These friends live in nice homes, have manicured lawns, and may have several degrees, but they have the same need for a savior that you and I have, and this time of year is often when they are open for conversation due to the Christmas Carols they hear on the radio, the stars on the top of the tree, or the nativity sets in the fronts of yards. The passage above reminds us all that Jesus came not for those who think they have it all together before God, but for those who know that they don't. Jesus has come for them.

Therefore, if you picked up an invitation card the past couple of Sundays, use it to invite a friend to one of our Christmas services and to your home for a "bowl of smoking bishop", or something like that. If you didn't pick up a card, pick up the phone and call that friend with the invitation. In so doing, we recreate the Church in Acts incarnational ministry that we have seen this year in "The Church Ablaze" series.

My prayer for all of the Christ Church family this Christmas is that as we celebrate the Incarnation (God made flesh) we would reach out in incarnational ministry to our friends and demonstrate the love of Christ through our words and deeds.

I'll see you Christmas Eve!

Gene