You may ask the question, “What is the meaning of Christmas?” The late John F. Kennedy said, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what can you do for your country.” Jesus said in his teachings on giving and receiving, “It is better to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Our heavenly Father expressed his love to us by giving us his only Son: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
We realize that Christmas is a time of giving and receiving hopefully as we reflect on the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our nation has experienced some hard times in the past few years. We have been alerted by our leaders that we will experience a lean Christmas pertaining to giving and receiving. There are those who
question, “What’s in it for me?” with the emphasis being on receiving. Christmas is not just a celebration of another birthday, but a celebration of the first-born from the dead, Jesus Christ (Col. 1:15).
My wife Judy and I wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. The Lord has kept us through a challenging year or so, which I feel has made us stronger Christians. We relish your love and kindness that have been shown to us through the many years we have served you at Troy Christian Chapel. May the New Year bring us even closer to each other as we fight the good fight of faith. Thank you for your faithfulness to God and our body of believers.
Pastor Jake and Judy Stirnemann