Saturday, December 25, 2010

Christmas and the Meaning of Life

Pastor’s Column
Christmas Day 2010
          We can’t really find the meaning of Christmas -- or even the meaning of life for that matter, at Target or Nordstrom or Wal-Mart. God knows we try, though, don’t we?  But, you see, this is all the world has to offer.  It can’t give us real meaning to our lives!  The visible world gives us what it can – entertainment, comfort, pleasure; it anesthetizes us for a while – with lots of suffering mixed in -- and that’s about it.
          The world can’t offer us eternal life!  It can’t offer us answers to the deepest questions of our hearts.  Christmas is really such a great holiday.  I feel sorry for anyone who doesn’t celebrate it, because, like Thanksgiving, it really does point to what matters in our lives: the people we love and those who love us.  Most importantly, it points to our faith, the gift of eternal life.  That’s what presents and cards and the like represent.  Most of us want to be with people we love today; if they are far away, we miss them; if they have passed away, we grieve for them.  And of course, sometimes even the ones that irritate us are with us today, but that’s part of life too!  Without these people, how on earth would we learn to love?
          We have another family that we belong to!  Jesus wants to invite you into his own family and to a place at his table.  Christmas is all about Jesus inviting you into his family and, maybe even, to be a bigger part of our church family right here.  Who knows?
          There is an old saying that I think applies to Christmas: it is both an invitation and a warning:  be careful what you wish for, because you might get it!  If your Christmas is only about presents and parties, you may get what you want, but it won’t be enough, because that’s not what Christmas is all about.  But if you want a deeper relationship with Jesus, now is the time to begin again.  Now is the time to begin to pray every day again.  Now is the time to think about returning to Church if you have been away.  Now is the time to ask yourself, “What is my life about and where am I going? Who or what is the goal of my life?” 
          Jesus is like a present under the tree that often goes unopened.  It is a small package, but opening it can bring you to the real meaning of life when all the presents are long forgotten and the tree is in the dumpster.  And do be careful what you wish for in life; take care to watch where you are headed because you just may get it.
                                                                                Father Gary

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