Greetings, brothers and sisters in Christ and children of God,

I trust everyone had a great celebration of the birth of Christ. Sometimes there is sadness when Christmas ends, and sometimes there is relief. Elmo, from Sesame Street, once had a Christmas special, in which Elmo wanted Christmas every day. However, when his wish came true, he began to feel like it was too much, and it became boring to him. It was like a Twilight Zone of Groundhog Day. The same thing over and over. Of course, Elmo was not focused on Christ, and He is the true meaning behind Christmas.

The word Christmas comes from “Cristes maesse”, which means “Christ’s Mass”. The word “Mass” comes from the Latin word “Missa” or “Missio”, which means dismissal and is used in the phrase “Ite, Missa est”, that translates to “Go, it is the dismissal”. Mass signifies the sending of the congregation. However, the word “missio”, through the years, has been interpreted as “mission”. Therefore, in short, the word “Christmas” is Christ’s mission and we are dismissed to go and fulfill the mission by sharing the life, love, and the Word of Christ to all we know and meet.

The relationship with God began with Adam, but was broken by sin. God loved the world so much (John 3:16) that He made a way to restore the relationship through the sacrifice of man, who was more than a man. He was also God in the flesh and through Him could restore life, as we read in the Gospels about Christ’s death and resurrection.

Adam may have been the start of the relationship, but the birth of Christ was the start of His mission to restore what man had broken. It is the obedience of Christians who believe in the mission of Christ to continue that mission through the help of the Holy Spirit. Each Christmas is a reminder of Christ’s Mass, and after we have celebrated the beginning with the birth of Christ, we are then dismissed to share the Gospel.

Elmo had the right idea to celebrate Christmas every day, but his heart was in the wrong place. Place your heart, mind, body, and soul on Christ, and you will find that Christmas is eternal. So I pray that as you box up your decorations, enjoy your new gifts, and settle back into your routine, that you will engage in the mission of Christ and experience the hope and love of the Lord.

Last week, the little lambs joined the teens for a Christmas Party, where we discussed traditions and the story of the birth of Christ. This week, we will take a look at what followed after the birth of Christ and the story of the wise men.

I look forward to seeing you this week. If, for whatever reason, I do not see you, may the Lord bless you with joy and peace, and may He comfort you, guide you, and heal you when you are in need.

God bless you,

Your brother in Christ,

Michael (aka Mr. Michael)