For many years now I’ve wanted to send you a Christmas gift to celebrate your life, for all the times you’ve watched over me and for the all ways you’ve inspired me, but there always seemed to be something that got in the way, and as you already know I’m the kind of person who gets easily distracted, constantly over-scheduled and incurably confused. I’ve noticed my life has gotten busier, the demands and expectations seem heavier, and the time I always wanted to have with You has dwindled to almost nothing. It seems like the faster I run to catch up, the farther I fall behind. As I look back over the years, I recognize I’ve been taking You, Christmas and my spiritual life for granted. I see now that it is precisely because I get so easily distracted and overwhelmed that you came to earth to show me a better way. I think I get it now! Looking back, however, I regret the years we missed together, the memories we could have created, and the places we could have gone and experienced together. But you told me once that my past doesn’t define me, it prepares me for what lies ahead. So this year I’m making a choice and making a change; I’m sending You some long overdue Christmas gifts with the help of my new friends. This year I’m sharing Christmas with people just like me who are often overworked and over whelmed. We all need help from time to time to dig out from under those unpredictable moments in life that seem to sweep in out of nowhere and steal our self-confidence and hope. These families have already sacrificed so much, they have overcome more hardships than I can imagine and yet they remain as gentle, caring and kind as the saints I’ve read about in Your Word. I pray that as they open these gifts, they will feel the warmth of our friendship and rediscover the true joy of Christmas. I know this Christmas won’t compare to that first one, but I hope sharing Christmas will become a new tradition and a new start for all of us.

 "Hope, like the gleaming candle light, adorns and cheers our way.

And still, as darker grows the night, emits a brighter ray."

  Merry Christmas, Rev. Dr. Steve Gedon