Wednesday Message

December 31, 2025

 

Naughty or Nice

“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you… for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.” – Matthew 5:44–45

Even though December 25 has come and gone, we are still in the Christmas season.  In the church, Christmas lasts twelve days, all the way to Epiphany.  We’re still living in the glow of twinkling lights, favorite songs, leftover treats, and all the cozy joy that comes with this time of year.  Christmas is still unfolding.

And for many of us, part of that joy is Santa Claus.  Santa is playful and magical and full of wonder.  He shows up in movies and songs and parades.  Kids write him letters.  They sit on his lap and tell him their biggest hopes.  He represents generosity, delight, and the thrill of waking up to unexpected gifts.

But there’s always been another part of the Santa story, too.  We joke about it, but it’s there: Santa brings presents to the good boys and girls… and a lump of coal to the bad ones.  In some European traditions, it gets even darker, with characters like Krampus who punish naughty children instead of rewarding them.  It’s a story built around sorting people into who deserves good things and who deserves punishment.

Thankfully, that’s not how God works.

God cares deeply about how we live and how we treat one another.  God wants us to choose kindness over cruelty, justice over harm, love over fear.  But God’s love is not something we earn by being “good.”  God’s love is something we are given because of who God is. 

Jesus says that God makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.  In other words: God does not hold back love as a reward for good behavior or withdraw it as punishment for failure.

Think about how real parents treat their kids.  We might threaten to report bad behavior to Santa, but I’ve never heard of a parent actually putting a lump of coal in a stocking.  Every parent I know still puts presents under the tree, even if their kid was naughty on the day before Christmas. 

Kids mess up.  They have bad days.  They make poor choices.  And loving parents still tuck them in, still feed them, still forgive them, still show up the next morning with breakfast and care.  Love doesn’t disappear when a child makes a mistake.

That’s what God is like.  God is not keeping a cosmic “naughty or nice” list.  God is a loving parent who keeps choosing us, even when we stumble, even when we fall short, even when we are a mess.  Christmas is the story of God showing up in love, not just for the well-behaved, but for the whole messy, beautiful world.

So as we keep celebrating Christmas, maybe we can let go of the fear of coal and hold onto the truth of grace: you are loved, not because you’ve been perfect, but because you belong to God.

Prayer

Loving God, thank you for loving us not just when we get it right, but always.  Help us rest in your grace and share that same kindness with others.  Amen.

 

       

Sign up in the narthex if you would like to volunteer to serve coffee on Sunday mornings.

Join us upstairs before church and downstairs in the Fellowship Hall following the worship service

on Sunday mornings for coffee and treats, everyone is always welcome.  

Bible Study, the 2nd & 4th Sunday of the month at 3pm with Pastor Dustin, everyone is always welcome to join us.

 

Sunday, January 4, 2026, is our first Staff meeting of the new year at 8:00 am.

 

Every other Thursday of the month Kimmie Schmieg will have her Girl Scout meeting in the

Fellowship Hall starting on January 8, 2026 from 6 pm to 7pm,

 

January 11, 2026, “New Member Fiesta” gathering after the worship service, coffee, games and special

treats will be had, for all to get to meet one another, hope everyone will attend.

 

Sunday, January 18, 2026, will be our Annual Meeting following the worship service, with a potluck meal to

enjoy. Everyone is always welcome.

 

The office will be closed on Thursday, New Year Day.

 

 

Money Counters: 

        Jan. 04      Rose Moehring

             Jan. 11      Sue Pearson

             Jan. 18      Wayne Johnson