I love the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. It was on a Thanksgiving weekend that Janie and I were married 46 years ago, November 29, 1975. I was still in college and I had to ask off of my job as a grader for Dr. Carpenter. He thought a weekend honeymoon was long enough and suggested I not be gone for the week. And so ended my career as a Garrett Fellow grading for Dr. Carpenter! LOL. I think the trade off was so worth it. Can you guess where we went for our honeymoon? Yep, Disney World. We might not have been back every year for our anniversary, but we have been back for most of them. We feel kind of obligated to make sure Mickey has enough money to stay open for the next generations.
The day we came back from our honeymoon was the very day I was supposed to start my first staff position as Student Pastor at Edgewood Baptist Church in Walterboro. That was a great group of people who took Janie and me under their wings and helped us to succeed in mission and ministry. I finished my last two years at Baptist College, now Charleston Southern University, and then moved on to seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.
So, when I think of this time of the year, I have wonderful fond memories of how our little family got started. I have a lot to be thankful for and even more that causes me to praise God. I know not everyone is in a festive mood during the holidays. My prayer is that you will be comforted and strengthened; that you will find moments of rest and peace that allow you to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus. The birth of Christ was far less than a picture perfect fairy tale. He was born in a barn, sought by King Herod to be assassinated, had to flee as a refugee to a nearby country, etc. Yet, he carried on in obedience to His Father and for the love of broken people.
Our advent theme this year is “Celebrate Jesus”. Pure, simple, to the point…celebrate Jesus in worship, in daily living, in gifts to the poor and under-served…Celebrate Jesus. He has been tempted in all things as we have yet he was without sin and, by God’s grace, pushed on through the horrible start to find meaning and purpose. I pray we can all do the same. Knowing this is a hard time for some, I still say to you from the bottom of my heart…Merry Christmas. May His presence be so real to you it overshadows and overpowers the hurt and heartaches of life.
Celebrate Jesus,
Pastor Tom
