Dear friends in Christ,
As we gather once again around the story of the Child born in Bethlehem, I find myself reflecting on what it means for God to come so close to us—close enough to be held, close enough to share our human life in all its beauty and its frailty. Christmas reminds us that God does not stay at a distance. Instead, God enters into the fullness of our days: our joys and celebrations, certainly, but also the quiet stretches, the weariness of changing bodies, and the tender ache of remembering those who are no longer with us.
Our congregation knows something of these truths. We are a community shaped by many faithful years—years of singing, praying, serving, laughing, grieving, and showing up for one another in ways large and small. We carry memories of those who once worshiped beside us. We feel the weight of time in our own lives. And yet, through all of this, we remain a people gathered by love: love for God, love for each other, and love for those whom we see only occasionally, perhaps only on this holy night. Each presence—whether once a year or every Sunday—matters. Each life rests in God’s heart.
The promise of Christmas does not erase the changes we face as individuals or as a congregation. But it does assure us that we do not face them alone. The Christ Child comes into a world where nothing stays the same, and speaks a word stronger than uncertainty:
I am with you.
With us in our longing, with us in our gratitude, with us in the quiet courage of each new day.
So as we light candles and sing familiar carols, may we do so with trust—trust that the God who once came as a fragile newborn continues to sustain us with a love that does not fade.
May Christ grant us hope where we feel stretched thin,
peace where we feel unsettled,
and joy where we least expect it.
And may we continue to treasure one another, just as God treasures us, in every season of life.
Wishing you a blessed Christmas, and the deep peace of Emmanuel—God with us, now and always.
With affection in Christ,
Pastor Vida +
