25 Days to Christmas, Thursday, Nov 30, 2023

“Letters to Santa”

The Chapel is one of the unofficial postal stops for letters to Santa.  Our Santa mailbox (located in the Christmas Garden on The Chapel’s grounds) has already collected a number of Letters to Santa.  Though some people may be “Scroogish”, considering such letters as wasteful or inappropriate, I consider the letters to be among my highest priorities of responsibility as your pastor.  

Yes.  I am an authorized representative of the North Pole.  I participated in extensive training for many years to become authorized to handle the Letters to Santa.  This doesn’t include all the additional training that teaches authorized representatives the manner by which they are supposed to respond to the multitude of Santa requests received during the Holiday Season.

In our training, we are taught that this is serious business.  Letters to Santa are sincere requests from children and adults who trust that Christmas can deliver the things that are otherwise unattainable.  It’s not a question of whether the requests are legitimate.  Instead, as representatives of the North Pole, we consider each request as important and valuable, regardless of our personal opinions of each request.  After we properly address the letters, they’ll be forwarded to the North Pole as directed by the United States Postal Service.

What does God think about all this?  I think God loves anything that points to loving and caring for the needs of people.  If a child asks for a toy, then God considers that request to be valid.  If an adult asks for a new or improved relationship with a special someone, then God considers that request to be valid.  In short, God considers all of our requests to be important because God cares about us. 

Regardless of one’s opinion of the Holiday Season and the hoopla around it, Santa gives us another outlet by which the needs and cares of others can be met.  This has nothing to do with one’s belief.  Instead, it has more to do with God’s creation of humanity and our responsibility for each other.  We should care about the Holiday wishes of every child.  We should care about the Christmas hope that each adult carries within their hearts and minds.

It is not our responsibility to fill every Christmas List wish for each person.  However, we should care about the letters sent to Santa because God values our needs, wants, and wishes.  Is this causing us to reflect theologically?  Good.  If a request is important enough for us to seek Santa’s help along with the LORD’s, then it is also important to God.  Even the most selfish requests are important to the LORD.  Does it mean that Santa is going to fill his sack with all of our requests?  No, of course not.   Santa is not the author of the hope, joy, peace, and love of Christmas.  Santa does not grant wishes.  Santa is just one extension of God’s love into the world, giving us a glimpse of how the world can help care for the needs of others.

Perhaps in Santa, we can be reminded of who IS the true answer to our hopes, dreams, and desires. Perhaps the Christmas list to Santa will be filled, but, even if not, perhaps the process will point our hearts to Who and What matter eternally, as well as in the moment. 

Give it to the LORD today, trusting that God will take care of the details, including your Letters to Santa.  

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.  Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart.”  (Deuteronomy 6:4-6, NRSV)

 26 Days to Christmas, Wednesday, Nov 29, 2023

Surprise!  It’s Wednesday!

Woohoo!  We’ve arrived on the first of four Wednesdays of the Christmas Season.  Can you feel the excitement yet?  I mean, really…when was the last time you were excited about a Wednesday?

I get it.   Other than hosting our birthday and favorite holiday every 5 to 6 years, Wednesday is kinda’ a drag.  It’s the top of the hump in Hump Day.  It’s neither up nor down.  It’s just there.  Wednesday isn’t just ordinary.  Instead, it’s exceptionally ordinary. But sometimes, ordinary is exciting.  Sometimes, predictability is really special.  

The reality, however, is that today will not be ordinary.  Chances are that something is gonna happen. Whether it is good or bad, today will bring some sort of surprise:  Maybe you’ll feel good today.  Maybe you’ll feel cruddy.  Maybe you’ll lose your keys.  Maybe you’ll find the keys that you lost.  Or, maybe you’ll finish an incomplete project or maybe you’ll spill your bowl of coffee in your lap.   

Like most people, I’ve experienced enough of life to know that something will occur today that will require lots of patience, encouragement, or relief.  I don’t know what’s going to happen but it’s not going to be without an opportunity to call upon the LORD for words, help, or power.  

We don’t need big plans today in order for God to bless the situations and people we’ll encounter.  God’s work is always being accomplished and we are often invited to be a part of it.  Especially if today includes a situation or occurrence that requires great patience, peace, or strength, God will invite us to bless another person or a specific situation.

Where will that Wednesday blessing occur?  When will the Wednesday goodness emerge?  Only God knows, but soon enough, the LORD will let us know, too!  After that, it’s up to us!

“All these blessings will come upon you and find you if you obey the Lord your God’s voice”, (Deuteronomy 28:2, CEB).

 27 Days to Christmas, Tuesday, Nov 28, 2023

“We Haven’t Figured It Out…Yet”

The first Tuesday of the Christmas Season begins with #GivingTuesday, a day created over ten years ago to call attention to providing for the needs of others. For some non-profit organizations, #GivingTuesday has become an important fund-raising opportunity.

How important is it? Today, charitable organizations are expected to raise upwards of $3 billion which could potentially become a funding source for charitable and humanitarian projects. That seems reasonable, doesn’t it? It seems that extending generosity one day per year should be affordable, especially since the rest of us could likely afford a little more.

For most non-profits, their greatest challenge is to keep their doors open. Regardless of whom we are serving, most of us are working on a shoestring budget. Giving Tuesday is important because we are hoping to get a head start on our December budget push without offending the generosity of our givers and donors.

Rest assured, in the push for nonprofits to raise money today, churches are going to lag. Why? Because we have our own clocks and we are always last to the party. We’re not doing it on purpose. Instead, we probably caught up in preparing for Holiday worship and events during our busiest season of the year.

I’m making this plea because, like most other churches, I’m late to the party. I hope that you are already there, making plans to help one (or more) of the nonprofits with which you work. I’m also hoping that you’ll consider making a similar donation to your local church or chapel. Lord knows they need it and, unfortunately, they (like me) haven’t figured out how to ask for it…yet!

Remember your local church on Giving Tuesday, and all the other days, too! It all is a part of serving others and honoring God, and the return on this investment is Eternal. 

“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”  (Luke 6:38, NLT).

 28 Days to Christmas, Monday, Nov 27, 2023

“Cyber-What?”

Apple Cyber.  Light Cyber.  Can of Cybernize.  Cyber Monday.  What do they have in common?  Somehow, we can tie them all to Christmas.  Since today is Cyber Monday, I guess we can talk about that for a moment.  Today, economists are predicting that Cyber Monday will surpass Black Friday in US online sales, exceeding $13 billion. Too bad I didn’t invent something spectacular to capture a piece of Cyber Monday sales! 

Cyber Monday didn’t even exist until 2005, yet people are planning to purchase computers, appliances, and all kinds of other stuff that will arrive via delivery trucks.  What will you purchase today?  While I’m not planning to purchase anything, I’m sure I’ll fall for a sneaky pop-up ad and purchase something (Maybe some new earphones?).

Very little in my life doesn’t require electronics or technology.  I’m completely dependent upon rechargeable batteries, electricity, and internet connectivity.  I’ve developed my entire existence based upon things that didn’t exist when I was a kid, let alone when my parents and grandparents were young. Not too long ago, our ancestors were catching their dinner in homemade nets and snares.  My great-grandparents weren’t too concerned about their neighbors cutting their fiber optics or making sure that they had enough batteries for Christmas morning.  Instead, they were just hoping that the weather would cooperate so they could make the long, tedious 20-mile journey to Cousin Eddie’s for Christmas.

One of the things I’ve learned in my advanced state of maturity is that Christmas is important to everyone for different reasons.  All of us yearn for something special.  All of us want to receive a special gift.  All of us want to be surrounded by the people we love (and like) and all of us are hoping that everyone stays healthy this Holiday Season.



I know Cyber Monday is important to our economy.  I also recognize that God wants me to be as equipped as possible in sharing a message of hope and encouragement.  Although Cyber Monday has no official religious affiliation, I’m guessing that God is going to bless it if I’m able to use it as an opportunity to share something helpful. 

So there it is!  A helpful devotion for Cyber Monday that calls our attention to some of the more important things in life.  If our purchases today help us grow closer to the LORD, it’s gonna be worth it.  If our purchases aren’t really going to help much of anything, then maybe we should stop and think about it for a moment.  

“Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce.  Then the LORD will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.”  (Proverbs 3:9-10, NLT)

 29 Days to Christmas, Sunday, November 26, 2023

“Here We Go!”

Here we go!  Christmas is on the way and we have lots to finish.  Though we still have almost a month to prepare, many of us are already scrambling to make our lists and fill our calendars with due dates of projects and preparation. 

Christmas is a gold mine for organized people.  So are weddings.  People who are organized thrive in this environment because it allows them to maximize their abilities.  They have the month planned out in such detail that they’re already thinking about the outfits they’ll be wearing two or three weeks out.

For us procrastinators, the wait is much different.  We never have enough time to get things done.  If Christmas was 2 months away, we’d still find a way to be late as we scramble at the last minute. 

God surely has a sense of humor; God throws all of us in the same world.  Organizers and procrastinators will be at the same party.   Someone will arrive before the doors open and another will arrive just before the doors close.  God watches all of us, keenly interested in our topics of conversation, the choice of food on our plates, and the way we care for each other.

Oh, don’t worry; I’m not trying to make everyone paranoid by reminding us that God is watching.  Instead, I’m trying to use it as encouragement.  God made all of us.  God knows what we look like, what we like to eat (and drink), and what we enjoy about the Holiday Season.  God made each of us uniquely perfect and God didn’t do it as an experiment to see how we get along at Christmas parties.  God did it because God is awesome.  The LORD knows that diversity is better than everyone thinking the same way.  God knows that there’s purpose for the person who arrives super-early, and the LORD also knows that in their rush, they left their purse at home.  God also knows that the person who shows up to the party super late might be the person who needs to take everyone else home safely.

We all have purpose.  Sure, we have plenty of weaknesses, but even those are blessed by the LORD.  I invite you to countdown with me as we journey together the next 29 days. No matter your style - early or late - Christmas, like God, will be right on time. And, just like you, Christmas will be full of God’s purpose! 

“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.”  (Jeremiah 29:11, NRSV)