Merry Christmas!
“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
- Matthew 1:21
Are you ready for Christ? Notice I didn’t ask: Are you ready for Christmas? Christmas in our culture has become synonymous with a holiday featuring Santa Claus, trees and lights, glitter and tinsel, presents, family gatherings, television specials, and lots of food and goodies. These things are nice and often fun to enjoy. But they can also become distractions. The point of Christmas is Christ. Cut to the chase: Christmas is about the fact that God loves you and sent His son for you, to be your Savior and Lord!
That’s the Good News message we celebrate at Christmas and all through the year. Are you ready to receive Jesus anew this Christmas? Sometimes we get so busy with the preparations, gatherings, food preparation, parties, and routines, that we miss Jesus. Sometimes we prepare everything but our hearts. Let us vow not to let that happen this year. God has a message of love for you. It’d be a shame to miss it. Jesus has come to earth to forgive you, redeem you, save you, heal you, revitalize you, and bless you!
Do you or someone you know need to hear this gospel message afresh and anew this Christmas? If so, join us for our traditional Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at Grace Church tonight, beginning at 6:00 PM, as I bring the message, “Discovering God in Surprise!” We will culminate our Waiting for God Advent series with the Good News that God has broken His silence and finally come to earth to set things right in the person of Jesus. Please join us with your family and consider inviting your friends as well.
The next two Sundays will feature a time of coming together for combined services, beginning at 10:00 AM, with some excellent guest pastors. Pastor John Wanders will be with us this coming Sunday, December 26; the service will include a time of carol singing by request. And, Pastor Ed Baker will be with us on Sunday, January 2 for a service that will feature a blended musical style. Refreshments will be served following each service, provided someone volunteers. :) Let’s enjoy our time of coming together!
On Christmas Day, I will head to Michigan for my annual year-end vacation break to spend time celebrating Christmas with my siblings and their families, and catching up with good friends. I look forward to the break but will continue to uphold the needs of our Grace Church family in prayer while I’m gone. I return to the office on January 4. Please contact your care elder or deacon if you have an urgent concern in the meantime. May God bless you and loved ones with a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
P.S. Thanks so much for all the generous expressions of love including cards, gifts, gift-cards, goodies, and prayers. All are so very much appreciated. May God bless you too!