Happy Christmas and Blessed New Year

Greetings once again to all.

First of all, I pray that your Christmas celebration was a joyous one. Mine was. It was wonderful to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ with family and friends. Secondly, our worship service on Christmas Eve was awesome because it was a new record for attendance. There were 188 people at the service that night. It was a wonderful sight to see, especially from the front of the church. I was awed by the reality of 188 people were tightly packed into our Sanctuary, that is worship space, that is designed to seat maybe, 150. But what is really amazing is they all heard about the birth of our Savior once again. For many people, hearing the story of the birth of Jesus is, "I've heard it before. There's nothing new." That's true, it is a story that hasn't changed for almost 2000 years. I can understand how hearing it again can get a little stale. Yet for 188 people, it wasn't stale at all. It was fresh, new, as if they had not heard it before. And that is the reason for the telling of it, year after year. The Bible states that "heaven rejoices over one sinner who repents." Well, if one sinner who heard that story on Christmas Eve repents of his or her sins, then heaven is rejoicing and some am I. That is why I never get tired of telling the same story of Jesus. If one person hears that story and repents, then my task is worth the telling.

And now a New Year is in it's infancy. It is exciting to see new starts and new beginnings happen at the turn of a calendar page. It is fun to watch people make resolutions and have a sincere desire to make changes. Yet I think and I believe that true change comes from the one who loves us so much, that He was willing to offer His Son as a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus Christ came into our world, shared our time and space for a specific and wonderful reason. Jesus came to take away our sins and sinfulness and replace it with His love, grace, forgiveness, mercy, and peace. As we realize this, we confess before God that we are sinful and that we cannot do anything to change it. Then we take hold of the forgiveness He gave and live in the changed new nature. Then, with the power of God through the Holy Spirit, we live our lives in the new changed person.

Then we live in the New Year and the rest of our lives in the new life of God.

Your servant in Christ,