Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! Well as many of you know we have had quite a semester: Liz's pneumonia lasted 2 months! It was needless to say a trying time for us all. But we are happy to announce that the pneumonia has in fact cleared! Just yesterday her doctor in CT gave her the good news, and we are thankful: thankful for her recovered health and thankful for your support and prayers.

But as we look back there is something we are even more grateful for: the way in which we once again, recovered the treasure of the gospel. God coming to us in Jesus, to suffer and die for us, to forgive us, change us, and be with us forever, so that we might be with him (and each other!) forever. The many days of exasperation and doubt, of feeling weak and humbled, were not wasted. That is, God didn't waste them. In this trial he reminded us of our utter frailty, in order to show us once again what a great and abiding treasure he really is. Because of Jesus, we have peace with God, and life with God. Health may fail, frustrations may come, but when you have God, you have everything. As one writer recently put it:

Jesus+nothing= Everything.

And along these lines, Philippians 3:8 has been especially meaningful. Paul writes,

"Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord."

Think about it - there is nothing more valuable than God, no one more precious than the Son of God, because God has given us himself in Christ. All the world is as nothing compared to this. At Christmas remember this. When you consider the baby Jesus during Christmas, consider the surpassing worth of knowing him, the surpassing worth of knowing God. Because nothing compares to him. Nothing.

We love you,

Liz, Jim, JT, and Ella