wp-plugin-bluehost domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home4/salvagh0/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114Text: Luke 2: 8-20<\/em><\/p>\n Over the four weeks of Advent, we have been exploring together in worship the story of Ebenezer Scrooge captured in A Christmas Carol. Like Scrooge, we, too, have come to Christmas. Perhaps, we, like Scrooge, need to learn how to keep Christmas well.<\/p>\n After a night of ghostly visits, Scrooge vows to live his life differently. But the amazing thing about the Christmas spirit that fills his heart is that it doesn\u2019t fade when the decorations come down. Scrooge\u2019s story actually reminds me of the shepherds in the field to whom the angels appeared on that night so long ago. What does it mean to keep Christmas well today? We keep Peace, by forgiving those who have wronged us and sharing comfort with those who are struggling. Text: Luke 2: 8-20 Over the four weeks of Advent, we have been exploring together in worship the story of Ebenezer Scrooge captured in A Christmas Carol. Scrooge is a bitter, lonely man whose \u201csoul is as frigid as the bleak midwinter air.\u201d The only friend he had was dead, and Scrooge might as well…<\/span><\/p>\n
\nScrooge is a bitter, lonely man whose \u201csoul is as frigid as the bleak midwinter air.\u201d The only friend he had was dead, and Scrooge might as well be dead for all of the living he is doing.
\nBut on Christmas Eve, the ghost of his friend and business partner, Marley, shows up with a dire warning \u2013 change your life or you will end up like me.
\nOver the night, three spirits visit Scrooge. The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come.
\nEbenezer Scrooge is transported to his past and reminded of the loneliness of his childhood, but also those moments of joy that he has forgotten.
\nHe is invited to look around him at the present lives of people like his nephew, Fred, and his employee Bob Cratchit and family. He sees the bleakness of their lives, but also the immense joy they find in the simple things.
\nAnd finally, he is taken to the future by a silent Spirit and given a glimpse of his own demise. More than that, he sees the possible outcomes of lives that had only just captured his attention \u2013 the loss of Tiny Tim Cratchit.
\nThe visits over the night shake him to his core and Scrooge is transformed. He vows that he will live with the Spirit of Christmas in his heart.<\/p>\n
\nIf you are anything like me, these past few weeks have been a blur of preparation, purchasing gifts, wrapping presents, baking treats, and traveling to be with friends and family.
\nThe build up to this special time of year is chaos and when we finally get here, we collapse in a heap.
\nBy the time the tree is out on the curb and the nativity is packed away, we start to wonder what it all was for. The kids head home, or we go back to work and school, and we might not even know Christmas arrived, aside from the new gadgets and the extra pounds.<\/p>\n
\nHe is changed and he wants to make changes in the world.
\nHe wakes up on Christmas morning filled with the Christmas Spirit and he runs from the house, intent on sharing it with every person he meets.
\nHe goes out and buys the biggest turkey he can find for the Cratchit family.
\nHe shouts words of joy to strangers on the street.
\nHe even, finally, accepts the invitation to come and dine at his nephew Fred\u2019s house.<\/p>\n
\nNo, he allows it to seep into his pores.
\nAs Matt Rawle, author of The Redemption of Scrooge, writes: \u201cScrooge makes good on his promise, becoming like a second father to Tiny Tim, and a good friend, master, and man to the city he once scorned. It was said thereafter that he \u2018knew how to keep Christmas well.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\nThey, too, were visited by beings that forever changed their lives.
\nThey were invited to discover new truths about themselves and the world around them.
\nAnd Luke tells us that this one special night forever changed their lives.
\nEverywhere they went, and to every person they met, they spread the good news about what the angels had told them about this special child.
\nThey were transformed from simple shepherds, lowly in status, to bearers of good news to the world.
\nLuke tells us that the shepherds let loose \u2013 glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen.
\nThey learned to keep Christmas and keep it well.<\/p>\n
\nMaybe our clues lie right here in the Advent wreath.
\nAs we lead up to this night each one of these candles reminds us of the Spirit of Christmas that we are to carry with us all year long.<\/p>\n
\nWe keep Hope, by trusting that God has our future in his hands and offering encouragement to those who are unsure.
\nWe keep Love by sharing God\u2019s presence with strangers and friends, showing up in their lives in real relationships.
\nAnd we keep Joy by letting go of our fears and shifting our attitudes towards one of gratitude and simple expectation.
\nIt means that we embrace the awe of the shepherds who kept proclaiming the story, long after the star and the angels left the sky.
\nIt means we keep accepting the invitation to be in relationship with God\u2026 not just on this evening, but every day of our lives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"