I can’t believe it is December already! Seriously, my daughter, who is only 9, just said the other day, it seems like time goes by “in like two seconds.” AKA super fast! And it certainly seems that way, but I bet last year at this time we were saying the exact same thing. The funny thing about time is it doesn’t go by fast or slow, it moves at exactly the same pace. We are the ones who have put a system of measurement in place to track time, to live by time or to feel like a prisoner to time. Which one is it for you? Do you use time to your advantage, or does time hold you captive?

This month, we will once again witness to and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. God, who seemed so far away, made God’s self personal and known to us. Through Jesus Christ, we learn about the love of God and how God intended us to live in harmony with one another and with God. We honor God’s intent by seeking to do just that. We live in harmony with our siblings by using our time not just for our own gain but to serve others and help them make the most of the time they have. This Christmas, we recognize time is not ours alone, but we are all in this together. Therefore, we go out and buy toys to give to parents and caregivers so they don’t spend their time worrying about how to provide a fun Christmas for their kids that they can’t afford. We take tags from a tree to provide care to kids who might not be with their families this year. Now those kids get a little break from spending their time lamenting the unfair life situation they are in. We buy mittens and hats, so people don’t have to spend their time freezing. We collect and distribute food through a variety of different resources, so people don’t have to spend their time hungry. We decorate, we sing, we worship, we ring bells, we put on plays, we connect with members of our community so that we can create a space of time that is joy-filled and inspiring for us to go and make the best out of the rest of the time that we have. We connect with children and youth so that we can give them a chance to understand the value of time and how to spend it. When we spend time in harmony with God, our witness provides many avenues for God’s love to touch people’s lives.

Thank you for all the time you have given this year. We have no idea the full extent of the way it has freed others to do good things with their time. We trust in God to use all of it for God’s glory. In Jesus‘s name, have a very merry Christmas time! Amen!

From one light to another,
Pastor Hannah Loughman