There is nowhere I can imagine that is more exciting, or more BUSY, than Shepherd’s Gate at Christmastime!! This will be my 15th Christmas here, and every year I think, “Well, the economy is so much worse this year so I am sure. . . !,” but every year proves to be the very same!! I have come to the conclusion that we just have a lot of community friends who give and give and give to ensure that the women and children whom we serve have a wonderful Christmas! Thank you all for you immense generosity to us each year!
The giving of our friends brings an atmosphere of love and compassion that seems to permeate every inch of this building! As exciting as that is to everyone, there is something more, something greater, that we want everyone in this building to understand. Our greater goal during the holiday season is to help our residents know the One for whom we have this amazing holiday to celebrate in the first place!! Without God sending His only begotten Son to be born of a virgin; to live a sinless life as a man; to die a cruel and humiliating death on a cross as payment for all the sins of all mankind; to defeat death by raising from the dead and then returning to His Father in heaven to advocate on our behalf, well—-without all that He did, we would have absolutely nothing to celebrate.
The staff and I want to wish everyone reading this a very Merry Christmas! If you know Christ as your Savior then you have everything to be celebrating!!! If you do not know Him, our prayer is that you will seek Him during this Christmas season.
It’s now so very plain to see
What Christmas time was meant to be;
A time for giving, joy and laughter;
A time for happily ever after.
But let’s remember on this date
Why it is we celebrate.
Whose birthday is it anyway?
The Babe born in the manger’s hay.
A special Babe, God’s own Son
Who made salvation everyone’s!!!
ms1990
