Dear Friends in Christ, December, 2010

The Season of Advent has arrived with all of its beautiful and busy attributes. It is our time to reflect upon the coming of Jesus in the midst of history. He is the One spoken of in the Prophets, in the Psalms, in the Law of the Torah. He is The Christ, The Messiah, the Son of Man, the incarnate son of the Living God. He is our kinsman redeemer.

It is a Season of time with the gathering of family and friends. It is a time of expectation of the coming of Jesus in the fullness of time and history. It is a time for us as the church to reflect upon the timelessness of God, who comes to dwell in the midst of creation. It is a time of preparing to understand the gift of God to his creation.

It is also one of the lonelier seasons of the year, for those who are not able to be with family. People who cannot come home, or experienced loss of family and friends. It is a tough time when we are trying to focus on the joy of this season, in the midst of a season of loss. It is a time when we as the church remember that we are the body of Christ, the family of the people of God. It is a time when we can be the family for those in a season of loneliness. Just as Mary and Joseph had to leave their home and go back to their home town to be registered and taxed by the government. They did not have family to stay with and had to camp out in a stable.

Our prayer is that we as the church live into our call, to be God’s people, to those around us. It is a time for us to reach out to those who need a family or friend and be that family to them. It is a time to share our fellowship and our heart with all those who come to us. It is time and an opportunity to truly make this a season of Hope, of Joy, of Peace, and of Love as the body of Christ.

May you and yours be blessed with His Hope, His Peace, His Joy, His Love, in the coming of His Son in the fullness of God's time in His Season.

Yours-In-Christ,

 Jim