December 25 is coming and with it, the pressure of finding that perfect gift to please those special someones on Christmas morning. Still, although I would include myself in those anxious to unwrap what awaits under the tree, I know that no present satisfies like the gift of presence this Christmas.
That’s exactly what God did for us some 2000 years ago; He gifted us with the present of Himself. But isn’t that what He’s always done? When Adam sinned, He came down and called, “Adam, where are you?” When cries for judgment went up against the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, He came down to see the situation before the sentence was carried out, and when He called on Moses to deliver his people from their captivity, He visited him though the burning bush and promised, “I will be with you.”
Still, nothing compares to what He did for us though His Son. He took on flesh that He might be touched. He limited his vision to human eyes that He might see from our perspective, and He set aside his divine power that He might be able to empathize with us in our weakness. Jesus was truly Immanuel, God come near.
This Christmas, as we too are able to spend some time with our loved ones, we encourage you to reflect the love of the Father, and give the gift of yourself to those who near and dear and perhaps even to those who might fall outside of that circle of intimacy.
As we encourage you to give of yourself this holiday season, we’d like to thank you for what you do to enable us to represent God’s presence here in the Yucatán. Whether it be the Maya speaker who hears the Word of God for the first time in their own language, an alcoholic who receives help from a church sensitized to their plight, or a Bible college student who finds direction on his path of spiritual formation, our presence in this place is a reminder to these that God would even call a foreigner cross the gap of culture and distance to show them, in an unmistakable way, that He loves them.
Thanks for your willingness to respond to and share our burden for the people of this region with your prayers, with your finances, and for some even your direct involvement. Blessings on you this Christmas, we couldn’t do what we do without you.
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