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Whether it is organizing a non-perishable food drive or providing a financial contribution that can leverage large amounts of food for pennies on the pound, each of us, working together, can make a real difference this season. In the midst of your preparation for Christmas, take time to thank God for your blessings and pass that blessing along to others -- through one of Conference Advance Special food pantries listed below or through your local food pantry.

Be the healing presence and miracle for someone who needs it this season.

God will ask again the question that can change our lives forever, “Will you be my child?” How will we answer? In Jesus Christ God has said yes, yes, yes and amen to us.

People of all ages respond to the rituals of Christmas in ways we don’t fully understand. Ritual has a way of forming us, and involving many people in your church in Advent and Christmas rituals expands the rituals’ potential for impacting people in a new way. For instance, many churches include families or people of different ages in the lighting of the Advent wreath during worship each Sunday.

Our days of waiting in Advent darkness are almost over. These days of waiting and watching are a blessing to the church embedded in the church’s calendar. We Christians live by a different rhythm, a different clock and a different calendar. We start in the darkness. We wait in hope for light.

In John’s gospel there is no nativity narrative. But John does not fail to engage the truth and power of incarnation. In describing the Incarnate One – Jesus the Christ – he uses terms like Life and Light. The Incarnate One is “the true light that enlightens everyone.” John also notes “the light shines in darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it.”