Christmas Grace

During a recent after service discussion, our Pastor asked the question; "How will this Advent/Christmas season be different for you this year? Her question was relative to her Advent message series. But as I thought about the question I considered how the current economic crisis will affect most people this year.

For years we have heard the complaint that Christmas has become "too commercial", that most have lost focus of the true meaning and reason for the celebration. We all know that this is true and it truly saddens many. Could it be that the current economic situation may actually be good for our society? Could it be that people will be forced to leave behind the commercial aspect of Christmas and re-discover the spiritual side? Could this be the plan of Him whose birth we celebrate?

I don't believe that God is "punishing" us for any wrong doing. I do believe however that we all need to be humbled from time to time. These are definitely "humbling times" for many.

This Christmas, let's remember the simplicity of the birth of Jesus. Let's rejoice in the fact that we don't have as much money to spend this year so that we may instead focus on the "celebration of life" that was born in a stable.

The attached video was created for use at my church on Christmas Eve. For those of you who are in the area, I hope you will come by either at 5pm or 7:30pm to enjoy the video and the entire service. For those who are far away, please enjoy my electronic Christmas card; "Christmas Grace".
Merry Christmas to all!