Driving Home Christmas Eve...

I know that for those who have been pastors for a long time, Christmas may seem like a lot of work. There are so many extra services and pastoral care issues. You don't get to take time off like everyone else. You have to lead the worship services where everyone else celebrates.

Well... it has been a bit of a different experience for me. It is only my first year as a senior pastor. It is a small church. There have certainly been a fair share of pastoral care issues. But we have less services than normal. Most people are out of town. But that is not why it has been a different experience. It is simply the fact that I have had to lead worship... and so I have had to focus continually on the spiritual aspects of the season. And the fact that I chose to step out of my normal Christmas routine and found myself embraced by a new church family as well as my old one.

So, instead of a reflection, this is a thank you. A thank you to my church and to God for shaking things up a bit this year. God tends to do that, doesn't God?