Christmas Blessings
A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” – Isaiah 40: 4-5
As we approach Christmas day, we are reminded that we are a people of hope. Because of the birth of Jesus, love has taken on flesh. During this season of Advent we have talked a lot about the world of darkness and have been reminded that the light (that is Christ) shines in the darkness, pushing back the terrible effects of sin (the rough and crooked places). The main tool that God uses to push back the dark of sin in the world is His Church; each of us, working together, living our lives in Christ as we proclaim the message of God’s redeeming love. Even when life gets difficult, we remain people of hope. Our prayer continues to be “Thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.” Because of Christmas we know that God continues to work in His church and His plan is that all of creation will one day be renewed; everything in creation will live for the Glory of God. That’s our hope!
We continue to work among you and with you as a family filled with hope. We are continually called to love God’s church even when (maybe especially when) the Church (and our church in particular) is in a time of change. The upheaval caused by our renovations and a move to the John McCrae School is just one of the many ways our church is changing. In the midst of these changes, I have been profoundly moved to see the many hands that have smoothed out the rough places and how our church has been brought together through the work. My hope is that we will continue to be inspired by Christ to go into the world with the good news of God’s love in ways that renew God’s world and bring us together in unity. It is because of the birth of Christ that we continue in the work that God has called us to, and we are grateful that we can do this work with you!
~ Merry Christmas from the Tigchelaars!
