Pastor's Devotions by Tim Harris

I can still remember what it was like as a child waiting for Christmas to arrive. The anticipation was, at times, almost unbearable.   It would begin with the Sears catalogue arriving at our home. My siblings and I would go through the toy section and begin to circle those items that we were hoping we would find under the Christmas tree.   The Christmas decorations would begin to come out and be put around the house. The tree would go up. Soon the whole house began to feel like Christmas—which only increased the sense of anticipation I felt inside.      Christmas Eve was always a tough one. I remember going to bed and hearing my parents downstairs rustling wrapping paper, going up and down the basement steps, and doing all the things parents do to set things up for Christmas morning. When Christmas morning came, we (that is, my siblings and I) always woke up much too early, often having to wait a bit before going downstairs to the tree.   Finally permi...

At this point in the month of December, the Christmas season is obviously in high gear.   The Christmas cards are coming and being sent. The gifts are being bought and wrapped. Dinner plans are being made. Churches and homes are being decorated. Choirs are practicing. Offices are having their parties.   People scurry here and there trying to squeeze Christmas into whatever time they may have left at the end of their workday.   Yes, it’s Christmas in high gear!   As many of you know, I love the Christmas season.   I love putting up the tree and decorating the house. I love listening to Christmas music. I even enjoy some of the shopping. But, I know from experience that if we are not careful, when Christmas gets into high gear, we can get so caught up in all the stuff we need to do for Christmas that we can easily neglect the reason why we are doing it. We can spend so much time, energy, and thought on our Christmas lists, to do lists, and menus that we lose ...

This past week, for the first time in quite a number of years I caught the last part of Charles Shultz’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”   It was amazing to see how a Christmas special that I grew up with is still airing each year. More than that, it was incredible to realize how the message of that simple story, with its very simple animation, is still so applicable today.   The story is about Charlie Brown’s search for the real meaning of Christmas. Throughout it, he is trying to get past the commercialism of Christmas as symbolized by a lot filled with aluminum pre-lit Christmas trees. The tree of his choosing was what we have come to call, “A Charlie Brown Tree”—i.e. a little, natural, almost barren and sickly looking tree.   Although everyone initially laughs at Charlie Brown for his choice of trees, the real meaning of Christmas comes out as Linus quotes the Gospel of Luke account of the nativity story and eventually Charlie’s little tree is decorated and becomes ...

It’s the day before Thanksgiving and all through the house, not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse…actually it is kind of quiet here at our home, at least for the moment. Kim is at work for the first half of the day. The two college students who’ve come home for the weekend, are still in bed, maybe just beginning to wake up. I’ve been at my computer studying and preparing for the weekend. And, it’s pretty grey and rainy outside. Oh, the dog has been sleeping all morning, as well (but she usually does!).   It’s the day before Thanksgiving! That means the roads will be filled with cars trying to get to their next destination and the airports will be filled with passengers waiting to board their planes. The supermarkets are full of Turkeys and stuffing and cranberry sauce—all of it quickly flying off the shelves—and, filled with people pushing their carts, getting all their last minute items, and standing on long lines.   It’s the day before Thanksgiving so, people...