As we prepare for Christmas this year, we are concluding a year when we have celebrated in many ways the anniversary of this church.  The theme for that celebration has been “Gifts From God, Gifts For God” embodying the idea that the church could not exist without the gifts that flow from the grace and generosity of God.  One hundred and twenty five years ago, God placed in the hearts of a few people the vision of a church in the newly developing town, and in every generation since, God has given a new vision of what it means to be that church in this community.  God has given the resources that have been required and God has called the people who over that span of time have been part of the church.  God has sent us able leaders and talented artists that have enhanced our shared experience.  God has given builders, teachers and cooks that have each contributed to the manifestation of the kingdom in this place.

The second part of the theme, Gifts For God, indicates that our only response to the abundance of God’s blessings is to give.    And that, of course, brings us to Christmas because Christmas is all about giving… and receiving.  Sometimes in a fit of discouragement we strike out at the commercialism of Christmas and all the emphasis on gifts.  But giving is the very heart of Christmas.  “God so loved the world that God gave…”  Christmas re minds us that the truest and the best gifts are those that     flow from a heart of love.  Love that moves from an over     whelming emotion to concrete expression.  The gift can     never stand alone without the love that is behind it     shining through.  And love can convert even the simplest and least expensive gift into a treasure. So think for a moment of the immense love God has for each of us and this world, and how that love took concrete expression in the life and work of Jesus Christ.  Christ was the gift that expressed the love of God.

Children are perhaps the purest receivers among us.  They don’t  feel unworthy.  They aren’t disappointed by the size or the amount of the gift. They don’t worry about whether the ledgers about gift giving are carefully balanced.  Generally they are delighted by every gift and excited by the process of tearing it open.  Getting through the wrapping is almost as important as the gift inside.  More than the gift itself it’s the whole experience of receiving a gift for them.  Would that we could find that enthusiasm, that excitement over the gifts of God’s love that we receive daily and in abundance.

In the Advent adult church school class we have been talking about “What Do You Want For Christmas?”  And it seems that most of us want to be assured that we are loved and accepted as we are, and that we mean something to the people who mean so much to us. I hope that as you contemplate giving gifts this season you will wrap a part of yourself and your love with each gift.  That like God you will choose a gift that expresses your deep love and respect for the other.  But above all, I pray that in the gifts you receive you will be delighted by the love they represent.  That whether big or small they will put a smile on your face, maybe laughter in your voice and  cause you to dance in sheer excitement.  Christmas is the assurance that we are loved by God and that God continually finds ways to make that love real for us.

Have a great holiday!!

Love, Lynn