Easter and Christmas Christians

It's Christmas and we are preparing for some exciting Christmas happenings. This is my first Christmas as a pastor, and let me tell you, it's no holiday when you are in the Church business. Christmas Eve is one of our biggest services of the year followed closely by Easter. People who don't normally go to church show up two days a year: Christmas and Easter. And to be honest, this is something I have never really understood about the church.

You see, if I were not really a believer in Jesus, if I were only a two Sunday a year kind of church goer, I don't think I would pick to go on Christmas and Easter. I think I would pick a couple of random Sundays during the year when they are talking about loving people or doing good works. I don't think I would pick to go on the days they are talking about virgins having babies or dead people not staying dead.

But the truth of the matter is, these are the biggest days for us because we celebrate a virgin bearing the Son of God, and a man who physically died rising from the dead showing his power over sin and death. These are big days. And I think people know that. Even those who can't quite accept Jesus by faith still recognize that there is something miraculous about these two days and want to be in the place where they too can experience the miracles.

It's a great time of year to be a pastor. Sure, it's a lot of work, but it's worth it because again this year I get to experience the miracle of Emmanuel, God with us.