No one can say that this past year was a cakewalk. We went through riots in many cities, the devastation caused by the worldwide Chinese Covid-19 pandemic, and a national election that in many citizens’ minds, is still not over.
It would be easy to lose hope, but Christmas is the Great Reminder that there is much more to life than worldly concerns. We have it on Good Authority that God is sovereign, and that He loves us so much that He became flesh, lived among us and that Jesus died so that we might have life more abundantly.
At this time, we celebrate Jesus’ birth by giving gifts to family and friends, a token of the Great Gift of eternal life given to us.
Over the years, many poets and songwriters have tried to evoke the spirit of Christmas.
I’d like to share some wisdom from one of America’s Fireside Poets of the 19th Century that seems particularly apt for our current time:
“And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
the Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!”
― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
To this I’d like to add, “We can not be defeated if we will not quit because we are on God’s side.”
From everyone at STAND we wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
