In Luke 2:10, the angel tells the shepherds he has good news that will bring joy. Joy is a concept we confuse with happiness. We can have joy even when we are not happy. Joy is connected with hope. We can be joyful in dire circumstances but have joy because we know this is not the end. Joy is anticipation that there is a good ending and the source is very good.
Category: Christmas
Christmas time is here. And with it comes a need for more nursery workers. I salute all the volunteers who bravely serve during the Christmas Eve services. And since Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, there will be dedicated volunteers that answer the call while others are in the sanctuary, drinking piping hot coffee with mint-flavored creamer.
One day when I read Isaiah 9:6, this idea came to mind. With more children comes more of a need for nursery workers. That’s how your mind works when you are the spouse of a children’s pastor.
Have a merry Christmas!
I drew this for the December 2016 CHOG News E-newsletter.
Cartoon of santa running after his sleigh. Elves are in the sleigh and they look like they are having the time of the life. The caption says, “Thanks to a joy ride, Christmas was nearly canceled!”
I loved this cartoon when I first wrote it because it reminded me of a childhood fantasy. I used to wonder what it would be like to take a ride in Santa’s sleigh. Wouldn’t it be great to take a ride across the countryside on Christmas Eve? All the Christmas lights and moonlight would reflect on the new snow, Smoking chimneys fill the air with the smell of hickory, oak and pine. Never mind that there is probably no seat belts in the sleigh and the airbags have never been tested!
By the way, don’t try this at home, kids. You can’t get a hold of Santa’s sleigh and the only joy ride should be with certified, licensed elves.
May you have a blessed, Merry Christmas!
Cartoon of Santa chasing his sleigh. The caption reads, “Thanks to a joy ride, Christmas was nearly canceled!”
I don’t know why Santa would trust those elves. They always looked a little too mischievous for my taste.
Google is helping Santa Claus this year. Apparently, you can track where he’s at using Santa’s Dashboard.
I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas. And if you hear a clatter on your rooftop, it may be those crazy elves taking a joy ride!
Cartoon of a boy at a fast food restaurant. He asks a worker, “My dad hates gift cards. Can you wrap up a hamburger in festive paper and a bow?
Our children are assaulted with a flood of commercials this time of year. They have seen so many toy commercials, they could probably quote them back to you verbatim. What do you do when everything around your children screams greed and you want to teach them to be giving?
My local paper had a great article by Kathy Schwartz entitled 10 Perfect Gifts Parents Can Give. That got me thinking about ways parents and teachers can teach how to be giving.
Here are seven easy tips:
- Volunteer at a community center.
- Perhaps there is a soup kitchen, homeless shelter or women’s shelter that would welcome your help.
- Be sure it is okay to bring your kids. Also you will need to discern if your kids are mature enough to be a help instead of a distraction.
- Find a service that gives gifts to those less fortunate. Two great ones are:
- Have your children participate in gift giving for relatives. The family can brainstorm what a grandparent, aunt or uncle wants. It doesn’t have to be store-bought. A homemade ornament can be just as meaningful if there is some thought put into it. (try to get beyond gift cards. It’s just too easy to grab a handful of these guys. Wrapped hamburgers also aren’t a good idea!)
- Have the family make and decorate Christmas cookies for the neighbors. The kids can decorate Christmas cookies with icing. The kids can also help deliver the gifts door-to-door.
- Team together with a family or with your church to sing Christmas carols door-to-door. Your church or religious institution probably has a list of elderly members that would love to hear some Christmas cheer.
- Attend a church service to remind everyone the reason for Christmas. Many churches have a Christmas Eve service.
- Read the Christmas story from Luke 2:1-20.
- Talk about what the stable would have looked and smelled like.
- Why would the king of the world choose to come to earth in such a humble way?
- What would Mary and Joseph have felt when all these events occurred?
Try some of these techniques to get the focus off of the gift-getting and onto being generous.
