“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand.”

To properly prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus in a cave in the hills of Bethlehem more than two thousand years ago it is helpful to recall our Baptism.  We received the Holy Spirit and were presented with a candle that represented the Light of Christ that we were charged to “keep burning brightly!” With our Baptism came the responsibility to know Christ so we can imitate Christ and be Christ to all we encounter. In a season when so many gifts are being bought, wrapped and given, we should recall that the greatest gift we can give to others at Christmas, or any other time of the year, is not the latest electronic device or the newest fashion in clothes.  The greatest gift we can give is ourselves: all that we are, all that God has given to us, and all that we will ever become.  Glitzy games will soon be outdated and fancy jeans go out of style, but the gift of self will last forever for both the person who receives the gift and the giver of the gift.