Change is a constant.  It can be for good or for worse, but it is always there.  There’s something about the Christmas season that sometimes turns this time of year into a spotlight that glaringly focuses our attention on the changes we’ve been through over recent months or even years.  Some older members of our church family have shared that they remember their childhood excitement at Christmas years ago when they would find that orange and piece of stick candy or a small handmade gift out for them on Christmas morning (boy, have things changed since then!).  Children grow up and you actually get to sleep in a little on Christmas morning, but the trade-off is the disappearance of that bundle of morning-hair, pajama-clad excitement that a young one brings to a Christmas sunrise.  Loved ones who made Christmas special in years gone by are no longer here.  Or distance often makes a Christmas together impossible.  And sometimes that distance is not measured in miles but in broken relationships.  You may look around during the Christmas season and wonder, “What happened?”  On the other hand, perhaps the changes you notice this year are positive ones.  I remember the joy of new believers in our ministry in Mexico as they rejoiced in their celebration of their, as they put it, “first true Christmas.”  Christmas can be a time of rejoicing in God’s goodness and provision.  Yes, the changes we experience are often brought into stark relief during this time of year.  No matter the changes you face this year, it’s good to remember what the Lord says in Malachi 3:6.  “For I am the Lord, I change not….”  Maybe you’ve been too focused on those things that have changed this year – your companions, conditions, or even cash flow.  Some may even wonder why they bother to celebrate Christmas at all.  Just remember that the very heart of Christmas, our Lord Himself, hasn’t changed.  His grace, His love, His forgiveness, His presence, and He Himself are absolute constants in our world of change.  So go ahead, celebrate.  Rejoice.  Have a Merry Christmas.  Our Lord is the same yesterday, today, and forever!