And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

John 17:3

My youngest daughter Gwendolyn and I went to the movie production “A Chosen Christmas.” The first half was an inspiring worship concert by various Christian artists and the second half was the amazing account of the birth of Christ. It was very moving! I encourage you to see it if you can. The main message of the movie is ‘the people must know.’

As I thought about this, I felt that this is the message of my life as well. I want you to know. So, I have decided that I will continue to faithfully share the reason for the Hope that is within me in this space each week, pointing you to the truths of who God is and who you are in Him as well as encouraging you to pray.

Who is God and who are you in Him

Since this is the Christmas season, let’s look at the following passage:

Hebrew 1:1-3 says, Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power.

Do you see who Jesus is?

1. He is the heir of all things.
2. He is the creator of the world.
3. He is the radiance of the glory of God.
4. He is the exact imprint of His nature.

He is the King which means He is in charge and in control. He is the creator of everything. He is glorious. He is God in the flesh! Hallelujah!

Do you see who you are in Him?

1. You are spoken to by Jesus through His word.
2. You are His creation.
3. You are upheld by Him.

Can you hear Him? You are fearfully and wonderfully made. He is holding you. He is with you all the time. Praise the Lord!

Messiah Vine

One of our Advent traditions is The Messiah Vine. I purchased this many years ago at a craft fair. The Messiah Vine leads our family through all of redemptive history from Genesis to Revelation and is something that stays up past Easter. Each day we read and discuss a passage from scripture and then hang a beautiful handmade ornament on a garland that has to do with the daily reading. We have all come to love this tradition in our home and it is one way we have come to know who Jesus is and who we are in Him. If you are interested in purchasing your own Messiah Vine, you can follow this link: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MessiahVine.

Cookie Baking with Purpose

A new tradition that we started today (I guess it may not be a tradition yet.) is what I am going to call Cookie Baking with Purpose in an effort to share the good news with our neighbors and to let the people know. We have decided to bake cookies for every neighbor around our block and deliver them with a little ornament and note throughout the month of December. Today Gwendolyn and I baked chocolate chip cookies, wrapped them up, put a little ornament on top, and gave a copy of our Christmas letter to five neighbors. I am not sure who it brought more joy to…Gwendolyn & me or the recipients. Tomorrow we will deliver to five more families and so on until the whole block is covered by Christmas.

When You Pray

• Thursday – Pray for your husband’s extended family.
• Children – Pray that they would know and believe in Jesus.
• Your spouse – Pray that your spouse would love the word of God.
• Yourself – Praise the Lord that He speaks to you through His word, that you are His creation, and that you are held by Him…the King, Creator, Glorious Son of God, God in the Flesh. He is with you, you are not alone.

Blessings to you!