The Christmas Season is upon us. This can be a very busy time. There is a lot that we have to do to prepare for Christmas: shopping, decorating, baking, more shopping... It's easy to get caught up in it all so that we lose sight of what it's all about. Getting married can be very similar. It's far too easy to become so focused on the material aspects of preparing for a wedding that we forget that what really counts isn't the wedding but the marriage.

For some, the Christmas holidays can also be painful. Because it is a time of celebration, people going through hard times often feel their troubles magnified by contrast. Because it is a time when friends and family gather together, those who have lost loved ones or who are feeling disconnected can feel especially lonely.

For many, though, Christmas is a time of real happiness. We are reminded of the joys of past celebrations, of the Christmases of our childhoods. We see it in our own children and their excitement as advent calendars are opened and lists are made.

Regardless of our state in life, though, the Lord is reaching out to each one of us individually. He does this continually, throughout the year, at every moment of every day of our lives. It seems to me, though, that he makes special use of holidays to do this work. He really does use the "magic in the air" and the "Christmas spirit" to connect with people.

One of the significant ways he connects with people is by means of other people. By means of us. If you're having a good Christmas season this year, use some of that positive energy to reach out to someone else who may be having a hard time with things. Donate food. Buy a present for a children's charity. Call up an old acquaintance and ask how they're doing. Give someone an unexpected hug. Make an extra effort to smile at strangers.

I have found in the past that when I myself am not having a good Christmas season, when I am not feeling the Christmas spirit, that reaching out like this, taking a break from the physical preparations and from my own troubles and just doing something nice for someone else as a Christmas present-essentially, by acting like I'm in a Christmas mood-I can often find my way back to the Lord and receive what He's offering.

So I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas season this year, and I invite you to have fun making it a nice one for everyone else, as well.

What do you do to "get in the Christmas spirit"?. Click here to go to NewWayAustin.org and share your thoughts.

What do you want for Christmas? Do you have a list? We give each other presents at this time of year, but it is really the birth of the Lord on earth that we are celebrating, right? So what does God want for Christmas? What kind of birthday present can you give to someone who is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent??

Well, think of it this way. He looks at every single created human being as a child of his. Now, if you are a parent, you may already know where I'm headed with this. One of the greatest gifts anyone can give to a parent is to do something for one of their children. To help them. To love them. Loving the child is a present to the parent.

So there's nothing you can give God that he doesn't already have, but there's one thing he always wants more of, and that he really needs you to provide: more love from you for the rest of his children.

That is at the heart of the mission of New Way Church. We worship God. And we do that by serving others.

This is our first Christmas as a church, and one of the ways we're going to celebrate is by donating 50% of this month's financial offerings to charity. Normally, when you offer up a donation in the basket on Sunday morning, or send us a check in the mail, we use most of that money to pay the operating costs of the church, and set aside a small amount to support the formation of future religious communities and other selfless activities.

But because it's the Christmas season, we want to give back more of the offering this month. So half of whatever you donate between now and Christmas will go to one or more charitable organizations. Which organizations? You tell us!

My personal favorite charity is The A21 Campaign, an organization that is fighting human trafficking and helping to rescue and rehabilitate women from the forced sex trade. I also really love the Loving Arms Mission which operates orphanages in Nepal and in Kenya. But what charity do you want to support?

Jehovah God came down and took on a human manifestation in order to redeem people and save them. The belief among Christian churches nowadays is that God, the Creator of the universe, procreated a Son from eternity. That Son came down and took on a human manifestation in order to redeem people and save them. This belief is wrong, however. It spontaneously falls apart as long as our thinking focuses on the fact that there is one God. To sound reason it is worse than nonsense to think that the one God procreated some Son from eternity and that God the Father together with the Son and the Holy Spirit, each of whom is individually God, together make one God. This fiction completely vanishes like a shooting star in the air when the Word is quoted to show (a) that Jehovah God himself came down and became human and (b) that Jehovah God also became the Redeemer.

As for the first point, the following passages show that Jehovah God himself came down and became human:

Behold, a virgin will conceive and bear a Son, who will be called God with us. (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23)

A Child is born to us; a Son is given to us. Authority will rest on his shoulder, and his name will be called Wonderful, God, Hero, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

It will be said in that day, "Behold, this is our God. We have waited for him to free us. This is Jehovah whom we have waited for. Let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation." (Isaiah 25:9)

The voice of one crying in the desert, "Prepare a way for Jehovah; make a level pathway in the solitude for our God. And all flesh will see it together." (Isaiah 40:3, 5)

Behold, the Lord Jehovih is coming with strength, and his arm will rule for him. Behold, his reward is with him; like a shepherd he will feed his flock. (Isaiah 40:10-11)

Jehovah said, "Rejoice and be glad, daughter of Zion. Behold, I am coming to live in your midst." Then many peoples will cling to Jehovah in that day. (Zechariah 2:10-11)

I, Jehovah, have called you in justice; I will give you as a covenant to the people. I am Jehovah. This is my name. I will not give my glory to another. (Isaiah 42:6, 8)

Behold, the days are coming when I will raise up for David a righteous offshoot who will reign as king and execute judgment and justice on the earth. And this is his name: Jehovah our Justice. (Jeremiah 23:56; 33:15-16)

Then there are the passages where the coming of the Lord is called "the day of Jehovah," such as Isaiah 13:6, 9, 13, 22; Ezekiel 31:15; Joel 1:15; 2:1, 2, 11, 29, 31; 3:1, 14, 18; Amos 5:13, 18, 20; Zephaniah 1:7-18; Zechariah 14:1, 4-21; and elsewhere.

That Jehovah himself was the one who came down and took on a human manifestation is clearly established in Luke, when it says, "Mary said to the angel, 'How will this take place, since I have not known a man? The angel replied to her, The Holy Spirit will descend upon you, and the power of the Highest will cover you; therefore the Holy One that is born from you will be called the Son of God'" (Luke 1:34-35).