Merry Christmas Dear Friends and Family!

Merry Christmas Dear Friends and Family! 

We are so thankful for everyone who has come along side us in our MAF ministry already! It's been an exciting two months, filled with so many blessings! Thank you again!

I have a secret to admit ... I love Christmas! Okay, that's not a secret. I love everything about Christmas! Christmas even makes cold weather fun! But when I was in high school, and people asked me what my favourite holiday was, I would always have to answer something different then Christmas: My favourite holiday is Easter. 

Because Christmas is really about Easter. I love all the joy and hope that surrounds Christmas ... and I love being surrounded by friends, family, eggnog (Marcel LOVES eggnog), and Christmas cookies ... but the real joy and the real hope is that Christmas is the beginning of a story that literally changed the world. Christ came to this earth as a baby, but left as a Saviour--perfect, sinless, and pure, He died on the cross not just as a marvellous display of humility and innocence, but to literally bear all of humanity's burdens and sins.

I know that Christmas isn't exactly everyone's favourite time to talk about sin (can't we just skip this part?), but I don't think it takes much convincing for anyone to see this world needs a saviour. It longs for someone even greater than Ghandi, the Pope, the Duck Dynasty clan, or even Mandela. We need a King ... we need a Saviour ... we want a reason to hope.

Friends, our reason to hope has already come. Our perfect King has already come to this earth. His stay here was short, but His reign is forever. He died on the cross, but death didn't keep Him forever. He conquered death after three days and because of that, his death wasn't some meaningless, though beautiful show of sacrifice. He made a ways for us to be "at peace" with God. He permanently established a way that we too can find freedom from our sin, freedom from death, and the joy and hope of eternal life. And ... what some of us look for more than we like to admit ... joy and hope here on this earth. Joy and hope in this season of love and giving. Joy and hope for the rest of the year. Joy and hope when the purpose of life is so unclear, when nothing makes sense, when this world seems to crush any "fa-la-la-la-la-la" feelings we ever had.

My prayer for you this holiday season is that you enjoy family and friends, relaxing and giving and sharing and feasting. I pray you find warmth and life and happiness. But my prayer is that when you experience all that joy and hope, it turns your heart towards the Giver of Hope and his marvellous Son. Find a bible and reread the Christmas story (Luke 2). Christmas is fleeting ... it comes and goes for a short time each year, but the message of Christmas (and Easter) is one that lasts forever.

Blessings,
Kelly

2 Corinthians 5:21-- "God made Christ, who never sinned, to be he offering for our sin, so that we may be made right with God through Christ."