.

Your fellow traveler on the Way,
Pastor Tom