Merry Christmas!
At this year’s NCL Christmas celebration we celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ with international flair! Cookies, carols, and hot cocoa (plus a variety of curries and international dishes) were enjoyed by all. A fun skit sharing the story of Christ’s birth and a game of passing chocolates to the left and right while retelling the Nativity story filled the evening with laughter and fun. We hope that your Christmas was blessed and filled with the joy of the Lord!
“This Christmas story has been told in many shapes and forms for the past 2,000 years. Though its essence centers on Jesus, the true narrative is a love story between you and God.
Without you, there wouldn’t be a Christmas story to tell; without you, there wouldn’t be a reason for Jesus' birth. Without you and me, there wouldn’t be any story at all.
As the Bible recounts, in the beginning, God created everything except man and woman as His final creation so that when they entered this world, there would be no lack. God intended to present this world flawlessly to mankind for their enjoyment. However, due to Adam and Eve’s disobedience, sin altered God’s entire creation against mankind, resulting in separation from God. That seemed to be the end of the story.
But God, in His wisdom, devised a plan with Jesus. He said, “Jesus, I want you to become human, born as a baby and experience life as they do. Pay the penalty for the failures of all mankind, and through this, they will see and know how much I love them.” The penalty for our failure was brutal—Jesus paid it on the Cross with His death. Yet, God raised Jesus on the third day, making Him the Lord of Life. The barrier that kept man from reaching God was shattered into pieces. Now, through Jesus Christ, we can see God as never before; He rescued us from darkness into light.
Jesus declared, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to God except through me."
We will all meet God someday, whether we believe it or not. So why wait when He is just five words away? All you have to say is, “Lord, come into my life.”
That’s it! Your story is God’s story, and God’s story is your story. When you invite Jesus into your life, you can write a better story.”
-Sagar Palani, NCL