A sea of third graders filled the seats. They would come to view our church's Putz as part of their "historic" Bethlehem school field trip. Boy, oh-boy, were they pumped with questions! They wanted to know lots of historical facts like, "What kind of food did the Moravians eat a long time ago?" and, "Did kids play sports back then?" They wanted to know how old our church building is in comparison to the other Moravian buildings downtown. They wanted to know if anyone had ever been impaled by a falling Advent Star!        Before long, the questions changed focus, and instead of inquiring about life in the Colonial era, some children began delving into the territory of our church, and The Church, and God. "Can anybody come to your church? I mean, would it be okay if my sister and I came here?" asked a thoughtful girl. "Do you serve bread and wine here?" a serious little boy wanted to know. "They do that in my church, but I don't know why. What does it mean?"        Most poignant and challenging of all was the query of a young girl apparently experiencing her first exposure to Christianity. "I've noticed that church buildings always have 'plus signs' on the roof. How come?" Some of her classmates quickly corrected her, "Those are crosses. Not plus signs!" But the girl shrugged, clearly indicating she was unfamiliar with the symbol.        That moment provided an unparalleled chance to talk about Jesus Christ, and I hope that in giving my answer, I was able to communicate at least a smidgen of the truth of God's love. I hope I shared something of value with her. I know she shared something of value with me....        The thought of the church existing beneath a "plus sign" is intriguing. Christians are called to be positive influences, aren't we? Christians have every reason to be optimistic, don't we? As it says in Philippians, if anything is excellent, think about it!        This just might be my motto for the New Year: "I'm living under the plus sign of Jesus Christ." I invite you to live there, too. Be ready to ADD love and understanding at every opportunity!

Wishing You Significance in 2005,

Pastor Chris