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12/1/2024

 

Dear Fairview Community Christian Church, 

 

Happy Holidays to you all. As I’m sure you know, Christmas is right around the corner. The Christmas lights are already shining bright, the stores are busier than ever, and from time to time you see a big guy dressed in all red taking photos with kids. If you just look at the surface level of the way most Americans celebrate Christmas you would probably come to the conclusion that Christmas is simply about spending money and giving gifts. But what is Christmas really about? If you’re a Christian you probably know that Christmas is about so much more than just consumerism and Santa Clause. During the weeks leading up to Christmas many Christians all over the world celebrate a time that we call Advent, which comes from a latin word which means “to come to” so the question we ask ourselves is what exactly are we coming to. We are coming to the point of Christ’s birth. Advent is a season of waiting and preparing to celebrate the birth of Christ as well as his second coming. 

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Technically speaking Christmas is about gift giving but it's specifically about the gift God gave us through Jesus. John 3:16 tells us that God loved us and gave us his one and only Son so that we might find salvation in him. God gave his Son to us as a sacrifice for our sins so that we could find forgiveness. Many people don’t think about this part of Christmas, we just think about the gifts and the excitement but the gift God gave us came at a very significant cost. The reason we give gifts to other people around this time of year is because it reminds us of the gift that God gave to us in Jesus. He gave us a chance to have life, joy and peace. 

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It’s important as Christians to talk about why we do the things we do. For many reading this you probably have heard this many times but I assure you there are many people who do not know the true meaning of Christmas. Last month my wife and I watched the movie adaptation of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” . It was a children's book that gets at the heart of the true meaning of Christmas. Within the story it focuses on the Herdman children who are wild, different, unchurched, unruly, vile, and outright berserk. Yet for some reason they are drawn to church where at first nobody wants them there but by the end of the movie these wild children are teaching the church what Christmas is really about.

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This is what I would want us to focus our hearts on during this advent season. The reality is there are many families out there just like the Herdman’s who may have never heard of Jesus before. Let us all be willing to remind ourselves, our children, and our loved ones what the true meaning of Christmas is and let us not turn away those who have never heard it before. Let’s be bold to invite people to church or to send an encouraging letter. Let's spread the love, joy, and cheer that comes with knowing Jesus. For we ourselves have received the greatest gift ever in Jesus now lets share him with the rest of the world. 

 

Blessings to you all, 

Pastor Ben

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