Every year the church tries to break through the frenzy of the Christmas season with a plea to remember the significance of the season, to let Advent be a time for rekindling connection to the one whose birth we celebrate. The one we celebrate was not just a sweet baby nestled in a manger surrounded by adoring shepherds, magi, and gentle animals as our nativities suggest. He was the one who shook up the religious establishment, demanded absolute love for God and radical commitment to the community, with special consideration for the poor, the stranger, the weak, and the needy.

So what is the appropriate way to celebrate such a one? By buying lavish gifts for people who already have everything they need and more? By letting ourselves be convinced by clever advertising that we “need” the newest gadget or yet another coat? I don’t think so. But we are vulnerable to the Christmas commercial machine. At least I am.

To protect ourselves against the greed vs. need of the season, we need to make a plan to help us navigate safely through the days ahead. Taking time for devotional reading, silent reflection, and prayer is an absolute must. Several people, including your church staff, will be reading The Uncluttered Heart by Beth Richardson.

Again this year we will have a Christmas Miracle offering. The primary purpose of the Christmas Miracle is to help us reassess how we celebrate Jesus’ birth, to evaluate our spending against the values of God as revealed in the life and teachings of Jesus, and then to give gifts that appropriately honor Jesus.

This year the Miracle offering will go to support a local ministry very dear to Belmont, funding math and reading labs for the Brighter Days Tutoring Program at Edgehill UMC. In addition to contributing money to the offering you might also consider volunteering as a tutor. Education is a gift that can help lift a child out of poverty and enable the development of God-given abilities. Additional funds will go toward a dollar-for-dollar matching grant that Edgehill has secured for the purchase of the two red houses adjacent to the church, which will house ministries in the community.

When I left East St. Louis in 1972, I searched for a church that cared about people who were poor and neglected. There weren’t many during that time. It was at Edgehill that I found a community of people who were committed to following Jesus in real and serious ways. It was there that my relationship with the church was restored, and it was from Edgehill that I entered the ordained ministry. Belmont’s partnership with Edgehill gives us enormous opportunity to serve our local community in ways that can make a real difference.

 

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