Monday, December 2, 2013

December Letter

Friends in Christ,

Can you imagine Joseph, Mary's willing husband, hunched over a monitor telling Mary when she's about to have a contraction? Can you imagine Mary trying to decide whether to let the nurses take the Son of God into the nursery at night so she can get some sleep? Can you imagine the look on Jesus' face when they slip the anti-theft device on his ankle?
It's hard for us to imagine what that scene in the stable was like so many years ago. We speculate on the surroundings and who was there, but the reality is that we simply don't know. We have the Gospel accounts, but anyone who claims to know for certain more than that has seen better scholarship than I have.
The actual event happened years ago, but the cosmic ramifications still reverberate in our hearts and lives today. Almighty God taking on human flesh and dwelling in our midst matters more than we can begin to understand. Not only do we have consolation in knowing that God understands what it feels like to be human, but also we can have hope for the future because of the sinless life and perfect sacrifice that Jesus Christ offered.
Christmas changed everything, and each Christmas is a chance for us to remember the perfect gift that we have been given. Each Christmas is a chance for us to look forward in hope, to peer boldly beyond the horizon of today, through the veil of death and into the realm of the eternal, where God sits upon his throne and beckons us closer. Each Christmas is a chance to look around at the present, to celebrate our blessings and examine our shortcomings, working to make our lives a pleasing offering to God.
As we celebrate Christmas, may we celebrate the strength and wisdom of God that came down to earth in the form of a child, and may we give thanks that God is a God of redemption, peace, hope, joy and love.
In Christ,

Keith

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