From the Pastor

January 2008

As I write this, Christmas is still a week away. If you are like me, you have spent some time carefully considering and then purchasing gifts for those you care about. You will probably give some gifts at Christmas ... and receive some, too!

Some of the gifts we receive are just what we might have wanted, or perhaps even some things that we did not even know we needed. Some of the gifts that we give are perfect for those who receive them; we can tell by the way they react. But the best gifts of all are simply showing someone we care enough to find a gift for them and knowing that someone else cares about us. The old saying is true: It is really the thought that counts, even if we really hate the sweater we received, even if the movie or CD is not the right one, even if we already own the same book.

Of course, the season is really all about the gift that God sent to humankind—the gift of God’s only Son. Jesus is the perfect gift. Not only is he exactly what our aching and hungering world needs, the thought behind the gift adds depth and meaning. And that thought is simply this: God loved us enough—all of us, despite our willfulness, selfishness, and sinfulness—to send the Son to save us.

There is no better gift than that. And there is no better proof that we are profoundly loved.

God’s blessing to you in 2008.

In Christ,
Pastor Brenda