Sermon Illustrations on Christmas — page 3

O Holy Night

The International Country Music Fan Fair in Nashville is always a zoo-like affair with three hundred or more people waiting in line at John Berry’s booth for autographs, to take pictures, and to buy memberships and T-shirts. Fans often climb over the stanchions trying to get a picture and yelling at John to get his attention.

Last year, John and his wife, Robin, had a great idea for the theme of his booth. They felt it would be nice to have people come and visit them on their front porch, so they had the booth made as an identical replica of the porch on the Berry house. The display kind of depicts how John feels about his fans - almost like they’re family. Coming onto his front porch at the show was a very comfortable thing for people.

Fan Fair began on Tuesday with a full day of interviews followed by over four hours of autograph signing at the booth. John’s fan club party didn’t close down ‘til 2:30 the next morning.

John started Wednesday with the Capitol Nashville Showcase. After that, it was back to the booth where the autograph line began in front of the picket fence leading to the porch. A separate handicapped area fed into this line. At one point, I spoke with a woman who explained that she was deaf. She told me how she listened to John’s music by laying her fingertips on the speakers in her home. Now, she just wanted to be face-to-face with John. She asked if she could touch him to really feel what she had been “hearing” through the speakers with her hands.

I was impressed by the woman who seemed like a kindly soul with a gentle spirit. In spite of her handicap, she was independent, positive and confident. Although I knew John was already exhausted, I was certain he’d want to meet this special fan. I took the woman over to John, let him know she was deaf and explained that she had a special request. John had her sit down next to his rocking chair and got very close. Everyone around kind of stepped back and things quickly got very quiet. The woman reached up and put her fingertips on John’s throat. At that point, she asked him to sing. Without hesitation, and in the middle of June, John broke into “O Holy Night.”

You could see a total transformation on the woman’s face; and then the tears began streaming out of both of them. Everyone in the surrounding booths stopped talking, walking and taking pictures. All of us just watched. It was as if everything in the room had frozen except the two of them.

At the end of the song, there was a poignant pause followed by tumultuous applause and a standing ovation for the special moment that all had shared. John reached over and gave the woman a tender hug. All of us felt the energy pass through them. The woman didn’t say much after that. Within a moment, she found her friend and was gone.

________

Jean Calvert

from Chicken Soup for the Country Soul

Trouble at the Inn

I was teaching a Grade 2 class in London, Ontario, Canada, and was

asked to produce a Christmas pageant. Some people thought what

happened ruined it, while others considered it the truest Christmas

story they had ever seen. You be the judge.

After much thought and tact, I gave out the various parts for the

pageant. One problem was Ralph. He was a big boy for nine years old

and should have been in Grade 4. Besides being big, he was clumsy,

slow-moving and slow-thinking. ~e was well-liked by all the children,

especially the younger ones-he acted as their natural protector.

Ralph wanted to be a shepherd with a flute. I told him I had a more

important role for him. As the innkeeper, I reasoned, he would not

have too many lines to remember. His size would make his refusal of

lodging to Joseph more impressive.

We practiced and practiced, each child feeling his importance to the

success of the evening. The auditorium filled with family and friends

for the yearly school extravaganza of a stage filled with exuberant

children. But no one in the audience or on the stage was more caught

up in the magic of that night than Ralph.

The play progressed without any major mishaps until Joseph appeared5

walking slowly, tenderly helping Mary to the door of the inn. He

knocked hard on the wooden door.

Ralph was ready and waiting.

"What do you want?" he cried, pushing the door open with a rude

gesture.

"We are looking for lodgings."

"Look for them elsewhere." Ralph looked straight ahead, but he spoke

with conviction. "The inn is full."

"Kind sir, we have asked everywhere in vain. We have traveled far and

are very weary.

"There is no room for you."

"Please, good innkeeper, this is my wife, Mary. She is heavy with

child and must find a place to rest for the night. Surely you must

have some small corner for her. She is so tired."

Ralph looked down at Mary. There was a long pause. The audience became

tense with embarrassment.

"No, begone!" I coached.

Ralph just stood there.

Three times I prompted him from the wings, each time louder than the

last. The angels backstage with me were becoming anxious, too.

At last, Ralph automatically repeated the words he had learned in

those long weeks of practice:

"No, begone!"

Joseph sadly placed his arm around Mary and started to turn away.

The innkeeper did not return to his inn as directed. He stood there

watching the forlorn couple, looking perplexed, with his mouth opened,

his brow creased with concern, his eyes filled with tears.

Suddenly, this Christmas pageant became different from all the rest.

"Don't go, Joseph. Please don't go," Ralph called. "Bring Mary back."

His face brightened with a big smile. He stretched out his arms.

"You can have my room."

And my eyes filled with tears. The glory of God shone about them, and

in only a moment, the choir of angels entered caroling their Christmas

song.

Dma Donohue

The Christmas I Loaned My Son

Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough,

money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread

your love everywhere you go; first of all in your own home. Give love

to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next-door neighbor.

Mother Teresa

Is there any place where we can borrow a little boy three or four

years old for the Christmas holidays? We have a nice home and would

take wonderful care of him and bring him back safe and sound. We used

to have a little boy, but he couldn't stay, and we miss him so when

Christmas comes. -N. Muller

As I read the above appeal in our local newspaper, something happened

to me. For the first time since my husband's death, I thought of grief

as belonging to someone else. I read and reread the letter to the

editor.

Some months before, I had received word from Washington that my

husband had been killed in the service overseas. Grief-stricken, I had

taken my little son and had moved back to the tiny village of my

birth.

I'd gone to work to help support my son and time had helped to erase a

few scars in my heart. But there were special times when the ache

would return and loneliness would engulf me~birthdays, our wedding

anniversary and holidays.

This particular Christmas, the old pain was returning when my eyes

caught the appeal in the newspaper column.

"We used to have a little boy, but he couldn't stay and we miss him

so..."

I, too, knew what missing was, but I had my little boy. I knew how

empty the sparkle of Christmas is unless you see it in the joyous eyes

of a child.

I answered the appeal. The writer of the letter was a widower who

lived with his mother. He had lost his beloved wife and his little son

the same year.

That Christmas, my son and I shared a joyous day with the widower and

his mother. Together, we found a happiness that we doubted would ever

return.

But the best part is that this joy was mine to keep throughout the

years and for each of the Christmases since. You see, the man who

wrote the letter, months later, became my husband.

Mrs. N. H. Muller

Who Is the Failure?

On December 19, 1891 the Evening Telegram, a New York newspaper, published a “Christmas Sermon” by Robert Ingersoll [see HolwickID #24049]. The noted atheist called Christmas a pagan observance and said, “Christianity did not come with tidings of great joy, but with a message of eternal grief. It came with the threat of everlasting torture on its lips. It meant war on earth and perdition thereafter.”

Ingersoll appealed to people to abandon the psychotic dogma of religion and called Christianity a total failure. “As a torchbearer, as a bringer of joy, it has been a failure. It has given infinite consequences to the acts of finite beings, crushing the soul with a responsibility too great for mortals to bear. It has billed the future with fear and flame, and made God the keeper of an eternal peritentiary, destined to be the home of nearly all the sons of men. Not satisfied with that, it has deprived God of the pardoning power.”

The Bible says, “The fool hath said in his heart, 'There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good”

Not only did Ingersoll and his followers try to destroy Christmas and the Christian hope; they never organized to do good - like build hospitals or colleges. They just tore down. It's been almost a hundred years since Ingersoll published his “sermon” denouncing Christianity as a failure. Few people even remember his name. But Christianity is still proclaimed around the world.

Who is the failure?

________

Jack Gulledge, "Ideas and Illustrations for Inspirational Talks" (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1986), 9

The Origin of the Candy Cane

[Some suggest this story is a legend]

A candymaker in Indiana wanted to make a candy that would be a witness, so he made the Christmas Candy Cane. He incorporated several symbols for the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ.

He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy. White to symbolize the Virgin Birth and the sinless nature of Jesus and hard to symbolize the Solid Rock, the foundation of the Church, and firmness of the promises of God.

The candymaker made the candy in the form of a "J" to represent the precious name of Jesus, who came to the earth as our Saviour. It could also represent the staff of the "Good Shepherd" with which He reaches down into the ditches of the world to lift out the fallen lambs who, like all sheep, have gone astray.

Thinking that the candy was somewhat plain, the candymaker stained it with red stripes. He used three small stripes to show the stripes of the scourging Jesus received by which we are hadled. The large red stripe was for the blood shed by Christ on the cross so we could have the promise of eternal life.

Unfortunately, the candy became known a a candy cane - a meaningless decoration seen at Christmas time. But the meaning is still there for those who "have eyes to see and ears to hear." I pray that this symbol will again be used to witness TO THE WONDER OF JESUS AND HIS GREAT LOVE that came down at Christmas and remains the ultimate and dominate force in the universe today.

(untitled)

Two missionaries, captured by bandits and shut up in a filthy hole

without fire, were miserably cold. To make things worse, the guard

ordered them not to talk, not even to make signs to each other.

Christmas came. One of the missionaries, shivering and silent, sat on

the floor. His face suddenly lit up, for he thought of a way to

communicate with his comrade. Idly toying with bits of hay around him

he spelled out a word on the hard-packed mud. With a glance he drew

his friend's attention to it. Immediately the friend's face

brightened with triumphant joy. For the straws on the mud spelled out

{Emmanuel!} What if they were captives of the bandits? What

if in peril of death? What it their prison was dirty and frigid?

Inwardly they exulted, {God is with us everywhere and at all

times!}

(untitled)

A family in Philadelphia found out that a temporary guest was to

have a birthday during his stay. Delighted, they planned for over a

week to celebrate it. They cooked large quantities of goodies. They

arranged lovely decorations. They bought little gifts for him and

each other. The entire hous e was in confusion for days before the

birthday. Finally the day came. Guests arrived. Gifts were

exchanged.

A little child asked, "Mother, where is the man whose

birthday it is?" They found him in an upstairs bedroom.

They had forgotten to invite him.

(untitled)

In his book {When Iron Gates Yield} a British missionary to

Tibet, a captive of the Chinese Communists for three years, tells of

an experience one December twenty-fourth. After a long, tiring day

crossing a famous mountain pass and stumbling donw the other side mid

heavy wind, his captors brought him to a small group of houses about

4:30 that afternoon. A Tibetan landlord had swept out an upstairs

room for the missionary-prisoner, who had rarely seen cleaner

accommodations in a Central Asian country. After a meal, when it was

already dark, he was ordered to go downstairs to give hay to the

horses. He clambered down the notched tree trunk to the lower floor

which was given over in the usual custom to stabling. It was

pitch-black. The missionary described his feelings, "My boots

squished in the manure and straw on the floor and the fetid smell of

the animals was nauseating. I felt my way amongst the mules and

horses, expecting to be kicked any moment.

{What a place}, I thought. Then as I continued to grope my

way in the darkness towards the gray it suddenly flashed into my

mind. {What's today?} I thought for a moment. In the

traveling, the days had become a little muddled in my mind. Then it

came to me. {It's Christmas Eve.} I stood suddenly still in

that oriental manger. To think that my Savior was born in a place

like this. To think that he came all the way from heaven to some

wretched, eastern stable, and what is more, to think that he came for

{me.} How men beautify the cross and the crib, as if to hide

the fact that at birth we resigned him to the stench of beasts and at

death exposed him to the shame of rogues. God forgive us. I returned

to the warm, clean room, which I enjoyed even as a prisoner, bowed to

thankfulness and worship.

(untitled)

Excitedly dressing early one Christmas morning, a little girl was

singing "Happy Birthday to you." Below in the kitchen making

breakfast her mother immediately thought, "Dear little thing is all

confused. She's gotten Christmas mixed with someone's birthday." But

as she listened more closely she heard her daughter sing, "Happy

birthday, dear Jesus, happy birthday to you."

(untitled)

A few days before Christmas two women stood looking into a

department store window at a large display of the manger scene with

clay figures of the baby Jesus, his mother, Joseph, the shepherds, the

wise men, and the animals. Disgustedly, one said, "Look at that. The

church trying to horn in on Christmas."

(untitled)

A lady who served on many civic committees, asked to select carols

suitable for a community Christmas-tree lighting, sought the help of

her pastor. When she scanned the list he had selected, she exclaimed

in dismay, "But they're all so theological."

An Alien Invasion

Luke 1:48

On Sunday evening, October 30, 1938, as millions of Americans tuned into the CBS radio network they heard an announcer’s voice breaking into the music of the orchestra:

“Ladies and gentleman, we interrupt our program of dance and music to bring you a special bulletin from the Intercontinental Radio News.” During the next hour the audience was stunned to hear a series of increasingly hysterical voices narrating an invasion of Martian monsters, landing first on a New Jersey farm, then unleashing poisonous gases over New York city.

The broken voice of an announcer cried out: “Avoid bridges to Long Island – hopelessly jammed. All communication with Jersey shore closed...No more defenses. Our army wiped out...artillery, air force, everything wiped out. This may be our last broadcast.”

As the program was broadcast, hundreds of thousands thought that a space invasion was actually happening. Of the six million people who heard the broadcast, no fewer than one million experienced serious levels of distress and thousands were thrown into absolute panic.

Only later did people realize that they had been listening to an Orson Welles–Mercury Theatre production of a science fiction story called “The War of the Worlds.”

I’d like to look at an invasion that actually did take place - this invasion is not a work of fiction, but a historical fact. It did not take place from outer space, but according to the Bible, from heaven itself and, unlike the fictional invaders in The War of the Worlds, he did not come announced to millions of listeners, but he came silently, almost unnoticed, except to a few relatively minor people of that day.

===============

Version used in my sermon of December 26, 2004 (takes the above and supplements with internet material):

At 8:00 p.m., October 30, 1938, a radio program was interrupted with news of an unusual event. A strange meteor had impacted violently on a farm near Grovers Mill, New Jersey. Reporters were sent to the scene.

The events around the meteor crater rapidly escalated from the merely strange to the positively ominous. It turned out that the meteor was not a meteor. It was, in fact, some kind of spaceship from which a tentacled creature, presumably a Martian, soon emerged and blasted the on-lookers with a deadly heat-ray and toxic black gas. Other creatures emerged and quickly disposed of 7,000 armed soldiers surrounding the crater.

The battle for New Jersey was on. 76-year-old Bill Dock, a New Jersey farmer, took out his rabbit gun and started hunting Martians. Apparently some of his friends had seen a Martian and fired away. In the morning, they didn’t find any dead aliens but the local water tower was peppered with buck shot.

Panic struck the youth choir rehearsing within the Plainsboro Presbyterian Church when they heard the message of doom. Grovers Mill was only a few miles south, and, if you believed the bulletins, the Martians had already incinerated the place and were advancing north at a spectacular clip. But Lolly Dey, a 16-year-old girl playing the piano, kept calm. “I bowed my head and prayed and thought to myself, ‘If it has to be the end of the world, I couldn’t be in a better place. I’m in the house of the Lord.’”

Up to 2 million people from coast to coast were terrified that night. Orson Welles’ radio dramatization of “War of the Worlds” put the fear of God in a lot of people.

It was all fiction. But perhaps we ARE at the center of a vast galactic war. One that is more dangerous than being in Iraq or Afghanistan. It is a battle that targets everyone and there is only one way to survive.

*

[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #15858]

Hog Heaven

Luke 1:48

"U.S. News and World Report" once had an article on pigs. A man named Dale Riffle received a Vietnamese potbellied pig as a gift. At that time they were popular as exotic pets.

Unfortunately, pigs aren’t necessarily ideal pets. Dale’s pig, named Rufus, wouldn’t use its litter box, and apparently began to eat Dale’s carpet, wallpaper, and drywall. But the man loved his pig so much, he sold his suburban home and bought a five-acre farm in West Virginia and began to take in other “exotic pet pigs” whose owners found them less than perfect companions.

In Dale Riffle’s 180-pig “hog heaven,” the pigs snooze on beds of pine shavings, soak in plastic swimming pools, and listen to piped-in classical music and they socialize in age-graded affinity groups. They never need fear that they will one day become bacon or pork chops.

Riffle told U.S. News and World Report, “I think we’re all put on earth for some reason, and I guess pigs are my lot in life.”

It’s incredible that someone could love pigs so much that he’d leave his nice, suburban home to live in “hog heaven” but think what the Son of God did: he loved us so much that he left his throne in heaven to be born as a helpless baby in a cave. That’s humility!

*

[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #5736]

The Missed Message of Christmas

Submitted by David Zimmerman

Email - david.zimmerman@juno.com

When Orville and Wilbur Wright finally succeeded in keeping their homemade airplane in the air for fifty-nine seconds on December 17, 1903, they rushed a telegram to their sister in Dayton, Ohio, telling of this great accomplishment. The telegram read, "First sustained flight today fifty-nine seconds. Hope to be home by Christmas." Upon receiving the news the sister was so excited about the success that she rushed to the newspaper office and gave the telegram to the editor.

The next morning-believe it or not-the newspaper headline stated in black, bold letters, "POPULAR LOCAL BICYCLE MERCHANTS TO BE HOME FOR HOLIDAYS." The scoop of the century was missed because an editor missed the point.

Yet isn't that what happens every year at this time. People rush around buying gifts. The music of "Silent Night, Holy Night" is played on radio stations and in shopping malls. There is talk of peace on earth and good will to all men. Miniature manger scenes are set up in many homes. Yet for all this activity, much of the world misses the point of Christmas. They never understand that the greatest gift ever given was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. And so, we spend more time telling about the coming of Santa than the coming of the Savior.

--unknown

___________________________

Alternate ending:

One of the greatest stories of the 20th century was missed because an editor missed the point. We often do the same thing in reading the Scriptures. If one is too casual about it, he might learn some truth but miss that which is most important. For years Charles Hodge has been saying, "Familiar Scripture should be read more closely." That advice is well worth heeding.

Read the Bible. Read it Carefully. And do not miss the point. -John Gipson

Christmastime Sayings

When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings with toys at Christmastime. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs? —G. K. Chesterion

For several years adman Hugh Quinn has solved his Christmas-greeting problem with this notice in the Detroit Free Press: “I will not be responsible for anyone who does not have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, Hugh Quinn.” —Detroit Free Press

“What is Christmas a time for?” I asked my Sunday-school class. Came the usual answers—Jesus’ birthday, a time of joy, a time for sportsmanship, because you don't always get everything you want.

The Christmas Card

About 95% of American families exchange Christmas cards—usually 60 to 70 cards per family. A staggering four billion cards are mailed during Christmas. How did all these get started?

Museum director Henry Cole during the mid-19th century used to write short notes to his friends at Christmas, wishing them a joyful holiday season. In 1843, he had no time to write and asked his artist friend John Horsely to design a printed greeting card. Inadvertently, he had invented the Christmas card.

And the President of the United States sends over 40,000 of these greetings yearly—probably having the longest Christmas card list in the country.

Long Walk Included

One of my favorite stories is about a missionary teaching in Africa. Before Christmas, he had been telling his native students how Christians, as an expression of their joy, gave each other presents on Christ's birthday.

On Christmas morning, one of the natives brought the missionary a seashell of lustrous beauty. When asked where he had discovered such an extraordinary shell, the native said he had walked many miles to a certain bay, the only spot where such shells could be found.

“I think it was wonderful of you to travel so far to get this lovely gift for me,” the teacher exclaimed.

His eyes brightening, the native replied, “Long walk, part of gift.”

—Gerald H. Bath

Carols Changed Christmas

Before the advent of the Christmas carol, celebrations of Christmas had become so depraved and rowdy that the observance of the joyous season was once forbidden by the English Parliament. The meaning of Christmas had become lost in a maelstrom of reveling, drunkenness, rioting, and depravity. Decent people found it necessary to stay indoors for safety. The situation became so shameful that in 1644 Parliament passed strict laws making it illegal to commemorate the season in any way whatsoever! How empty and devoid of meaning is a Christless Christmas! KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS.

—Knight

Early Christmas Celebrations

Back in the early 1700s, when the United States were the Colonies, the settlers in Williamsburg, capital of Colonial Virginia, celebrated Christmas with customs they had brought from England. There was no Santa Claus (a Dutch tradition), no Christmas trees (a German tradition), no Nativity crèche (an Italian tradition), and no chimney stockings (an American tradition).

Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg was primarily a holy day, but the atmosphere was not solemn. Churches and homes were decorated with greens, while candles burned in all the windows to welcome carolers.

There was a public celebration, too. Musicians played special concerts, and fireworks and cannon were exploded to heighten the general merriment. Feasting was in order with dishes of roasted fowl and hare, narrow pudding, ham, oysters, sausage, shellfish, often capped by whole roast boar on a platter. Some gifts were given then as part of the Christmas celebration, but not nearly on the present day scale.

The Tyranny of Giving

John 3:16

There is a wonder about Christmas as well as a tyranny. There is a wondrous briskness in the air and a rosy glow on the cheeks of early shoppers. There seems a purposefulness in those in the stores, though the planned buying lists of "Thanksgiving Friday" shoppers disintegrate into a mad frenzy by December 24th. Just grab at anything that Uncle Fritz can smile at when he unwraps it, even though no one can think of anything he really wants or needs.

The season also imposes its tyranny on many of us. Instead of being able to give out of thoughtfulness and love, we often give because it is "expected". I heard of one couple who had 85 people they felt obligated to remember with a gift. No wonder the joy of giving falls away to a sort of panicked despair.

It is time to refresh our giving with a truth from Scripture deeply imbedded into our consciousness from hundreds of repetitions at church offerings: "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7 KJV.

Can we give cheerfully this Christmas? Only in so doing can we emulate the great Gift of Christmas. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16 KJV. Was our Father cheerful that night He sent His Son to lie in the manger- hay of Bethlehem's rejection? I'm not sure. He doubtless wept as He traced Jesus' path to the cross's torture and triumph. Like Jesus, "Who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross..." (Hebrews 12:2), the Father tempered His pain with His anticipation of the happiness and freedom which would surprise the recipients of His Gift upon opening.

And so God gave, not reluctantly or because He was forced by popular opinion, but because He loved. No store-bought gift would do for those He held dear, it must be home-made. Nor was His choice of Gift an optional trinket for the "man who has everything." He gave the only possession that we don't have and really need. He did not give a thing, an object. He gave Himself--a costly Gift in the extreme, so expensive that many reject the Gift because of the obligation they know they incur upon acceptance.

Herein lies a Christmas mystery. Only by opening the first Gift may we truly comprehend what is the real significance of giving and receiving gifts. May this season not capture us in its tyranny, but release us in an eager cheerfulness to give.

--Dr. Ralph F. Wilson

Hymn - Christians Awake

“What would you like for a Christmas present?” To any young girl such a question would evoke delighted visions of long-wished-for possessions, but to Dolly the answer to her father, John Byron, was, “Please write me a poem.” So on Christmas morning in 1749, Dolly found on her plate at breakfast a piece of paper on which was written a hymn entitled, “Christmas day, for Dolly.”

Soon after, John Wainwright the organist of Manchester Parish Church wrote a tune for it. On the following Christmas morning, Byron and Dolly were awakened by the sound of singing below their windows. It was Wainwright with his choir singing Dolly’s hymn, “Christians, Awake.”

CHRISTIANS, AWAKE

Christians, awake, salute the happy morn, Where-on the Savior of the world was born; Rise to adore the mystery of love, Which hosts of angels chanted from above; With them the joyful tiding first begun Of God incarnate and the Virgin’s Son.

—Selected

Savior Like A Shepherd Lead Us

One Christmas Eve, Ira D. Sankey was traveling by steamboat up the Delaware River. Asked to sing, Mr. Sankey sang the “Shepherd Song.” After the song was ended, a man with a rough, weather-beaten face came up to Mr. Sankey and said: “Did you ever serve in the Union Army?” “Yes,” answered Mr. Sankey, “in the spring of 1860.” “Can you remember if you were doing picket duty on a bright, moonlit night in 1862?” “Yes,” answered Mr. Sankey, very much surprised.

“So did I,” said the stranger, “but I was serving in the Confederate army. When I saw you standing at your post I said to myself: ‘That fellow will never get away from here alive.’ I raised my musket and took aim. I was standing in the shadow completely concealed, while the full light of the moon was falling upon you.

“At that instant, just as a moment ago, you raised your eyes to heaven and began to sing. Music, especially song, has always had a wonderful power over me, and I took my finger off the trigger. ‘Let him sing his song to the end,’ I said to myself. ‘I can shoot him afterwards. He's my victim at all events, and my bullet cannot miss him.’ But the song you sang then was the song you sang just now. I heard the words perfectly:

We are Thine, do Thou befriend us,

Be the guardian of our way.

“Those words stirred up many memories in my heart. I began to think of my childhood and my God fearing mother. She had many, many times sung that song to me. But she died all too soon, otherwise much in my life would no doubt have been different.

“When you had finished your song it was impossible for me to take aim at you again. I thought: ‘The Lord who is able to save that man from certain death must surely be great and mighty’ and my arm of its own accord dropped limp at my side.”

—Religious Digest

Hymn - I Would Be True

From Princeton University there graduated in 1905 a young man by the name of Howard Walter. Because of his sunny smile he was wanted where there was fun; because of his keen mind he was sought for when counsel was needed; because of his consecration to Christ, he was a blessing to all. Through college and seminary he went and then chose the foreign field as his life service. He went to India and entered into work among the students of the great educational center of the Punjab, Lahore.

One Christmas, out of his own heart and life he wrote his mother a poem. And she, recognizing the beauty of the message, sent it to Harper’s Magazine. It was his Christmas greeting to her. In 1919, when the influenza was raging in India, he was one of the victims; but he still lives in this beautiful Christmas poem dedicated to his mother. His influence is still felt in India. The verse has been set to music by Joseph Yates Peek.

I would be true, for there are those who trust me;

I would be pure, for there are those who care,

I would be strong, for there is much to suffer;

I would be brave, for there is much to dare.

I would be friend to all the foe, the friendless;

I would be giving, and forget the gift;

I would be humble, for I know my weakness;

I would look up, and laugh, and love and lift.

45-year-old Christmas Card

Old Mr. and Mrs. Cooper invited the writer to their home for Christmas dinner at Winona Lake, Indiana. Underneath their Christmas tree and prominently displayed was a red cardboard with some clippings of the three wise men and “Merry Christmas” pasted on it. I was told that the worn cardboard was 45 years old and had been placed under the tree every CHRISTMAS. The story:

The Cooper's only son had made that Christmas card in school for his Daddy. And on his way home, some bad boys were going to tear it up. Although not used to fighting, he took off his coat and fought them off for this gift to his Dad. The Coopers never knew until a neighbor who saw it told them.

And so, in deep appreciation as only parents can know, that worn-out card (with scotch tapes on various places) had been set in front of all other presents for nearly half-a-century underneath their Christmas tree.

Astronauts Orbitting the Moon Read Genesis 1

Genesis 1:1

THE MOON (EP) — On Christmas Eve 1968, somewhere above the forbidding landscape of the moon, the voices of Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders carried to earth dwellers the story of creation as found in Genesis 1:1-10.

“In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth,” intoned Anders in Apollo 8’s unannounced litany broadcast as the astronauts’ TV camera flashed back a remarkable picture of the deeply-shadowed lunar landscape.

Borman closed the lunar telecast with these words: “Good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you upon the good earth.”

The trio then closed the moonship’s fourth telecast and began preparations for the successful blast out of lunar orbit to return to the “grand oasis in the vastness of space, earth.”

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The complete broadcast:

Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the Moon, entered lunar orbit on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1968. That evening, the astronauts: Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders did a live television broadcast from lunar orbit, in which they showed pictures of the Earth and Moon as seen from Apollo 8. Lovell said, “The vast loneliness is awe-inspiring and it makes you realize just what you have back there on Earth.” They ended the broadcast with the crew taking turns reading from the book of Genesis.

William Anders:

“For all the people on Earth the crew of Apollo 8 has a message we would like to send you”.

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.

And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.”

Jim Lovell:

“And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.”

Frank Borman:

“And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.”

Borman then added, “And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you - all of you on the good Earth.”

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The militant atheist Madalyn Murray O'Hair later caused controversy by bringing a lawsuit against NASA over the reading from Genesis; she wished the courts to ban US astronauts — who were all Government employees — from public prayer in space. This was eventually rejected by the courts, but it caused NASA to be skittish about the issue of religion throughout the rest of the Apollo program. Buzz Aldrin, on Apollo 11, took communion on the surface of the moon after landing; he refrained from mentioning this publicly for several years, and only obliquely referred to it at the time.

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/encyclopedia/a/ap/apollo_8.htm

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The Poinsettia's Color

NOW

One Christmas we had a tree which we trimmed on Christmas eve. The whole lighting effect was to be accomplished with red bulbs, and, when our work was finally done, we turned out all the other lights in the room so that the bulbs on the tree should give out the only illumination.

We saw a startling thing! Near the base of the tree was a poinsettia plant, having some red flowers and some white ones. When the other lights were turned out and the red lights turned on, it was absolutely impossible to determine which of the poinsettia flowers had red petals and which had white—they were all white in the red light.

What a perfect illustration that was of what happens to our sins when they are washed in the blood of Christ! They may be as scarlet, but when the red of Christ’s shed blood is applied they become as white as snow.

—E. Schuyler English

Why Christmas? (a story - not A true account)

There was once a man who didn't believe in God, and he didn't hesitate to let others know how he felt about religion and religious holidays, like Christmas. His wife, however, did believe, and she raised their children to also have faith in God and Jesus, despite his disparaging comments.

One snowy Christmas Eve, his wife was taking their children to a Christmas Eve service in the farm community in which they lived. She asked him to come, but he refused.

"That story is nonsense!" he said. "Why would God lower Himself to come to Earth as a man? That's ridiculous!" So she and the children left, and he stayed home. A while later, the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blizzard. As the man looked out the window, all he saw was a blinding snowstorm.

He sat down to relax before the fire for the evening. Then he heard a loud thump. Something had hit the window. Then another thump. He looked out, but couldn't see more than a few feet. When the snow let up a little, he ventured outside to see what could have been beating on his window.

In the field near his house he saw a flock of wild geese. Apparently they had been flying south for the winter when they got caught in the snowstorm and couldn't go on. They were lost and stranded on his farm, with no food or shelter. They just flapped their wings and flew around the field in low circles, blindly and aimlessly. A couple of them had flown into his window, it seemed.

The man felt sorry for the geese and wanted to help them. The barn would be a great place for them to stay, he thought. It's warm and safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm. So he walked over to the barn and opened the doors wide, then watched and waited, hoping they would notice the open barn and go inside. But the geese just fluttered around aimlessly and didn't seem to notice the barn or realize what it could mean for them.

The man tried to get their attention, but that just seemed to scare them and they moved further away. He went into the house and came with some bread, broke it up, and made a breadcrumb trail leading to the barn. They still didn't catch on.

Now he was getting frustrated. He got behind them and tried to shoo them toward the barn, but they only got more scared and scattered in every direction except toward the barn. Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where they would be warm and safe. "Why don't they follow me?!" he exclaimed. "Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm?" He thought for a moment and realized that they just wouldn't follow a human. "If only I were a goose, then I could save them," he said out loud.

Then he had an idea. He went into barn, got one of his own geese, and carried it in his arms as he circled around behind the flock of wild geese. He then released it. His goose flew through the flock and straight into the barn--and one by one the other geese followed it to safety. He stood silently for a moment as the words he had spoken a few minutes earlier replayed in his mind: "If only I were a goose, then I could save them!" Then he thought about what he had said to his wife earlier. "Why would God want to be like us? That's ridiculous!"

Suddenly it all made sense. That is what God had done. We were like the geese--blind, lost, perishing. God had His Son become like us so He could show us the way and save us. That was the meaning of Christmas, he realized.

As the winds and blinding snow died down, his soul became quiet and pondered this wonderful thought. Suddenly he understood what Christmas was all about, why Christ had come. Years of doubt and disbelief vanished like the passing storm. He fell to his knees in the snow, and prayed his first prayer: "Thank You, God, for coming in human form to get me out of the storm!"

--Author unknown

COMPLAINTS OVER BLUERIDGE AD

One of the Boyar Estates' advertisements for its embryonic Blueridge brand has attracted 20 complaints, including one from the Church of England, according to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). But its adjudication did not uphold the complaints against the line: "Jesus was born in a trough".

The adjudication stated: "The advertisers said the poster belonged to a campaign that showed important things could come from humble beginnings. Jesus was born in a humble environment but went on to be a great man.

"The advertisers believed the advertisement showed reverence for its subject and conveyed a Christian message by encouraging people to set aside preconceptions and prejudices and judge on merit, instead of origin.

"Although it acknowledged that the complainants had been offended by the poster, the authority considered the advertisement was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence."

A spokesperson for ad designers M&C Saatchi said: "The tone is very much tongue-in-cheek; the message [is] that Blueridge is a good wine. The campaign is hard-hitting but fun and the message is definitely Christian: Judge on merit, not origin."

Steve Abrahams, Boyar Estates marketing manager, said: "We stand firmly behind the Jesus poster and all of the others.

"The brief to M&C was to get the brand noticed, and to state clearly that the wine is produced in Bulgaria," he said.

"It is a difficult task to introduce a new brand into the UK market, especially when trying to overcome preconceptions concerning Bulgarian wine, and I believe the posters do both.

"`Does it matter where it comes from' refers simply to initially tasting a wine. Where it comes from should not matter when forming an opinion of the taste," said Abrahams.

An Old Fashioned Christmas

The Christmas of 1967 will always bring back happy memories. My children were almost grown up and my daughter was in nurses' training. We all decided to go back in time and have an old-fashioned Christmas. We made all our own gifts and it turned into the busiest, fun-filled two months that we all agreed it was the happiest Christmas ever.

We all had a separate place to work on our projects. The house was full of laughter and some screams, if you happened to go into the wrong room without knocking. We made cedar wreaths for the doors and had Christmas music and carols outside. We decorated inside with popcorn and cranberry strings and paper rings glued together.

We all traveled to our summer cabin in December and cut our own tree. I can still remember how good it smelled! We decorated with homemade ornaments and some from our early school days. We looked up recipes from my grandmother's 1860 cookbook and made Christmas cake, shortbread, and our own green tomato mince meat. However, we all drew the line at a stuffed sheep's head!

Since I had already bought my husband an outboard motor before we arranged all this, I decided to still give it to him, but he would have to hunt for it on Christmas morning. We tied string around it, then headed outside and went around the trees, into the garage, through the iron railings, under the car, etc. It rained Christmas morning and he went out in his robe and slippers, thinking it would be a quick trip to find his gift. However, it took him half-an-hour to unravel the string. We were all laughing when he staggered up the front stairs with his 100-pound motor, looking quite pleased with himself, although soaking wet! The homemade gifts were such a surprise, full of imagination and ingenuity. To some extent, we still make some of our gifts for family and friends today. The green tomato mincemeat was wonderful and I make it every year and share it with family and friends.

G. Rowlands

Vancouver, BC

My Doll Susan

It was a summer day about 56 years in New Westminster. I stood there holding Dad's hand, looking longingly into the store display window.

In the window was the most beautiful doll I had ever seen - a Shirley Temple doll which would be won soon by a lucky raffle ticket holder. The doll was standing there, wearing a red dress and matching shoes and, over the dress, was a white fur coat. She was wearing a fur hat and a purse completed the outfit. Oh! I loved that doll so much! She also had a three-drawer dresser with fancy glass drawer knobs - the drawers were open and silk pyjamas, skirts, blouses, dresses, jackets, sandals, slips, and everything else a doll would need spilled out of the drawers and onto the display floor.

Dad would take me to town often just to look in the window and he'd always say, "You're going to win this doll". I could've looked at her all day. I decided I would name her Susan when she was mine.

The draw date came and went but the lovely doll wasn't mine and I can still remember that the store window was now empty.

Christmas was the event of the year at our home. Dad got more excited than anyone; he had the tree up early in December and every ornament went onto it so carefully - all the tinsel was hung one strand at a time. Mum filled the house with baking smells.

The big morning arrived at last. Dad always made sure we all went into the living room together - he liked to see the expressions on my and my little brother's faces.

The living room was in early morning dimness - Dad ran to turn the tree lights on. In the softly lit room, my dream came true. The beautiful doll was standing there in front of the tree in her fur coat and hat and the dresser with all her outfits, exactly as I had kept it in my memory. I can still remember all of my feelings when I saw my doll, Susan.

Dad turned 85 this year and I'd like to say a big "thanks" for my memorable Christmas so long ago.

Margot Orcutt

Delta, BC

Jack Horner

In Issue 99, James Todd asked about the origins of nursery rhymes. Your readers may be interested in the story of Little Jack Horner

Little Jack Horner

sat in a corner,

Eating his Christmas pie.

He stuck in his thumb

and pulled out a plum,

And said: "What a good boy am I."

The story celebrates Tom Horner, who was employed by King Henry VIII for the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536-1540), and sat in the corner of the office of Thomas Cromwell.

Tom Horner was steward to Richard Whiting, the Abbot of Glastonbury, and was entrusted with the abbey's title deeds. These were secretly hidden in a pie to be delivered to King Henry VIII.

Tom surreptitiously opened the pie, stole the papers and so became the owner of the abbey.

The abbey certainly was a real 'plum,' a jewel in England's crown.

There are monuments to the Horner family in the Horner chapel in Glastonbury Abbey that can be seen today.

Brian L. Harris

Chichester, West Sussex

Commercialization, secularization needn't diminish real celebration

In his book "God With Us: The Miracle of Christmas," John MacArthur writes, "I read a haunting newspaper story several years ago about a wealthy Boston family who had a christening party for their new baby. They invited all their friends and relatives to their magnificent home to celebrate the birth of their precious infant. A half-hour into the party, when it was time to bring the baby out for everyone to see, the mother made a tragic discovery. The large bed where she had left the baby asleep was piled high with the coats of the guests. The baby was lying dead underneath the mound, suffocated by the carelessly discarded wraps."

MacArthur goes on to draw a parallel between the horrible scene in the Boston bedroom and the manner in which our consumer culture "celebrates" the birth of Jesus Christ. He writes, "Lost is the realization that Christmas is first of all the birth of the Savior. He is all but forgotten..."

I agree with MacArthur's observation. As a result, I struggle during the ever-lengthening Christmas season. I cringed when I walked into a department store in early October and discovered Christmas paraphernalia where lawn and garden items had been displayed just days before.

Those who know me well even say I am somewhat of a Scrooge when it comes to the Yule season. I don't argue with those who make such an assessment. However, I am quick to point out that my reason for "bah-humbugging" is vastly different than the character made famous by Charles Dickens.

Ebenezer Scrooge despised Christmas for purely economic reasons. His miserly mind could not justify pausing, for even one day, from the pursuit of profit. Ebenezer was selfish. If he could not enjoy Christmas, no one was going to enjoy it.

Kelly the Scrooge struggles with the crass commercialization and increasingly secularization of a Christian holy day. Rather than diminish the celebration, he simply wants the Reason for the season to have the starring role he deserves rather than the bit part he currently plays.

Several cities in the Northwest where I dwell refuse to use the word Christmas in connection with the celebration that culminates on Dec. 25. Instead, the term "winter holiday" is used to describe the festivities and commotion of the season. At least these cities are honest. In their mind, Christ has little to do with all that transpires in his name, so why not disassociate from him altogether.

Despite the struggle, I make it through each and every Christmas just fine. Somewhere between the airing of the first Chia Pet commercial (after all these years, we are told, they still make perfect presents) and the 75th showing of "White Christmas," I realize that I do not need the culture to endorse Jesus' birth.

Whether or not society at large understands the impact of Christ's entrance into human history does not diminish its incredible significance. Dec. 25 heralds God's plan to redeem mankind from the curse of sin. Thus it is the celebration of not only the birth of Christ, but also his life, death and resurrection. All the commercialization and secularization in the world can never smother the Eternal Life that was birthed in the manager lo those many years ago. That's a fact I can celebrate!

__________

Boggs, whose column appears in Baptist Press each week, is pastor of Valley Baptist Church, McMinnville, Ore.

Church has word for M&S

THE Church of England has accused Marks & Spencer of "subverting" the true meaning of Christmas for profit in its new advertisements.

The commercials ask celebrities to sum up what Christmas means in three words. None mentions the religious significance of the festival.

Angela Griffin of Coronation Street says: "Last-minute shopping." George Best says: "Pulling a cracker." The gay comedian Julian Clary says: "The Queen's speech." The final meaning is: Marks & Spencer.

A church spokesman said: "It gives the impression that Christmas is solely materialism." A spokesman for Marks & Spencer said: "Christmas is a time when people, whatever their religious beliefs, want to be with their families and friends, to share a special meal and exchange gifts."

Copyright 2001 Times Newspapers Ltd. This service is provided on Times Newspapers' standard terms and conditions. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material from The Times, visit the Syndication website

While the World Sleeps

John 1:1

While The World Sleeps

Read: John 1:1-14

He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. --John 1:10

In the vivid imagination of many young children, high above the decorations and colorful holiday lights, a jolly man in a red suit is pulled through the sky by a team of flying reindeer. Youngsters go to bed in fitful anticipation of the next morning. It's Christmas Eve!

Yet today my mind wanders across time and space to a very different scene. The animals are restless. A mule brays. A cow bumps the stable door. An anxious husband stops pacing the makeshift delivery room floor to console his love. Suddenly a newborn baby sputters with His first breath. With a spirited cry He announces His own arrival. The long-awaited Son has come!

On Christmas morning this year, children will leap out of bed and rush downstairs. Paper and ribbon will soon threaten to push everyone out of the room. Will we let it push out the Son of God too?

In all the excitement of the holiday, let's draw attention to the Savior. Like John the Baptist, let's point others to the One who came into the world but was not recognized by it (Jn. 1:6-10). May the greetings we speak, the cards we send, the presents we give be motivated by our love for Jesus. After all, He is the real reason for the season! --MRDII

The world drowns the carol with its sleighbells--

Giftwraps the manger--shoves it out of sight;

Yet though the darkness deepens while the din swells,

The Star of Bethlehem still shines as bright. --Gustafson

The best gift in the world was wrapped in a manger.

Room For Jesus

Luke 2:1

Room For Jesus

Read: Luke 2:1-7

There was no room for them in the inn. --Luke 2:7

The words "there was no room for them in the inn" remind me of a family trip many years ago. We had been traveling all day, and I was trying to find a motel where we could spend the night. As we drove along the highway, our hopes were dashed time and again by the sight of NO VACANCY signs. As a father, responsible for the well-being of my family, I was frustrated and discouraged.

Then I thought of Mary and Joseph. How much worse it must have been for them when they arrived in Bethlehem and found no rooms available! I can imagine Joseph pleading with the manager of the inn, telling him of Mary's condition and their desperate need for a place where she could give birth to her child. But "there was no room for them in the inn." So when Jesus was born, His mother "wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger" (Lk. 2:7).

Today, 2,000 years later, millions of people have no room for Jesus. Although they participate enthusiastically in the festivities of the Christmas season, they keep Him out of their lives. The NO VACANCY sign is there.

How about you? Is there room in your life for Christ? What better time than during this season to rededicate your life to Him or to receive Him as your Savior! --RWD

Have you any room for Jesus,

He who bore your load of sin?

As He knocks and asks admission,

Sinner, will you let Him in? --Whittle

If Christ is kept on the outside, there's something wrong on the inside.

Celebrate the Baby

Luke 2:8

Celebrate The Baby

Read: Luke 2:8-14

There is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. --Luke 2:11

Why do we celebrate Jesus' birthday so differently from other birthdays? When it's time to honor historical figures who have a day set aside for them, we don't think about them as babies. We don't have pictures of cute little Abe Lincoln in his log cabin in Kentucky. No, we remember him for his contributions as an adult.

For Jesus, though, it is proper that today we celebrate Him as a child. Think about it. When He was born, shepherds came to honor Him (Lk. 2:15-16). Later, wisemen brought Him gifts (Mt. 2:8-12). These people had no idea what Christ would eventually accomplish. But they were right in doing what they did, because Jesus' birth was the most remarkable event in human history.

Jesus as a baby was remarkable because He was God in human form. He was the Creator of the universe visiting this planet. Never shrink from celebrating this baby at Christmas. Marvel at His incarnation, and stand in awe of a wiggly baby who had created His worshipers. Then step back in wonder, for the story gets even better. This divine baby grew into a perfect man who willingly died for your sins and mine.

Celebrate the baby, but trust the Savior. That's how to make Christmas complete. --JDB

How wonderful that we on Christmas morn,

Though centuries have passed since Christ was born,

May worship still the Living Lord of men,

Our Savior, Jesus, Babe of Bethlehem. --Hutchings

A wise man today will bow not only at the manger but also at the cross.

Back To Work

Luke 2:20

Back To Work

Read: Luke 2:15-20

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. --Luke 2:20

If you're going back to work today, what will you take with you from Christmas? A few gifts and some warm holiday memories, or something more?

I like the way J. B. Phillips translates Luke 2:20--"The shepherds went back to work, glorifying and praising God for everything that they had heard and seen, which had happened just as they had been told."

After hearing the angel's announcement of Messiah's birth, after visiting Bethlehem where they found the baby lying in the manger, after telling people the amazing things they had heard about this child--after all this, the shepherds went back to the fields, the sheep, and their daily routine.

But they returned from that first Christmas with something new--hearts full of praise for what they had experienced. Their circumstances were the same, but they themselves were different--they had encountered Christ the Lord.

Have you encountered Christ this Christmas, perhaps through His Word or a new appreciation of His coming? When someone asks, "How was your holiday?" what will you say? With Christ in your heart, you can go back to work with joy and a word of witness to others--glorifying and praising God for everything you have heard and seen. --DCM

Joy to the world! the Lord is come!

Let earth receive her King;

Let every heart prepare Him room,

And heaven and nature sing. --Watts

Take the joy of Christmas with you every day.

The Baby Grew Up, the Christ of Christmas

Luke 2

You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. –Matthew 1:21

Even Christians can miss the point of the Christmas story if they aren't careful. Halford E. Luccock warned of that danger in a thought-provoking essay. He wrote: "We can become so charmed with the story of a baby that we grow sentimental about it. It does not ask that we do anything about it; it does not demand any vital change in our way of thinking and living.

"The great question for us is this: Is our Christmas still only a story about a baby, or is it more, a . . . story about a Person into whom the baby grew, who can redeem the world from its sins, and who calls us into partnership with His great and mighty purposes?"

When the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph, he said, "You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins" (Mt. 1:21). It is only as we see the birth of Jesus in light of His crucifixion and resurrection that we are able to grasp the full meaning of Christ's coming.

With your eyes wide open this Christmas, respond to God with love and commitment for the gift of His Son. Focus your thoughts and actions and motivations toward honoring the Baby who grew up and died for all our sins.

Christ the Savior is born! –DCM

When we look beyond the manger

To the cross of Calvary,

We will know the reason Christmas

Brings such joy to you and me. –DJD

The mission of the cross is hidden in the message of the cradle.

The Christ Of Christmas

Read: John 16:16-33

In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. –John 16:33

A discouraged Christian said to me one Christmas, "Christ's coming to earth has made little difference in my life. I still have so many trials." That made me think about the difference Jesus' life has made. I reflected on these four truths:

Jesus didn't remain a baby. He grew up to be "strong in spirit" (Lk. 2:40) and had an effective ministry of teaching and healing (Mt. 9:35).

Our crucified Lord didn't remain in the grave. He arose to be our living Savior (Mt. 28:1-7; Rev. 1:18).

Our risen Savior didn't remain on the earth. He ascended to heaven to prepare a place for us and to send the Holy Spirit to indwell us (Jn. 14:2,25-26; Acts 1:9).

Our ascended Lord won't remain in heaven. He will come back to take us home to be with Him (Jn. 14:3).

The birth of Christ has made a difference, but it doesn't mean we will have a trouble-free life. Jesus said, "In the world you will have tribulation." But then He added, "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (Jn. 16:33). Because Christ's presence and power is within us, we can triumph over trials. That's grounds for good cheer!

Instead of being overwhelmed by trials, we can face them confidently because Christ does make a difference. –JEY

Jesus said that we'd have trouble

In this world so filled with sin,

But we need not be discouraged -

He'll give peace and joy within. –Sper

We will not be defeated by anything if we depend on Christ for everything.

Christmas Prayer of Robert Louis Stevenson

Luke 2:9

Christmas Prayer composed by author Robert Luis Stevenson:

"Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and the worship of the wise men.

"Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clean hearts.

"May the Christmas morning make us happy to be Thy children, and the Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake, Amen!"

The Bolivian Visit

John 1:12

(Kep and Debbie James are missionaries serving in La Paz, Bolivia.)

It had been a busier than usual few days. I had tried to catch up all week, but no matter how hard I tried, it seemed, more things just kept piling up. Now it was Christmas Eve. It was our third Christmas in this house, so Bolivia felt like home now. God had blessed us with many good friends. Still, Christmas was when we most missed family, and this Christmas was going to be our first one alone. No family members had been able to visit us this year. Still, we'd decided to make the best of it and invite our little team of missionaries over for Christmas dinner. Tomorrow, there would be 17 of us. I still had so much more to do!

I was just beginning to cut up bread cubes to make the stuffing when the doorbell rang. I answered the door, and was surprised to see our next-door neighbor. She had a plate full of cookies, and wanted to come in and visit a while. I invited her in, but my mind was racing. "What about all of the presents I still had to wrap? What about the pies, and the stockings? Didn't she know this was an inconvenient time for a visit?" I had so much to do yet, and this visit would delay me even more. But I knew that in Bolivia people and visits always take precedence over time, so I tried to cover up my hurriedness, and sat down to talk over tea. She chatted on and on about her children, and all the work she had yet to do, and about her Christmas plans. I asked her about her father, her brother, her children, and her third cousins twice removed - I knew that extended family is very important in Bolivia. After two hours, the visit ended, and I walked her to the door. I waved to her as she walked down the street, calmly closed the door to the gate, and then sprinted back to the kitchen to resume my work.

It wasn't until later that I learned the significance of that visit. What I had seen as an inconvenient intrusion that night had actually been the highest honor. Bolivians only visit family members on Christmas Eve. My neighbor's kind visit was much more than a visit - it was an invitation to become a part of her family. She saw that this was going to be our first Christmas alone - without family present, foreigners, far from home - and she decided to extend to us a "family visit" so we wouldn't spend Christmas Eve alone.

What saddens me is the realization of how close I came to "missing" this significant event. Here was extended to me the highest form of friendship - an invitation to become "family" with my Bolivian neighbor. Yet, I was so preoccupied with wrapping presents, cooking, and all of the trappings of Christmas, that I almost missed it.

2000 years ago we received a much more significant "visit." God Himself came to visit us, in the form of a baby. He extended to us the highest honor and privilege - He called us to become a part of His family -to become sons of God! Sadly, few recognized Him when He came. Most were too busy with all of the buying, cooking and preparations that went along with a census. This baby Visitor was not even invited in. Rather, He was sent away to be born in a stable, sent off to sleep with the animals. And yet, the invitation is still extended - still open to anyone who wants to receive it - "But to all who received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God." (John 1:12)

This Christmas, let's focus on the significance of God's visit. Let's not allow all of the tinsel to distract us from what we're celebrating, or from missing out on God's amazing invitation to become a part of His family.

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Amazing Grace 2000 Years (poem)

Amazing Grace, 2000 years

Since Jesus Christ was born

When He came down to rule the earth

The only begotten son.

Born in a stable of humble beginnings

He lay down His head on the straw

And when He looked into the sky

A bright shining star that he saw.

The star that led the wise men to

The manger there where He lay

It was that humble beginning

That the world remembers today.

Amazing Grace, 2000 years

Since He walked among men on this earth

He healed the sick, to blind gave sight

He was the King from birth

No man has ever walked this earth

or risen to the sky

Who was deserving in any way

But for our sins He died.

It was amazing, right from the beginning

His birth had been planned for all men

He willing walked up Calvary’s Hill

And His life there He gave for our sins.

Amazing Grace 2000 years

He came for to live and to reign

He died but the stone was rolled away

He rose and today He’s the same.

Amazing Grace 2000 years

He’s alive, He lives yet today

Amazing Grace 2000 years

He’s alive, He’s with us to stay.

A Strange Birthday Celebration

If the following story were not true, it would surely be unbelievable.

It is true, however, as you yourself will agree when you have read it.

There was once a great king. His love for his people knew no limits.

Although the kingdom was very large, the king knew every person by name. Everything the people of the kingdom had was a gift freely given by the loving king.

So, to show their love and appreciation to the king for all he had done for them, the people decided to have a great celebration to honor his birthday. Everyone agreed it was a marvelous idea. Preparations for the celebration were very elaborate. No expense was spared by the people. They adorned their homes with lights, decorations, and expensive ornaments. There were parties, dinners, and celebrations throughout the kingdom.

All the people brought gifts for their friends and family. Many of the gifts which the people gave each other were quite expensive, involving considerable indebtedness. In fact, the people spent more on the birthday celebration than they spent at any other time of the year.

Many who were not citizens of the kingdom, and who did not even know the king, joined in the celebration. Their celebration of the king's birth was marked by excessive drinking. Since they did not know the king, they invented a good-natured, fat fellow in a red suit. He laughed a lot, but never said anything. But that didn't matter because they were too busy celebrating to listen anyhow.

The great day of celebrating his birth finally arrived, and some of his people did come bringing gifts and thanking him for his goodness to them. But to his dismay, most of the citizens never came to his house at all on the day of celebration. And the gifts brought to the king by those few who came were very meager when compared with the gifts they had given themselves.

For the most part the people said they had been so busy with all the celebrations and personal plans that they had forgotten about the king. Several said they had thought of him, but really could not work it into their schedules or budgets to come see him or bring a gift. A few were known to be quite put out when it was suggested that going to the king's house or remembering him with a gift was important.

Those people who did come to his house and who brought their loving gifts were welcomed and blessed by the king. But when they had gone and he was alone again, the king fell to thinking of the vast numbers of his people who had forgotten and forsaken him. How could they have forgotten? Had he not loved them all? How could so many of his beloved people who had found the time and money for shopping and feasting and partying and decorating and all sorts of celebrations-how could they possibly be so thoughtless, so ungrateful or selfish? Did they not know that he, too, had feelings? Was not the purpose of the birthday celebration originally planned to honor him? When the king was alone, pondering these questions, he felt the tears well up in his eyes. And in his loneliness, he wept.

One thought brought some hope and consolation. Even though they had forgotten him, he had not forgotten them.

At Christmas Is Christ Happy Over Us?

"Mommy," asked Jane, "what makes everybody so happy at Christmas?"

"Well, because it is the Lord Jesus' birthday...and because we love Him...and because we are happy about His coming to this world."

Jane thought a minute and then said, "Then is the Lord happy about you?" "Oh, little girl, what a question you have asked!" Is the Lord Jesus happy about us on His birthday? Is he really happy because He sees within our hearts a deep, true love for Him? Does He see a satisfying love and not just a seasonal affection stirred up by the festivities of Christmas? What He wants more than anything else on His birthday is the love of our hearts.

Do You Recognize Christ in Christmas?

Not long ago, a professor of psychology in one of our great universities gave a word suggestion test to his class of 40 students.

He instructed them to write the word "Christmas," and all the class did so. "Now," said the professor, "right after the word 'Christmas'write the first thought that flashes through your mind regarding that day." When the papers were turned in, such answers were given as "tree," "holly," "mistletoe," "presents," "turkey," "holiday," "carols," and "Santa Claus," but not one had written, "the birthday of Jesus."

As there was no room for the baby Jesus in the inn, there is no room for Him today in the celebration of Christmas.

Do Not Weep Over What You Do Not Have But Decorate What You Have

One Christmas Eve, as late Christmas shoppers hurried along the street, a crippled newsboy stood on his crutches offering his papers to the passersby. He looked happy, and his crutches were decorated with evergreens.

One man greeted him with a cheerful smile, "My boy, you surely have the Christmas spirit."

The boy replied "What's the use of putting on a sour face? Sure, I am poor and lame, but that's no reason for looking glum. I won't get presents like other boys at Christmas, but I can have fun, too. So I decorated my crutches just to make them seem special for Christmas."

If we go out to seek joy, it will elude us. If we go out to impart joy, we will find it. This Christmas, whether you have little or much, it makes no difference. It is your attitude that counts.

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Then let every heart keep Christmas within-Christ's pity for sorrow, Christ's hatred for sin, Christ's care for the weakest, Christ's courage for right.

Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas tonight!

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Someone has written that people use Xmas and it means Xhaustion, Xcuses, Xchanges, Xcesses, Xtravagances, Xasperations, Xhibitions and worldly Xcitement. How much better to make the Lord the very center of our Christmas observance. Keep Christ in Christmas!

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Have you any old grudge you'd like to pay, Any wrong laid up from a bygone day? Gather them all now, and lay them away

When Christmas comes.

Hard thoughts are heavy to carry, my friend, And life is short from beginning to end; Be kind to yourself-leave nothing to mend-When Christmas comes.

What Are You Expecting During the Holidays?

Luke 2:19

We went to my husband's aunt's home for Thanksgiving lunch. After greeting everyone and checking out the house, four-year-old Derek came and sat on the couch beside me. The other children were playing outside, but Derek was seated serenely, hands folded in his lap, his usual grin on his face.

He seemed to be waiting for something -- there was an air of expectation surrounding his little self. I thought this was strange; Derek has a well-deserved reputation for being a picky eater, and I knew he wasn't anticipating the meal. I looked at him questioningly. He leaned over, keeping his hands folded, looking straight ahead, and he whispered nonchalantly out of the side of his mouth, "Where are the presents?"

Poor Derek thought it was Christmas. What a letdown. I nearly burst out laughing when I realized his confusion, but I tried to gently explain that Christmas was several weeks away and today there wasn't going to be any presents, just food. I'm glad to say that Derek took the news like a champ and was soon outside playing with the others. It wasn't exactly what he had expected, but he adjusted.

Rarely do things go as I expect them to. There have been plenty of times in my life when I've been expecting trimmed trees and exciting gifts and wound up with turkey and heartburn instead. Christmas itself seems to be a time of great expectations that often result in great disappointments. From finding the right gift to planning the perfect family get-together to getting the house decorated to attending all the parties and plays, the season is simply too busy to live up to our Martha Stewart imaginations. How did a simple birthday party get so out of hand?

I wonder what Mary, Jesus' mother, was expecting from her life. What kinds of dreams did she have as a young Jewish teen, engaged and busily planning for her upcoming wedding day? Mary was a willing servant-obedient to the core -- and I certainly don't want to discount that fact. But admittedly, when God called her to receive His plan for her life, it was nothing that she had expected. What can we see in her willingness to accept and believe in His plan over her own? How can we apply her attitude to our own lives? The answers are in Luke 2.

AGREE WITH GOD'S PLAN. After the angel detailed the upcoming events of Mary's life, Mary said simply, "I am the Lord's servant... May it be to me as you have said" (v. 38). Mary aligned herself with God's plan. From the beginning, she didn't waste any time arguing with Him. Why should we do any less? The prophet Jeremiah recorded these words: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and future" (Jeremiah 29:11). This verse is a wellspring of assurance for anyone who stands at a crossroads. Agree with God's plan because He desires the best for you.

SEEK GODLY COUNSEL. God's Word notes twice in the book of Luke that Mary treasured in her heart the incredible events unfolding in her life (v. 2:19, 2:51). I understand that to mean that Mary was a private person. She didn't gab around with her friends. She didn't have to have everyone's opinion about what was going on in her life. Wasn't it a precious gift for the angel to let her know that her cousin Elizabeth was also pregnant? In relaying that news, God provided Mary with a sympathetic confidant. She knew she could talk freely with Elizabeth. In Elizabeth, Mary found a listening ear, a hand to hold, and a mentor to guide her through her pregnancy. Do you seek godly advice when situations arise that you didn't expect? Friends such as Elizabeth are few and far between. If you don't have one, ask God to provide you with a godly friend. He will.

PRAISE GOD. Mary praised the Lord in song. She lifted up her voice and sang praises to God for His plan! She realized that His plan for her life was the culmination of His plan for the world. All His plans work together. Our lives are incredibly intertwined by the Master Networker. She knew the Lord. She accepted His plan, and she praised Him. Disappointment cannot live in an attitude of praise.

Maybe you haven't had an angel appear to explain God's plan for your life. Perhaps there have been many changes in your life since last Christmas, and you weren't expecting any of them. Will you agree that in your heart of hearts, you have known the nudging of the Holy Spirit? On certain occasions that He is bringing to mind right now, He has made His Will known, and you have been given a choice. Go along with it, find a prayer partner, and praise God all the way through it. James 1:12 says, "But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God -- the free life! -- even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action" (The Message).

Mary took this attitude and became pregnant with the Son of God. What are you expecting?

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He Chose To Be Vulnerable

Luke 9:22

During the course of our lives, God hands us different lenses through which to view Him. In my middle years, highly aware of the fragility of life, I have begun to notice things about Jesus I never saw very clearly before -- such as the utterly vulnerable way He lived.

The word vulnerable means able to be wounded. That’s why the word so aptly describes Christ. He was always right out there in a risky place, His heart on the line, where pain and rejection were virtually guaranteed. He held nothing back. As I face how much pain a fallen world can dish up -- and my tendency to look for the easy way out -- I am more and more awed at Jesus’ choice to walk smack into the worst of it.

THE LAMB OF GOD

Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" John the Baptist declared (John 1:29). There is, perhaps, no more vulnerable animal than a lamb. From the beginning, Christ’s anointing and His power are coupled with His vulnerability. He is the Lamb who was slain, and He will be in that most glorious of days the Lamb who reigns.

This aspect of Christ laces the gospels. I see Him agonizing in the Garden of Gethsemane as He faces the cross before Him. And what does He do there? He asks for the prayerful support of His close friends. Jesus lets Himself need someone! There are times in my own life when to ask something from a friend, to lean on someone else, has a humbling sting. But there in the garden I watch Jesus ask His friends to stand by Him, even though they will sorely disappoint Him.

Or I turn to Christ’s conversation with Peter, after he has denied Him. As they prepare breakfast along the shore of Galilee, Jesus voices three times a simple question: "Do you love Me?" (see John 21:1-17). And while it’s clear that Christ is making an important point with Peter, still the question is an astounding one. What other deity ever asked anything like this? "Do you love Me?" Jesus asks, because real love always holds out the possibility of refusal. Otherwise, love is forced and, therefore, not real. And as all of us know, when someone really matters to us, there are no more vulnerable words to be spoken than these: "Do you love me?" It’s like hanging your heart out to dry. These are the words of Jesus.

The scenes that so fill the gospels -- of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet, of Him weeping at Lazarus’ tomb, of His thorough pleasure in the company of Mary and Martha -- can tend to grow ordinary over time -- until I remind myself who, exactly, this is. This is the One, Isaiah said, who leads the stars out at night and arranges them in the sky like a teacher taking his pupils out for recess. Nahum tells us that this is the One who breaks the rocks up into small pieces with His anger. This is the Christ who chose to live among us as a man despised and forsaken, from whom we would willingly hide our faces.

AN ASTOUNDING CHOICE

This year at Easter my husband and I became focused on the same verse in Luke’s gospel. "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life" (Luke 9:22). We find an interesting succession of verbs in this verse: suffer, be rejected, be killed, be raised. The idea that Christ had to experience rejection in order for the picture to be complete deeply moved us both. Not just suffering and physical pain, but all the rejection and humiliation, the loss and disappointment that accompanied the cross -- so that we would know He knows the very worst of it. So that we would know we are not alone in what we suffer. That it is truly a "fellowship of suffering," as the Apostle Paul said (see Phil. 3:10).

A few years ago, our daughter contracted a mysterious illness in Moscow that left her sick and debilitated for more than six months. As she steadily lost weight and lived with pain that doctors could neither pinpoint nor cure, I became increasingly aware of my powerlessness. It’s terrible to be a mother with a child whose pain you cannot alleviate. It’s miserable.

When the crisis ended and she began to mend, I was reflecting one morning on how much more I could now identify with God the Father as He watched His Son’s anguish. Yet the obvious struck me with great force: My experience was different in its very nature, because unlike me, God was not powerless! He could have delivered His Son at any moment. He chose to let Him suffer. Jesus could have called 10,000 angels to His rescue. He laid down His life of His own initiative. He chose to die.

The heart of the miracle of Jesus’ vulnerability is that His, unlike my own, is a chosen vulnerability. As much as I may deny and resist my vulnerability, I cannot escape it. No matter what I do, a certain amount of pain will be mine simply because I am an imperfect human being living in a fallen world. But Jesus is a different story. All power in heaven and earth is His. At every juncture, He had a real choice. He could have chosen an easier path, an option less painful. When I let myself take in His chosen powerlessness, His willingness to assume the weakness of my nature, I am moved to awe.

This is the place -- in the vulnerability of Jesus -- where I come to fall in love with Him. I find myself often returning to the words of the 17th-century hymn "O Sacred Head Now Wounded." I am convinced that the author was thinking of this very aspect of Christ’s nature when he wrote:

What language shall I borrow,

to thank Thee, dearest friend,

For this Thy dying sorrow,

Thy pity without end?

Oh, make me Thine forever

and should I fainting be,

Lord, let me never, never

outlive my love for Thee.

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275 Sermon Illustrations on Christmas