Dear Brothers and Sisters in Faith,
What a sweet peace fills our hearts at Christmas! God takes on human form. He becomes a little baby. Later, at the cross we will witness how urgent and powerful God’s love is. “This is how far your Savior is willing to go for you.” But now, at the manger, we see just how tender God’s love can be. He joins himself to us, becoming bone of our bones and flesh of our flesh. If he came as King of kings, with all the might and majesty of heaven, he might well terrify us. But coming as a little baby, our Lord shows us how much he yearns to draw us to himself. There’s nothing to fear in a baby. There’s just a miracle of love for poor sinners.
Since God has filled our hearts with this peace, we share it with others. We can’t help ourselves. Like the shepherds, like Anna, like Simeon—we can’t hold back. Our eyes have seen our salvation, something we know God has prepared not only for us but for all.
As we look forward to the New Year, we know it will be more than merely “happy” in a worldly sense. It will be a new year filled with God’s rich grace. We see that evidence of grace every day here at the seminary. Every prayer, every card, every gift, every offering, every expression of goodwill reminds us that God’s people care about what we do here and that they want the light of Christ’s grace to shine in all the world. There’s still so much darkness. There are still too many “Happy New Year’s” that lack the light of grace.
With your support and encouragement, we will continue preparing men to shine that light into hearts around the world.
A Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year.
