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Good Saturday morning to you all.

A special Merry Christmas to our families in Texas, Florida, North Carolina, and if I missed your state ---forgive me.

As we come to Christmas day this Wednesday I wanted to share something simple but so important. Well, at least, that's how I see it.

As I see Christmas, I see 2 main components. The Cradle and the Cross.

They are bookends to life. Just like bookends hold together the books between them, so the cradle and the cross holds our lives together. Without those two elements there is no Christ, no salvation, and no eternal life. We would just exist till our last breath at that ends it.

Let's look at these 2 elements quickly. (I realize some of you still need to go shopping for gifts. Well, you got till Tuesday night.)

1st- The Cradle:

I trust we all understand that as Christians we celebrate the "BIRTH" of Christ and not His birthday.

If it was not for his birth, maybe we would still need to sacrifice animals for the covering of our sins. Jesus because He is God incarnate was the only one qualified to do what only He could do and mean anything. Without that cradle experience we would still be looking for a Messiah, a Savior. But when Jesus was born, that birth revealed to all mankind "The Savior" was born.

2nd- The Cross:

If there was no cross, the cradle would have been useless.

The cross is the only element that TAKES AWAY SIN, it does not cover our sin as in the Old Testament, it eradicates it as though it never occurred. Only the BLOOD of Jesus has that power. 

When I speak of the cross experience, I also include the RESURRECTION of Jesus from the grave. Without the resurrection it is just a fairytale. But He did rise and lives today.

So, because of that we can say to one another "MERRY CHRISTMAS".

It is joyful, we have been freed from our sins because of the cross, and it all began in the cradle.

On behalf of my wife Caroline and children and grandchildren---We all wish upon you and yours a BLESSED CHRISTMAS and a PROSPEROUS 2025.

It continues to be a great joy to me to be the Pastor of Hope Christian Fellowship Ministry.

Thank you for your support and relation with us.

Much love,

Pastor Alfonso Galvano

***Join us tomorrow as we see our children's ministry share with us and we share God's Word.