LAST NIGHT, at the Christmas Eve service children of all ages, young and old gathered to reflect on what it meant to say “I believe.” With wonder, awe, and imagination we read the Christmas story, we acted it out and we even heard a wonderful rendition of the song called “Believe,” reminding us to believe what is on the inside and giving our dreams wings to fly.

This is the season to believe…with faith like a child, to celebrate Christmas with awe, wonder and imagination.

This is the time to believe… that God came from heaven to Earth and did the unbelievable, by creeping in beside us as a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in the manger.

This is the season to believe… the unbelievable as we journey with the shepherds who follow the star to where the baby Jesus lies.

This is the season to believe… that this Christmas story helps us believe the unbelievable by giving us everything we need.

In the story, we see Elizabeth and Mary who believe that nothing is impossible with God, we see shepherds that trust and obey believing that God will lead the way. We have three kings believing that this child will be the prince of Peace the wonderful counselor and the mighty savior. This Christmas story has everything we need to believe, it’s whole premise is that love came down to earth helping us to believe that God is our Emmanuel and is with is us always. When we believe this and celebrate it each year, we believe the unbelievable as over and over again we are surprised by and stand in awe of both the love of God and the love of God’s people.

Even Macy’s is reflecting on the power of belief. The inspiration for Macy’s Believe campaign was the heartwarming true story of 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon, who wrote a letter to the New York Sun newspaper in 1897 asking if there really was a Santa Claus. The paper’s editor, Francis P. Church, responded with what has become the most reprinted editorial ever to run in any newspaper in the English language stating, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist …”

More than 115 years after that famous essay was penned, Church’s words still resonate and remind us all to believe in the power of childhood wonder, hope and generosity that help us to believe the unbelievable and that encourage us to keep on telling the story with imagination, wonder and belief.

Merry Christmas!

By Reverend Kirsty DePree