I'm sitting at my desk listening to some of my favorite music in my iTunes library, Christmas music. I'll admit, I listen to it all year long whenever I feel the mood come on. I should also admit that at this moment I'm not listening to the nice religious Christmas music...Ella is bellowing out "Good Morning Blues". Please don't hold that against me.
However, as I was listening to Ella sing, (I do have sacred music in the lineup, that I listened to earlier) the message topic for the past few Sundays came to mind - "GRACE". Our Bishop has been preaching on Grace since November 20, and other of our ministers have tried piggyback on the topic. I have to say, what better time to speak on such a topic than during the holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The story of Grace is best understood through the "Christmas story". And if I may add, when people use "X" instead of "Christ" it feels like they have played into the intention of the devil to totally X God's love out of the greatest story ever told. Without CHRIST in Christmas, GRACE becomes silent...we could even say absent.
So when I hear my Christmas music, whether secular or sacred, I can't help but know that without Christ there would never be a Christmas. Without Christ, grace would be the hardest thing to comprehend. It just would never add up in our minds. How would we relate Grace? What proof would we have that it exist?
If it were not for Christ, the fat dud in the red suit would never get any play time, the snow man would never grace Christmas cards, and that little famous reindeer would have never made it to our tvs each year. While Santa is supposed to be the guy who gives gifts every year, teaching our kids that they never have to thank their parents, it is Christ's life that has given the gift that keeps on giving. Thank God for His grace!
So even while Ella sings Merry Christmas to me, I can hear a more beautiful song playing...a song about God's grace.
Assistant Pastor, Mel Perry
