By now, most congregations are in the home stretch of their pre-Christmas preparations. There is much at stake for the life of any church. Try and imagine what a bad or indifferent Christmas would do to the morale of your church. We want if not a “Currier and Ives” Christmas for our families at least enough joy and good cheer to override any past enmity. Hopefully tinsel, garlands, and ornaments will chase away any seasonal affective disorder we may be suffering. Most of us are determined that the retelling of the story will bring at least enough peace of mind to help us deal with a world that often seems to be tearing itself to pieces. There is much on the line here and we want to get every carol, tradition, and pageant just right.

The struggle of getting the holiday lights up and runnin…