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Message meaningful beyond Christmas
Published 6:00am Sunday, December 27, 2009Christmas Day has once again come and gone in what may have seemed like the blink of an eye.
The presents have been unwrapped, the food has been devoured and Christmas Day church services commenced hours and hours ago.
Though it will be another year before the celebrations roll back around, it doesn’t mean there’s a reason to forget the true meaning of Christmas, according to local pastors.
“The good news should be ours and the joy of Christmas should be ours throughout the year,” said Pastor Saul Stensvaag of First Lutheran Church.
For Pastor Steve Hoffman of the Church of the Nazarene, a Christmas message that should be kept in hearts throughout the year is the power of God’s grace.
“Christmas is just a reminder,” Hoffman said. “It was Christmas when God reintroduced grace into the world through Jesus.”
According to Pastor Bob Kandels of Grace United Methodist Church, celebrating Christmas one day of the year doesn’t allow one to experience the real miracle of Christ’s birth.
“You sell yourself short unless you choose to celebrate it everyday,” Kandels said. “If you really want to celebrate Christ at Christmas, you should choose to celebrate the glory of Salvation every single day.”
It’s that salvation through Jesus Christ that is promised, not only on Christmas Day, but every day, according to Pastor Dan Mueller of Hilltop Celebration Church.
“(The Bible) says that He was born to save us for our sins,” Mueller said. “Each day we can go to Jesus and have our sins forgiven, and each day we can have conversation and relationships with God because Jesus did away with our sins.”
According to Mueller, that’s a Christmas present that can’t be beat.
“That’s the gift that keeps on giving, the gift of Jesus for Christmas,” he said.
Showing love toward one another is largely a part of the Christmas season. Stories of charitable acts are heard a little more often, and people, in general, are more prone to show kindness to those around them.
“Because of God’s grace, He gives us what we don’t deserve, which is life, peace and joy,” Hoffman said. “And he asks us to have that same sort of grace toward one another.”
After all, love isn’t always important on one day of the year.
“We need it everyday,” Stensvaag said.
