I've always loved Christmas. One of my "love languages" is gift giving. I haven't done as much of that lately as I have wanted, but I still like to do it. Around Christmas we get into the "must assert what the true meaning of Christmas is" mode. It's not wrong, but I think societally, Christmas is about Jesus, it is about giving and getting gifts...even though there are some families who can't participate in the commercial aspect of Christmas. It's about the commonality of all of us celebrating the holidays. I've reached the point where I like watching others celebrating Christmas so much, that I actually forget I have gifts too. Soon and very soon, I'll want to be the one who brings people over to my home and feed the family, creating new traditions. I just will.
I'm very thankful for the many blessings I've received during this holiday season. Good friends having their first baby. Good friends getting married. Even the death of an amazing friend. While I may not be thankful for his early entry into God's Kingdom, I'm so glad to have known him for the time I did. This is quite an unpolished blog entry, but I like to do some writing so stream of consciousness unedited here. I'll end up by shamelessly plugging that I'll be preaching at KMUMC this Sunday at both traditional services and am blessed to have been asked to do so. I could use extra prayers as I wrap up the writing/reflection and prepare for the delivery of God's word to God's people. After Sunday, I'll post my sermon here so you can read it, if you so choose to. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
