When Christmas draws near, I feel in my heart a great joy. But I must confess that, at the same time, there is something that is sad. I can think of no other time in the year when I am aware of such a strange mingling of happiness and sadness.

This surely must be because Christmas touches our emotions at their most sensitive level--remembrances of one’s own life at various stages, or of friends and family members long since departed. I suspect you understand what I am trying to say, for you, no doubt, have felt this same way.

I recall the Christmas of my childhood, with its beautifully decorated house and tree, the wonderful scent of cookies, pies, and sweet rolls.

Best of all was Christmas morning, when I hurried down the stairs to wake Mom and Dad, and we would open gifts. I also remember most vividly the Christmas Eve candle light services at St. Paul’s Evangelical and Reformed Church.

As great as this all was, I remember the fun that came earlier during Advent with all the traditional preparations going on. It was during those days that my mom and grandmother made all those cookies, pies and sweet rolls.

The kitchen was always the center of activity at our home, but all the more before Christmas. Many friends and family members regularly came by, and the goodies came out and the coffee went on!

The sweet rolls were a special part of every holiday season. They were Grandma Drewer’s specialty! The fact is that my dad and I would eat them HOT out of the oven. And it was very difficult to get one out and eat it without getting caught. There was always a trail of sweet drippings on the counter and floor, every where I went.

Thinking back to the Christmas sweet rolls, it occurred to me that it would be a better world if somehow we could be like sweet rolls, leaving a trail of flavorful joy and fragrance behind us. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone who had contact with us felt a little happier because their lives had touched ours? What a beautiful gift this would be to bring to a world in which there is so much bitterness, animosity, rancor, and violence.

When some people walk into a room, they seem to light a candle. Others blow it out. Some have a difficulty for every solution. They see only the hole in the doughnut.

The dominating theme of the New Testament and the lives of Jesus and Paul is joy. Indeed, the very meaning of “gospel” is “Good News.”

Angels who proclaimed good tidings of great joy heralded the birth of Jesus. Jesus’ first public appearance was at a wedding where he made the guest happy.

Nothing impedes the expansion of Christianity as much as a dull, lifeless representation of it. Nothing is more attractive and inviting than a Christian who makes their religion a joy--one who serves the Lord with gladness.

Pastor Tom

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