Dear Fellow Children of God,
A hearty and enthusiastic, “Hello and Merry Christmas to you all!” What a wonderful season this is. The air is brisk. The leaves are on the ground. And the world is lit up with lights in celebration of the coming of The Light of the World! Despite the commercialization and the anti-christian sentiment that continues to rear its ugly head in our culture today, this is the way I choose to look at it. Not with my head hidden in the sand. Not without a longing in my heart for all to see the glory and the grace of God in the lowly manger scene. The hymns we have chosen to include in our large print booklet, “Christian Christmas Carols,” clearly point out this Glory and Grace of God in Emmanuel:
O come, Thou Dayspring from on high
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadow put to flight.
Silent night! Holy night!
Son of God, love’s pure light.
No ear may hear His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still,
The dear Christ enters in.
Adam’s likeness now efface,
Stamp Thine image in its place:
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
Jesus, to Thee
Be all glory giv’n;
Word of the Father
Now in flesh appearing.
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace.
This holy tide of Christmas
Doth bring redeeming grace!
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love.
So, let us celebrate and rejoice in reflection on the wonders of His love – that God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life! John 3:16
Blessings, in the name of Jesus Christ,
