Wonderful Time of the Year

"It's the most wonderful time of the year..." How many of us are old enough to remember this familiar song by Andy Williams?! Truly, this is one of the most wonderful times of the year.

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I pray that the blessings of the Christ child will fill your homes and your churches as we celebrate the Greatest Story Ever Told – the birth of our Savior, Christ the Lord. During this Christmas season I’ve been preaching a series of sermons on the topics of “Hope,” “Peace,” “Love,” and “Joy.” These are themes that resonate for me as we prepare to greet our newborn King once again. These themes help me to remember how truly blessed we are to be Christians and to share with one another as we minister in Christ’s Name. Christmas reminds us all of the message Jesus brings to all humanity; the message that real hope, everlasting peace, true love, and indescribable joy are found only in the Body of Christ.

I know that there are a lot of reasons to look at our world and feel pessimistic. I see the news every night and I get frustrated and angry with our politicians and Wall Street CEOs. But, I also recognize that this world is not the place for the realization of God's promises; this world is just a limited and very short stopping off place before we join Creation in eternity. That is where the real hope, peace, love, and joy abide. We're looking for gratification in all the wrong places if we think we're going to find it here. We are here only to help others develop a relationship with God; we are not here to enjoy a life of leisure (as is promised in the "prosperity gospel").

Don't listen to the tele-charlatans who tell us that God intends for us all to live the high life in this life - it just ain't so and it ain't what's in the Bible. Christmas tells us the true story of a servant King who gives up everything to come to earth in the humblest of circumstances to offer us salvation. This King never becomes rich and he never lives the good life on this earth. Rather, this King shows us how to deny ourselves and be servants to others. This King shows us the way that God intends us to live.

This really is the most wonderful time of the year because it reminds us again of who we are and who God is and why we're here in the first place. Read the real Christmas story with your family this week. Take away the lessons of humility and service that are found in these sacred words. God bless you and yours this Christmas.

Shalom!
Pastor Don