By Pastor Mike McVey

One of the things our local newspapers do this time of year is post the various Christmas wishes of our community’s children.  Their simple letters to Santa Claus tell a story as old as childhood itself.  They ask for the latest gadgets and technology, but also the same old staples, like toy trucks, baby dolls, and board games.  These letters offer us a glimpse into the minds of these small souls and help us understand their hopes for the Holiday Season. How we may long for the childhood experience of unwrapping the most desired Christmas gift.  Perhaps we remember the days of circling items in the Macy’s or Sears, Roebuck Catalogues.  Or the shaking of a package to hear the telltale sound of a LEGO or Erector Set.  So many of us can look back on childhoods of blessed abundance and appreciate these letters and the wishes they contain.

But in a few of those letters, there are simpler requests that make one’s heart ponder the child’s situation.  A few wish for things like new socks, a warm coat, or a Christmas meal.  It brings to mind that for many in our community, this is a season of want rather than a season of plenty.  We can become so carried away with our personal fulfillment that we miss the reality of need all around us.  It is only a few feet from our front doors; it walks our streets; it sits in our pews; it attends our schools; it is the ever-present need for love and care.

On a night in Judea, a desperate woman and her husband looked for a simple place of refuge.  Just some humble location where she could bring her child into the world.  Many that night shut their doors upon this couple of questionable reputation; for some, they ignored them altogether.  But one person was willing to open the door of their heart and provide a humble place, even if it were just a manger, for the child to be welcomed into the world.

Perhaps it is not prudent for us to ask what it is we WANT for Christmas.  Perhaps, it is more necessary to ask, what does God WANT FROM US, this Christmastide?  We should prayerfully ask God how we may intervene in the lives of others as witnesses of Christ’s triumphal entry into our world.  The Lord will not neglect our question or request for intervention.  We will see the needs all around us, hear them in the ringing of bells around a red kettle, in the missions of our local churches, and in the various calls for food and clothing donations.  If we open ourselves to others’ plight, God will illuminate their needs.

My brothers and sisters of Christ, may we ask of our Lord what he wants from us this Christmas season.  Then may we respond with zeal and spirit to the illuminated answer that God gives us.  He sent his son into the world to save humanity from its sinfulness.  May he now send us into this world to share a glimpse of what the Kingdom of God truly is.

Go and Be the Blessing this Week!

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Pastor Mike McVey
Minister – First United Methodist Church, Fairfield, TX
ACS Chaplain – United States Coast Guard, Station Galveston, TX
Cell:  919-935-2513
Email:  pastormike@fumcfairfield.org

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Matthew 28:19-20

“Semper Paratus” – Always Ready