Ramona United Methodist Church
The Valley Spirit Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors
January 2014
Pastor Val
Inside this issue: New Year Resolution
2
Friendship Circle UMC News Bishop Carcaño
3
Birthdays
4
Anniversaries Birthday Club Volunteers RUMC Calendar
5
UMW
6
District Event LPLC SCRIP
7
Greeting Cards A Thank You Church Info
8
Opportunities
OUR VISION: An inclusive community of faith, learning and serving for the glory of Christ
Christmas is over! I’ve heard that several times this past week and each time I’ve wanted to reply with a firm ‘NO!’ Christmas didn’t end when the clock struck midnight. Christmas didn’t end with stores offering great postChristmas sales. Christmas didn’t end just because the neighbor’s outdoor lights didn’t come on and used trees began to accumulate at the ends of the driveways. Christmas didn’t end with the birth of Christ…it began! By the church calendar Christmastide ends on January 5th and is celebrated as the Epiphany of the Lord, the day the Magi appear. But wait, can’t Christmas last a little longer?…a lot longer! As the children shared with us on Christmas Eve, the greatest gift of Christmas is the gift of Jesus Christ. He is God’s gift to us on that night, in fact since the beginning of all things. God has been giving to us since the beginning and God won’t stop giving to us. So what do we do with this gift? This gift isn’t like the book we received that we read once and put on the shelf to collect dust. It’s not like the gift of a beautiful candle we place on the mantle to light only when company comes. It’s not like the toy opened, played with a few times and then banished to under the bed. No, this
gift is to be acknowledged and shared every day, every minute of our life. This gift of love is to be shared with each and every person we meet…family or stranger, friend or foe. Those are the terms of this gift which we opened the minute we invited Christ into our lives. This is what is expected of and commanded to each of us. My hope is that during the Christmas season you experienced the joy in giving whether it was a fantastic gift, a warm embrace or a friendly greeting. My hope for all this coming year is the joy that comes with sharing the gift of Christ. Share openly and freely, you’ll never run out of God’s love and grace through the gift of the son, Jesus Christ. And if you ever do feel you’ve run out, don’t fret. God will renew and fill you with the Spirit of Christmas, the Son. God’s gift of Love is unending. May the peace of the season be with you always, Pastor Val