What is the most precious and important gift you can give for Christmas? There are many wonderful presents around - some very expensive and others not so much. But the most important present anyone can give or receive is presence. Estrangement from family leads to much of the sadness and depression so rampant during the holidays. The loneliness that many people feel is heightened at this season. The ideal celebration of Christmas for most people is to gather with loved ones. Families gather at Christmas. Friends touch base during the holidays, even if it is only through Christmas cards and family newsletters. The most important present we give to those we love is our presence.

Communities of faith gather during these days as well. There are special worship services, musical programs, dramatic pageants (like the Living Nativity!), arts and crafts workshops, and social gatherings. Each of these conveys the deep story of what Christmas represents - that we are all one people in the Spirit of God. Estrangement can be overcome and the reconciliation of broken relationship is possible. "Peace on Earth" means so much more than our heart-felt desire for violence and hatred to end. Peace means that we wake up to the wholeness and the oneness that marks the underlying reality of the universe - of all of life.

Those of us who follow Jesus celebrate the potential of his life at Christmas. We celebrate that God's very nature also takes birth in each of us. We celebrate the potential of peace being realized within and between all people. We place our faith in the hope that peace really can be the operative priority for human beings - that we will learn to love ourselves and each other in ways that lead to life. All people of faith celebrate that hope during these festival days. Be sure to give the gift of your presence. Don't just be there in body, but also in mind, heart, and spirit. Give this present to your family, your friends, and your faith community this year.

Thanks for continuing to bless me as we journey together.

--Jack Price

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