Dear Friends in Christ,
Remember Irving Berlin’s, I’m dreaming of a White Christmas? It was first sung by Bing Crosby in 1942 followed by many others, and it was one of my favorite pop Christmas songs as a kid. After all, I liked winter’s snow. It was good for building snow forts, making snowmen, tunneling into, sliding on, and throwing balls at friends – not to mention cancellations of school!

But, when Barb and I moved to Phoenix, singing this song seemed strange. I mean: have you ever seen snow falling on cacti when temperatures are in the 70’s? I have – in a Peanuts’ cartoon and on occasional instances when an unusually cold low-pressure system would drop snow on the upper elevations of the mountains surrounding Phoenix. Still it never seemed quite right singing this song in Arizona’s “sun valley!”

Today, I enjoy listening to most any rendition of this song because it gets me to thinking about dreaming. Which is what being a Christian, especially in the Advent season, is all about. This year, in particular, when our society and the world are awash in winds of change, chaos, and conflict, I’m dreaming about much more than a “white Christmas.” How about you?

Whatever constitutes your dream life these days, we’ll be considering dreams and dreaming in our sermon regarding this aspect of Advent stewardship when we worship on this upcoming Sunday.

Blessings of Advent Preparation for a More Than a Merry Christmas,
Pastor Ed