TO OUR ENTIRE HERITAGE FAMILY AND OUR WONDERFUL FRIENDS WHOM GOD HAS GIVEN US THROUGH THE YEARS.
You have never ceased to amaze me, but this year will stand out in my mind forever. The year of our Lord 2020, has brought with it many challenges. Some will have a going-away party for 2020. I have even seen advertisements for New Year’s Celebrations which are called “Good Riddance 2020”. This is not how I feel about it, though. As a pastor, it has not been easy, when I am not allowed to be with our people as they face a crisis. The hardest part is when family members cannot even go into the hospitals or medical facilities to be with their families.
On Sunday, December 6th, once again you amazed me by your awesome mission giving, which was timely for our gift to the world, our missionaries. Through your gift we were able to give our gifts to the world each a Christmas bonus gift from the church family. What made your missions offering such an outstanding moment, is that this season we are in, for many, is a season of challenges. It reminds me of how God’s people throughout history have risen to the challenge of the hour. It reminds me of a story from the life of Isaac which is found in Genesis 26:12.
ISAAC SOWED SEED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FAMINE! It is not likely that a farmer will plow his fields and sow his seed in drought and famine. Would you think of sowing seed in famine if you were a farmer? No, that would be considered wasting seed. Isaac’s very name means laughter. In other words, no matter what the season was in his life, he was still remembered as the one who gave his father and mother laughter (even after over a hundred years of waiting). This proves once again that God’s ways are higher than our ways. The full picture will help you in that it was a time of severe famine when Isaac planted his seed.
“ Isaac planted crops in that land and took in a huge harvest. God blessed him. The man got richer and richer by the day until he was very wealthy. He accumulated flocks and herds and many, many servants, so much so that the Philistines began to envy him.”
God has always responded to obedience and in this story, we see that God blessed Isaac with a huge harvest. GOD BLESSED HIM. THE MAN GOT RICHER AND RICHER BY THE DAY UNTIL HE WAS VERY WEALTHY.
I have always said:
“God is no respecter of persons.”
“No situation justifies despair.”
“Little is much, when God is in it.”
“Faith makes all things possible, and love makes all things easy.”
We can expect God to open the windows of heaven as He said He would. We live in expectation, knowing that when we give, God gives, i.e., pressed down, shaken together, and running over. Christ-mas is a time for giving. The Father gave Christ to humanity. We are in Christ, a gift to the World. You are a gift to our lives and it is our desire to be a gift to you. Thank you for the gift of your love. This is a gift we are thankful for every day of our lives; and for us, it is a huge harvest. We are richer every day because of it.
GayNell and I believe in you, and we believe in the real reason for the season.
Eternally yours,
Pastor and GayNell