Sisters and Brothers in Sicamous,

          I am writing this message while looking at the snow outside my window that has been falling all day. I remember the time of my life when I loved snow; the time when I neither had to shovel nor drive in the snow… I remember the innocence, the wide-eyed wonder at the tiniest things such as looking at snow on the tree. But going through Advent and preparing for Christmas make me realize that Christmas invites the wide-eyed child in all of us. Have we lost the ability to rejoice at tiny things or non-material things? I hope not.

          In this culture of ours, Christmas is a family holiday and a highly commercialized holiday. However, as we wait for Christmas and look forward to seeing our families, let us pause all the excitement and fracas of the season for a while and remember why we celebrate Christmas. We celebrate Christmas because of a baby born far away and long ago into a lower-class family, who grew up to teach us that nobody is unloved or unimportant to God. His birth was greeted by wise men, who were foreigners, and lowly shepherds, who had to work out in the field at night. The baby and parents didn’t have a proper place to have the baby. They were refugees. We should celebrate this baby who represents the lowliest and the most marginalized members of society. While celebrating this baby, we should open our hearts and resources to refugees and all those in need. Then, let our generosity and kindness remind us of how blessed we are, and with that gratitude in our hearts, we can tell our family and friends that we love and appreciate them.

          Therefore, I wish you all a Christmas season full of childlike wonder, joy, gratitude, the spirit of generosity, and the richness of beautiful things that are invisible and intangible. Christmas blessings to you all!

Rev. Sun-Young “Sunny” Kim