Where has the year gone?  It is hard to believe that we are quickly approaching Advent and then the start of the New Year.  As Christians we have a very unique opportunity this year as Christmas day falls on Sunday.  This leaves us with a choice, do we see it as an opportunity to celebrate the birth of Jesus on His day in worship with the family of God, or do we give into our pagan celebrations and skip church altogether.

    Tough choice for most of us and even a tougher choice for the church.  On any given Sunday you can find me up bright and early getting ready for church, humming hymns in my head, and praying about how our communities of faith will touch the lives of the people throughout the Alexandria District.  However, on any given Christmas morning, I like to sleep as late as the girls will let me, open presents in my pajamas and then sip hot cocoa with those tiny little marshmallows while Rusty cooks up a batch of biscuits and gravy. 

    So how do the church and the church goers live out family traditions and live into faith traditions all at the same time?  

Keep it simple.  Keep it real.  Keep it relevant. 

Remember Christ came so that we might have life, not that life would have us.  Let's not get so caught up in the beautifully wrapped packages lying under the Christmas tree that we forget that the greatest gift of all was wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

RL