12/24/2024
A Thought for Christmas Day
Growing up, my family did not go to church, but I did have a grandmother who loved God and prayed constantly for her entire family.
I remember when I was very young, I was somehow volunteered to be a shepherd in the Christmas play at Hensley Hollow Pentecostal Church. This was the church just down the road from where my grandmother lived and attended.
I remember the Christmas play being a really big deal and I remember being nervous because I was given a speaking part in the production. We did a couple of rounds of practice leading up to the big day. Finally, the appointed Sunday came and I showed up wearing what all shepherds did at the time, a terry cloth robe and a brown towel tied around my head!
The play progressed as planned and it came time for me to deliver my line. It turns out that line was a Bible verse that has stuck with me in my life from that point until now. The verse I was given was one of the most important, most powerful, most liberating words ever to be spoken. The verse was …..
Luke 2:11
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
This announcement was such good news when it was spoken in the Bible and was equally good news when it was spoken by a little boy all those years ago and it continues to be among the greatest words ever spoken (although in the Bible this announcement was made by the Angel not the shepherd).
I pray this Christmas that you know the excitement of this declaration and the reality it brings into our lives and our souls. I pray the revelation of Jesus’ coming to take away the sins of the world and to make a way for us to have a relationship with the Father is real for you and you have been saved by His sacrifice.
To all of you and to my family at KCFI I wish you the Merriest Christmas and I pray that the true meaning of Christmas, our Savior and King Jesus Christ, has found a place in your hearts!
To borrow a line from a well know Christmas story …..
A Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night!
Chuck Bartle Senior Pastor
kcfi.church
