There was a time in recent history when every store closed around noon on Christmas Eve. If you were not done shopping, any gift not purchased at that point would need to wait until after Christmas. This pause in the craziness gave an opportunity for people to take a deep breath and make room for worship. Today, most stores are still open as this service is occurring, and there are plenty of folks who are scrambling to find a handkerchief for aunt Gertrude or some earmuffs for cousin Charlie. For that reason, I am thankful you are here. There are plenty of things pulling on your limited time right now, and last-minute shopping is only one of them. For you to have carved out some time this evening gives witness to your priorities and your understanding of Christmas.
I hope you are able to relax and put out of your mind any remaining loose ends, and don’t stress over the broccoli casserole or the fact that the last package you wrapped had a ribbon color that didn’t match the paper. This is a time to reawaken yourself to the gift of God’s love coming anew into the world, and then decide how you wish to communicate this news in the days to come. For Christians, Christmas begins at this moment and continues until Epiphany which is twelve days away (yes, that’s where we get the song, “The 12 Days of Christmas”). While many families will be stripping their homes of any semblance of the season by tomorrow evening, we are called to move from being people of anticipation to people of actualization. We have been in a time of preparation, and now it is time to be the people we have been preparing ourselves to be. And because you are here tonight, I believe you will be more prepared to be the people God needs you to be…a people who are less concerned about how the broccoli casserole tastes and more concerned about the relationships of those who gather around the table with the broccoli casserole.
My family (including Donna and Zach) wishes you a marvelous Christmas experience, and though the gifts under the tree may not be exactly what you wanted, I pray the gifts you share with the world will be the gifts the world has been longing to receive.
Peace in the Name of the Christ Child,
Rev. Bruce Frogge
2 thoughts on “A Christmas Message”
Fantastic. Thank you, and amen!
Thanks for sharing your Christmas message. I will definately not stress over the brocolli casserole this year! Merry Christmas to all. Linda