I have always loved the Christmas season. It is an incredibly busy time of year in the church, but all of it is a joy for me to take part in. I love the concerts, the children’s musicals, the decorations, and the traditional Christmas songs. Perhaps most of all, I love Christmas Eve. It is a special moment with incredible memories for me that date back to my childhood.
My father and mother raised my brother and me in the church – specifically the First United Methodist Church in Houston, Texas. On Christmas Eve we would go as a family to the late service and join together with all of my friends and theirs to sing the traditional carols, hear the Christmas message, and then end with the lighting of our candles and the singing of Silent Night. Then we would go home and no matter how late it was, we would eat barbecue and chocolate pie. Every year would be the same menu and we have kept that tradition over the years – now it is Marsha who has the barbecue and chocolate pie ready for the family on Christmas Eve.
The taste of those foods connects me to my parents who are now in the Kingdom Eternal, to my brother, to the church of my childhood, to St. Luke’s, to my wife, children, grandchildren, and to God. The journey I take to Bethlehem includes barbecue and chocolate pie!
In addition to the tradition of what we eat on Christmas Eve, we also have several other traditions. Certain ornaments on our tree have special memories attached to them, setting out our Nativity Set on our mantle, and fully enjoying the Christmas carols each Sunday morning – all bring me closer to the meaning of the baby born in Bethlehem.
Each day of this Advent season I will prepare my heart and take one step closer to the birth of Christ. I will begin each day in prayer and devotion and I will fully celebrate all the traditions that are so meaningful to me. Let us all draw ever closer to Bethlehem and the birth of the One through whom we find life, meaning, and joy.
Dr. Bob Long, Senior Pastor
