Christmas Greeting

 

Christmas Greeting

from the Rymans

Scripture Text: 1 Chronicles 16:34

This is sort of an odd Christmas day for Susan and me, though it is welcome. We are home in the parsonage by ourselves, not traveling to be with family, nor having another service across the road at church. Just Susan and me. It is relaxing. And relaxing is a nice gift at the end of a very busy week. 

Indeed, it has been a busy year. Looking back over the past 12 months, there have been too many trips back and forth between Mebane and Salisbury to count. We lived in two locations for half the year, then moved into the newly renovated parsonage. By the way, it is a privilege to live in this lovely home. We have a picture postcard view of the world we grew up in, crossing the road in either direction. 

Many parts of our life together have been framed this way. We are grateful for how God keeps bringing us back to our roots, and to him. Our first call was to a congregation who were foundational in our living the life of faith. We learned the importance of daily time in the Scriptures and in taking advantage of worship and fellowship events as often as possible. Then, those events happened every day of the week, and now, there is also something going on at St. Paul’s every day. Well, not today. 

But as I look back through the years to the 1970s, nothing was happening on Christmas Day at our first church either. Though, if there was a service at St. Paul’s today, I would welcome that opportunity to worship and be with you. Maybe we will have a Christmas Day service in one of the years ahead that we share together.

Susan and I love being with you; it is a big part about why we accepted this call: you are a frame on our life. You love the Word. You love worship and lots of fellowship opportunities. And you love our Lord. We love being part of that with you. We are grateful for being part of you, being embraced and included in the St. Paul’s family so easily and quickly. 

This is what I am thinking about and being grateful for this Christmas morning. I thought I would let you know. 

Merry Christmas and Happy 2022!
Mark and Susan 

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