Christmas Traditions, Part 1

I love Christmas! Without a doubt it is my favorite time of year. I love the lights, the gifts, the grandeur, the seemingly kinder communities and people, all of it. Most of all, I love the traditions the come with Christmas. I will never wish you a Happy Holiday - not because I do not wish to identify with those who do not celebrate Christmas - but because for me a 'Merry Christmas' greeting is a tradition I look forward to and freely give and receive during this time of year. I love the tradition of getting the tree, putting the lights up, singing carols, being with family and friends - I even love the tradition of buying a gift that comes from my heart that I can give to those I love! But, in our home there are a couple of traditions that stand out as moments that define the season for me.

One of my favorite Christmas Traditions is our Christmas Eve Candlelit service. We have celebrated this every year of our marriage in some way or another and it is something I look forward to with much anticipation each year. In my mind is is just the right place to be the night before Christmas - gathering with friends and family at the church and joyfully thanking Christ for the gift He has, is and will continue to give us - the gift of Himself. A second, moment defining tradition is our families traditional reading of the Christmas Story each Christmas morning, BEFORE we do anything else. Every year I think the children will want to skip this and move right into the opening of their presents, but I am amazed year in and year out as they too look forward to this time and recognize that the greatest gift we have received is the gift of the Christ child, or God with us, as the prophet Isaiah said so long ago.

How about you and your family? Are there traditions you celebrate - one's to which you look forward with much anticipation this time of year? Even in the toughest of times, traditions can keep us grounded and give us hope. The remind us of a past that in some way helps us navigate the present and look with hope into the future. They help us focus in on what is most important in life and how we have changed, are changing and will continue to change even as we participate in traditions that rarely, if ever change! You know, Christianity was birthed into a rich tradition that we too celebrate today. If you read the Gospel writers you see that they quoted liberally from the Old Testament to clue us in that God was doing a new thing, a radically new thing, but this new thing was steeped in what He had been doing all along - claiming a people for Himself!

This Advent Season, we are going to spend some time at Westside focusing on three key traditions: Purification (this Sunday), Redemption (next) and then Celebration (the 20th). Join us each week and bring a friend with you - everyone, all of us, need a good reminder of the great traditions that have gotten us here!

Celebrating the Traditions that Point to Christ!
Pastor Biz

Personal Thanks to everyone who prayed for my family and Luke a couple of weekends ago. He is doing great and all is well - thanks to Pastor Pierre for doing such a great job on such short notice!!

Raise The Roof Update: As you know, we are in need of raising 20,000.00 for a new roof to put on the sanctuary, thankfully we have repaired the leeks and the job as been done really well so they are not, to my knowledge, recurring. Currently we have right at 6,000.00 which means we need 14,000.00 more. I am excited to let you know that we have a gift of 5,000.00 pledged to the roof fund IF we can come up with the other 9,000.00 by January 2010. While I know that times are tough, I am asking each of us to think and pray about a Christmas offering to help push us to that 9,000.00 mark. What a great blessing it will be when the roof is overhead and we can look back with thankfulness to the Lord and His faithfulness for providing! Please join us in this effort and let's 'raise the roof' funds together!