Twas the night before Christmas

and all through the house it was quiet. We live in a small house these days, and we keep the Christmas lights around the windows on all the time. So on Christmas Eve, with the tree lit up as well, our entire house is bathed in the glow of Christmas lights. We love our lights.       I'd say nowadays that Christmas lights are the most important decoration for me. Nothing beats a Christmas tree, but I wonder if I don't like those because they have the lights?

Christmas is all about the light. Jesus is the light of the world, and this makes some sense that the season is all about light, and lights. What intrigues me is how monochromatic "Jesus is the light of the world" is versus the various colors of the world. Jesus is often portrayed as a single flame of a candle, or as a white light, as if purity was his prime component. I see Jesus in many colors, and not just racial colors, but colors of life, colors of light.

Christmas is a time to remember that Jesus came for all of creation, not just humanity. The older I get the more I get frustrated with Jesus and his contemporary followers who are so fixated on Jesus as the light almost exclusively for humanity. As if the rest of creation needs no light.

You have heard me time and time again say that a Christian congregation that doesn't support the environment at or near the same level as it supports people has an interesting take of Jesus' salvation of the world.It only seems to be "world" if it has people in it. The polluted lakes and rivers of the world would beg to differ...Congregations need to find ways to help all of creation, not just the ones who walk and talk.

There is nothing better than a walk down a snow covered trail, just to see how many shades of white there are. Or, to come up on a field of powdery blue columbine with tan elk moving through. That color speaks of salvation too.

I hope you have a colorful Christmas. And an even more colorful life.

May your tables be full and your conversations be true.