Happy and Merry Christmas to You All!

This is a short blog posting, I hope. I had been working on two different postings over the past
three weeks, but the Christmas Season just kept plowing on. I wasn't able to put the finishing
touches on them. I was too caught up in this hectic time and did not have an opportunity to get
them on line. They were close to being ready to post, so maybe I can get both of them up dur-
ing the next few days. That would be something new for me!

During the past two weeks people have been wishing me a happy Christmas; a few people said
merry Christmas to me. Over the course of eight Christmas seasons here in Scotland, I have re-
ceived the former more often than the latter. But people have mentioned to me that the wishing
of a merry Christmas is becoming more common. It doesn't matter to me; I accept both of them!

It's the day after Christmas and I am laying low today, and perhaps tomorrow, too. I thought I
would be suffering from severe Post-Traumatic Christmas Syndrome, but I'm not. I actually feel
pretty good after seven and half hours of sleep last night. I do feel a little mentally worn out. I
churned out six messages and four services for the period between Friday, December 21, and
Tuesday, Christmas Day.

The Advent and Christmas seasons are theologically- and biblically-rich times that set the scene
for the proclamation of the beautiful and true reality of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I had fun
preaching about who Jesus was and why He came, especially to people who rarely come to
church during the rest of the year. I enjoyed preparing messages and crafting services, especial-
ly the Service of Readings and Carols at St Fergus Parish Church on Christmas Eve.

From Friday to Christmas Day I led or was involved in six services. I spoke at the St Fergus Pri-
mary School's Christmas Assembly at the church; twice at St Fergus Parish Church services; and
at three other church services in the area. There were three different themes that I kept referring to
in various ways: Jesus is the Reason for the Christmas Season; Jesus' birth in Bethlehem that first Christmas is God's Supreme Gift of Himself to us; and behind the Manger is the Cross of
Christ. During this past Christmas Season I kept repeating the sounding joy.

Happy and Merry Christmas to you and yours,

I Can Feel It - Something's Happening Here

I was up early Sunday morning to finish preparing for the Sunday service. I looked out of my
bedroom window to a nearby streetlight. The light illuminated falling snow. I looked at my car
parked down below and saw the windshield caked with ice. My study felt like the inside of a
refrigerator and the whole house was cold. I turned on the heating and clothed myself in layers.
I still shivered as the room started to warm up. My first real taste of winter in the Land of Buch-
an. I have heard that there's not that much snow here and that it rarely gets below freezing. But
still, I would rather have Spring-like weather than the wet cold of a winter day in the North East
of Scotland. The increasing shorter hours of daylight only contribute to the feeling that winter is
here for the long-term.

But the colder and darker it becomes outside, the the more I become aware of what Jesus is do-
ing in the hearts of people at St Fergus Parish Church. Weather-wise, it was freezing cold and
icy last Sunday. I had expected that turn out for the church service would be lower than usual.
But it seemed as if people paid little attention to the bleak weather and came to church to wor-
ship the Lord and hear God's Word. For the past several weeks, and especially on Sunday, I
have strongly sensed that God was doing something in all of us. I feel it as I visit people in
their homes. It has been good to see several elders leaning forward during the sermon as if
they were drinking in what Jesus had to give them. I could see it in the eyes of the people in
the congregation. For some time now I have been sensing a softness in certain people who
seemed prickly and hard before. The Lord certainly has been at work in people's lives well be-
fore I came to St Fergus Parish Church. But now I can really feel it: something's happening
here. I covet your prayers for me and the people of St Fergus Parish Church.

Blessings to you and yours,