Greetings, Brothers and Sisters in Christ!
Christmas is creeping ever so close as the countdowns have begun. Here at church we are already getting ready for Advent and the Christmas season.
The Worship committee has chosen “The Redemption of Scrooge” as our worship and study series for Advent, as we use the timeless classic A Christmas Carol as our launching point for the message of Christ’s birth and our redemption through his life and death. The Christian Education committee has already chosen a Christmas pageant script and is preparing our children and youth for it.
Plans are in the works for parties and performances and worship and study, but how do we get ourselves prepared for the season? My answer: by using the month of November to focus ourselves on what is important in our lives and to give thanks. Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol walks around with the words “Bah Humbug!” on his lips because the focus of his heart is on money and never having enough of it. In this way, he has missed the best blessings of life. If you find yourself with a less than joyful demeanor in your day, ask yourself how you can shift your focus to see the blessings around you. I challenge you to recognize your blessings, to find a pack of stationary or cards, and to begin this Thanksgiving season by writing notes of thanks to those who have blessed you. The result will be a smile on the face of the one to whom you sent the note, but it will also help you to be filling your heart with joy as you meditate and think about the best parts of your life. Let us be inspired by the words of the Apostle Paul, who began his second letter to Timothy with these inspiring words, “I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.” (2 Timothy 1:3)
I give thanks for each one of you and the way you inspire me to be a better Christian, a better pastor, a better mother and a better friend. May God bless each and everyone of you.
Blessings,
Pastor Stacy