December 2009 - Christmas Edition

Pastor Jeff Overton                                         

    Christmas is a time that floods our hearts with memories. One that always comes back to my mind is Christmas 1984. It was the first Christmas I would have with my new bride. We had been married all of 17 days. I remember the little "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree we had. It stood about 18 inches high and had a few needles on each branch. That Christmas also stands out because it was the last Christmas I would spend with my Dad. I can remember him cooking hamburgers out on the grill that year because it was a warm Christmas in LaGrange. I had no idea how much my life was changing at that time - a new wife coming into my life and a hero leaving it. Today I can look back and see that God sent me a great gift in His Son, Jesus and walking with the Lord has brought the blessing of a great wife and wonderful children. That same gift of Jesus was able to bring peace into the storm of my life that was the passing of my Dad. There are many other wonderful memories - the children's first Christmases, our first island Christmas and many others but Christmas 1984 will always stand out to me. 

May you take the time to pause and reflect upon Christmases past but always look to see how the birth of the Christ child touched those days, after all He is the reason for the season.

God bless each of you. Have a Merry Christmas and a Christ filled New Year.

Steve Buchanan - Worship Pastor

    "What's your favorite Christmas memory?" Ever been asked that question? It's always a hard one for me since there are SO many! As a child, I remember how intense the anticipation was; how excited my brothers and sister and I were as we laid awake on Christmas Eve; and then the joy of Christmas morning when we were finally able to dig in to the gifts under the tree. The joy and anticipation was always centered on what we would RECEIVE during the Christmas season. Those were great memories.
As the seasons of my life have changed, I now realize the greatest excitement and joy of Christmas comes in the GIVING. In giving, we find the true meaning of Christmas. For it was on this night so many years ago that God gave the greatest gift ever ... the gift of His Son's gift of Love, the gift of Life.
Robin, Ashton, Kaitlyn, Landon, Mason and I would like to encourage you to GIVE every chance you get to every person you can. Remember, true Christmas joy is found in giving! May you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The Buchanans

Charlie McDonough - Youth Pastor

    I remember as a child lying on the floor, looking wide eyed at the old hand painted manger scene my grandfather has made as it sat under our tree. It wasn't unusual for my mom to find a toy of mine peeking through the stable at the manger. I used to love that nativity because, for me, it reminded me of everything that was Christmas. Of course I was excited about toys, and the big boxes under the tree... but even more than that, I loved that nativity. I hated to see the tree come down because it meant that little reminder of Jesus would be packed away for another year.

This year, it is my prayer for you that everywhere you look you would be reminded of the incarnate Christ. God, wrapped in flesh, dwelling among us. I pray that the invisible evidences of God seen throughout creation would not only remind you that He is there, but that He mad the first move towards you. Whoever you are, wherever you've been. That night the angels brought good news, of great joy that would be to all people. That news is simply this, God is among us. God is with us. This news isn't for the select, or even the elect... it's to a world that is looking for a purpose, looking for meaning, and trying to find it in all the wrong places. So, as you dust of your old manger scene, take some time with me this year, and just look at it. Consider the very real men who ran with great hast over hills and jumping fences to find the manger, the one with the baby in it. Imagine the incredible joy of witnessing Emmanuel, God with us. This year remember that God loves you. His son was born 200 years ago, so that He would die on a cross a ransom for many. This year celebrate with me because I am counted among those ransomed by that little baby, lying in a manger

Merry Christmas,
Charlie

Bill Crews - Administrator

    One of the more intriguing things for me to do at Christmastime is to listen to others share their Christmas memories, especially from married couples as they establish their own family traditions. As in other areas of life what we do today comes from a mixture of various traditions. "My wife's family always did that, so we still do, but now we do this," is often what I hear. The same is true in our home. Jane is very much her mother when it comes to Christmas and birthdays. There is no more special day of the year than your birthday, except for Christmas, which is like everyone's birthday. And isn't that the way it should be considering the Gift we all have been given?

For me growing up with an alcoholic father kept a lot of holidays in limbo. We never knew which father we were going to get so it put a damper on a lot of our special days. I do have very distinct memories of Christmas mornings, as I still have one of my favorite gifts - a set of Lincoln Logs. My sister and I still talk early every Christmas morning, still sharing the excitement of those first few hours of the day. 

In the end, I think Christmas traditions are one of God's blessings in marriage. With "the two shall become one" we get the opportunity to take who we are at Christmas and make it better. We still do some of the same things just because we always have, but those really special memories are the ones we create together.

Merry Christmas
bill   

 

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