Christmas, 2005

[Dr. Manuel recently provided me with the Christmas letters he and his wife Linda have sent each year since 2001.
One of the annual letters will be posted each day over the next two weeks.]

Dr. and Mrs. Paul Manuel

Christmas 2005

Dear friends and family,

Having to meet a deadline can be stressful, but it can also be helpful. When Linda decided in January to host the Christmas Tea for the ladies of the church, there was plenty of time to make the necessary preparations, including some repainting of the dining room. What neither she nor I anticipated was that, in addition to repainting, we would have to undertake some major remodeling in the adjoining family room. The heavy stone fireplace facing, which, we discovered was exerting undue stress on the floor joists, had begun to separate from the wall and lean precariously into the room, We decided to remove it and to replace it with a lighter, smaller, wood facade. Like most home improvement projects, this one entailed more work and more time than either of us anticipated. Although we began the renovation in May, it seemed to proceed at a glacially-slow pace. As the date for the Tea drew nearer, we made a determined effort to complete the work on both rooms. Linda wanted the place to look its best for the ladies, and the deadline encouraged us to meet that goal. The night before the event, we put the finishing touches on the project and were pleased with the result.

While we occasionally push to complete a task, hoping to meet a particular deadline, whether with home renovating or Christmas shopping, God is never in a hurry, and He is still always on schedule. The apostle Paul writes,

When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman...that we might receive the adoption of sons. (Gal 4:4-5)

What Old Testament prophets predicted and early saints longed to see, God brought about at just the right moment in history. We do not know why He chose that particular moment—"his ways [are] past finding out" (Rom 11:33)—but it was somehow critical to His plan. Some years later, another event occurred at just the right time, and it was just what we needed.

For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (Rom 5:6)

Since then, God's plan has continued to move forward on schedule, and there is more to come. The one whose birth we celebrate will return, and not a moment too late,

For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. (Heb 10:37)

We may be concerned when a project takes more time than we planned, perhaps wondering if we will actually complete the task, but God gives no thought to delays. He does not need a deadline to encourage Him to meet His goals. As we contemplate the wonder of Christmas this season and, perhaps, wonder at what He has in store for our future, we can be confident that it will happen on schedule, that it will turn out for our best, and that we will be pleased—very pleased—with the result.

May the joy of Christmas bring you joy this season as you contemplate Jesus' advent and your adoption into God's family. May you also find encouragement in knowing that the God who controls history, who ensures that right things happen at the right moments, will bring other things to pass for your benefit as well.

Pastor and Linda