From the Pastor,

We’ve been hearing the familiar songs already for a while:

Jingle bells…Here comes Santa Claus…I’ll be home for….

And, of course, It’s a Wonderful Life is airing daily…

And The Night Before Christmas is being recited frequently.

Not only are all these familiar, but they evoke honorable sentiment

And warm nostalgia.

We sometimes wonder:  What would Christmas be without:

The vision of sugarplums and Jolly ol’ St. Nicholas?  Really?

But somehow the world learns again and again

That the trappings of Christmas bear considerable illusion.

They do bring, without question, just as the poem itself does,

Fond recollection, and for children at least, high expectation.

But we must know that these are not the essential words of Christmas.

The indispensable words are those which St. Luke puts on the lips of an angel:

“I bring you good news of a great joy that will be to all people.”

It is precisely because God himself comes into all of humanity’s bad days 

That this night, Christmas, is good.

We need these words,

And even more surely, the world needs them too,

Always, and especially now.

No matter how much we romanticize the event,

Regardless of the fantasy we apply,

The one crucial fact about the Christmas story

Is the context into which it comes.

Bethlehem, with all its census visitors, was chaotic.

That’s exactly why there was no vacancy at the inn.

More importantly, the little town was a symbol for the continuing state of things.

A nation under the occupying rule of another

Doesn’t know many good nights;

And among its least frequent visitors is good news of any kind.

So this unique moment in history wherein the Word becomes flesh

Is unquestionably reason enough for the annual celebration it has inspired.

It is also true for a world in which financial institutions collapse;

People are homeless; wars rage; death threatens; terror abounds.

So that alone must always be the heart of the Feast.

And it is time once more for the festivity of it all.

With every preparation we make there must be pause...

For the good news of God’s redeeming act

To be the focus of our deepest joy.

Only therein do we hear HIM exclaim as he comes into view,

A joy filled Christmas to all, and a peace filled good night to you!

May it be so...for you,

Pastor E