Blessed Christmas Greetings!

Dear Readers around the world! The Foreign Mission desires and prays that each and every one of our friends would have a most Blessed Christmas season. Jesus our Friend Most Precious, is the entire reason for this season! Jesus is also the entire reason that we get together for this weekly reading, and is why we desire to even worship together one day.

What a force for unity Jesus has been even this year, has He not? We are separated by many miles, languages, cultures, traditions, and so many other things. However, through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we can be one in Him.

What a difference the birth of Jesus has made in the world. Even people that do not yet believe in Jesus unto the Salvation of their souls, know about Christmas. There is no other figure in all of history that so many people know about. Even though many do not know him personally, He is so present that He is hard to miss. The fact that Christmas is celebrated so far and wide, must make many people at least wonder about Him at this time of year.

Even the calendar that we all use has the days of the week. Our maker, the one who created Heaven, earth, and all things, did all His work in six days and rested on the seventh. Calendars in all parts of the world have seven days per week. There is no escaping God’s greatness.

Also, we are now in the year 2009 AD. This date is related to the birth of Jesus Christ. Also, if you study the languages of the world, many words and sayings come directly from the Bible.

Have you ever wondered how a dog is a dog in all countries? What about a lion, tiger, elephant, cat, cow, or any other animal you want to name. They have the same name throughout the entire world. How is this possible? It is because of our Almighty God the Creator and Adam who named all the animals.

Now it seems like I have strayed away from the Christmas story. Not really, I do not believe. Can you agree with me that our Lord Jesus has always been and always will be? You can see in Genesis 1:26 that Jesus was with God even during creation, (note the underlined)
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

As time went on, it was not long when man fell into sin. Remember Adam and Eve partaking of the forbidden fruit. Our wonderful Creator cared so much about us His created, that we know and believe as it says in John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

This is how much God loves us! In order to make this become a reality, God in His infinite wisdom saw fit that He would send Jesus into the earth. Yes, He sent His Son Jesus as a baby so no man can say he is not worthy to come to him. This event we know very well and study especially during Christmas time when we celebrate his birth.

I will not go into the whole Christmas story now, but I just want to point out a couple things.

Remember John the Baptist. He was a forerunner, or a messenger of Jesus Christ. I believe each one of us can also be a messenger through the Gospel of Jesus that now lives within us in the form of the Holy Ghost. Spread the Gospel of Jesus in your neighborhood, in your villages, in your country!

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is still as valid and worthy of praise today as on that first Christmas night when the angels proclaimed to the shepherd, Fear Not! The Lord is born! Oh that we could be the sounders of the trumpet to the lost and unsaved. Heavenly Father, use us as your mouthpiece to let them know of the Saving Power of the Lord Jesus!

The star showed the way to Jesus. The star lit the way for the wise men! Wise men today still seek the Lord. Are we willing to be used even as the star, to point the way to Jesus? The light that we have is not our own, and we know that scripture says in John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Jesus is our light. Dear Lord, even this Christmas season, let the Light of Jesus shine in us so brightly that He will draw all men unto him! John 12:32
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
Praise and thank God for the gift of Light, His Son our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!

Together in His love, let us raise our voices of praise and thanksgiving in two words that we all share in common, no matter what our language is!

Hallelujah, AMEN!

On behalf of the entire Foreign Mission Board,
May God grant you a most Joyous and Blessed Christmas!

John Ruotsala, Administrator