Christmas Comes Anyway

This has been a hard year. The economy is down. People are losing jobs. Investments are going south. Wages and dividends are not paying the bills. Our country is still at war in Iraq and Afghanistan and that will continue. As a church family we have received startling diagnoses, faced unexpected losses and cared for one another along the way. As we near Christmas this year, I am keenly aware that things are not how they were last year. And yet in the midst of the hurt, darkness and pain, Christmas comes anyway!
 
We can’t stop it. It’s like an infectious laughter that bubbles up and can’t be suppressed. Christmas comes despite what the world has to offer. God comes to us in Christ no matter what is going on in the news, in the bank, in the doctor’s office or on the frontlines. Christ comes bringing peace, hope, joy and love. We embody the incarnate Christ when we give of ourselves to others. Christmas comes anyway. Thanks be to God!
 
A sign of the insistent nature of Christmas is the outcome of our holiday mission projects this year. Despite the economy, all of us at UUMC have been incredibly generous this year. We shopped for more angels this year than ever. Our prison ministry toy drive and warm fuzzy tree collection were both as fruitful as ever. People are giving the gift of missions to others bountifully by purchasing alternative gifts for their friends and family members. Many people will receive gifts this year because of our generosity.
 
As many are celebrating with the joy and gaiety of the season, many others are feeling the hardships of the year and of years past even more acutely as we get close to Christmas. This year we have planned a service of worship to acknowledge the grief and heartache that we experience and to celebrate the fact that even during our longest nights, the hope, peace, joy and love of Christmas still come anyway. I hope you will join us this Monday, December 21, at 7:30 p.m. in the Chapel for the Longest Night Service.
 
Christmas is coming anyway, thanks be to God!

In God’s Love,

Suzanne