Jerome and I had a chance to attend a Christmas concert at our church and heard a beautiful song with the lyrics, “Peace on Earth, The Promised One has come. Our God, Emmanuel.” The lyrics made me think about why we celebrate Christmas and why we buy gifts for those we love. It is simple really, as Sophia said after Sunday school, “God sent his Son”, Galatians 4:4. In Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago, God sent his Son, Jesus as a gift to each of us. All we have to do is accept this gift and know that the creator of the universe loves each of us so much, in spite of our flaws and shortcomings. Because God sent his most precious gift, His Son, that is why we give gifts to others - to show our love and thankfulness. Knowing that God loves me with all my flaws brings me so much peace - I hope it does the same for you.

Wishing you & your family a joyous Christmas and a wonderful New Year. See you in 2012!