Friends in Christ Weekly Message
December 21, 2013

I pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!
Romans 1:7b (CEV*)

This is from Paul's opening greeting to the church in Rome, but I think it also fits as a Christmas greeting.

The Bible doesn't state the date of Jesus' birth, and it may well be nowhere near December 25. However, it is always a good thing to reflect on the meaning of God sending Jesus to us.

If the Christmas celebration gets us to reflect more on that than we otherwise would, then it has value. If instead we get caught up in commercialism and so busy with the outward trappings that we spend less time than usual reflecting on how God has blessed us, then it is a detriment. And remember, we do have a choice about how we spend our time and on what we reflect.

If you've gotten caught up in busyness and outward trappings, set aside some quality time in the next few days to put all that aside and just reflect on the meaning of the gift of Jesus Christ in your life. And give God the gift of gratitude and praise.

Dear friends, I pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!

Bill Samuel

* Contemporary English Version ©1995 American Bible Society.

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