Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all of you dear and faithful friends! We are reminded that two years ago today, Carol was released from the hospital fighting to recover from surgery for stage four cancer. Your faithful encouragement and prayer support continue to bless us! We enjoyed a delightful Christmas Eve with friends who joined us for dinner followed by an outstanding time of music at church, and a message about the touch of God.

This morning I am taking the blog assignment for Carol as she prepares for guests who are coming to our house for brunch. We have been greatly blessed by your many Christmas greetings, lovely Christmas music and times of special blessing with friends here in Charlotte. This is the first Christmas for many years that we have stayed in Charlotte during the holiday. When we hear about the cold and the storms in the North, we are glad to have avoided them.

Recently I read a book by Chuck Swindoll, A Bethlehem Christmas. One chapter is a first-person account by the angel Gabriel which is based upon Scripture, with considerable between the lines speculation added by the author. I found it to be most thought provoking, so I will share a few quotes from the suggested words of Gabriel that spoke to me:

“I know more than any mortal could, for I stand in the very presence of God and announce his decrees to people on earth. Yet, despite the timeless, heavenly perspective I enjoy as one of His heavenly messengers, one particular mystery is beyond my ability to understand: God’s persistent unrelenting love for people. It began before time and it will never end.”

There is a lengthy discussion between Gabriel and God about the disobedience of people, the separation between God and humankind, and God’s plan of dealing with sin and evil by sending The Messiah to earth to live, die and be raised from the grave, to restore the relationship between God and those/us that He created. After hearing about God’s plan Gabriel was speechless, saying:

“I could not speak. The perfection of His plan—so ingenious, so simple, so intricate—left me even more amazed than seeing him create the universe with a mere word.” Upon hearing about the planned excruciating death and abandonment that the Messiah would experience, Gabriel says: “At this I wept. The immense love of God was more than I could fathom. The selfless grace of God was beyond my comprehension. And for what? Creatures who neither desired Him nor sought Him, who not only failed to believe but refused to believe. This will always remain a mystery to me.”

The narrative wraps up with Gabriel saying “In time, I came to understand the grand truth behind God’s plan. Those who want a Savior will find Him. And if they see Him as He is, they will worship.”

Such an amazing opportunity…to have such a loving God as our friend, and to know him personally. Every day we are so thankful to have him sharing these experiences with us and knowing that when our time on earth is completed we will spend eternity with Him.

With Gabriel and the author, it is our hope that wise people will continue to seek Him.

Our love to you all,

Chuck…and Carol too