The Center for Biblical Spirituality
Christmas Newsletter 2006
from the Don Whitney Family

Christmas greetings from the Whitney family! Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

One year ago, during a routine colonoscopy, I was diagnosed with colon cancer. Had I decided not to hassle with a colonoscopy during Christmas break and to delay the screening until school was out in May (and why not, for I had no symptoms, pain, or problems), according to the surgeon I would have died from the malignancy. Joking with the doctor before the exam, I had no idea I would soon endure two surgeries and eighteen days in the hospital during the next month. Today, by the grace of God, the medical community has pronounced me totally free from colon cancer.

The photo of Caffy, Laurelen, and me was taken Sunday immediately after worship. It's not a high quality shot by any means—taken with a phone camera and without a flash. But as we were smiling, I was thinking of the snapshot in last Christmas' letter. I had just learned of the cancer, but Caffy and I were the only ones who knew. I remember thinking as we posed for that photo, "Is this our last Christmas together?" There have been many hard times in the past twelve months, but God has been so good to us.

This prompts me to say thanks yet again to each of you who prayed for us during the health crisis of the past year. A couple of days ago I reread many of the messages you sent during my difficult weeks, and all the promises of your prayers. I was reminded of what great treasures of friendship and fellowship in Christ the Lord has given me in you.

Of course, this year could be our last Christmas together. Some December that will be true, and we may have no inkling of it. Of the thousands who receive this newsletter, surely some will be spending their last Christmas with a certain loved one, or passing their own last Christmas on earth. Such sober realizations should turn our thoughts to the true significance of Christmas. Christmas is our celebration of the fact that God has sent His Son to deliver us from all cancer, all pain, all sorrow, all tears, all death, and from all the consequences of sin, most fearsome of which is the wrath of God. Jesus was born into our sinful world to die so that by faith in Him we might be born into His perfect world and live forever.

Speaking of the true significance of Christmas, if you have not seen The Nativity, I recommend it. It doesn't include every detail of the story, but it comes close. And of course, many aspects of Joseph's personality and the kinds of conversations he had with Mary, or that Mary had with her parents, can only be speculated. But just as a trip to Israel enabled me to appreciate many Bible stories in new ways, so this movie gave me a fresh perspective on the context of the Christmas story. The cruelty of Herod, the oppression of the Romans, the poverty of the people—they were all presented with such historical accuracy that I marveled in new ways at the condescension and "grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, [who] though He was rich, yet for [our] sake He became poor, so that [we] through His poverty might become rich" (2 Cor. 8:9). May the Lord enable us to pursue and prize eternal riches this Christmas more than tangible riches wrapped in paper.

If you have a moment to pray after reading this newsletter, or are one of those who remembers to pray for me and this ministry on occasion, please pray for the following. Thank the Lord for His mercy on me during the past year. Second, pray for the Lord's continued blessing on the Family Worship: In the Bible, In History, and In Your Home project. In addition to praying for the ministry of the book, pray that the audio CD of the book will be completed next month. Third, pray for the Lord's blessing on my research and writing during my half-sabbatical this winter and spring. Fourth, pray for Laurelen, who turns 13 the day after Christmas, that her holiness and Kingdom-usefulness will exceed that of her parents.

By His grace and for His glory,

Don Whitney

P.S. There's more below.

Here's a bulletin insert many found helpful last year when gathering with family or others during the Christmas season. Some of us struggle to make conversation at Christmas gatherings, whether church events, work-related parties, neighborhood drop-ins, or annual family occasions. Sometimes our difficulty lies in having to chat with people we rarely see or have never met. At other times we simply don't know what to say to those with whom we feel little in common. Moreover, as Christians we want to take advantage of the special opportunities provided by the Christmas season to share our faith, but are often unsure how to begin. Here's a list of questions designed not only to kindle a conversation in almost any Christmas situation, but also to take the dialogue gradually to a deeper level. Use them in a private conversation or as a group exercise, with believers or unbelievers, with strangers or with family. To read or download the bulletin insert, Ten Questions to Ask at a Christmas Gathering, go to the homepage and click on "Bulletin Inserts."

If you want to think ahead to the Sunday after Christmas, here's a reminder that there's also a bulletin insert on Ten Questions to Ask at the Start of a New Year at the "Bulletin Inserts" button on the website.

We thank the Lord for each other, for family and friends, and for you who pray for us. Thanks also to those who sent financial support to the Center for Biblical Spirituality this year. These are all gifts from Him "who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy" (1 Timothy 6:17). Most of all, "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift," the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 9:15). May the Lord greatly bless you this Christmas season!