Written By Matthew Henson

Read Luke 2:1-20

For many years in the late 1980s and early to mid 1990s, my dad sang in a Gospel Group with a gifted pianist and song writer named Juanita Atkinson. She wrote a song that spoke to the ongoing battle between the materialism of the season and the real reason for the season. As you light the Christ Candle in the center of the Advent wreath, read these beautiful lyrics.

I was searching for the right gifts late on Christmas eve

Seeking presents for some friends of mine

I couldn’t find the right gift and no other one would do

When there upon the door I read a sign:

It said Jesus is the reason for the season

O how those words touch my heart.

Jesus is the reason for the season

What a message these words impart.

No more searching for the right gift late on Christmas eve

I’ll give them gifts sent down from heaven above

Gifts of sharing, caring, hope and peace and joy

And I’ve found the right gift now, I’ll give them love.

For Jesus is the reason for the season

O how those words touch my heart

For Jesus is the reason for the season

What a message these words impart.

Prayer: The hustle and bustle of the season can be overwhelming, Lord. Thank you for tonight where I can take my focus off the busyness and fix my eyes on Jesus. Thank you for the gift we receive and celebrate today. Thank you for the Christ-child who is Jesus: He is the true Reason for the Season. Amen.