Pastor's Blog
from Rev. Dr. Gary L. Torian

Advent starts at the end of this month. Advent is the season to prepare ourselves again for the coming of the Christ Child among us. Too often, we are influenced by the commercialism of the season and forget the true meaning of Christmas. "Whose birthday is it anyway?" is the question of the season, and hopefully, gives us a foundation for thoughts about gifts and preparations for Christmas day. God gave to us the greatest gift ever in the love, forgiveness, and grace that are found in the Christ whose birth we celebrate next month. Our preparations for that birth also call us to examine whether we are giving our best, to God and to others.

I am not asking us to neglect our local merchants; Lord knows in our present economic situation they can use all the help they can receive. However, perhaps we can carefully consider what may be appropriate to the gift of God among us as we plan our presents for others, gifts that are meaningful to the other and also to the Christ Child’s birth. Do we really need to spend hundreds of dollars on anyone? Is another set of socks or gloves really needed by that person? Maybe there is a favorite charity or a gift in their honor to an organization, someone or something that has meaning to the other that may be more in keeping with the meaning of Christmas.

Just a few days ago in our Worship Celebration, we examined the story of the widow who put her last two cents into the temple treasury box. She had given all that she had, trusting God to care for her completely. That was sacrificial giving, grounded in her complete faith in God.

How many of us give sacrificially? Does that say something about our faith? In this time when we prepare and celebrate the birth of the Christ child, let us prayerfully consider those who may be touched by our missional giving through the Church, from college students who find spiritual support through our campus ministries to persons who first receive the Good News of Christ through one of the missions or missionaries supported through our World Service offering. There are many needs, in our community and our world, that could benefit from our Christmas giving.

See you in church on Sundays.

November, 2009

Write me at cumc@web-access.net and tell me what you think.