What are you going to do for Christmas?

God…made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.  2 Corinthians 4:6

Every year people ask, “What are you going to do for Christmas?”  Some want to know if you are going to travel--while others want to know how much you are going to spend.  Retailers keep a close eye on how much each family will spend.  So they want to know how you will spend your Christmas.  But you can't spend Christmas--for it is not a commodity to barter.

Others will ask you how you observe Christmas.  For many, it is just a holiday which means they get time off to play and enjoy their presents and the extra candy that makes its way into every home.  You can't observe Christmas for it is not merely a holiday--it is a person.

So what are you going to do for Christmas?  I am going to keep it. 

1.  I am going to keep thanking God that he has given us light to see the truth and the glory of God revealed in Christ (2 Cor. 4:6).

2.  I am going to keep the truth of God's love for me so close that it affects the way I see myself and others.  As the world continues to determine value by performance I will keep the words of Christ close to me—“you are beloved;” “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Romans 1:7; Joshua 1:9).

3.   I am going to keep the story of Christmas in my mind because in it I see that God gave us the greatest gift, his Son, and He teaches me that giving myself is the greatest gift of all (John 15:13). 

4.  I am going to keep the example of Jesus in front of me because it tells me how to live.  I want to imitate Christ who released His grasp of heaven so that He could open his arms to me (Phil. 2:6-11).

5.  I am going to keep Christmas by allowing the light of Christ to live in me because this is a dark world and Jesus left me here so that people could see (Matt. 5:14). 

I hope you keep Christmas with us.   

It is has been a wonderful year serving with you. 

 Pastor Mark

Pastor Mark for the whole staff