Dear John,

I hope you are spending today gathered with your loved ones, so won’t take much of your time. I just wanted to send a note to wish you a Merry Christmas and let you know that my family and I are thinking of each and every one of you.

As we have been reflecting not just on this holy day, but also on the year we just lived through, one scripture verse keeps coming to mind:

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” — John 1:14

I won’t pretend like this year hasn’t been through some difficult challenges. Every single person has been affected in some way or another by the coronavirus pandemic.

But God has given us His glory — our savior Jesus Christ, born to a virgin and placed in a manger because there was no room at the inn. Things may have seemed dire for Mary and Joseph the night that Jesus was born, but it was the birth of God’s greatest glory, a love full of grace and truth!

Christ is our hope, our joy, and the great comforter. May His peace be with you this day and always.

Merry Christmas,

Kevin Hern