Dear Friends in Faith,
We send our greetings for the holidays and the coming year by means of the following quotation from a song of the season connected with some important passages of Scripture:

While shepherds watched their flocks by night,
     all seated on the ground,
The angel of the Lord came down,
     and glory shone around,
     and glory shone around,

“Fear not!” said he;
     for mighty dread had seized their troubled mind,
“Glad tidings of great joy I bring,
     to you and all mankind,
     to you and all mankind.” (Nahum Tate)

And suddenly . . . there came to be a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
Glory to God among the highest!
And on earth peace,
Among mankind, delight! (Luke 2:13,14)

     Now when the full time came, God delegates His Son, come of a woman, come under law, that He should be reclaiming those under law, that we may be getting the place of a son. (Gal.4:4,5)

     Christ Jesus . . . empties Himself, taking the form of a slave, coming to be in the likeness of humanity, and being found in fashion as a human, He humbles Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
     Wherefore, also, God highly exalts Him, and graces Him with the name that is above every name, that in the name of Jesus every knee should be bowing, celestial and terrestrial and subterranean, and every tongue should be acclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord, for the glory of God, the Father. (Phil.2:5-11)

     Faithful is the saying and worthy of all welcome, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners . . . . For there is one God, and one Mediator of God and mankind, a Man, Christ Jesus, Who is giving Himself a correspondent Ransom for all . . . . Faithful is the saying and worthy of all welcome . . . that we rely on the living God, Who is the Saviour of all mankind, especially of believers. (1 Tim.1:15; 2:5,6; 4:9,10)

Yours in God's grace and peace,
Dean Hough and Tony Nungesser