I’m not sure I realized how much I needed a little Christmas. Last weekend as I walked into our Tipp City Campus, I was caught up in the awe and wonder of the Advent season. After glancing at that morning’s headlines, I needed a little hope: inflation on the rise, the omicron variant of COVID, bottlenecks in travel, and a college football game that just didn’t go the way that I hoped it would go 😁. Sorry Michigan fans, but all joking aside, those headlines felt like someone moved the finish line yet again in this lingering pandemic and I felt a bit weary. Is this chaos ever going to end? The force by which I opened the front doors startled me out of my stupor and I began to look around. Suddenly I was caught up in the lights, the greenery, the snowflakes, the words: love, Christ, and hope. Advent and Christmas were everywhere, hanging from the rafters, dangling from the ceiling, this wonderland to discover. With each step I took the work of our servant volunteers nearly took my breath away. The space whispering an invitation of hope: we ARE ready for a little Christmas! I needed the space, the gathering, the worshiping together, the celebration of hope. I needed a little Christmas!
Perhaps you too need a little Christmas this year. Whether that’s because of the headlines around the globe or what you’re experiencing in your daily life, I invite you to experience Ginghamsburg this Advent and Christmas season. Beyond the beauty and wonder of the space, physically and digitally, it’s a chance for you and me to remember we are a people of an audacious hope. And that hope is never to be hoarded for ourselves. Perhaps you know someone – a friend, a coworker, a neighbor, a family member – for whom something has changed, something is missing, something is broken. They are looking for hope. The solution is simple: invite them to experience a Ginghamsburg Christmas with you. People come to church because someone they know invited them to come. This invitation is a gift of hope! Invite them anytime this Advent season at any one of our locations: Tipp City, Fort McKinley, and Online. Or bring them for Christmas at Ginghamsburg on Christmas Eve:
- Tipp City & Online: 1, 3, 5, 7 & 9pm
- Fort McKinley: 5pm
As an added bonus, our Christmas Day celebration will be on TV twice on Saturday, December 25: Dayton’s CW at 11:30am and WDTN at 12 noon. Sunday, December 26, worship will be online only, gifting our servant volunteers and staff rest and time with family and friends. This year, together with the Worship Team, we filmed in the Tipp City Rollermill. A cozy and yet rustic space that kind of feels like home. That’s right, we’ve extended our home to your home this Christmas.
It’s simple. Share our Ginghamsburg Christmas page with everyone you know. And who knows, their experience may just be the hope they too have been looking for!
We all need a little Christmas,
Pastor Rachel
