Dear Redeemer Family,
Our beautiful Christmas Eve Lessons & Carols and our cheery Christmas Day Communion services are behind us. We’re halfway through our 12 days of Christmas and most of us are scattered far and wide - having a wide variety of holiday experiences I’m sure.
Some of us are snuggled in front of cozy fires with good books and family.
Some of us are still out and about on travels, enjoying sweet reunions with loved ones.
Some of us quarantined at home, watching other people enjoy the celebrations we long to experience.
Still others of us struggle to even want to celebrate. Loss of a dear loved one or loss of a job has made even the light of Christmas feel dark.
Wherever you are my friends, know that you are loved and greatly valued by your church family. It’s been an especially hard year to feel that love and value. You might be tempted to wonder, “Do these people even miss me?” “Are these relationships still real?”
The answer is simply and unequivocally, YES.
As I write this, I’ve opened up our church roster and am reading through the list of names, imagining your faces, and giving thanks to God for you.
I hear from many of you how much you miss being with each other. I know you value one another.
But more than that, I know that our Lord Jesus loves you and values you. Some of us may feel unseen, unknown, and unpursued - but the glorious news of Christmas is that God sees you, knows you, and pursues you. Thanks be to God!
Take comfort dear ones, you are greatly valued by God and loved by your church family.
Merry Christmas!
In the Father’s love,
