Good morning on this the last Saturday before Christmas. I remember when I was a boy how much I longed for Christmas to get here and anticipated all of the activities associated with its celebration in our home only to be let down after it was over with the awareness of how long it would be before Christmas would come again. The food, fun, gifts, decorations, fellowship, and family traditions made for a great Christmas, but it all seemed to be over so soon. I loved going with my dad to choose a Christmas tree (it always had to be a near perfect tree and we looked until we found just the right one each year), then decorating it together. On Christmas eve we always went to my dad's family Christmas celebration at his folks house and on Christmas day we always went to my mom's family Christmas celebration. So we had two big celebrations, two big dinners, two big family get togethers with the aunts, uncles and cousins, and two openings of presents. The anticipation would build as we waited for my dad to get home from work early on Christmas eve and we would begin pestering him about the time to take off for grandma's house. We couldn't wait to get started and the 30 minute drive to grandmas seemed like an eternity. Now all of our family comes to our house for Christmas eve and most for all of Christmas day and WE are the grandmas and grandpas who host the celebration. Hopefully this process will continue from generation to generation for many years to come if Christ delays His coming. I am grateful that our family loves each other, cares about each other and enjoys being together. Now when the celebration ends, I find great joy in the thought that someday in Heaven, we'll all be together again with all the generations united never to part again. Now that will be some kind of a celebration! I'll look forward to introducing my grandchildren to my parents and grandparents whom they never had the pleasure of knowing. All of that is made possible because God sent His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, on that first Christmas two thousand years ago. That puts Christmas in a fresh perspective and makes the celebration of Christ's birth all the more special.
Tomorrow is our annual Christmas program which this year is entitled, A Christmas Offering. I'll look forward to seeing you there and don't miss our Christmas eve candlelight communion service at 6:00 pm on Wednesday evening.
Pastor Brown