Thanksgiving week is drawing to a close.  One can hope that all of us had a very good week to celebrate with family and friends.  Mine included more than a few miles of driving around my part of Texas.  It was still good to see my favorite daughter for a few days.  Our shrimp boil went wonderful with all of us being full by the end.  A main benefit to doing this is a lack of cleaning up afterward.  You really do not need more than two or three pots so there is no major mess.  Everything can be thrown into trash bags for easy disposal.  We took less than two hours from the beginning of the boil until the final cleanup.  Even the first pilgrims took longer than that for their first holiday. 

Now most of us will turn our attention to Christmas.  We really cannot escape the big day no matter how hard we try.  Commercials began playing after Labor Day around here.  Most holiday catalogs arrive right about Halloween time.  Decorations still need hanging around the house.  My son is very much in a hurry to complete this.  Looks like my job tomorrow is to dig out the big tree along with its lights and such.  I adopted a puppy about three weeks ago.  This means another chore for me is to guard the tree from her.  It is amazing just how much work goes into enjoying our efforts.  My goal for every year to to really take in all of the sights and sounds of the season.  It feels as if my plans fall short each time.  Perhaps this year will be better with getting into the spirit of it all.

Part of our thesis this morning is that we can be so overwhelmed in getting ready for the holiday that we neglect being ready for Jesus.  Christmas becomes more exhausting than anything else.  Our scripture text related more the the second coming than the first Christmas.  We often need a reminder of the big picture of what this holiday is all about.  Celebrating a baby is at the center of the day but this child will grow up to become Lord of all.  God's power is on display in the manger that night but it did not end there.  His glory will be revealed in His return but it continues on now.  To remember that the holiday is more than pretty lights and songs is essential.  So much of what we will do over the next few weeks seems directed at escaping reality.  God involves Himself in the present tense of our existence no matter how good or bad it is.

Our lives become so isolated that we forget God is not just past or future tense.  He is longing to engage our current condition.  The return of Jesus is to unveil just how powerful He is now.  He will overcome sin and evil to show His lordship.  This is what He wishes to do right now.  God will take on our darkest areas to declare His grace and mercy.  We just need to allow Him to do that.  Seems amazing to me that we celebrate the birth of Jesus with great fanfare.  Then we sing or talk about the return of Jesus with passion beyond measure.  But we then surrender our present tense to circumstance.  Do we just forget who God is right now?  Maybe we will recover that sense of awe with our Lord this season.  This is my prayer for all of us for the next few weeks.

Bro. Trey