Pastor Teylea's Letter

“I (Jesus) have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” - John 16:33

For me, this month has been anything but peaceful. I have changed jobs, moved away five hours away from my family, and moved to Ritizville. While I would love to say I did it flawlessly, sadly, that is not true. At times I allowed the pressures of this world, the self-imposed pressure to be perfect, to cloud my judgement and I forgot what is important.

Peace is not some state that we reach in life, but it is the acceptance of our imperfections. When I can be honest with myself about my humanity then I live in peace. When I refuse to buy this idea that I am only loveable when I am perfect, and realize that Jesus loves me in my imperfections, then I enter into this world with peace and kindness. I can be kind to myself and to others. I can truly live to be the person that God has made me to be.

I want to invite you, as we approach the Holy day of the birth of Jesus, to breath in this peace. Take a deep breath of the goodness of God. It doesn’t matter if you have the “perfect” Christmas plans, Jesus is still coming on December 25th! It doesn’t matter if your Christmas dinner is ready, if the gifts are wrapped, if your tree looks picturesque, Jesus once again is entering into this world to live with us, laugh with us, cry with us, and then die for us.

May our loving God bless you and your families with only the peace He can give! Merry Christmas!