Pastor Hyeongdong Baek
pastorbaek@woodriverumc.org

A Message from the Pastor...

A little girl was helping her mother to prepare for Christmas.

Suddenly she'd asked about the meaning of Christmas. The mother told her that Christmas was the time of the year we celebrate the birthday of Jesus.

The girl asked her mother why Jesus did not get the gifts if it was His birthday. The mother explained the tradition of gift exchange as a way of showering love for one another.

The evening before Christmas, the girl brought a gift and placed it under the tree. "What is in the box?" Her mom asked, "A gift for Jesus. I am leaving it under the tree so He can open it tonight while I am asleep."

The mother didn't want her daughter to be disappointed. So, during the night she opened the package but there was nothing in it. The next morning, the girl came into the living room so see if her package had been opened.

She shouted to her mother, "Jesus opened His gift last night." Her mom asked what she had given Jesus. She said, "I believe Jesus has everything He needs and I cannot give Him much because I am just a little girl. But, there is one thing I can give Him. So, I decided to give Him a BOX of LOVE."

Dear Church Family:
Christmas is the time of the year we celebrate the birthday of Jesus. On the second Sunday of December, which is the 13th, you will be offering a Box of Love to Jesus. During the service, each family will be invited to bring a special His birthday offering and place it under the Christmas tree, on top of that Sunday's general offering.

Billions of dollars will be spent this month on Christmas gifts. Why do we do that? Because God gave the first Christmas gift. The Bible says God so loved the world and He gave His only son. Why do we give gifts at Christmas? Because wise men brought Jesus their gifts.

Wishing You a Blessed Christmas,
Yogan H. Baek, Pastor