Christmas is indeed a wonderful time of year. For many, and I'd have to include myself, it is their favorite time of the year—with special holiday traditions, parties, music, and time spent with family and friends.

For some people, and for each of us, I think, at different times in our lives, the Christmas season can be a challenging time—a reminder of lost loved ones, a time where changes in life circumstances or relationships are felt more acutely. Sometimes in the rush of the season we don't get a chance to reflect on the complexities of the season for ourselves or others. The promise of Christmas is that God comes to us in our joy, in our sorrow, in the fullness and complexity of our humanity in the birth of Jesus in a lowly manger in Bethlehem. No matter where we find ourselves in this holiday season, that's where God comes to meet us.