The Last Sunday of 2010

In the British Commonwealth, today is Boxing Day. It is a secular holiday that follows Christmas Day. No one seems to know the exact origin of the title (according to this article) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing_day but it generally seems to serve as a day of goodwill and alms giving. Not a bad idea, but those virtues really should be practiced 365 days per year.

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The Christmas rush is over (except for the gift exchange forays to the mall).

Now it is the day after Christmas, and the beginning of the strangest week of the year. The week between Christmas and New Years Day always seems to be somewhat of a limbo week. It begins with the wind down from Christmas, and ends with the celebration of a new year on the calendar. In between are the days of Christmas break for the school kids, and for some of the adults who save that last week of the year to use up their remaining vacation time. Toward the end of the week Christmas decorations will begin to come down and be packed away again in basements and attics, waiting to come out again around Thanksgiving time of next year. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.

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It was a difficult one for one of the families of our church, as their husband and father collapsed and died suddenly and unexpectedly as he was preparing to have Christmas dinner at his son's house. I got the call from the Cabell Huntington Hospital Chaplain about 3:00 PM on Christmas day, and immediately headed up I64 to be with the grief stricken family.

The whole episode brought back a flood of memories from seven years ago, when my wife's dear mother suddenly passed away on Christmas eve. Christmas has never been the same for our family since then, and I know that will also be the case for the Thacker family, as well as others who unfortunately have found themselves in the same situation.

The staff of the ER at the hospital were wonderfully kind and thoughtful to the family to whom I ministered. I am thankful for the dedicated health care professionals who sacrificed their Christmas day to be there for others in their time of need, and to deliver the precious babies who make their appearance on major holidays.

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This is the last Sunday of 2010. Sorry for the cliche', but where has the time gone? It has been an eventful year at Westmoreland Baptist Church, with the September - December segment absolutely packed with activities. We have ratified a new constitution, which basically simplifies and redefines our Mission and our organizational structure. We have called a new youth pastor. We have lost several members due to death, and have gained several others - including a number of younger members, which is always encouraging.

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Our final morning worship service for the year will be held this morning. I will be continuing my series of messages from John 1:1-18 as we explore more deeply, just exactly WHO Jesus is. This morning we will be looking at verses 4&5, and will focus on Jesus as the Life Giver and the Light Bearer. Praying that God will be pleased with our worship of Him today.