Monday, December 14, 2009

Three Simple Words This Holiday

Three simple words this holiday

As Christmas approaches and people's yearly letters begin to arrive, we wondered what we should write for our final newsletter of 2009.

Recently Mike had the privilege to spend the weekend with a friend who is dying from cancer. He had the opportunity to ask Valerie how she came to personally know Christ. Valerie's life growing up was filled with fear and mistrust. A random person at the end of youth group expressed three words that broke through the fear and mistrust of her heart and eventually led to her salvation. Those three words "God loves you."

Three simple words, and yet so powerful -- God loves you. In this season where we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Savior of the world, it is an important reminder that it is all about God's love for us. From the foundations of the world, God's love for us was beyond anything we ever deserved. In our choice to rebel against God, He still loved us. So much so, that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to come to earth in human form and to pay the penalty of our disobedience -- death.

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus through Christmas, will you remember with us that it is all about three simple words: God Loves You.