As I describe these mixed feelings relating to this time of year and I can’t help but wonder if the word “Christmas” has become a “worldly” buzzword that rolls off our tongues, devoid of its true meaning! We casually say “merry Christmas” to those that we meet but rarely are we thinking about nor do we promote Christ laying in a manger. We spend countless hours trying to find the best gifts money can buy in hopes of impressing our family and friends and yet we leave at the foot of the cross nothing more than platitudes of indifference as we hurry by to visit elsewhere! Does not our Creator and Savior deserve our very best gift? While in His sovereignty Jesus needs nothing from us, the gift He wants is our love and allegiance. This first of a four-part sermon series is going to review the story of the Canaanite woman and in doing so reveal the first step in reclaiming the true meaning of Christmas is to remember and share the gift us “dogs” got from Jesus that first Christmas!