Pastor's Blog

This came in my email this morning. It is from a blog called SBC Voices and is written by Dave Miller, a pastor in Iowa. Enjoy!

Here are the non-debatable, inarguable realities of Christmas. You may not agree. This is America. You have the right to be wrong!

1. George C. Scott was Scrooge and other versions are vying for second place in "which is the best 'Christmas Carol'" discussions. He is the gold standard.
2. Die Hard was an entertaining action movie set at a Christmas party. It is NOT a Christmas movie and only heretics, Gnostics, and liberals say it is.
3. The Christmas classic "A Christmas Story" should have ended with the narrator, the adult Ralphie, appearing with an eye patch, after shooting his eye out with the BB gun.
4. Egg nog is ample proof of a fallen world. Bletch.
5. Artificial trees are for artificial people. A true celebration of Christmas requires a REAL tree decorated with enough strings of lights that it becomes a fire hazard.
6. I don't care about the lack of theological depth, Silent Night is a beautiful hymn and it needs to be a prominent part of our Christmas celebration!
7. Grandkids make the celebration of Christmas both infinitely better and more expensive.
8. Dieting at Christmas is both immoral and impossible.
9. Mary knew a lot and those who constantly criticize that song are theological nit-pickers who don't understand poetry.

Have a blessed Christmas season!

This morning, Thursday, we discovered our front door glass had shattered. It looks as if someone took a rock to it. The good news is it's a double pane glass so, we are good until we can get it replaced.

That got me thinking how on the outside we can be beaten up by life. We struggle with relationships, finances, family, and personal issues. Many times, these struggles create havoc on the inside and we become distressed, depressed, disappointed, and distracted. The one comfort we all have is Christmas.

When Jesus came to Earth, he came as flesh and blood so He could relate to us. He has saved us from the worldly problems and has given us the strength to get through them. His Spirit lives within us to empower us to be overcomers. James tells us to "count it all joy when you encounter various trials." It's hard to believe we can be joyful in the midst of a crisis. Yet, God uses those times to help us grow to rely more on Him and grow us to be more like Christ.

This Christmas, take some time to reflect on the birth a baby that changed not only the world, but each one of us as well. Remember, like the door on the outside, we may look battered and beaten, but on the inside, we are whole and complete in Christ.

Have a blessed Christmas season!

Christmas is a little over two weeks away. Are you ready? Are you beginning to feel the rush? The rush to decorate, bake, wrap packages, or even buy the gifts? I beginning to feel it all.

As I sit this morning working on this newsletter, I thought of the rush that Mary and Joseph felt as they neared Bethlehem. Being pregnant traveling that distance by foot (no, the Bible doesn't say anything about a donkey.) You moms, how did you feel near your due date? Could you have walked 90 miles in 5 to 7 days? Imagine the rush she felt. "When are going to be there?" or "Are we there yet?"

Then it came time for the birth. Imagine how Joseph was rushing around gather up towels and boil hot water. Imagine him running around to get help for Mary. Here's comes the baby in His time in no rush.

What a rush that must have been? Not the speed of movement, but the rush of emotional excitement to see her newborn baby. It was time for her and Joseph to slow down and just enjoy their gift.

This Christmas, take some to slow down and bask in the glory of the season. Enjoy the lights remembering that Jesus is the Light of the World. Like Mary in Luke 2:19, we should follow her example as she was "treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them."

Have a blessed Christmas season!