Christmas Cards

Christmas Cards, "Bah Humbug," some say… They cost too much, no one really reads them anyway… It's too expensive and takes too much time to send them."

Some may say those things, but not at our house, at our house we love Christmas cards. We love receiving them and love sending them. Granted in the present economic situation in our society we don't mail as many as we once did. But still they are an important part of our lives. Many of us have been forced to send an "electronic" greeting now, which is a great avenue of staying in touch, but I still cherish the old fashion paper cards also.

Each card, each letter, each greeting, (electronic or otherwise), has a message of hope, a message of love, they share precious thoughts and insights about our relationships. We love to get the Christmas letters that often come with the cards, because the truth of the matter is that far too often we just don't stay in touch with those we really care about. We mean to do better, we mean to call, write or visit, but as they say, "life interferes" with our plans.

Christmas cards may be the only time in the year that you communicate with someone you really do care about in your life. We are separated by years and miles from many of our dear friends. People that we love and truly cherish, but some we have not seen for years. People who have touched our lives and helped make us who we are today.

Christmas cards remind us that there is a bond of love and friendship through Christ that can never be parted. As long as we put Him first in our lives we will touch and be touched by others.

We have some old friends that taught us a lesson about Christmas cards years ago while living in Africa. They kept their Christmas cards on the dinning room table and each day when they asked God to bless their food they also chose one card and ask God to bless those people that day also.

Many of you have been a light to our paths in this life fulfilling Jesus' Words in Matthew 5:14-15, "You are the light of the world, like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house."

So in this electronic age my wife and I wish each of you a "Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year". And, May God Bless us Everyone.

Promises Remembered ...

"And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come:

I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth… Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." (Genesis 9:12-16 NIV)

As we were driving through Southern Arizona and California last week my wife and I were in unusual weather for us, there was rain, lots of rain. It was somewhat unusual because every now and then the sky would clear and we would have sunshine for awhile. During these times we saw no less than 4 different rainbows, which was quite amazing in itself. But as we saw those we commented to one another about God's promise to Noah and his family after He had destroyed the earth with the Great Flood. God said, "I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant…" He said, "I promise I will never do this again."  

There was another covenant even before that one though. After Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden for their sin and disobedience, God Said, "And I will put enmity between you (Satan) and the woman, and between your offspring (Satan) and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." (Genesis 3:15) This was his promise even in the very beginning of time that Jesus would come to the world as its Savior.

In Luke 2 God spoke again through an Angel: "An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." (Vs.  9-12)

If there is a message we see reinforced at this time of the year through this holiday the world proclaims as "Christmas," it is that God remembers His promises! Think about all of those who proclaim, "Keep Christ in Christmas."  Many of the Songs that are sung are a reminder of at least part of the promise of God being fulfilled.

We know that the word "Christmas," is not in the bible. We understand that the early Christians did not have Christmas celebrations. We understand that most of what takes place in our modern Christmas celebrations has nothing to do with what is recorded in the bible. However that doesn't make the birth of Christ any less wonderful, any less worthy of being remembered. This one event truly was a miracle that changed the course of our world as well as each of our lives for eternity.

God spoke, He promised, He remembered and He fulfilled that promise through a baby born in a stable. Let's not forget the fulfilled promise of a Savior which was born to us in Bethlehem, not just at this time of the year, but all year long.