One of the most frightening things I experienced as a pastor was when someone would come up to me and say, "Pastor, I wanted to ask you about the sermon you preached six months ago."
Since I normally had trouble remember what I had preached on the previous Sunday, it was impossible for me to remember a sermon preached months before.
Which brings me to today's post. We received a card yesterday from some friends who were apologizing for not getting a Christmas card out to us. In the card, the writer thanked us for the best Christmas letter they had ever received.
I wrote the Christmas letter. I couldn't remember a single word that I had written.
Fortunately, I had saved the letter. You can read it below. I hope it provides some encouragement for you today.
We wish you a “Mary Christmas!” No, that’s no a typo. Our girls, Steph and Katie, love the song “Breath
of Heaven.” Perhaps you know it. It’s a first-person meditation of Mary as she
ponders becoming the mother of God and so she prays for God’s help to be worthy
of this task.
The song is beautifully written and includes these words: But
I offer all that I am, for the mercy of Your plan. To all that happened that night in
Bethlehem, the Bible tells us that Mary “treasured all these things and
pondered them in her heart.”
Interestingly, the word, “pondering,” means “putting together.” Mary is pondering how this Babe could be the
promised One of God.
Throughout the entire life of Jesus, Mary would be putting
together the meaning of all these words.
The Bible reveals to us the mercy of God’s plan. That plan called for God Himself to enter our
messed up, hard-to-figure-out world and become our Savior.
That’s the good news of the season. “For unto you is born this day in the city of
David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
The Christ-child – He is the One who is for you sent from God. He is your Christmas gift. Full of mercy and grace. There is no one like Him.
I hope this good news brings you some hope and encouragement. It’s been a tough year for so many people. Hard things happen and we are sometimes
tempted to wonder if God has forgotten us or doesn’t care for us. When we encounter tough times we are tempted
to think such things.
In God’s heavenly workshop, as He worked on the mercy of His
plan to bring salvation to the world, You were on His mind. So, He sent Jesus to be your Savior. The birth of Christ is your absolute guarantee
that God has not forgotten you. God has
done everything needed that you would have a life with Him in eternity. If God can handle something as big as
granting you forgiveness and new life, He can certainly take care of the day-to-day
problems we encounter. He can see us through
Covid-19 and chemotherapy. He can provide
help with family trials and faulty finances. You can trust God. The manger is proof that He is for you.
Usually, these letters are all about us. Well, I can tell you that Sherri and I are
retired and looking forward to a new season in our lives. We have some exciting travels planned for
2022. Our kids and grandkids are mostly
healthy – Covid-19 has not wreaked havoc among us. We miss our church family of 17 years but are
blessed to be worshipping with a new church where Jesus is proclaimed. We’re optimistic about the future.
Enough about us. As
the saying goes, “Jesus is the reason for the season.” May God richly bless you
and yours with a “Mary Christmas!”
