The following is an email we recieved from the missionaries we support in Zambia, Delbert & Sandy Groves.
The Lord has come!
Let Earth receive her King!
We have been singing these words since 1848 when Mr. Lowell Mason, a bank teller from Boston, first put them to music. These words do not just speak of hope, they speak words of FACT. God the Father, creator of mankind, sent His son to earth. There can be Joy! The Lord has come! EMMANUEL, the name given to baby Jesus as the deliverer of Judah by Isaiah means God is with us (Is. 7:14)! We pray that each of us will receive Emmanuel as our King and rejoice in the fact that God can truly be with us!
If 2009 has shown us anything, it’s that we are living in precarious and uncertain times. We do not know what tomorrow will bring. It may bring joy or sadness or even the return of Christ Himself. This is true all over the world. We have been privileged to experience God’s presence working through the New Life ministries in Zambia this year. Much has been accomplished, both physically and spiritually. There is Joy because God continues to be with us in everything.
As many of you know we are in the US right now. The other day our son was married (Seth & Amanda Groves). I (Delbert) had the joy of performing the service. It was a wonderful–wonderful and memorable family time!! However, as I read over their wedding vows in preparation, I was reminded of something. For those of us that put our faith in Christ, the wedding vows are much like the covenant vow we have with Emmanuel, our savior. Listen to these words: “To have and to hold, from this day forward, in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish till death us do part”….wow!
And in His vow there is no divorce option…. Wow-wow!
Take time this wonderful season to Thank God for whatever situation life’s journey has taken you through this year. Cherish each day with your Savior right up to the last one because, He is the “Joy to the world”!
Wishing you Emmanuel’s very best now and throughout the coming New Year!
Delbert & Sandy Groves
–
United Methodist New Life Center
P.O.Box 20219 • Kitwe, Zambia
http://www.NewLifeZambia.com
New Life Center Advance Special: #15057A
—
1. Joy to the world! The Lord is come: Let earth receive her King, Let every heart prepare him room, And heaven and nature sing.
2. Joy to the earth! The Savior reigns: Let men their songs employ; While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains Repeat the sounding joy.
3. No more let sin and sorrow grow, Nor thorns infest the ground: He comes to make His blessings flow Far as the curse is found.
4. He rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the nations prove The glories of his righteousness And wonders of his love.
