The biggest day of the year is almost here and Leanne and I pray that you all are enjoying this year’s Christmas season to the fullest! I know it has been and will be a little different that usual but it is still Christmas. J It is the most blessed time of the year when we remember and celebrate God loving us so much that He sent His only son from Heaven to Earth to save us all from our sins. What a humbling but joyous feeling that brings in knowing that God loves each of us so much that He would give up His best to be what we needed most: a Savior. What is even more amazing is that even in the difficulties and challenges we have facing us this Christmas nothing can change that truth. So we can still have that awe inspiring feeling of every Christmas when we realize that the heart of Christmas is still the same.
As I was thinking over what to say in our annual Christmas letter Romans 15:13 [Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.] came to my mind. Now this is not a typical Christmas verse but the more I thought about it, I began to realize how it really is at the core of Christmas as it focuses on Hope, Joy and Peace. All three hallmarks of this most wondrous of seasons. However, I also noticed they are all tied together by he word Believing. How can Christmas make a difference in your life by bringing Hope, Joy and Peace if you do not Believe the truth of the Christ Child, the Savior, the Overcomer, the Way Maker and the only Miracle worker?
Leanne and I hope even though you may be tired and weary that you still believe and that in doing so allow Jesus to fill you and your life with abundant hope, joy and peace this Christmas. God’s love is always the same and the heart of Christmas never changes. So take heart, believe and enjoy the blessings of this great time of year.
Merry Christmas,
Doug and Leanne