“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”  (Luke 2:14; NASB)

Hello and welcome. I love this time of year. The weather is cooler, houses are decorated with blinking lights, cars grow reindeer antlers (these are especially entertaining), and there’s a general atmosphere of joy and excitement all around. Then there is the music. Sure, there is some that can be pretty melancholy, but for the most part it’s fun stuff. It would be nice if all of this excitement and joyous atmosphere was actually to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, but sadly, for most it’s not.

Every year we hear the same thing — “let’s remember the reason for the season.” We hear it so much that it has little or no impact anymore. Think about it though, wouldn’t these couple of weeks be much more enjoyable if you dialed back the running around and set aside some time to rest in the Lord? I’d bet if you tried it for a week you would do your best to continue taking that time for the rest of the season.

At first, the thought of trying to set aside time for even one more thing seems completely out of the question. With all there is to do it may not seem to be a reasonable goal, I know, I’ve been there. But I’m convinced you will find, as I did, that it is well worth whatever you have to do to make it happen. It could be in the morning, before things get crazy, or at night as you wind down. It’s not about when or how, it’s just about doing it.

For Christians, this is a time to thank and praise God for His incredible mercy and love. He gave His Son, as the sacrificial lamb, to take on the sins of the world so that we could be free from sin and death. What a wonderful gift. Take some extra personal time this season to sit with the Lord and thank Him for all that He has done.

Merry Christmas
and may our Lord God and Savior
bless you and yours.