Merry Christmas To All!

As I write, there is less than one week until the best day of the year, Christmas Day. I do not declare it so for all the commercialism and fanfare, but because of what it represents. This is the day we commemorate the incarnation of Jesus Christ! Were it not for the incarnation, no salvation would be possible. Our Savior had to robe Himself with human flesh in order to fulfill the Law of God for us, instruct us in the way of righteousness, give His life as a ransom for sinners, and then rise from the tomb.

Tonight, Bill preached on Galatians 4:4-5 on the "fullness of the times." It is absolutely amazing to meditate on how perfect was God's timing. The way He brought all the elements and individuals together to enact what His mind had conceived in eternity is just astounding. Think of how wonderful and inevitable are the plans and purposes of God as illustrated by the Christmas story. No one and nothing could have prevented even one detail from occurring exactly as God had mapped it out.

Why did God not choose a virgin from Bethlehem to be the mother of Jesus? He could have, but the magnificent display of His sovereignty in selecting one from Nazareth and then having Rome issue the decree which would take her to the City of David just in time for the birth of the King of kings was certainly part of the reason He did things His own way.

Think of the shepherds who gathered to see the Christ-child. They were not a convenient afterthought with God. These men raised lambs which would later be sacrificed for the sins of Israel. How fitting that they be witnesses to the birth of the Lamb of God who had come to take away the sin of the world! In a sense they represented the role of Joseph and Mary, the shepherds of the Lamb of God who would shield Him from danger and guide His early steps on this sod.

The wisemen, whether they arrived at the manger or not (Scripture says they came to the house where Jesus was), were called to give witness of the royalty of the Child and to present Him the gifts befitting His pedigree. None of the kings of this world came to pay homage, but these stargazers journeyed from afar to swear fealty to the Lord of the universe.

If only the leaders of our time had eyes to see Jesus Christ, not as the babe in the manger, but as the Sovereign ruler of all nations. If only the common people of this world could see Him as the God-man in whose name alone is salvation. If only the Jewish race could see Him as their one true Messiah. If only we could get beyond the bright lights and festive colors to see the beauty of the Altogether Lovely One. Then there would be peace on earth. This then is the sadness of Christmas. As long as men and women fight against the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, there will be no spiritual peace and no national peace either.

But those of us who know and love the Savior, who have bowed the knee to the one true Lord of all, possess a holy joy at this time of year as we celebrate the great grace which caused the Creator of heaven and earth to enter this world as a helpless infant so that He might taste death for every man. May your joy be unspeakable and full of glory. May this Christmas season fill you with an unquenchable desire to know Christ and to make Him known.

Support News

The primary reason for our being in the States instead of Puerto Rico is our financial situation. To raise the needed funds we have visited about 50 churches in the past 6 months (and driven more than 20,000 miles). Recently, we received news from PR that our own church has voted to support us for $200 per month!

When Paul wanted to stimulate the Corinthians to give, he told them about the Macedonian Christians' sacrificial attitude. In 2 Corinthians 8:2, the apostle declares, that "in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality." In verse three he adds that they gave beyond their economic power. Incredibly these poor, suffering saints were so eager to give that when Paul expressed concern that they were giving too much, they begged him to be allowed to give (v. 4)!

Maybe it's hard for you to imagine that some believers actually want to give so generously, but we know that this is not an exaggeration. First, because 2 Corinthians is inspired by God and is therefore an accurate statement of the situation in Macedonia. Second, the example of the church in PR is of the same sort.

The Corinthians responded with a generous gift when they knew of the sacrifice of their brethren. May God use the testimony of the believers in Ponce to motivate the churches we visit to support our ministry so that we may return to PR by the summer of 2008. Will you join with us to make this goal a reality?

God's Gracious Provision

Our oldest son, Steven, has just one semester of college left. He has decided to finish his studies by correspondence, but he will need to find a full-time job, housing, and a car in the next few weeks. When I notified our missions board of this change, I chuckled as I included the following line at the end of my email: “You don’t happen to know anyone who would like to give a car to a worthy cause, do you?”

Within 10 minutes of sending the email, I received a phone call from someone who wanted to do just that! What started as a joke became an answer to prayer that will not be forgotten. Steven now has a 1987 Volvo station wagon which runs well and gets 27 mpg. He only had to pay $640 for some needed repairs! Why should we be surprised? Our awesome God has said, “Before they call, I will answer” (Isaiah 65:24). Now we need to pray for the job and the housing needs.

Winter Wonderland

For the past week we have had three separate snow storms which have dumped about 8 inches of snow. We are located in the Laurel Highlands of southwestern PA. Our kids have been thrilled with the view and the opportunity to have some fun. They even built a snowman today, but it was too dark to get a picture when they finished.

In spite of having to travel in the slippery conditions, the Lord has protected us from accident and from getting stuck. Wednesday was the most dangerous day, but Bill put the car in firwst gear and eased down the mountain without incident. Praise the Lord for His goodness and a warm place to stay.