It’s that time of year when Christmas is around the corner. The excitement of the holidays has already been building. For some of us, the preparations may be as exciting as they are for my daughter. Already in mid-November, she was making homemade gifts for each person in the family, wrapping them, and placing them in the corner where the Christmas tree would stand a couple of weeks later. Since then she has been joyfully practicing Christmas carols on the piano and violin.
For others of us, the preparations for Christmas may be somewhat opposite. There is a never-ending list of things do: family schedules to work out, events to attend or host, food to prepare, decorations to hang, and travel arrangements to make. By the time Christmas does come, we can feel just like Charlie Brown. We are trying our best to make Christmas a great time for others only to feel like those efforts are unappreciated or unsuccessful.
Whether we fall into the first group, the second group, or somewhere in between, we all need to slow down and remember the question posed by Charlie Brown in his moment of exasperation. “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” he cried out. The clear, simple answer came from Linus who recited Luke 2:8-14.
Christmas is about God sending his Son into the world to reconcile his people to him. It is about God giving us the gift of grace so that through faith in his Son, we may be saved. As we are joyful, stressed, or a little bit of both this Christmas, let’s be sure to take the time to hear from God’s word what Christmas is all about.
Mr. Joe Bakker
Principal