The night sky was filled with a great light and the shepherds were filled with fear at the sight. OK, so I'm not a poet, or at least not a good one, but Christmas sentiments often include clever phrases or poetic verses and sometimes they work well, and other times can leave us flat.

This year, at least for me, is not a year that I need to hear rhymes or cute cliches. This year has been tough on all of us and what we need is substance. We need something real that can give us hope. We need something we can grasp and cling to. Imagine that! We need exactly what God gives us at Christmas and all year. We need His presence.

Christmas is the celebration of God becoming a real human being as Jesus is born in Bethlehem. As the Apostle John wrote, "The Word became flesh"! 

While the angels' presence in that night sky over the shepherds initially cause them fear, the message they declared was of peace and then direction that led them to Jesus where they discovered joy beyond words. I pray that this Christmas you too will be blessed with peace beyond your understanding and joy that can't be contained in words!

Merry Christmas! Pastor Mark