Peace be with you, my friends.
The mind is a powerful entity. The way we think ultimately shapes how we behave and interact within the world. It shapes how we interact with people. It shapes how we interact with things. It shapes how we interact with ourselves. It happens to us in subtle ways. For example, I think cats are better than dogs. As a result, without even recognizing it, I tend to give more attention to my cat than my dogs. It can also happen in significant ways, which have major effects on your life and those around you. For example, the way I think about politics and those who run for office will ultimately affect how I vote, and how I approach the system of politics in the world. This, in turn, has major consequences for me, my family, and those around me. If I vote to raise taxes, that might bring about a consequence against my “bottom line.” On the other hand, if I vote to lower taxes, that might lead to less funds and resources being granted to social programs that could help me or others. In both cases, whichever I decide, it will have major consequences toward my life and the life of others.
The same can be said about religion. How you think about religion will affect how you interact with the world in a deeply fundamental way. Since I am a Christian, I seek to orientate my life according to the tenants and Dogma of the Christian faith. Since I am a United Methodist, I also orientate my life according to its doctrine. On the other hand, if I were an Atheist, then I would orientate my life according to the tenants and dogma of Atheism.
Moreover, how we think about God will shape how we interact with God. For example, if we view God as a task master, we will interact with God as a taskmaster. Give it a try. Ask yourself: “how do I think about God?” Write out the first three answers that come to your mind. Those answers, generally speaking, reflect how you approach God and interact with God.
This state of being affects us everyday, including throughout the season of Advent and Christmas. How we think about God will affect how we interpret and understand the Birth Narrative of Jesus Christ. How we think about Christ will affect how we approach Him on Christmas morn. This is why having a proper understanding of the Incarnation is so vitally important during Christmas. For it will, indeed, affect and shape how you approach Christmas.
You can prepare for our Sunday morning Worship service, Dec. 24, 2023, by reading Luke 2:1-14.
As always, if you are unable to attend, you can livestream our service right here at 11am.
You can also livestream it from our website! www.dansvilleumc.org
And do not forget! We will be having a Christmas Eve service, in which you can attend. It starts at 11pm. We will have the Holy Eucharist, partake in the service of the Lights ceremony, sing Christmas Eve songs, and I will be preaching on how the Incarnation reveals to us who is important in the Kingdom of God.
Then, the day after, make sure to attend our Christmas Day service at 10am! As I always state, what better way to celebrate Christmas Day than to worship and celebrate the One to whom the day centers! We will be partaking in the Holy Eucharist, singing Christmas songs, and I will be preaching on how the Incarnation gives us a word to speak.
I hope to see you at all of these services.
With compassion, love, and prayer,
Pastor Michael
