Dear siblings in Christ,

The Christmas season seems to start earlier every year.  This year, I was amazed at the number of houses that were decorated right after Halloween was over!  It used to be common practice to wait until Thanksgiving weekend, but those who were careful to follow church customs would wait right up until Christmas itself before the decorations popped out.  In addition, corporations have seized on Christmas.  With décor and gift-giving, our economy relies on the Christmas season to make a profit for the year.  There’s a reason the day after Thanksgiving is called “Black” Friday.

Perhaps people decorate so early for Christmas because there is something about it that brings them joy, and they just want to extend it.  At this time of the year when the days are shorter and we spend more time in darkness it’s lovely to see lights adorn people’s houses and yards.  We are drawn to the light.  It’s also true that some people facing financial hardship need these “Black Friday” deals in order to buy things they really need.

What I hope that we realilze in these characteristics of the season are the deeper needs, and then the deeper way to fill them.  We have a need for joy in our lives.  Especially in a time for our country when we seem bitterly divided by many things, seeing lights shine in the darkness can lift our mood.  When we are able to be thoughtful gift givers to those we love, as we watch them open the “perfect gift” we might be even more excited than they are.  And when someone gives to us just what we needed, we are grateful indeed.

I hope in all of this, that we are able to make real connections to our faith.  That the celebrating of the season isn’t an attempt to fill the need in our soul with lights and presents.  The deeper need in our soul can only really be filled by Jesus, who is THE light in the darkness, the light that darkness cannot overcome.  The deeper need in our soul can only really be filled by Jesus, who is THE gift, the One who gave his very self so that we can experience eternal joy and peace.

Whether you’re an early decorator, a serious shopper, a minimalist, or a liturgical rule follower when it comes to this season – my prayer for you is that you are able to experience the love of Jesus, the one who fills the deepest needs of our souls and is the real “reason for the season."

In Christ,
Pastor Holliday