eck the halls or fill the malls? What do you think about the star, the babe, and the angels? Which way will you go this year? Our lives can get rather confusing if we accept all the inputs we get without thinking. People today are not that different from what they have always been. We can be as fascinated as kittens with a leaf or as indifferent as cattle in tall grass. Some will think that the giving and receiving of gifts is really what Christmas is all about. Others will be so stoic and narrow-minded that they don't want to hear about it and don't want anything.

Christians know in their hearts that the greatest gift can't be duplicated. We give gifts anyway. Non-Christians don't want any God telling them how to live their lives. They give gifts anyway. For the average citizen, this is the season of raised awareness of others and what they might like or need. It's all good indeed, but we have to have more going on in our hearts and minds. There aren't enough good gifts to erase sin. There aren't enough good wishes in humankind to lift it up from its malaise of self-interest.

The highest of all is required. His name is Jesus. Immanuel in a stable with farm animals, a teen-aged mother and a reluctant, confused father. God, because of His great love, put Jesus in the middle of it all in the most unlikely circumstance with the most unlikely people. The perfect example of how He does things. The vivid contrast between God's priorities and man's is never clearer than it is in how the Lord chose to enter our world. The greatest gift given in such an obscure place in such a lowly way didn't appear to be much of a gift. It was, however, perfect and ultimately suited for the need God saw. It still is, and it is still perfect.

Here at Hillside Christian Church we will celebrate this perfect gift in our annual program this Sunday evening at 7:00. The children and their leaders have worked for several months at learning songs and lines to present the most beautiful story ever told in a fresh, accurate way. This will not be an average Christmas program. You are invited to join the Hillside family for this great service and the fellowship to follow.

Our men's prayer breakfast will be this Saturday at 7:30 am. Men and boys are invited to attend with guests and friends for good food and warm fellowship. There is no charge.

It is gratifying to see the initial phase of our building program nearing completion. We should be "in the dry" very soon and can begin inside work. A brick exterior will follow as weather allows. Praise the Lord!