It had been pouring rain all day. Undeterred, we piled into the car to make our way to downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to join my sisters and their families on the Karaoke Christmas Lights trolley bus tour. The traffic was heavy as we approached Lions Gate Bridge, which is not unusual on a typical day, but it was the holidays, so we were a bit surprised. Then we learned that there was only one lane open in each direction due to a "police incident". Usually, that is understood to mean that someone is attempting to take their own life by jumping off the bridge, and the police have blocked off the lane closest to the side that the person is on so that they can have some space to try to coax the person back over the railing and get them the help that they so desperately need.

The traffic inched along, and as we approached the southern bridge span, a police car was heading the other way with its lights flashing. There was no other evidence of any distress or trauma, so we were hopeful that the police had been successful and the person that they were trying to help was in the back of the police car on their way to get some help. Feeling sombre and subdued, we continued on our way, and soon, we boarded the Karaoke Christmas trolley bus.

We began our tour, singing our way past the city lights of downtown Vancouver, on a trolley bus festively decorated and equipped with a television and a karaoke machine. We had a list of songs that we could choose from, and passengers were encouraged to call out requests. We cycled through some secular standards with many on the bus joining in. After a little while, my nephew, who is five years old, called out, "O come, all ye faithful". Our host looked through her list of songs. "I'm sorry, we don't have that one. What else would you like?" My brother-in-law replied, "That's the only one he knows all the words to." He had practiced it over and over for his school Christmas production. Someone called out, "Let's do it anyway." So, without the benefit of any backing tracks or a screen with words to follow, the trolley bus was filled with people joyfully singing "O come, all ye faithful". It turns out that my nephew was not the only one who knew the words!

There are times when it feels like we are surrounded by darkness. So many people struggle in broken homes, get lost in the miasma of grief or depression, feel that there is no point in going on. And yet, there is a light that still shines. Perhaps, it's the light of a police car, spiriting someone to safety. Perhaps, it's the lit-up face of a little boy surrounded by people singing his favourite Christmas carol with him.

Jesus came to be the light of the world … for everyone. God promised the Israelites that light would shine on them again. All through the year, our challenge is to continue to carry that light to all who feel lost or forsaken, trusting that even if we feel small or unimportant, God will use us to bring joy to others.

Prayer: God, Your light shines eternally. Help us always to look for ways to be reflectors of Your light so that others may see it too. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Around the time when I got my driver's license, my parents had an opportunity to buy a second car. A bright orange 1973 Volkswagen Beetle, close in age to me, joined the station wagon in our driveway. The "bug" was like a small tank, so solid — a great car!

Growing up in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, we very seldom experienced a white Christmas. Usually, it was raining and relatively mild. One year, however, we woke up on Christmas Day to a blanket of snow. Everything was quiet, and the roads were deserted.

We always attended the Christmas Day service at our church, which was a much smaller service than the one we went to on Christmas Eve. It was always magical to worship in a church filled to the rafters on Christmas Eve, but it was equally wonderful to worship as a smaller group on Christmas Day. On both occasions, the church rang with the voices of the people singing praises to God to welcome the baby Jesus, Who came to dwell among us "fully human in every way" (Hebrews 2:17 NIV 2011).

On that snowy Christmas Day, my sisters and I wondered if we would make it to the Christmas Day service. However, snow was not going to deter us. After all, we had spent our first Christmas in Canada in frigid Winnipeg, Manitoba. My dad decided that the bug was a better bet for driving in the snow, so the five of us piled in.

We arrived at the church and unloaded, much like clowns at a circus who keep appearing out of a car that surely must be too small to have room for yet another passenger. We had made it, and we were able to celebrate, with our brothers and sisters in Christ, that God sent His Son to live among people like us.

There are times in our lives when barriers make it hard to declare the name of Jesus and sing praises with others. Sometimes, weather gets in our way, but often, it is distractions that are barriers. Although Christmastime can be filled with wonderful opportunities to gather with family and friends for festive cheer, yet through all the hustle and bustle, we can easily forget that our primary focus should be on giving thanks to God for the precious gift of His Son. What barriers do you need to break down this season so that you can be filled with joyful praise to God?

Prayer: Gracious God, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to live among us. Fill our Christmastime with praise and thanksgiving. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

What does it mean to be truly awake?

Since our children moved from a crib to a bed, we have had a rule that they are not to get up until they see 7:00 on their clocks. They are to stay in their beds and look at a book or play quietly. There have been times when we have heard them lying there singing to themselves until the moment when the clock changes from 6:59 to 7:00, when they come bouncing out of their rooms.

There is no exception to this rule on Christmas morning. However, there have been years when the children have been awake for some time before the clock turns to 7:00. In contrast, I am hardly what you would consider truly awake at the magic 7:00. Usually, I have been up late on Christmas Eve trying to get a head start on preparation of the Christmas dinner, putting the final touches on some gift wrapping, or simply sitting in our living room with all the lights off, except for the Christmas tree, watching the fire and listening to the beautiful music that is such an important part of Christmas Eve for me.

"The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber. …" (vs. 11) In other words, get up and get going! Why? Because we have some choices we need to make about how we are going to live our lives. Are we going to "put aside the deeds of darkness"? Are we going to "put on the armour of light"? In order to make these choices, we need to be truly awake. These are intentional calls to action. Have you ever tried to make a decision when still in the fog of sleep? Generally, that is difficult to do, and certainly, we would not want to be making important, life-changing decisions in that state of mind.

So what does it mean to be truly awake?

I think that it means that we need to be paying attention to the world around us and our position in it. I think that it means that we need to consider all the choices that we make in the context of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Thankfully, we can "clothe [ourselves] with the Lord Jesus Christ", and so, we do not travel this road alone.

I am glad to say that on Christmas morning, my sleepy state disappears very quickly as I am swept up in the joy and enthusiasm that emanates from our children. So, too, it can be in our walk of faith. We can be truly awake in the joy of God's gift to us in His Son, Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Gracious and loving God, thank You for the gift of Your Son. In this busy Christmas season, help us to be truly awake to the world around us so that we can make choices that reflect the lives we are called to live as followers of Jesus. Amen.

Preparation and patience — often these two do not go together. Preparation suggests activity, getting things done, perhaps working through a "to do" list. Patience, on the other hand, suggests waiting and, perhaps, slowing down.

Each year, my children and I come up with a different idea for a Christmas gift that we make for family members and friends. We have made Christmas ornaments out of wire and beads. We've rolled candles from sheets of beeswax. We've made fudge and truffles, gingerbread men and bookmarks.

One year, we decided to paint glass ornaments. This involved pouring paint inside the ornaments and swirling it around. We were all prepared with everything we needed, and it was time to get started. There were conversations about patterns and colour combinations, and a great deal of excitement. However, patience was absent from the process. New paint colours were added before the first ones had dried, patterns ran together, and paint pooled at the bottom of the balls. It was still a wet puddle days and days later.

The passage surrounding today's Scripture talks of the second coming of the Lord — a time of judgment and fiery destruction. Those who read the letter are challenged to prepare themselves, despite being surrounded by "scoffers". Throughout all the references to death and destruction, where is the hope? Where is the motivation to put any effort into preparation for His coming? It's in verse 9: "He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." This makes me think of loving parents patiently supporting a child — parents who want their child to succeed.

So what happened to those Christmas ornaments? Did we throw them out and start again? No, we let them dry (sort of!) and gave them as gifts the way they were. Our preparations were not perfect, but the gifts were received with gratitude and patience, particularly when my children handed them over with these instructions: "Don't turn this upside down or the paint might spill into your bag!"

Prayer: Gracious and loving God, as we get ready for our Christmas celebrations, help us to be as patient with others as You are patient with us. Help us to prepare our hearts and minds to be ready to receive the gift of Your Son. In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen.

Paul begins his first letter to the Corinthians with words of thanksgiving — thanksgiving for the people of Corinth and for all the spiritual gifts that God has given to them.

Paul's words remind me of a very special gift that my husband and I received and were also able to share at Christmas of 2000. It was at Christmastime that we found out that our daughter Claire was on her way. Claire was to be the first grandchild for both families, and we were so excited to share this gift with everyone.

This was a particularly special gift, not only because we were able to share it with our families, but because I had been pregnant earlier that year and had miscarried. This new life was such a treasured and precious gift because of what we had lost. And yet, we had been given so much more. Through our experiences, God had also gifted us with compassion, shown through the love and support of friends and family; patience, as we struggled to understand why our first baby did not survive; and a stronger faith, as we learned more about God's plan for our family.

Our first baby, the one we had lost, had been due to be born around December 28th. Instead of feeling full of sadness and loss through Christmastime, we were full of thanksgiving: thanksgiving for the gift of a new child on her way and thanksgiving for the many spiritual gifts God had given to us to equip us for our journey through parenthood.

God gives us so many spiritual gifts, not only for ourselves, but also to share with others. When we see others struggling through difficult times, let us give thanks to God for our spiritual gifts and walk alongside those who need to feel the strength of God's love in their lives.

Prayer: Gracious and loving God, as we prepare ourselves for Christmas, we thank You for the many gifts that You give us: gifts of compassion, patience, faith, and love. Help us to take the gifts that You give us and share them with those who need them most. Most of all, we thank You for the gift of Your Son, Jesus. In His name, we pray. Amen.

Like many of the psalms, Psalm 80 is a song. In fact, in this case, there is even specific direction given as to which tune it should be sung to. The chorus of Psalm 80 asks God to restore His people and for God's face to shine on us.

Christmas brings to mind many images of light shining in the darkness of December. Some people string bright lights from the eaves of their houses; others wrap them around Christmas trees.

I think that one of the most amazing experiences of light — in particular, the spreading of light — happens at the candlelight Christmas Eve service held in my church each year. Our sanctuary holds at least 600 people, and on Christmas Eve, it is full to capacity. As the flame is passed from the end of the pews across from candle to candle, a place that has been dark is filled with light. As each one with a lit candle turns and lights the candle of the next person, the light shines on the individual's face. It is as if God's face is shining through the light of the candle.

I have experienced the candlelight service only from the choir pews. It is a wondrous sight to see the one original light multiply and travel from the centre aisle all the way out and to the back corners of the sanctuary. That light is not a blinding, bright light, but one full of warmth, love, and peace. As the light in the sanctuary is restored through the lighting of candles, so too are we restored in God's love through His greatest gift: the gift of His Son, Jesus.

Prayer: Gracious and loving God, as we prepare ourselves for Christmas, we thank You that during this dark time of year, Your light still shines through us and touches the lives of those around us. Help us to take that light into the dark corners of our communities and the greater world, and to share the warmth, love, and peace of that light with those who need it most. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.