I am likely much like many of you in that I enjoy a few of the traditional American Christmas movies. I am NOT a Hallmark Christmas movie fan (they are all the same to me) but I love some of the comedy that comes with a few of the movies. Most of them end up with something about Christmas cheer – good tidings – positive thinking – and making good family memories. There is nothing wrong per se with any of these basic things, but it really does miss the point of the Christmas story. And what is the point of the real Christmas story?
Emmanuel — God with us.
Not the presents. Not the tree. Not the lights. Not the shopping list. Not the office Christmas party. There is nothing wrong with any of those things, but let’s be clear, this is what Christmas really is.
God has now come to be with us so that one day we can be with Him.
This Sunday is Christmas Eve. We have chosen to have a Sunday morning 10am service that will be our 4th Advent Service. We will light the 4th Advent candle and I will bring a “brief” message centered around the theme for this month, “Unwrapping the Names of Jesus.” (Yes, you heard it first here, it will be much more brief than normal but it will be impactful!) This week it will be Emmanuel – God with us. To prepare for worship Sunday morning I would have you part of the Christmas story in Matthew 1:18-25.
How about Sunday evening? This is our candlelight service. They are identical services at 5pm and 11pm. We will dedicate ourselves to great music, meaningful readings, some reflections on what God has done, and light our last candle, the Christ Candle, and spread it around the room. It is a beautiful service. I would encourage you to invite someone to this service. It will be a great way to open the doors wide to our community.
See you Sunday.
Merry Christmas to you all. I love you
