by Rev Robert A Wendel
“Pray about everything. You will experience Christ’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.” Philippians 4:6-7 (The Living Bible)
O how I love Christmas mail! Familiar names, often with updated photos. Many dear familiar faces come to mind, coming from faraway places, each stirring up memories stretched over a lifetime.
Each year it’s so nice to respond to friends who remembered me and then to put their cards on my mantle. It’s a pleasant surprise to realize how many places I’ve been and the friends I have made. I must admit, however, that the annual effort of mailing Christmas cards becomes more of a burden as the US postage rates continue to rise. I guess that such an effort serves to remind me of the tracks my life has taken over the years. The cards also remind me of the blessings I have exchanged with family and friends as time has passed. It’s not for me to know what the recipients of my cards think of me, only that “the tie that binds” still exists between the two of us.
Everybody knows that the Advent season has two parts: the spiritual and the secular. Ever since we observe the events of the secular side of Christmas, it’s hard to realize that the reason for the season is really the birth of Christ and not the merriment we try to squeeze into the holiday.
“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know, where the treetops glisten and children listen to hear sleigh bells in the snow. . . . “ Irving Berlin