Merry Christmas

Saddened by the scenes from Aleppo. Sickened by reading the University of Minnesota's report investigating football players. Disgusted by the report in the paper that many kid's headphones that are sold as safe for young ears aren't safe.
 
How am I supposed to feel the Christmas spirit?
 
Once when I was little, I was watching TV. The evening news was on. Suddenly my big sister Kerry turned to my dad and asked him, "Is the news always this sad?" When Jesus said the poor will always be with you, he might have also added so will people doing evil things. Of course the news will always be sad. Bad news is easier to sell than good news. 
 
It doesn't make headlines, but the world is becoming a better place. War and conflicts are no longer glorified, we see more of the true nature of war and its affects. Hopefully this reduces the number or wars. Sexual assaults are talked about and confronted. There is less sweeping under the rug and more support for victims. A grass roots movement created changes in our environmental laws that led to a better planet. Most of the animals I saw in the city when I was growing up were squirrels and robins. Now just in my yard, I've seen a bald eagle, wild turkeys and as I write this I can hear an owl hooting in the park behind my house. Good news is out there.
 
Good news is also there in the small things. Last Saturday I came up from my basement planning going out to use the snow blower on my driveway. My neighbor, Dwight, was in my driveway with his snow blower. He didn't realize I had a snow blower and was helping out. I told him I would finish up. As I was snow blowing I noticed another neighbor, Rob, was out shoveling his driveway. I know he has a snow blower, so I wasn't sure why he was shoveling. I asked if he'd like me to blow off the heavy stuff from the plow. He said yes. He told me his snow blower was leaking gas the last time he used it and he hadn't had the chance to get it fixed yet. So I blew off some of his driveway for him.
 
This was just a small example, but things like this happen a lot without much fanfare. Good people will always be with us.
 
Jesus is alive and active in this world. He came for each and every one of us. That such good news that in the past when they were deciding what to call the section of the Bible that tells Jesus' life story they could think of no better word than the Greek word for good news - Gospel.
 
Enjoy the season. Merry Christmas to you!