It's almost Advent. Secrets abound. Kitchens will soon smell of cinnamon and other rich spices. Christmas is coming!

When we think of Christmas, the story of the birth of Christ comes into focus. The time to act it out in our church Christmas pageant is rapidly approaching.

It will be Dec.9th at 10 am. Last year, one small angel named Hannah stole the show with her delightful dance down the aisle. This year my oldest two grandchildren will be angels. And my youngest granddaughter will be the baby Jesus. It's a lot of fun when we have a real baby in the pageant.

Somehow looking at a live baby, we can better imagine the real baby Jesus. We are all drawn into that miracle of God becoming human. It sharpens our focus to realize that God took on human flesh and came to live among us. Why would he do that?

The Bible teaches us that the creator God of the universe came to us in the form of a human baby born in Bethlehem. He did that to bridge the gulf between God and man that happened when sin came into the world. Jesus grew from the infant Christ Child, lived among us without sin, then sacrificed his own life on the cross of Calvary to save us from our sins. It's a powerful story that begins at Christmas.

Christmas is coming! Let's hear its story again this year.