Providence Presbyterian Church - Powdersville SC

Give us the faith to trust your goodness in spite of our ignorance and weakness. 

Give us the knowledge that we may  continue to pray with understanding hearts.

And show us what each one of us can do to set forward the coming of the day of universal peace.”

            Ahhh perfect peace.  The one thing we all chase year round and never get, but somehow think it will come to us at Christmas?  Peace for me came at a young age when all I had to think about at Christmas was what would Santa bring and put under the tree.  Now, don’t get me wrong, our parents told us the story of Baby Jesus, we attended church plays and cantatas and even played in a few of them….but the innocence of childhood should be filled with peace.  I remember the year I turned eight and wanted a bicycle more than anything else in the world – did I know how to ride one?  No!  But, that didn’t stop me from wanting this blue and white Schwinn Bike that would be the envy of Duke Street. 

            When Christmas morning arrived, there it sat under the tree in our living room.  To top off a perfect gift from Santa, it was a beautiful sunny day - cold but beautiful – so outside I went to ride this bike.  You would have to imagine, as most children raised in this era, you bought something that you could “grow into…”  Well, I needed to grow a lot because my feet would not touch the pedals as they went down, but that didn’t stop me.  My dad called behind me to slow down, but no, I had to try my own wings and I just knew I could do it.  Well, I did, and guess what?  I fell and carry a scar on my chin today from that fall, but it didn’t stop the glow of pride I felt that I had tried it, actually went a fair way, and when I did hit the sidewalk, I got up and pushed that bicycle back home….scared that it was dented and not caring that I was bleeding.  My mom almost had a heart attack when she saw me coming up the street…dad….he simply stood and watched.  I remember now that he didn’t panic like my mom (you see where I get my “stuff” from),  but he had a peace about him that I was able to walk and push the bike, so I couldn’t be hurt too badly.

            Two thousand years ago the angels heralded the birth of Jesus as they sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

            Peace – what is it?  To some it is getting the Christmas shopping done.  To others, it is having the house decorated or getting presents wrapped and delivered.  Still others claim that being out of school or work brings them peace.

            As we commemorate Christ’s birth, Christmas has a way of filling us with peace…even if it is a little imperfect at times.  However; if we are not careful, we may find ourselves running so fast (like me on my bike) that we miss the whole thing.  The shepherds dropped what they were doing to hasten to the manger side, instead of waiting until it was more convenient.  Wise men brought the finest gifts.  Are we willing to give our Savior the gifts of our time and our lives? 

            Unlike me charging down the sidewalk on my bike, not giving a second thought to my dad’s wise advice, we must slow down enough to acknowledge the real meaning of Christmas.  We need to read uplifting devotions, listen to some Christmas music and perhaps sitting in the den looking at our decorated tree we’ll ponder the real meaning of Christmas.  When we realize the beauty of our lives that God has so richly blessed us with, the  beauty of our families, the beauty of our church worship services and the beauty of the traditions that each family holds dear, we can truly give thanks to our Gracious and Loving God who will give us peace, even when we feel like we can’t slow down long enough to accept it.