Returning To The Simple Christmas

Hello Church,

2020 is soon to be here.  With the new year, I have dreams and expectations.  I hope you have them too.

As such, I've been thinking how to connect with people.  Specifically, how can the church continue to connect with people.  In my opinion, this should be top priority of any church function.  Human-to-human connections is the pathway to leading people to God.  No one is going to listen to you about your Faith if they don't feel a connection to you......  don't know you or trust you.

In order for me to think this through, I need to push to the side other matters of the church.  Administrative functions, problem-solving dilemmas, secretarial work, preaching to the choir and appeasing the masses are some of the things I also involve myself in, good or bad.  These matters are not always insignificant distractions, but ultimately I seem to find myself immersed in them..... forgetting what I set out to think through to begin with.

And then on some random day I wake up and realize that for the past many days or weeks or even months I have failed to think about my initial task.... to help the church connect with people. 

This problem for me, ironically, seems to be at its height during high church holidays.... like Christmas and Easter.  I also realize that this problem is not isolated to clergy.  Other church leaders and congregants participate in the same problem.  However, I seem to identify it more regularly over the past 18 months or so. 

I want to introduce people to people.  I want to find people and establish a relationship of trust and confidence.  I want us, as a group, to find other groups to collaborate with.  I believe is is in such relationships that God makes Himself most obviously known.  There are days when I just want to love one another without having to fill out a form or have a meeting or check the calendar or update the budget or ..... well... I hope you get it.

So it is that I appreciate the manger scene.  Nothing complicated.  Just love.

I hope your Christmas is not complicated.  I hope you are connected to many who love you back.  I hope this next week will be merry.

God is Good,
Pastor Joe