Dear friend,

Pleased as man with us to dwell,
Jesus, our Immanuel.

We have arrived at the happy season where we celebrate this great truth.

Joyful hymns like Charles Wesley’s “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” fill our hearts while the stunning scenes of the Christmas story enter our minds.

The angel Gabriel appearing to a mere teenager telling her she’s found favour with God and shall conceive a child by the power of the Most High. Joseph seeing an angel in a dream who told him to take Mary as his wife and to name her Son Jesus. The young couple, with no friends or family, adjusting to an animal shelter to deliver a baby. After washing Him and wrapping Him, they stared at Him in awe, beholding the face of God.

The gospel of Matthew, our focus all year, states that these events fulfil the prophetic promise that God would come to His people. Jesus, our Immanuel...God with us! 

That’s what I love about Christmas. We celebrate our great God! God’s Christmas message is:

Leave your sin and shame
Come in joy and peace
My forgiveness, yours to claim
Tears and sorrows soon will cease.

But there’s another important truth about Immanuel which Matthew emphasizes that we need to celebrate this Christmas.

Remember the final words of the Great Commission? “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew “bookends” the life of the King of Kings with the truth that God is with us. Christmas and the Great Commission go hand in hand.

Into His presence, Jesus brings us in.
With His presence, Jesus sends us out.

For this reason, we at Insight for Living Canada move forward with excitement and confidence proclaiming the Christmas message around the world.

BUT WE CAN’T DO IT WITHOUT YOU! For over 42 years, we’ve laboured to make clear, accurate, practical Bible teaching freely accessible for all who want it. All the while, God has blessed us with faithful partners who have given generous financial gifts that have enabled us to continue Christ’s global mission—to continue being WITH YOU and with countless others who rely upon IFLM for spiritual nourishment.

This Christmas, will you please JOIN US in proclaiming GOD IS WITH US by sending Insight for Living Canada a generous donation? December is our most crucial month for our ministry. Please help us close out 2021 on a high note so we can kick off 2022 with the assurance that you’re truly “with us” on the same mission.

We at Insight for Living Canada wish you and your loved ones a joyful Christmas season. Thank you for being with us!

Joyful and triumphant in Christ,

Pastor Charles R. Swindoll