Sunday, December 2, 2007
Jesus Christ Is Coming to Town!
I think one of the most bizarre songs in the entire holiday playlist is "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town!" Seriously, I mean, think about the lyrics, "You better watch out... He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good so you'd better be good, for goodness sake!" And you are telling me that I should be looking forward to this guy coming down the chimney? Honestly, I want to avoid this guy all together! If I am not good enough, this guy won't give me anything for Christmas but coal and fear.
When I hear this song, it makes me wonder about how we might think about God and Jesus' coming at Christmas. God knows when I'm sleeping, God knows when I'm awake. He knows if I've been bad or good. I know I should be good for goodness sake, but if God is checking his list twice, he'll know I've been bad twice over! But there is a profound difference between Santa and God (besides the fact that God is real!). When God visits at Christmas in the person of Jesus, he comes to bring us gifts of love and grace. Instead of giving us the lumps of coals we deserve, he delivers forgiveness for our deeds and erases our name from the naughty list! So, we don't have to lay awake on Christmas night worrying about whether or not Jesus is going to leave a good gift under the tree, we know that His coming brings promises of joy and peace. The good news this Christmas is that Jesus Christ is coming to town!
In celebration of the coming of Jesus, we are going to be offering a number of opportunities to come to church and receive the gifts Christ has for us. He brings those gifts to us wrapped up in bread and wine, in words preached and scriptures read! Please join us for Sunday worship as well as Wednesday evening Advent services as we celebrate the coming of our Savior at Christmas time!
This is a wonderful time of year to invite friends who are looking for a place to worship. Please remember to invite those people you know who are looking for a church to worship at this Christmas Season!!!
When I hear this song, it makes me wonder about how we might think about God and Jesus' coming at Christmas. God knows when I'm sleeping, God knows when I'm awake. He knows if I've been bad or good. I know I should be good for goodness sake, but if God is checking his list twice, he'll know I've been bad twice over! But there is a profound difference between Santa and God (besides the fact that God is real!). When God visits at Christmas in the person of Jesus, he comes to bring us gifts of love and grace. Instead of giving us the lumps of coals we deserve, he delivers forgiveness for our deeds and erases our name from the naughty list! So, we don't have to lay awake on Christmas night worrying about whether or not Jesus is going to leave a good gift under the tree, we know that His coming brings promises of joy and peace. The good news this Christmas is that Jesus Christ is coming to town!
In celebration of the coming of Jesus, we are going to be offering a number of opportunities to come to church and receive the gifts Christ has for us. He brings those gifts to us wrapped up in bread and wine, in words preached and scriptures read! Please join us for Sunday worship as well as Wednesday evening Advent services as we celebrate the coming of our Savior at Christmas time!
This is a wonderful time of year to invite friends who are looking for a place to worship. Please remember to invite those people you know who are looking for a church to worship at this Christmas Season!!!