For most of us, Christmas is more than one special day of the year. It is a time of the year in which we like to celebrate peace on earth, bright lights, cool air, and special music. It is a time when shopping and cooking and eating and spending time with the family become priorities. Special dishes and special songs, streets outlined with colored lights, the fragrant whiff of an evergreen tree, and the sweet aroma of fresh-baked cookies are part of our Christmas experience.
From a spiritual perspective, Christmas is about the birth of our savior. It's the story of God using everyday people to accomplish His purpose. It is about God fulfilling ancient prophesy exactly as it was written!
Here we are in October. Is it too early to begin thinking and talking about Christmas? If one looks at the calendar, one will see that there are nine weekends until Christmas (not counting Thanksgiving). I am certainly looking forward to the Christmas season--even if it is early in the year! I am looking forward to all of those Christmas experiences described above! Yet, wouldn't it be great if this Christmas was special? Wouldn't it be wonderful if we and our families and our friends and those who came into contact with us were able to experience a special annointing from God this Christmas? Wouldn't it be a blessing if we were prepared spiritually to celebrate the birth and life and teaching of our Lord in a way that brings us closer to Him and causes us to celebrate Christmas in a more Godly way than ever before?
We are fortunate to have two special Christmas message series from Andy Stanley that will cover eight of the next nine Sunday School Lessons leading up to Christmas. We will begin this series next week with a five week study of the geneaology of Jesus. We will study the Christmas Story during the next eight weeks from angles and perspectives that you and I may have never considered before. Andy Stanley will challenge us to think about Christmas with some unique thoughts about the way God brought His son into the world. I hope you will pray for God to touch us all with a special Christmas celebration that honors HIM and enables each of us to share a special Christmas spirit with those around us. Join us next week for "An Unexpected Christmas."
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