December Newsletter

Christmas is just around the corner. We stuffed ourselves with the turkey, and are ready for the holiday ham. There are those staples of Christmas; food, family and gifts. They are certainly a mainstay in Christian homes throughout America.

When I think about Christmas, it is really hard not to think about gifts. I always like to think back to different Christmas’ and what all my brothers and I received. I remember one of my favorite gifts being a basketball hoop. The frozen ground kept us from using it for awhile, but we horsed around on that thing for a long time. We liked lowering the rim and taking turns dunking on it. We went through quite a few rims.

Another year, my brother and I received football pads and helmets. It was a great gift because we loved to play football, but the pads were more an outfit than equipment. In other words, it was something to be worn, not used. They looked good. The strong caution not to use it for hitting, which came from the manufacturer, went unread and unheeded, and we proceeded to tackle and hit each other in the yard for the next few months until the pads were, well, worn. I don’t remember us ever getting hurt because of it though. It could just be I suffered multiple concussions, causing memory lapse.

I remember those gifts more so than many of the other gifts, because I was excited about them. There is nothing to exciting about getting underwear and t-shirts for Christmas. A necessary evil of my family Christmas was to receive undergarments. (Santa had a real knack for picking out the right sizes; of course it’s hard to mess up socks!) While I didn’t enjoy receiving those clothing items as gifts, they were entirely necessary. I wore out all my other clothing, and it was perfect time for Santa to replenish my stocking full of “necessary” items.

As the holiday checklist is now upon the fridge, and the list of things to do grows and grows, let us take the next four weeks in our busy schedule to look back to the wonderful gifts that God has given us. My first message looks at the gift of life. We often look at the gift of life being when God created the world in Genesis. Well, we will bel looking at t life through the lense of John 10. The gift of life; our life under the shepherd’s care. We will follow with messages around the gifts of love, repentance and the Messiah. All of which we need reminders of, and replenishing of in this busy season, where the meaning of Christmas can be lost in consumerism and business. Let us, turn for the next month, and look at what God has given us, through his Son.

We can often look at these gifts, and forget why we need them, grow accustomed to having them or just plain not realize the necessity of these gifts. With a fresh new look at who our God is, and what he is asking of us, let us turn and look at the gifts of the Father, through the Son, in a different light.

Considering the time of year, I feel it appropriate to look at some of the “gifts” that God has given us through his Son. Our first look will be at “The Gift of Life: Life under the Shepherd’s care.” We will then look at the gifts of love, repentance, and the Messiah. These may not be the flashiest of gifts. They may not be the latest and greatest video game system for the kids. But for the people of this world, we were gifted with many blessings from God. I could spend the next year preaching on the many gifts we have received from God, but I have selected four, that tie into our life as Christians, and how we live for God. While some of these gifts may go unnoticed, maybe quite often, unused, they are entirely necessary. These are gifts we just can’t live without. Please, join us each Sunday, as we look at each of the different gifts that God has given us, through his Son.