Â
Â
Dear friends in Christ, Last night James Wells led our children's choirs in a Christmas musical called "No Room For Christmas." Written by Mark Burrows, it's about a children's Christmas pageant that almost went sour because the director was sick and unable to be present for the performance. The children were forced to ad lib. The show went on. But it was a little different from the script. One of the "take home" lines for me was when one of the characters said: "Christmas is not something you make! Christmas just is!" It occurred to me how often we approach this season trying to make the perfect Christmas. We can get so stressed out about the preparations that we miss the meaning. But we don't make Christmas! Christmas just is! Christmas reminds us that our God reveals Himself in the most unlikely and unexpected ways. God enters our existence in ways that are not in "my script." If I get too scripted, I miss it! The first ones to experience the joy of Christmas were not rulers and priests. They were too busy. According to the script(ure), the first to experience Christmas were shepherds. Surprising! Lowly shepherds made room for Christmas. They heard the angel's song. They went to Bethlehem. The found the stable. They knelt and worshiped. And they shared what they had heard and seen. I'm grateful to our children for reminding us that Christmas is not something we make. Christmas just IS! May you experience the IS-ness of Christ during this sacred season!
Finally, it was good to welcome new members Bailey FowlerButler, Mark, Yvonne and Delaney McLaughlin, Paul, Emily and Adalyn Adams, Lila Grace Allen, Brian G. Day, Oscar Towler, Dawson, Marsha, Ainsley and Keaton Moffitt, and Rob, Amanda, Maclaine, and Grayson Butters to our Brentwood campus. Welcome to our church community. Grace & Peace, Davis PS - Men -- don't forget to register for the "ALL IN" Men's Retreat scheduled for MLK weekend (January 16-18, 2015) at Beersheba Springs Assembly. I'll be there, along with Travis Garner, Bishop Spain and others. Don't miss this opportunity to find out what it means to be "all in" as a man and a follower of Christ in every stage of life. Click here to register. PPS - Thanks to all of you who have completed an Estimate of Giving card for our 2015 stewardship emphasis. We are off to a great start! If you have not yet completed your Estimate of Giving card, click here to complete a commitment on-line. You may also pick up a card in the pews each weekend during worship.