Preparing for Christmas with Dutch

When I was a child, I loved Christmas for three main reasons. First, I didn’t have to go to school. Second, I received presents. Third, I got even more presents because my birthday is over the Christmas holidays. However, my reason for loving Christmas really changed when I was in high school.

Many of you know this story, but when I was in middle school, I met a man named Tim Nixon. He was my 8th grade science teacher and turned out to be my cross country coach for all of high school. Tim introduced me to Jesus. I grew up going to church, so I knew of “Sunday school Jesus,” but I had never really been introduced to the life-transforming Jesus that I witnessed living inside Tim. The summer after my sophomore year in high school, I put my faith in that Jesus. My life has never been the same! My relationship with Jesus was (and still is) absolutely transformative!

The month of December can bring with it a variety of stressful things, but I want to remind us of the deep truth that accompanies this month of Advent: the expectant waiting and preparing for the celebration of Christ’s birth. The long-awaited Savior, the rescuer of our souls, the giver of life, the one who is gentle and humble and gives rest to our weary, heavy-laden lives, was born into this world! This Jesus has been worth celebrating for over two thousand years!

My hope and prayer are that during this Advent season, you and your families can rekindle your love and thankfulness for Jesus.