Pastor’s Podium

Christmas is coming! We have our to do lists, shopping to do, meals to plan, parties to attend, school programs — I could likely go on for a few more lines. But we are in the Church season of Advent, and Advent is a season of anticipation, of waiting, and preparation.

We as Christians prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of Christ, accompanying the sacred journey of the Holy family to the manger where the Savior will be born. Let us not be too busy in all our Christmas frenzy of this world, to remember why we celebrate. It’s not about Santa, or the Elf on the Shelf, or spending money you don’t have.

It’s about a tiny speck of light shining through our dark world, even as He is coming to be our King, the Christ child. Not born in a shiny, expensive birthing suite, but instead in a cave-like barn where the animals were kept.

It’s about a tiny baby, humble, meek and naked that was born to save the world. Let us all take a moment or even many moments this holiday season to pause and reflect on why we are doing what we are doing, and try to make it more simple, more meaningful.

This world is full of ugly things that seem to want to pull us down. Let us remember the less fortunate. It is a great season to share the love of our Lord by doing nice things, finding a way to “pay it forward”. Visit someone in a nursing home or assisted living center and take time to pause and reflect that this season is indeed about a baby — a baby born to an unwed mother in an unfortunate location in Bethlehem.