This is an exciting time ” particularly for the younger members of our congregation. As they grow in their understanding of the true meaning of Christmas, I hope they do not lose the pure, unadulterated joy that Christmas brings them.

A grandmother was reading the Christmas story to her granddaughter. The little girl was just a toddler and grandmother was reading from the King James version of the Bible. The granddaughter was baffled by the phrase, "Mary was great with child." Grandmother did her best to explain. When the little granddaughter finally understood the phrase, she clapped her hands excitedly and said, "Oh, goody! I hope it's a girl." What children lack in understanding, they make up for in enthusiasm. What would we do without them?

Tonight, though, we want to look a little d…