“But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.”   Galatians 4:4-5

I am so thankful that my recent eye surgery corrected the double vision that I had been experiencing for over a year. And I am thankful for all of the phone calls, cards, cookies and prayers during that time. I know that your prayers allowed my surgery to be more successful than my doctor expected.  One of the surprising aspects of having my vision corrected was realizing how much the double vision had been affecting my life. The prisms put in my glasses helped me to cope and manage most of the time, but it was so freeing to have my vision healed at the source.

In many ways that is what Christmas is all about, Jesus coming to us so that we may be healed at the source, that our hearts might be changed by Him. Through the centuries God’s people had tried to live in relationship with Him through the Old Testament law and all of the other laws, interpretations and rules their religious leaders had developed, but the reality was that even if a person lived up to all of it, Hebrews 9:13 says they were only outwardly clean.

But Hebrews 9:14 goes on to say, “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from act that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”

As we celebrate all that Christmas means to us, may we always remember that Jesus came to save, cleanse and heal us. And may we live in the victory He came to give us as He sets us free and gives us the gift of life.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

                                                                               May Your Christmas be Filled with Jesus,

                                                                                                                 Mark