Dear friends in Christ:

     It's December!  Thanksgiving is behind us and e now look forward to the Christmas season and the joy that comes at the end of the year.  It's a time for family to gather and for friends to come together as we consider that wondrous event from so long ago, Christmas.
     I've heard it said, "Christmas is for children."  And that's true.  There's nothing quite like seeing the eyes of a child  on Christmas Eve, agog with the beautiful sights and sounds at church.  Candles, caroling, well wishing, and it goes on and on.  And if we left the commercial side of Christmas completely out of the equation, Christmas would still be a joy for children.
     But we need to remember that Christmas is a joy for all of us to experience.  Christmas, perhaps more than any other holiday, is a time to remember - and reminisce.  Christmas is a time to recall those memories of family and friends of years past.  A time to remember loved ones who are no longer with us - but who made our past Christmases special.  A time, perhaps, to remember "the way things used to be."  And even a time to remember the innocent joy we ourselves experienced as children at this time of year - yet long ago.
     In his account of the birth of Jesus, (found in chapter 2 of his gospel), Luke tells the story with such a reminiscent tone.  He was doing more than stating facts.  He was making one of the most blessed events in human history come alive to each person who read - or heard - about the birth of Jesus.  Jesus' birth is a part of our own story, too.  Without his birth so very long ago, we could not have the relationship - the forgiveness, the salvation, the promise of eternal life - that we so enjoy today.
     Christmas is for children, yes.  Because it's about a child.  The Child who came to earth for all of us.  So let's look back not only on Christmases past, but on the faith we have developed throughout the years.  That faith, that relationship, is part of the gift that God gave to all people on that first Christmas day.

Marcia and I wish you a blessed Christmas and a joyous New Year,

Pastor Jon West