Dear Friends,

It is a real joy to wish all of you a heartfelt Merry Christmas.

Christmas means very different things to each one of us. For some, it evokes warm and positive memories and feelings. For others, it may be a painful reminder of some grief that lives inside of us. For the more religious or spiritual inclined in our midst, the intense commercialization of the holiday may be a source of frustration.

The occasion of Christmas is more emotionally loaded than most holidays, and the emotion covers the gamut. But here is the essence of the Christmas message from my perspective. Human beings get caught up in every imaginable thing. Human beings get distracted easily, and taken over by their thoughts and feelings. Human beings have a way of worshipping the wrong things, and losing sight of the deeper and truer things. In almost every place worldwide, people are still lonely, and hurting, and hungry.

Into this beautiful mess, God births a child. He is not just any child. He will remind us, show us and lead us. He will beckon us to pay attention to our dreams, to our families, and to every chance at compassion. He will invite forgiveness, and repentance, and a kind of peace that the world does not know but desperately needs.

So I say, “Come Wonderful Counselor. Come Prince of Peace. Come child.” Again this year, we need you.

See you on Sunday:

9:30 a.m. Worship with Communion

5:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Worship with Choir

10:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Worship with Choir

Warmly,

Carter