Wednesday, December 5, 2007

The Good News of Christmas . . .

Ice storms notwithstanding, Thanksgiving is past and Christmas is coming.

We have snow on the ground, and more in the forecast, and it's cold outside, bitterly cold.

There was a shooting in a mall in Omaha this afternoon. I happened to be at one of our local malls later this afternoon, where mall security guards were patrolling, making a show of their presence. How difficult it must be for them, wondering if the shooting was an isolated incident or if it might be part of a pattern of attack.

What a terrible juxtaposition – Christmas decorations acting as a backdrop to a shooting rampage. Yet, isn't Christmas always framed by the sad, bad things happening in the world? Isn't that why Jesus was born? We seem to forget that as we delight in the celebration.

The bad news we hear so often and constantly is the very reason that Jesus's coming is good news – He has come to save us from our sin, and to redeem what is lost.

In the meantime, our prayers are with the victims, their families, and the people of Omaha.

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