“But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning: For You have been my defense And refuge in the day of my trouble.” (Psalm 59:16)

December 2011

Dear Friend,

Trusting that all is well with you and your loved ones. Can you believe this year is almost over already? I feel like things are speeding up now as we are quickly drawing into the last days. This has been quite a year for us, with earthquakes, and floods and hurricanes and terror threats. But thank God He has seen us through it all. People are rebuilding and with God’s help moving along with all that needs to be done. Our prayers are with all who have been affected in some way.

This month as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, let us stop for a while and meditate upon it. It would be impossible to ever think of what life would be like if Jesus did not come. All year long we press in and look to Him for help in times of trouble. Where would we be if He were not with us to help us? When He said “Yes” to His Father, when He agreed to leave His heavenly home, His position as the Son of God, and humble Himself to come to the earth as a newborn baby boy, heaven rejoiced. Because of our sin, there was no way for us to receive pardon, there was no way for us to come before the Father with our fears and trials. He is a Holy God! But He loved us so much that He was willing to send His beloved Son to earth to live, suffer and die so that we could have life eternal. Can we, as parents, understand the significance of this in just our own small way? We love our children so much we could never think to let them go even for such a great cause. The thought of them suffering for the sins of others is beyond our comprehension. But Jesus loved us too, and He understood and knew His Father’s heart. So He came..Let us meditate of the magnitude of this!!

When Jesus came in to the world, born of a Virgin, He did not come as a King. He came as a humble baby boy, ready to live as we do, and suffer as we do. He would have to grow up and learn from His earthly parents all the things that we have to learn. He would have to study, and do homework even though He could teach the teachers! He had to work, and His step father, Joseph, taught him his trade which was carpentry. That was hard work, so I imagine Jesus developed muscles, and callouses on his hands too. Wouldn’t we just love to have something that He made with His own hands? When we work hard, and we cry out for strength, He understands where we are coming from! When students work hard to pass tests and do well, He has been there! He wanted to experience all that we do, so that He could identify with us. He knew what it was to be hungry and to be tired. Later on as a teenager He taught the teachers! He was with His parents on their way to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover when suddenly they could not find Him! Imagine their fright! To lose a precious child is a parents worse nightmare! When they found Him, He was teaching the Rabbi’s! What a relief that had to be for Mary and Joseph. I am sure Jesus was spoken to regarding staying close after that too!!

Can we picture Him growing up, and beginning to understand His purpose here? When He asked His cousin John to Baptize Him, He subjected Himself to his authority. It was then that His Father confirmed that He was His son, and John realized that Jesus should be baptizing him! Jesus then went to fast and after 40 days went through the testing of the devil. He knows how that feels, so when we get tempted, He understands and if we call on Him for help, He will give us the strength to say “NO.”

His ministry started then, his relatives and friends rejected Him, asking Him who did He think He was? When we are rejected by the very people we love so much, Jesus understands exactly how we feel! He went through it! It is so difficult to think of this, but yes, those closest to Him rejected Him.

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