Hope, Joy, Peace and Love! These are our Advent candle themes each year. It is with excitement
I enter December and the time of waiting before Christmas.
This year we are also exploring what “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” can teach us about celebrations and truly understanding God’s coming into this world.
We recognize the holiday season can be hard for people for many different reasons from financial hardships to loneliness to grief at the loss of a loved one.
We also recognize sometimes we get so caught up in the packaging and parties we don’t always make time for encountering people fully in our day-to-day lives.
And yet, we know the most important part of Christmas, God coming to dwell with us in the form of Jesus Christ, born and laid in a manger, can never be erased or taken back. God’s love for us is demonstrated through Jesus giving us hope, joy, peace, and love and allowing us to be participants in God’s work. Even when life is not easy, we can celebrate God’s presence and recognize, with the Grinch that nothing we do can stop Christmas from coming. The Grinch says “How could it be so? It came without ribbon! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes or bags!”
So join me this month in celebrating! And don’t forget to come to worship, even on Christmas Day for stories and songs of the season!
Merry Christmas!
Blessings and Peace,
Katherine