It is exciting to come into the church office on a rainy Monday morning and take a quick walk out to the lobby to discover the rapidly expanding pile of gifts being assembled under the tree!   And then afterwards to have someone stop by to drop even more items off only a few minutes later!  It brings such great joy and excitement to see our church family preparing for Christmas with generosity to the needs in our community.

I wish there was a way I could take all of you with me when we return to Mom’s House the first week of January to drop off all of your gifts.  It was quite an experience this past January to see the gratitude and excitement on the childcare workers’ faces as we carried in load after load of donations.  And as the gifts begin to build up this year, I can only assume I’ll be seeing more of the same this January!  Your generosity is overwhelming!

Of course, it is not just your generosity in giving to Mom’s House.  Many of you have taken tags off the tree and are beginning to bring back your envelopes for the Powers in France, for our new quilt initiative, and for the extra mortgage principle payment we hope to make at year end.  I love seeing how God is leading each of us to give at this time of year and beyond!

Beyond our tree of Christmas projects, there are so many meaningful expresses of Christ to share this season.  This is the time of year where we feel prompted to look beyond ourselves more so than any other time of year and look for ways to share, to give, to shine the light of Christ.  Ultimately, it all comes back to sharing the light of Jesus, shining the beacons of hope and peace, so that everyone would see Him!

As we enter the final weeks before Christmas, are you experiencing His Hope and His Peace in your life?  In this season?  In your day-to-day?  It’s not about the gifts and the hustle and bustle…it’s about Him coming to you!

May you find Him with you and in you this Christmas season!

In Christ Alone,

Pastor Jan