Church Family,
Being a husband and a father, I cannot help but put myself in Joseph’s shoes when he found out that his fiancé was expecting a baby. So much of his life was in front of him. Being a husband was a big deal. He had prepared for that time for most of his life. He wanted to bring glory to God and honor his family. I cannot imagine what he must have felt when the word got to him that Mary was expecting. His reputation was at stake. His family’s honor was at stake. His world was turned upside down. And as he tried to put the pieces behind him, an angel of the Lord came to him and told him that Mary’s child was conceived of the Holy Spirit. He was told that he should take Mary as his wife and raise this child. He lost a lot at that time. But he also got to experience God in a way that few in history have. He was face to face with an angel. He even received the privilege to help Mary raise the Son of God.
There are times in life when it seems everything goes wrong at once. My family can sure relate to that this year. It seems that we’ve been hit while we were down too many times over the last three months. Yet, it seems that when we are the most vulnerable that God worked in the clearest of ways. God has showed his faithfulness in ways we would never have experienced otherwise. We have felt His love, grace, and mercy.
We want to thank each of you for your support. Your prayers and concern for Hannah while she was in the hospital was greatly appreciated. But I was never more humbled than by the generous love offering you took up for us to help with our truck repairs. That was not expected. I could never express how thankful we are to your generosity. Your love for us over the last two-and-a-half years has been phenomenal. Thank you for letting me be your pastor. I love each of you.
From my family to yours, have a very merry Christmas!
Pastor Michael