From the Pulpit: Christmas is about what God is doing for us

Friends in the Community,

Greetings to each and every one of you from God our loving heavenly Father and our living Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I hope and pray that this article finds all of you well as we speed quickly toward the Christmas holiday!

It seems like the month of December goes faster and faster every year. I am not sure if it is because I try to schedule more worship and fellowship opportunities during this month. I think it is important for people to come together during this season to support one another. More services and events mean a fuller schedule. A fuller schedule means time is certainly going to fly by.

I am not sure if December seems to go so fast because I feel like there is so much to do during this month. There are more sermons to write along with more articles to write along with more worship services to plan. Since there are so many things that need to get done, I do not always feel like there is enough time to complete all of the tasks that are on my to-do list.

I am not sure if December seems to go by faster each year because the weather has become so variable. For me, when things are changing so often, the time goes fast. At one point during this month, the temperatures were very cold. At another point, we had a lot of snow on the ground. A few days later, the cold had gone away, and the snow melted. We could see grass again, and we could wear lighter clothing. 

Since this month seems to go so fast, it can be difficult for us to take the time to truly think about and to celebrate the events of this very special month. This seems to especially be the case during those last few days heading toward the actual Christmas holiday. We tend to spend these days trying to get as much done as humanly possible. We run from store to store frantically trying to fill the Christmas lists of the people we know and love. We also spend a lot of time cleaning those last few detail places in our homes to make sure they are spotless when people come to celebrate with us. Along with these activities, we also spend a lot of time cooking those very special family recipes. 

Because we do so many things during these last few days leading to Christmas, it is hard to find the time to put the finishing touches on our hearts to get them ready for the Savior who came into the world on that very first Christmas. We can get so wrapped up in what we want to do that we forget what God has done and what God is doing in our lives by sending His own Son to live for us, to suffer for us, to die for us and to rise for us.

What could happen if we took just a few moments to stop trying to get so much done and to just enjoy what God is doing for us? What could happen if we allowed ourselves just a few seconds of quiet reflection on the true meaning of this holiday in these last couple of days?

My guess is that Christmas would become more celebratory. We could allow ourselves to truly enjoy the holiday and realize it is not about what we get done, but it is truly about what God is doing for us!

Merry Christmas!