We invite you to begin this holiday season with some child-like wonder through the magic of Christmas stories. We will not only look at the birth accounts of the Savior, but at the whole of our story; from even before Genesis through to Revelation. And we will do so spring boarding off the famous story written in 1843 by Charles Dickens called, A Christmas Carol.

A Christmas Carol begins with a death and forces the main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, to evaluate his life. As a part of this journey, Scrooge is given an odd gift; he’s able to explore his past, present, and future. He’s able to remember what happened to him as a child and how it shaped him. Then he gets to see his present with a view of who he has become; a crotchety old man who cares about little else than making a profit. Along the way, however, it seems that this crotchety old man wants to be something more, do something more, but what? How? Finally, Scrooge gets the opportunity to see what his future will be should he continue down his current life path. When he wakes up from this dream, he is convinced; he must change. He chooses to be different. You might even say, he repents and becomes a new creation, one who celebrates the joy of Christmas by taking care of others.

In a similar fashion, we will look at the thread of the Christ story, and our story, by looking all the way back to Christmas Past, before the foundations of the world. Then, we will look to Christmas Present, exploring where the choices of His creation led the God of creation. Then, should we choose to believe in this magical and wonder-filled story of Christmas, we can then peak into our Christmas future, a future secured by what God has done for us. There, we will see what this God of love and grace has in store for us all.

May the telling and reimagining of this story, the Christmas story, bring much needed light into every corner of our world today. I look forward to the journey, and to spending Christmas…together!