St Mark’s Anglican Church

Dear St. Mark’s Church Family,

Warm Christmas Greetings in the name of our Lord. The great drama of the Christian faith begins anew as we enter the season of Advent and prepare for the celebration of Christ’s birth. However, this year finds many people troubled by fears and anxieties in their lives as well as in the world around us.

Our circumstances are much like the situation into which Jesus was born. Traumatic disruption was the order of the day because Caesar Augustus had called for a census of the Roman world. Imagine the chaos as people were required to travel to their place of birth for this census. If Bethlehem was any indication, this mass movement of people overwhelmed the hospitality industries of every city. The cost physically, financially and emotionally was enormous. Joseph and his wife Mary, who was heavy with child and ready to give birth, are a picture of how great was the disruption to life. Yet in the midst of this cataclysm there was a miracle unfolding that would change the course of the world.

I don’t know what you may be experiencing, but I suspect that for many who read this, 2008 has been a tough year. In the midst of your circumstances, whatever they may be, God is quietly working on your behalf. Most people were completely unaware of what God was doing in Bethlehem. Only a few were alert to it. Simeon and Anna were watching. They were not going to miss what God was doing for them and neither should we.

No matter what your circumstances this year I know that God is working for you. Don’t overlook this unfolding miracle. With your own eyes and in your own heart, may you see the salvation of the Lord.

On behalf of the Clergy and Staff of St Mark’s, I want to wish you and your families a blessed and holy Christmas full of the joy of our new born Savior!

See you on Sunday,

The Rev. Craig Tanksley