Christmas Musings, Part 3

Christmas is a special time of the year to say the least. There is one part of Christmas that always grabs my attention. This is a time of the year in which we turn our focus off of ourselves and turn the focus to others. We see this in the preparation of the meals for our guests. We see this in the purchase of the gifts for those on our shopping list. This especially applies to those who have children or grandchildren. They will even provide you a list of their "most desired" gifts or their most favorite item on the menu. People will scourer the countryside to make sure that they have the proper ingredients for the meals and that they purchase the most appropriate gift.

But I also see this type of attitude expressed in other ways than just meals or gifts. I see people donating money to various non-profit organizations that seek to assist people who are in need. A few weeks ago our local congregation brought various gifts that would be given to children in the Pediatric Oncology unit of a local hospital. There will always be people who are facing their own set of ""unusual" circumstances but I also believe that God will always have people who have a heart of care and compassion for their fellow man.

The Lord reminded me of something this morning during prayer time. Or maybe I need to say that the Lord encouraged me to pray for some specific groups of people as we approach Christmas. I felt that the Lord wanted me to share this reminder with you. I am confident that many of you have already prayed for some of the people that I will list. But there is no such thing as "too much prayer." This time of the year is very stressful for each of these groups that I will list.

1) Let us remember to pray for our Military personnel as well as their families. 

2) Let us remember all of the First Responders (Police, Fire, Emergency, Hospital staff, etc.) We know that these are challenging days in our world and this group of servants need our prayer covering.

3) Let us remember those families who will celebrating their first Christmas after the passing of a loved one or special friend. Our God is able to provide the comfort that each one of them need at this difficult time.

4) The Spiritual Leadership of our nation.

5) Those who are disillusioned with life and are looking for peace, hope and joy. We know that God can fill all of the voids in their lives.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!