Well everyone, it’s finally here: Christmas! I hope this time of year finds you all merry, healthy, and absolutely joyous! I mean this is easily the greatest birthday party you’ll ever get to be a part of. Although traditions usually show that gifts are given to the individual who is actually having the birthday, Christmas is a whole different ballgame. At this birthday party, we are all given a gift, and this gift was given by God, Himself. The gift is anything but simple; it is the gift of salvation through our savior, Jesus Christ.
As Jesus was born, he was accompanied by his mother, the Virgin Mary, and Joseph. I can only imagine the love that was shared at that moment, and with this thought in mind, I can’t help but feel blessed by the wonderful family and friends that I have around me. Not only back in my hometown, but here at UC as well. It always brings great joy to my life around Christmas time because it seems as if people are willing to put their differences aside and are able to come together and love one another like we are all called to do. My only wish is that we were able to carry this feeling of love and kindness throughout the entire year. In today’s world we hear so much about protests, wars, violence, hatred, racism, and many more things that take away the focus from all the blessings that we have on this Earth. God sent His Son onto this Earth to let the people know about the goodness of the Lord, and we, as Christians, are called to continue to spread this good news as often as we can. I encourage all of us to use this Christmas season to rejuvenate our faith and happiness and to use the Christmas season to propel ourselves into the rest of the year by continuing to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.
I know that at Christmas time it is often common to exchange gifts with one another, and this is an absolutely awesome thing to do, but in addition to exchanging physical gifts, I believe that God calls us to share with each other the love and kindness that was shared between the Holy Family on the night of Jesus’ birth. I hope that everyone reading this is able to spend some time with family and friends during this season and to take a moment and express with these significant others your true feelings. I’ll be the first to tell you that it can be very awkward to say, “I love you” for the first time to a family member or close friend that you haven’t said it to before, but it is truly an amazing experience. I guarantee your family member or friend will be pleasantly surprised to hear you say it (although their initial facial reaction might give them the appearance of utter shock, but just imagine it in a good way) and don’t be the least bit surprised if they say the same thing in return!
I know this posting isn’t as long as it normally is, but it’s Christmas time, who really wants to read a long posting anyways? However, before I go, I just want to challenge everyone reading this to go out and find at least one person this Christmas season that is in need or seems lonely, and do whatever you can to make that person’s day a little bit better. No matter how small the action might be, the other person will appreciate it nonetheless. Sometimes the greatest gifts come from the smallest things. After all, our greatest gift came in the size of a baby: a baby named Jesus.
-Brandon
As Jesus was born, he was accompanied by his mother, the Virgin Mary, and Joseph. I can only imagine the love that was shared at that moment, and with this thought in mind, I can’t help but feel blessed by the wonderful family and friends that I have around me. Not only back in my hometown, but here at UC as well. It always brings great joy to my life around Christmas time because it seems as if people are willing to put their differences aside and are able to come together and love one another like we are all called to do. My only wish is that we were able to carry this feeling of love and kindness throughout the entire year. In today’s world we hear so much about protests, wars, violence, hatred, racism, and many more things that take away the focus from all the blessings that we have on this Earth. God sent His Son onto this Earth to let the people know about the goodness of the Lord, and we, as Christians, are called to continue to spread this good news as often as we can. I encourage all of us to use this Christmas season to rejuvenate our faith and happiness and to use the Christmas season to propel ourselves into the rest of the year by continuing to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.
I know that at Christmas time it is often common to exchange gifts with one another, and this is an absolutely awesome thing to do, but in addition to exchanging physical gifts, I believe that God calls us to share with each other the love and kindness that was shared between the Holy Family on the night of Jesus’ birth. I hope that everyone reading this is able to spend some time with family and friends during this season and to take a moment and express with these significant others your true feelings. I’ll be the first to tell you that it can be very awkward to say, “I love you” for the first time to a family member or close friend that you haven’t said it to before, but it is truly an amazing experience. I guarantee your family member or friend will be pleasantly surprised to hear you say it (although their initial facial reaction might give them the appearance of utter shock, but just imagine it in a good way) and don’t be the least bit surprised if they say the same thing in return!
I know this posting isn’t as long as it normally is, but it’s Christmas time, who really wants to read a long posting anyways? However, before I go, I just want to challenge everyone reading this to go out and find at least one person this Christmas season that is in need or seems lonely, and do whatever you can to make that person’s day a little bit better. No matter how small the action might be, the other person will appreciate it nonetheless. Sometimes the greatest gifts come from the smallest things. After all, our greatest gift came in the size of a baby: a baby named Jesus.
-Brandon