Genesis

1 - I know you were talking probably about making sure that our heart was in the right place in "service" particularly to those in need but it's been buzzin about in my ear a different way. I really have been overwhelmed by work and people this week. Truthfully, I'm crabby and really am dreading the work in my in-box and these words echoed around my head these past few days I've wondered if what's been missing from the center of my workplace has been the right grounding of my faith in every action. When it's the 9-5 thing I'm getting paid to do - where's the faith? I know there's a difference between works and work but really serving each other is probably just as much of witness?

If all you have is faith and you don't do anything with it, is that faith expected to grow? Why have faith if you aren't going to do anything with it? (Comment this)

2 - Only a few weeks until Christmas. Guess what, it's going to come whether I am ready or not. I was raised in a home where we were showered with gifts on Christmas, birthdays, Valentine's, Easter, whatever the holiday, we received a ton of candy, gifts, whatever.

BUT I was never really told why we celebrated the holidays or what they meant, other than the superficial it's Christmas so we need to go to church. At Easter, we hunt for eggs, eat candy, go to church. But the real, deep, true meaning of these days was not passed on to me.

I am trying to break that cycle. But honestly, when it comes to toning down the presents aspect of Christmas I have a hard time. I was raised with the understanding that if you received lots of gifts, you were loved alot. But I am finding that to be just the opposite.

We celebrate Christmas with "Santa" gifts, but Santa only brings two gifts to the kids - and I try to make them smaller gifts. Then, when the truth comes out about Santa, it doesn't take away the meaning of Christmas.

One thing we do on Christmas is to bake Jesus a birthday cake. After we open our presents, we sing happy birthday to Jesus and sit down and have cake for breakfast.

Another tradition that is newer is the manger set we put out. Instead of putting the baby Jesus in the manger, He is under the tree. On Christmas morning, He is taken out from under the tree and put in the manger.

Keep it simple. The perfect gift was already given. How can you top that???? (Comment this)

3 - What a cool idea to bake a birthday cake and I like the idea of the manger set - we always just put Jesus in the manger but the whole idea that he's a gift from God and that he get's placed in the manger on Christmas day is very cool.

For about 15 years I had the responsiblity at my parent's church to read all of the readings during the church services on Christmas Eve and to this day I try and read those same verses from Luke several times approaching christmas. Even when linus says the verses in the Charlie Brown Christmas Special it sort of keeps the wonder of it all.

It is easy to get focused on tradition and not the true words though. Last Christmas my parent's church received a new pastor. For at least 30 years we have been using the same litergy, singing the same carols, in the same order and he decided to change the service up a bit. Different arrangements on the carols, a different version of the reading from Luke, a sort of fire and brimstone sermon and all I heard many leaving the church (including my own family) saying was that it just didn't seem like Christmas - which was slightly ridiculous but surely illustrated the point of worship and celebration for the birth of Jesus had for most, just relied on the tradition and instead of focusing on that service's worship and celebration many were caught up in the lack of tradition instead of the simple celebration. (Comment this)