I grew up in a Christian home and have been blessed to have Christian parents and grandparents. On my mom’s side, both grandparents have passed away. On my dad’s side both grandparents are still living. David & Erma Stutzman have been married for 66 years. For most of those years David was a pastor, working a full time job, raising a family and pastoring a Conservative Mennonite Church. My grandpa was also an entrepreneur, as he started a Christian books store in Sugarcreek.
I appreciate the Christian heritage that has been passed down from one generation to the next. The more I see other families without that heritage, the more I appreciate where I came from. Christmas is always a special time for my family, as we don’t get to see each other as often as we like. For Christmas this year my Grandpa & Grandma sent a Christmas card to Vikki and I. In that card was a letter from Grandpa. He loves to write and to read, maybe that is where I get my love of writing and reading books. I also share that entrepreneural spirit and love of shepherding God’s people.
I wanted to share some of that letter in my Blog:
“Jesus met them saying, All Hail. (Matthew 28:9) The angel had informed the woman that He is risen, come and see, they came and saw. With fear and great joy they ran to bring the disciples the wonderful news. That’s when Jesus met them. Imagine the thrill of meeting him and hearing His; “All Hail”. What a contrast to what they saw on Mt. Calvary. They fall down at His feet and worship Him. A most wonderful experience. I long for that, come and see, day when I can fall down at His feet and worship Him with thanksgiving. Just maybe hear, “all hail”.
The all hail is possible because in God’s eternity past, through His determinate counsel, He sent His son, not only to Bethlehem, but to Calvary. (Acts 2:23) God through His foreknowledge knew man’s need. He also knew there was only one way to redeem mankind. So God’s determinate action sent Jesus to Bethlehem, Calvary, the empty tomb, and seated at the Father’s right hand. That made complete redemption for mankind possible. That thrills me!
Another “All Hail Christmas Season” is upon us. The angel said to Mary “Hail”. (Luke 1:28) The year 2008 is slipping away. As we celebrate the season, let’s retain that all hail spirit. Its fullness date may be nearer than we think. That will be a thrilling moment.” (David Stutzman)
Grandpa then shares some things about how they are getting along and how thankful they are for family and friends that help them as they grow older. Their health is slipping, but their spirit is strong and their focus clear. Here are some more quotes from his letter that I treasure:
“God knows what He wants to accomplish in our lives and He knows what it takes to accomplish those goals. He never wastes any suffering. If we trust Him, He will bring some good out of all our varied experiences. That’s one of the blessings of following Jesus.”
“In 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, Paul says that afflictions work for us while we look to the eternal. So let’s hold lightly everything that is not eternal. Through our affliction times let’s retain that eternal focus and gain that exceeding and eternal weight of glory. All Hail, I’ll go for that!”
“We have done a lot of traveling in our days, but our traveling days are over. However, we have one more special trip planned. The date is uncertain, the one way ticket all arranged, the arrival is safely guaranteed, the destination, our eternal home. So until then, let’s keep our chins up, our knees down and our eyes focused on the eternal.” (David Stutzman)
Thanks Grandpa, that is the best Christmas present I will get this year. I love both of you.