Christmas, a time of year that means different things to different people. It is a time of hope for some and despair for others.  It is also a  time of many distraction as we run from this function to that party to this or that store and on and on it goes.  For the majority of us it is a very exciting but very stressful time.  But I wonder if people really know what Christmas  is supposed to represent and the awesome hope it points to.

I grew up in a church of god church and we did not observe Christmas. We believed it was a pagan holiday and observing it was a sin. As I went through my school years I was not included in the Christmas activities. Usually I had to sit in the back of the room and sometimes the hall during these times but it did give me the opportunity to observe from the outside looking in so to speak.

I got to see people reconnect with family and while others family got torn apart. I observed people who were thankful for anything they received and others who would whined even if the received all the riches of the world. But rarely did I see people get what the season was supposed to be about. There was some reconnecting with their spiritually side but not the deep connecting with what this season points to.

The main point of this season is lost because for most it seems it is about getting. What may seem  skewed to some and sound funny to others is in a way it is about getting.  It is story of salvation and redemption for all. It is the beginning of the story of the gift of grace. It is about us receiving that because of one man dying so we can live and it begins with the birth of Jesus Christ. He gave, we receive.   That is what this season should be about. It really is that simple. Peace.