Merry Christmas

December 10, 2008

We send our warm Christmas greetings to you. By looking at the picture below you can see how blessed we are to be celebrating this wonderful season with the most beautiful, intelligent and fun-loving grandchildren in the world. Alyssa, Davis, Siena and Hawkins all live close by, and when we are home we get to see them often. It is also a blessing to see their parents Doug and Amy, Adam and Haven living for the Lord.

Matthew tells about Three Wise Men from the Orient who came to where Jesus was staying after his birth in Bethlehem. The wise men first arrived in Jerusalem and reported to the king of Judea, Herod the Great, that they had seen a star heralding the birth of a king. Further inquiry led them to Bethlehem of Judea and the location of Mary and Joseph. They presented Jesus with treasures of "gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

As we celebrate Christmas let’s give to Jesus more than gold, frankincense and myrrh. Let us give Him our true treasures of devotion, worship and love. Don’t let this time be deflating, but instead let it be a time of rejoicing and renewing your commitment to our Savior.

This Christmas brings many challenges! We have just lived through so many in the last few months. Economic crises, the election, world events, wars, terrorism and who knows about tomorrow? God knows and He holds our future in His hands. This passage out of Matthew gives us the opportunity to honor Him with our true devotion and like gold give Him our very best we possess by recognizing that Jesus is our King. We bring frankincense to worship Him even in the midst of our brokenness and uncertainty. Like myrrh we see His love as He has identified with us in our pain and sorrow. He could do that because He was like us, human! We all face many challenges, but Diana and I believe in God and we trust Him for our future to help us with the challenges to come. How about you? So this is why this time of the year is special! It is CHRISTMAS, a time for renewing and recommitting ourselves to the Lord with hearts of celebration that we are His and He is ours.

Thank you and know that there are many lives that have been changed because of your prayers and giving. Your friendship and kindnesses shown to us and to our ministry over the past twenty plus years has been a real encouragement. Have a joyful Christmas!

Your servants in Christ,

Rick and Diana Wilson