Dear Friends, financial and prayer partners,
The birth of Christ will be celebrated around the world. People will exchange gifts and prepare a big sumptuous dinner. It is a fun time. A time of joy. Peace on earth is wished for all. It is my favorite time of the year. This year Bonnie and I will celebrate Christmas in Vietnam with part of our China family— Gary, Sandy, Kirsten, and her good friend Tommy.
Christmas, however, is more than a fun time to get together with family and friends or a manger scene with Mary and the Baby Jesus, with Joseph and the stable animals looking on. Christmas is the birthday of Jesus Christ, the time that God the Father, as scripture says, “So, loved the world, that He gave us His Only Begotten Son (John 3:16).”
33 years later, that same Son, was crucified on a Roman cross, and treated like a common criminal. That death signifies a punishment that we deserve, but He took it instead. But, thank God that is not all, 3 days later He rose from the dead, and later ascended into Heaven with the promise that He would return for all who believe the story, and asks forgiveness for our sins based on His merits, not ours.
And, furthermore, that forgiveness also has latent within it a promise that we, too, shall rise from the dead when he returns and be with Him forever. It is free, too. You cannot buy it. Jesus has the power to promise that, too. For the Bible, God’s holy word says,
This, in part, is what it means to be a Christian. It is the true meaning of Christmas. So, I trust that today you will enjoy the festivities; but even better, may you experience a new joy and appreciation for Christmas more than ever before.
So, may my wife, Bonnie and I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Christmas, however, is more than a fun time to get together with family and friends or a manger scene with Mary and the Baby Jesus, with Joseph and the stable animals looking on. Christmas is the birthday of Jesus Christ, the time that God the Father, as scripture says, “So, loved the world, that He gave us His Only Begotten Son (John 3:16).”
33 years later, that same Son, was crucified on a Roman cross, and treated like a common criminal. That death signifies a punishment that we deserve, but He took it instead. But, thank God that is not all, 3 days later He rose from the dead, and later ascended into Heaven with the promise that He would return for all who believe the story, and asks forgiveness for our sins based on His merits, not ours.
And, furthermore, that forgiveness also has latent within it a promise that we, too, shall rise from the dead when he returns and be with Him forever. It is free, too. You cannot buy it. Jesus has the power to promise that, too. For the Bible, God’s holy word says,
For in Him resides the fulness of the Godhead bodily, and we are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power. (Colossians 2:9).
So, may my wife, Bonnie and I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Once again be blessed; better yet, remember that it is more blessed to give than receive,
JimR/-
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