Dear Family and Friends,
Some years ago we were living in urban Chester, directing the city ministry. Two little girls, Brittney and Shanda, stopped by the house almost every day during that after-school hour of “nothing to do.” We’d sit at the kitchen table and eat bananas, talk about school and sometimes play a game, but the thing they loved most was story time. Every day we’d choose a book, squish onto the sofa and read together.
We were about three pages into a book one day when Shanda looked up at me, her face a wonder, “Miss Linda,” she said, “I can hear you, I can hear you through your heart.”
I knew she meant that she could hear my voice through my chest, rumbling away as I read the story, but the truth was, I wanted her to hear through my heart. I wanted her to hear, “You are loved by God. You are loved by us.”
Corrie Ten Boom wrote, “Love is larger than the walls which shut it in.” She wrote this from prison. Maybe the restrictions of these days feel like prison to you. Maybe the unknowns of these days, the frustration, exhaustion and stress—feel like prison. The love of God is larger than all those things—and He wants you to know it, wants you to hear it.
It’s December and Christmas is right around the corner. It will probably look different this year. The yearly traditions of concerts, gatherings and parties will probably be altered. I’ve been thinking about the things that have shaken my world, and you know, Jesus was born into unsettled times. Born in a stable behind an inn that was full to overflowing.
And the world changed.
Angels sang and shepherds came running, fresh from the fields. Wise men followed a star, and their hearts. The government of the day responded with a stunning decree and babies were killed. Evil tried to extinguish the Light—with violence.
Evil did not win. A light had dawned. One, single, unquenchable light. Jesus. Immanuel, God with us. He’s with us still, speaking to the hearts of His people.
You are loved.
In this Christmas season, stop and listen for that still, small voice, calling you to draw near to the One who loves you best.
In Him—with you,
Bob and Linda Stevenson
