Who gets top billing in your Christmas celebrations? I don't mean this as a judgmental questioning, but as a serious question about how you think of this time of year.

I can remember the December when temptation overcame me. I snuck into the inner sanctum (underneath the Christmas tree), found a package with my name and peeled off the tape at the end. Looking back, the irony is quite apparent. It was the early days of the Transformers, and the Transformer in that box was a character called, (wait for it)..."Mirage." Later in the week, my parents called my sister and I in for a family meeting. Apparently, she too, had given into temptation. My parents let us know in no uncertain terms, the gig was up and there would be no presents if this happened again.

Like that Transformer, today, most of what is promoted as Christmas is a mirage. It seems like an oasis in the midst of our crazy-making lives trying to make ends meet and maintain our families and dreams. The miracle we expect on Christmas morning so often disappears moments or a few days after we unwrap the gifts. Magic and illusions always do.

But Christmas is about a miracle. Miracles don't just happen - they are born through labors of pain and in the everyday. What we see in Jesus is this very miracle we desire most - the preeminent event in the world that God did. Through us, God has the continuing opportunity to be about miracles. We need only say yes when God asks and then be ready for a different kind of Christmas!

"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. "  Isaiah 7:14 (NKJV)

Join us at Cumming First United Methodist Church at our 9:51 Worship Service (at 9:51 a.m. in the Family Life Center) as we begin our new series, "A Different Kind of Christmas!"

Ken is the Associate Pastor at Cumming First United Methodist and lead preacher for the NEW 9:51 Worship service meeting each Sunday morning. Follow Ken on Facebook or on Twitter: @jedipastorken

Learn more about the variety of worship experiences, the many ministries and the incredible people of Cumming First United Methodist Church, Cumming, Ga. A Traditional Church for Contemporary People!