Don’t Let Christmas Pass You By

The hardest transition I’ve had these past six months with baby number 2 has been the scheduling. I feel I count all time in terms of how it relates to my children’s sleep habits. How long has Denali been down for a nap? How long do we have until Bryce wakes up again to eat? Why are they waking up SO EARLY this morning?! Literally, our whole week seems punctuated by the sleep patterns of two little ones. I find myself scheduling things based on whether or not they are sleeping, about to sleep, or about to wake up…and my wife and I walk around in a haze.

That’s the best comparison I can offer about Advent and the Christmas season. I find myself planning my life around how many days we are from Christmas, what we will do on Christmas, and what happens immediately following Christmas. The season feels extremely rushed and moving at such a rapid pace toward something that we just don’t have time to slow down and live in the moment. I inwardly laugh each time I hear someone make the same cliché statement: “Can you believe it’s (insert date) already? Why, the time is just flying! Christmas is only (insert number) days away!”

I think it is a cultural and societal tragedy that we do not seem to live in the moment. We are always moving to the next date, the next activity, the next game, the next holiday, the next job, the next everything. Rarely do we sit in the moment and really appreciate what is happening around us at that very time. We spend so much time each year gearing up for Christmas without really stopping to appreciate what the season means while it is happening. It’s like the couple who plan their wedding for months and months, only to see the day go by so quickly as they forget to really experience what is going on around them during the blessed day.

Please take the time this Christmas or Christmas Eve to stop and join with a community to remember what we are building up toward this time of year. Worship with your friends and family together and in the moment. Church in the Hills is again offering a late night service at 11:00 pm on Christmas Eve that we’d love for you to attend. In any event, we hope you go somewhere this time of year to stop, give thanks, and be united with the community around you in faith, hope, and love. Live in the moment and experience Christmas anew.

Snow, snow, and more snow

We're buried up here on the hill and I absolutely love it.

It's such a wonderful feeling to experience the change in the seasons and the newness a fresh coat (or fresh two feet) of powdery snow brings to a place.

This morning in the sermon preview bible study group, we discussed the significance of names in scripture and how we seem to have lost this concept in our society. Don't get me wrong, we certainly take time in selecting names for our children and pets, but we don't seem to name them with the meaning of the name in mind as much as how the name sounds, who else has/had the name, and if the child will get made fun of in school for having it.

I love the name of our congregation: Church in the Hills. It's not the same as First Church of this or that and it doesn't just remember St. Andrew or any other Christian hero. The name says something about this place and who we are.

We are God's people, worshipping and fellowshipping together, in the hills of Antrim County. We are a community located in a particular place for a particular reason. There is an excitement in recognizing who we are and claiming it through our name.

What does your name mean? Why are you named what you are named?