1 Day to Christmas. Christmas Eve. Thursday, Dec 24, 2020

“A Gift of Faith”

Ah, finally, it’s Christmas Eve. The pandemic has tried its’ best to quarantine us and keep Christmas away, but COVID is no match for Santa Claus. Santa is going to come down the chimney tonight, and even if Santa is delayed a little while, we can probably arrange for Amazon to arrive before morning. Yep, Christmas is here.

However, we can’t deny that Christmas is different this year. Travel, or the lack thereof, has significantly impacted many people this year. Mask requirements have altered dining plans, required social distancing has reduced the guest list, and many of our entertainment options have been eliminated completely.

It’s okay because no matter what, Christmas is still going to arrive. In years past, we may have taken the arrival of Christmas for granted. Not this year. We are going to celebrate as best we can, even if we are relegated to wrapping our children in strips of old cloth and sleeping in a stable. We are gonna’ have Christmas!

Mary and Joseph needed great commitment and determination to complete their journey to Bethlehem, in addition to their incredible faith in God. We, too, have needed great commitment and determination to complete our own Journey to Christmas. Though our faith probably can’t measure up to that of Mary and Joseph, God is very pleased with what we can bring to the Manger.

Don’t worry, we don’t have to break our remaining banks to please God. Most of us aren’t as wealthy as the Magi who visited Mary and Joseph. But today, we can think about something else that we can give to God this Christmas. What will be? If our gift is important to us, we can be sure that it will be important to God as well.

“Instructed by the king, they (the Magi) set off. Then the star appeared again, the same star they had seen in the eastern skies. It led them on until it hovered over the place of the child. They could hardly contain themselves: They were in the right place! They had arrived at the right time!” (Matthew 2:1-2, The Message).