December 2008
Dear Members and Friends of Our Saviour's,
As I have thought about what to include in my message to you to open the month of December, I have decided to look back at my words the past few Decembers. One thing jumped out at me. This year seems different. In past years, I felt the need to tone down the emphasis upon the "secular Christmas," the encouragement to bring joy to this season by buying a lot of things. Perhaps i am not seeing the spirit of the times clearly, but I ask you, do you see what I see? If you do, then maybe we really can keep Christ at the center of Christmas and He can, as they say, be the reason for the season.
Before we get to Christmas, it is good for us to remember Advent, the time we prepare for the first coming of Christ, in His birth as an infant in the small town of Bethlehem. During this season, I hope we can think about God's faithfulness in keeping His promises. Take a moment to reflect these words from 2 Timothy 2:11-13: "If we have died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us; if we are faithless, He remains faithful--for He cannot deny Himself."
Our Advent journey is just beginning. As we begin, please remember that God has been faithful to us, and we need to be faithful to Him and to God's people. As we make our journey, there are some things we should ask ourselves along the way. Have we taken seriously the opportunities that come our way? Have we thought about making resolutions beginning this Advent season for our new church year? I have made one. I purchased a new translation of the Bible and I have resolved to read through the New Living Translation by November 28, 2009. Who would like to join me? Perhaps a more immediate thought is how can we better prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ? A partial answer that I can give is to read the rest of this newsletter and ask how can I be more committed in faith to my faithful God?
When we work together to answer that question, then I can promise you that the joy of Christmas will be central in your celebration of Christmas.
Think of God's faithfulness in December!
Pastor Brad Homan
