God Bless Us, Every One!

         

         I will never forget my first Christmas!

         No, not as a baby but as a new believer in Christ.

         Christmas of 1976 was special. I had arrived in Canada only weeks before. Central quickly became my home church.

         I was baptized in November and joined the church. But the best part is that Christmas was on a Sunday, and I was able to be in church that day! What a joy it was.

         Christmas is special. Every year has added something. From our first Christmas as a married couple to Christmases with our children and to Christmases as empty nesters.

         Each one was built on every other. 

         One of my favourite times was at our first church in Hamilton. We decided to have a “Christmas open house” for the people of our church. Every year our house was filled with folks. Brenda went all out to prepare the goodies. On one occasion, people were sitting everywhere, even on the stairs. The house was packed. We kept a guest book that is filled with names from those times.

         As a pastor I loved Christmas. We always had a Christmas Eve service. It was never a burden to gather and sing carols and fellowship. There was always a warmth about that evening and excitement in the air.

         I often picked a piece from Dickens or O. Henry to base my Christmas message upon. (It was the shortest message I would preach all year!)

         One of my favourites was the scene where Scrooge was visited by Marley’s ghost: “I wear the chain I forged in life… I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it.”

         To me this is where Dickens came closest to sharing the Gospel with his readers. The picture of the chain juxtapositioned with the beautiful simplicity of the message of Christmas. Jesus came to break those chains that bind us. That first Christmas I celebrated Christmas as one who had his chains removed by the sinless Son of God, born that day so many years ago.

As you celebrate Christmas, thank God for removing those chains and thank Him that He gave us the greatest gift. Merry Christmas.