Christmas Day was 3-days ago. The dinner was served, and gifts exchanged. Perhaps you took in a movie, or spent time with family, or caught up on some of the chores you’ve put off for a while. This article is being written on a rainy Saturday morning, the first Saturday after Christmas.  There weren’t many cars on the road coming into Mission Arlington^® this morning, and volunteers have slept-in a bit (well-deserved), and donors have been slow to trickle in.  By the afternoon, when the rain is projected to end, that will all change. The normal hustle and bustle of Mission Arlington will be back.  So, is Christmas over?

Christmas Ministries Conclude

Our Christmas store closed Monday night, December 23rd, two days before Christmas. More than 7,000 volunteers from all across DFW, and from several states across the continent, came to lend a hand.  8,080 families, representing 34,307 people, came through the Christmas store for help, more than ever before. So many of you dropped off gifts that it seemed like a never-ending stream of people and gifts. It was an extraordinarily beautiful site to see.  We told the Christmas Story from Luke 2 in seven different languages.  324 adults made decisions to begin a faith journey, and 751 adults renewed their faith commitments.

In addition to the Christmas Store, families from our community were adopted, and children were recipients of various angel tree endeavors across the community. Our Bible studies and congregations hosted Christmas pageants, dinners, candlelight service, Christmas parties, and so much more.  Truly, it was the “most wonderful time of the year.”  So, is Christmas over?

A Season which Never Ends

Tillie Burgin, our director, likes to say that it’s Christmas 365 days a year at Mission Arlington^®.  The Spirit of giving exists in and throughout this amazing community which surrounds & supports us. We believe we have the world’s best job, because we are blessed when we receive every day what you give so freely and sacrificially.  Then, in turn, we are so blessed to give what you have provided to someone in need. We see the tears of relief & joy, when people have their electric bill paid, or they can receive food for their family.

More importantly, the gift of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, at Christmas, has changed everything.  The peace and joy which begins with Christ carries on through every day of the year.  So, it’s always Christmas for those who know the Lord, and that is especially true here at Mission Arlington.

Even on the Coldest Nights

C.S. Lewis wrote a set of children’s books called the Chronicles of Narnia.  In the first book of the series, the protagonists fine themselves in a land which has been cursed. The effect of the curse is that it is “always winter and never Christmas” anywhere in that world.  To the contrary, because of Christ at Christmas, even on the coldest nights, in the depths of winter, it’s still Christmas – at Mission Arlington^®, and anywhere, for anyone, who calls Christ Lord.

As we turn towards the New Year, may the Spirit of Christmas reside in our hearts year-round. The apostle John says that the “light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).