Joel's Jottings: "Christmas 2022"

I’m dreaming of a cold Christmas ….

That just doesn’t have the same ring as 

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas … 

But that is what we will have for Christmas 2022—a cold, cold Christmas. Without any snow.

It is not the first cold Christmas. There have been many others. No doubt you have your own memories. The Christmas of 1983 stands out for me. My wife, Vicki, and I were living in the North Carolina mountains. The cold snap was record setting that year. Despite the single digit temperature on Christmas Eve, we were at the church for the service. To conclude the service, we went outside and lit candles while singing Silent Night. 

The light spread slowly as the carol began. The moisture from many breaths rose into the dark sky. The cold was so fierce. Yet the music and the candlelight provided warmth to stand against the cold and the darkness.

For this year’s Christmas Eve, Fondren Presbyterian Church will gather at 5:30 p.m. We will also gather on Sunday, December 25 at 11 a.m.  It will be cold. We won’t gather outside, but we will sing and have candlelight. This year’s music and light will speak out against the cold and darkness just as it has every other year.

Schedules get complicated this time of year. And this year the weather makes things even more difficult. You are welcome to join us at Fondren Presbyterian Church. But if you can’t, may you find a way to celebrate so you experience the light of God’s love in Christ that illuminates the darkness of the world and warms your heart in this season.