Christmas Wishes

Good Morning!

I have about 20 minutes before I need to get ready for church so I thought this would be a good time to knock out a blog.

Christmas means many things to many people. For some it seems that the true meaning left town long ago and it has been reduced to shopping, presents, and overindulgence. The celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ has taken a back seat to more secular pursuits. To the other extreme there are those that see Christmas as a solemn occasion and the frivolity of Santa Claus and happy music are almost blasphemous.

To me Christmas is, first and foremost, about the birth of our Savior. What a wondrous gift God gave us so many years ago! It is truly a time for celebration!! Because his birth and subsequent death and resurrection afforded us eternal salvation. You can't get a better gift than that!

Secondly, Christmas is about families. So many of my memories are associated with Christmases growing up, in good times as well as not so good. I can't think of better times I have had than with family at Christmas. So many of my family are now gone but I have them memories of those great times and they almost always bring a smile to my face. God knows we were not a perfect family but we had each other and that counted for a lot.

Finally, Christmas is about giving. Giving of yourself, your blessings, your time. But more importantly, it serves as a reminder that it is our responsibility to be generous and giving throughout the year. Yes, there are a lot of folks that are in need at Christmas. But hunger knows no season and we have neighbors that will be in as much need in June as they are today. Being charitable is as much an act of worship as going to church! It took me a long time to figure this out but now that I have I plan to spread the word.

So I hope each of you will reflect on what the season means to you and always try to put Christ first at Christmas!

God Bless

Larry