From the Pastor |
Christmas Greetings to you all this Holiday Season.
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6 KJV) There is so much that is wonderful this time of year: the love and joy, the hope and promises of peace… the festive music and decorations… the cookies (let us not forget the cookies). For many adults, Christmas seems like such a rush, and it comes all too quickly year after year. For children the coming of Christmas seems painfully slow and its passing is much too fast. To the surprise of some of us Christmas is not always a happy time. In fact, it may be the saddest time of the year for some, and so much so that its occurrence is dreaded. Whether we are feeling joyful and full of anticipation or stressed and anxious, or feeling sad, lonely and depressed… We need to keep our focus on the great wonder of what this season is truly about. It begins with ordinary people who were called to become extraordinary. Mary, a young girl whose marriage contract was not yet complete, was visited by the angel Gabriel and told she would bring God’s own Son into the world. Joseph, a humble carpenter, a faithful Jewish man, was also visited by an angel telling him he should endure the possible shame and scrutiny of those in the community and still take Mary for his wife. He should help to raise this blessed child as his own. Lowly shepherds, who were pretty low on the scales of society, were blessed to also see angels who told them of the remarkable events that were happening. These shepherds were chosen to share the “tidings of great joy!” Today, ordinary people are still the one’s God calls to do extraordinary things. We are those people and this Christmas, amid the hustle and bustle and chaos of our seasonal preparations; let us remember to prepare our hearts and minds as well. Prepare for the coming of CHRIST! By opening our hearts to God’s awesome love we will be in a position to share that love with others. This is what Christmas is truly all about.
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Yeon Shin
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