Merry Christmas to all
To the Editor:
Merry Christmas to all of my Pine Island family, friends and neighbors. Christmas brings back many happy memories. Growing up in Vermont with seven siblings made it exciting. The boys would go out and cut the tree that made the house smell like Christmas. I would take my gift and shake it and try to guess what it was. Later the event that meant the most to me was a Christmas banquet at church to celebrate Jesus’ birthday. On the head table was a huge chocolate cake with red candles and white frosting. We sang happy birthday to Jesus and when they cut the cake, they told a story. The dark chocolate symbolizes the things we have done wrong in our lives, the red candles stand for the blood of Jesus that he shed on the cross for us. Then when we ask Jesus to forgive us and know Jesus took our punishment on the cross for our wrongs and invite Jesus into our heart, our hearts become white as the frosting.
Christmas gifts are lovely, but the gift that is lovelier is the gift that never needs to be replaced, never wears out, is never outdated. It is a most precious gift that cost God and enormous price. The gift of Jesus.
Jesus’ birth was foretold in Is.7:4. The Virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and we call him Immanuel which means God with us.
The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life (in heaven) through Jesus Christ our Lord.
It is my prayer that if you have not received this most precious gift, you will now.
In love,
Shirley Jean
St. James City