I kind-of cringed last month – not last week, last month – when Christmas made its way into the aisles of some of my usual shopping venues. I’m sorry, but sometimes it is too early to summon Santa in the hope of turning a buck or two on a season still weeks down the road.

But it is not too early to begin planning, promoting, and praying about Advent experiences that are on the FBC horizon. Christmas gives us a great opportunity to tap into meaningful traditions and enjoy events that lift our spirits and deepen our faith. It is also a prime time to see Christmas through the eyes of our community and invite them to start new traditions that their families will love. And in so doing, perhaps they will encounter Christ and his followers in new, rich, and deep ways.

For a number of years, I have used the pun-laden phrase “Money Talks” as the headline for my most-every-week blog. While my name is Money and I am apt to talk a bit – ask Lisa – I do approach both sermons and cyber summations as a chance to carry on conversations with my people. My aim is to talk about what is important in a way that answers the questions “So what?” and “Now what?” But on the heels of last week’s sermon of generosity, the moniker rings a little more literal. Money does talk, and the story it tells is often more personally spiritual than financial. And more self-revelatory than we might care to admit.

What kind of church are we? Well two weeks into the series, we have given you three words. The first is the most essential – “A Christ-Focused Church.” This past Sunday, we gave our attention to being connected and united/uniting. All good words and better ideas. We really are better together. That’s how we develop meaningful spiritual relationships. That’s how we tend and care for one another. That’s the way we learn and learn to apply the Word. That’s how we stay accountable. That’s how we join together to make a greater Kingdom impact. In short, that’s how God designed us to be.