Dear Lauderdale United Methodist Church Family & Friends,

A cartoon from a few years ago showed a woman saying to her husband, “Good grief, Henry. Here’s Christmas at our throats again!”

Amid the preparations for Christmas each year, there always seem to be a few voices like hers, proclaiming a “Bah, humbug!” on the whole business. And if the truth be known, some of us may feel less than excited about Christmas ourselves. The expense, the crowds, the overindulgence, the hurried schedules and all the other trappings of modern Christmas celebrations are enough to make all of us to have a Scrooge look at the season.

In the face of the humbug state of affairs, it is helpful to remember that God did not send Jesus to be “at our throats,” but to be “in our hearts.” The difference between those two concepts defines the gap between gloom and glory. There’s a reason we call the gospel good news. As John so aptly put it, “For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him” (3:17).

Jesus is God’s gift to our world — and to our hearts. When Jesus resides within, whether we enjoy or merely tolerate the flurry of seasonal preparations, Christmas itself is a grand opportunity to say thank you to God for the gift of the Son.

My Prayer for you is that you and your family have a Blessed Christmas and remember to let Christ be the center of your life.

In God’s peace & Merry Christmas,

Gary

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