Dear Church Family and Friends,

I wish Christmas was like it used to be. Years ago it seemed like the Christmas season was slower. What I mean by that is it seemed like it lasted longer and there was more time to experience, reflect, anticipate, enjoy all the nuances of the season. In my past memory the whole Christmas season was about a good feeling, a happy joyous time. Christmas was about special times with family and special services at Church. Even though I grew up in Southern California I still associate Christmas with colder weather. The first Christmas Lynn and I shared together as a young married couple was in Battle Creek Michigan. It began snowing on Christmas Eve and snowed all Christmas Day. We sang Christmas Carols at church and sometimes around town going to neighbors, seniors and others. It was special. And of course Christmas dinner was always very special and very good.

Every year I try to encourage and even urge all of us to try in some way to make the season as special as it used to be. I remember our family tradition when our children were still at home, we read the Christmas Story from the scriptures every Christmas Eve. Then we would pray and give thanks to God our heavenly Father for sending His Son to be born as a baby in Bethlehem and then die for our sins that we might be saved and know and love and live with Him forever. This would remind us of why we were celebrating this glorious season.

I truly wish Christmas today were more like Christmases of yesterday. Does it feel like we lose a little something of the wonderful season every year? I wish we didn’t. I wish we could try and find some ways to slow down the season and seek to do what we can to make each year’s Christmas very special; with lots of love, sharing, caring, giving and worshiping our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Have you noticed that Christmas Day falls on Sunday this year? We will have worship only on that day at 10:30 a.m. It is going to be a special worship for a very special day. We will also have our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service on Christmas Eve, December 24 at 6:15 p.m.

There are special emphases and services on every Sunday in December. Plus and not the least of the emphasis in December is our Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions. Our Church goal is $4000. I wish we could give $40,000. Our missionaries serving around the world deserve our best effort and our full support. I so thank God for each of them and their families.

So I hope and pray that every one of you are able to enjoy a kind of old fashioned Christmas this year and I hope and pray that will include worshiping the Lord with us on each Sunday in December!

Thank you. Blessings upon you from the Lord.

You are much loved,