Nov
22
2019
We are already in a whirl of November-December activities. As I write this, we are are finishing the packing of Thanksgiving baskets to send to the schools (14 of them), and next week we will pack and hand out the baskets to our food pantry clients.(26-27 of those). This is more total baskets than in the past, in large part because one of our supporting churches dropped out of providing the school baskets.
Then there is the Thanksgiving potluck this Sunday followed by the hanging of the greens in preparation for the Advent season which begins on December 1.
December 7th brings our Church Bazaar (remember to bring your crafts and baked goods) which will raise money for Congregational Care. That evening the children will be participating in the Aztec Sparkles Parade, while the youth will be handing out cocoa at the City Christmas Tree Lighting.
December 8th at 4:00pm there will be a Paint Your own Nativity (a donation will cover the cost of materials, plus a donation to children’s ministry. December 15th will be a Paint Your Gift (pottery) fundraiser as well. Also on December 15th the Youth will be serving a Pancake breakfast as a fund raiser. They will start serving before Sunday school and deliver to Sunday School classes.
Christmas eve will see our lessons and carols service remembering the coming of a baby who changed the world. One of the musical offerings will feature a boy’s chorus. The service on December 29 will follow the Wesleyan Covenant Renewal Service as we prepare for a new year.
There will also be an open house at the parsonage on the 11th day of Christmas (January 4 at 3-6pm). Everyone is invited, and encouraged to bring an appetite to a time of food and fellowship.
Amid all of these activities I hope we will all be able to keep our eyes on the true reason for all of these activities. We celebrate Thanksgiving, not for the food or the sports, but to take time out of our busy schedules to thank God for the infinite blessings he brings into our lives. We also thank God for the gift of the church, and the people who make up our part of the body of Christ in Aztec.
The greatest area of thanks of course is for the incarnation of Jesus. We celebrate God coming into the world in a way we can understand more fully His expression of love for all people. We celebrate a Savior whose love would take him to the cross to die on our behalf, so that we might not have to pay the price for our sinfulness. We celebrate a risen Lord who offers us all a loving relationship that will lead us into a life of obedience culminating in eternal life in fellowship with God.
With all of the church and family activities, as well as our cultural expectations of a “Christmas Spirit” that will make us all happy on Christmas; it is easy to lose sight of the true reason for the season. We forget that every day we receive the gift of Christ if we will only make room for the relationship he offers us. My prayer this season is that God will enable each of us to take the time to experience God’s love, and be renewed for more fruitful life with Jesus in the coming year.
