Pastor Mike’s Garage December 16, 2021
December 16, 2021
As I look back over the last couple years in light of the “global
pandemic” there have been many articles, opinions, and grumblings about the
negatives that came with it. Even saying the word global pandemic causes a
bit of a knot in my stomach, in the years to come I may develop PTSD over
this all! But as I think back to how things were in the spring and summer
of 2020 when absolutely everything was shut down, most were afraid to leave
their houses, and at times we were wondering if the end was near for
humanity, there was one positive at least. We were all forced to slow down!
While I hope that we somewhat enjoy the thousands of things that we cram
into our lives over the course of a year, I won’t lie to you, it was kinda
nice to just slow down and not be rushing from thing, to activity, to
obligation!
This Christmas I have been really fixated on the nature in which God
chose to send the savior of the world. Born in a little nowhere town, to
nobody parents, announced to unimportant shepherds, born in a lowly barn!
The other day I was working in my shop with a Christian radio station
playing in the background when the song “While You Were Sleeping” came on
by Casting Crowns. There’s a line in that song that stuck me to the core,
“But there was no room for Him, in a world He came to save.” Twice in the
last few weeks I’ve been broken into. Someone went through my truck in
front of my house and took whatever they thought of value on a weekend and
then that following Wednesday somebody broke into several sheds on my farm
and took quite a bit of stuff. Sadly, statistically incidence of theft
increases just prior to Christmas. I’ve said jokingly to a few people that
there’s no better way to celebrate the birth of our lord and saviour than
by buying gifts for our loved ones with money from the proceeds of crime!
As I think about the line from that song, as I think about what we have
made Christmas today from what it was initially, the question comes to
mind, is there any more room for Him now then there was that fateful night
at the inn? I’ve used that analogy of a calving barn a couple times over
the last few weeks in church when thinking about the birth of Jesus. The
thing that stands out the most when I think of memories of being out with a
cow in the middle of the night is the silent simplicity of the situation.
Sadly, Christmas has become anything but silent and simple in our culture!
We so often find ourselves all too busy buying, preparing, hosting,
practicing, partying, working to pay for, celebrating that it seems we
don’t have much time left for consciously observing and remembering the one
we are supposedly doing all of this for!
This year, once again, we will be having a Christmas Eve candlelight
service here at the church at 7pm. There won’t be many bells and whistles,
just getting together and singing some carols. I encourage you to come, I
encourage you this Christmas to just slow down and make room in your
schedule for Him who came to save the world! Just a reminder that this
coming Sunday during our morning service we will be having our kids
Christmas program!
Pastor Mike