As we celebrate the birth of our blessed Savior, may our thoughts and attention not primarily be on the gifts that we are giving or receiving, but may our foremost focus be on the gift that God has provided to us through His Only Son, the Lord Jesus! It is Christ alone that brings true meaning and purpose behind each and every day of our lives! That meaning and purpose is amplified during this very special time of observing the miracle of the entrance of the promised Messiah into the world! This year it is my sincere prayer that our Christmas celebration will accomplish the following objectives:
- First, that it will be honoring to our Savior’s Name
- Second, that it will create many special family memories that we will each treasure for a lifetime
- Third, that it will knit our hearts even stronger to one another
We have much to celebrate as it is through the miracle of the manger when God became man and made His dwelling among us that we have one of the essential parts of the plan of salvation! The Gospel of John tells us the following:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:1, 14 KJV)
What an amazing statement that the very Word of God took on human form and dwelt among us! This Christmas may our hearts be filled with gratitude for the Word and the incredible privilege that the Lord has provided us by allowing us to know this Word personally and intimately! This gratitude for the Word should lead us to action and may our hearts be invigorated in our commitments to the Holy One of Israel. First, may each of us have a commitment to more deeply know the nature and character of the One who is called the King of the Jews. There is no better way to get to know Him than to communicate with Him through the diligent reading of His Word and the consistent prayer showing our love and dedication to coming into His presence! Second, may each one of us have stronger resolve to apply what we learn to every aspect of our lives. May we not fall into the trap of segregating our lives into areas that are sacred and those that are secular, but may we seek to take every thought, word, and deed into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Third, may each of us be ready to share the truth that God communicates to us with those whom we come into contact. May our hearts be right as we proclaim the precepts, patterns, and principles of Holy Scripture to others clothed in an attitude of gentleness and respect.
Indeed, this time is very special and dear as we gather together and remember what the Bible teaches us about Jesus entering this world in the fullness of time for the purpose of carrying out God’s perfect plan of redemption. The memories that I have of celebrating Christmas together as a family in past years are very precious and sweet! May this year carry with it many joyous and special times that we will treasure for a lifetime! What a blessing it is to have each one of you with which to celebrate this very blessed occasion!
Jill, my dearly beloved help-meet, I am so grateful to have you as my precious bride and wife! You are so special and dear to me and I want you to specifically know how much I appreciate all of your preparations for making our Christmas at home such a memorable time for all of us in this household.
Jordan, I appreciate your willingness to work in so many ways to help get everything ready for this special day! As you continue to grow and mature in godly manhood, may you know that I will seek to be your guide to help you in establishing a firm foundation on which you can build for the future.
Aidan, it is such a blessing to see how grateful and excited you get about giving and receiving presents. You show such a delight at describing the features of the gifts that you give or receive, which in turn is a great encouragement to everyone else in this family!
Amara, thank you for being in training for a keeper at home and may you always find joy in preparing for each special occasion! I so appreciate your willingness to care for your baby sister to enable others to get ready for our Christmas celebration and for your desire to help wrap gifts that were not your own to give.
Tirzah, what a delight it is to have you in our family for your very first Christmas (outside of the womb) and while you likely will not remember this day, we hope that our pictures, videos, and even this letter will show to you the importance that we placed on making this day special for you! We are very blessed to have you added to this household and my prayer is that you will become a godly girl and a woman of great virtue!
You each have a very special place in my heart and I am so blessed to have you as part of my dear and precious family! I love you all very dearly!! Merry Christmas to each and every one of you!
