“I prayed that I would see my son again before I died.”

That’s what the elderly gentlemen told me recently when I visited him in the hospital. He had not seen his son in 15 years. Arguments and conflict caused the separation and it had broken his heart.

He broke down in tears as he described what had just happened in the days preceding my visit. In the hospital for apparent heart problems, his son had finally responded to his efforts at reconciliation. As he lay in the hospital bed, the two apologized to each other and tears flowed freely. The same occurred with his daughter in law.

While we were talking, his cell phone rang. It was his son. When the conversation ended, he said “I love you.”

I can’t think of a better Christmas gift he could have received. God had answered his prayer.

Christmas is all about healing broken relationships. Not so much between people, but between people and God. Jesus came to die for us, so we could be forgiven and enter a relationship with our Creator.

Our salvation is as dramatic as the scene in that hospital room. Before giving our lives to Jesus, we were alienated from God. Because of Jesus, we are family. That is the message of Christmas.

Take a moment this Christmas and thank Jesus for your relationship with Him and tell Him how much you love Him. Invite someone to our Christmas Eve service or to worship on Sunday morning so they can learn that God loves them as well.

Merry Christmas,

Pastor Steve Hogg