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Now I know as I mention this I date myself, but I remember back to the time when putting up Christmas lights was extremely exasperating, for one very specific reason – on older strings of lights, if one bulb burned out, all the others went out, too. Do you remember that? If a string didn't work, it would take all the patience you could muster to go through the entire string and attempt to find the offending bulb. Fortunately they began to sell new Christmas light sets where "if one goes out, the others stay lit!" I remember as a boy when we finally replaced the older, difficult strings! As I decorated our tree this year, I once again thought of those old light sets, and it brought a pleasant smile to my face! In some ways, the church is very much like Christmas light sets! In some churches, if one member "burns out" then the others stop working too. Discouragement mounts, and the church loses its impact in the community. How wonderful it is to be in a church where we all work together, all letting out lights shine! And if one member burns out, the others stay lit, and we keep on working together for Christ! And – unlike the Christmas lights – when one "bulb" burns out, we don't throw it away – we allow it to be renewed so that it can shine again! Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 2.51. Live for God, on purpose, letting your light shine for Christ! Article 1 – How To Have A Great Christmas!
It's the most wonderful time of the year! At least that's how the song goes. But, the truth of the matter is that for many people, Christmas is anything but the most wonderful time of the year. For those who have lost a loved one in the past year, this may be a difficult time. For those having employment difficulties, this may be a difficult time. Those experiencing family difficulties may experience hardship during Christmastime. But, it has been my observation that Christmas is a stressful, difficult time for far more than just people who are in crisis situations. For many, if not most Americans, all of the great anticipation of the wonder of the Christmas season is quickly eclipsed by the expectations and pressures that continue to mount the closer we get to Christmas day. For some, when Christmas is over, there is almost a sense of relief! Why is it that the "most wonderful time of the year" has become one of the most difficult times of the year? When we invest ourselves in things that are bound to fail us, we are actually setting ourselves up for disappointment. But, it doesn't have to be that way! We are less than a week away from Christmas Day, and maybe so far this Christmas season has not been going the way you would like it to go. This Sunday morning, I want to help you turn your Christmas around, and have a truly GREAT Christmas! If you want this Christmas to be the best one ever, then be sure to be here this Sunday morning!
This is perhaps my favorite service of the entire year. You truly will be blessed! Invite a neighbor or friend to join you at this year's Carols 'n Candles. If they don't have a church of their own, I am sure they would love the opportunity, and are just waiting for the invitation!
Let's praise-in the New Year! On New Year's Eve, we will have a great time beginning at 5:30, when we will gather together for food and fellowship in the Fellowship Hall. Each family is asked to bring dinner food to share with everyone, covered dish style. Here is your chance to use up all the Christmas leftovers! We will then move to the Sanctuary, where we will have a special Hallelujah service! What better way to close out the old year than to praise the One who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! We will conclude the evening, as well as the year, with a time of communion and prayer. Our plans are to conclude at approximately 9:00. The Christmas Ten Commandments
2. Thou shalt prepare thy soul for Christmas. Spend not so much on gifts that thy soul is forgotten. 3. Thou shalt not let Santa Claus replace Christ, thus robbing the day of its spiritual reality. 4. Thou shalt not burden the shop girl, the mailman, and the merchant with complaints and demands. 5. Thou shalt give thyself with thy gift. This will increase its value a hundred fold, and he who receiveth it shall treasure it forever. 6. Thou shalt not value gifts received by their cost. Even the least expensive may signify love, and that is more priceless than silver and gold. 7. Thou shalt not neglect the needy. Share thy blessings with many who will go hungry and cold unless thou are generous. 8. Thou shalt not neglect thy church. Its services highlight the true meaning of the season. 9. Thou shalt be as a little child. Not until thou has become in spirit as a little one art thou ready to enter into the kingdom of Heaven. 10. Thou shall not forget to share your joy, peace and faith with those around you.
"I said a Christmas prayer for you I asked for joyful gatherings I asked for quiet moments I asked for friends to send their best Top Ten Reasons For Last Minute Christmas Shopping Ok, I know that most of the ladies have had their Christmas shopping done for weeks – if not months. But, for all of us men, here are the reasons why we are waiting 'till the last possible moment to do our Christmas shopping! Here are every guy's top ten list for why always do last minute Christmas shopping! 10. Let's face it, all wives snoop around the house blatantly looking for their presents, so what choice do we have but to hold off on our shopping?! 9. By ignoring the shopping frenzy until the last possible moment, we men are better able to focus on the true meaning of Christmas!
7. Like a fine stallion, or a world-class runner, most men put in their best shopping performances just under the clock! 6. The best shoppers are those who examine the trends to see what gifts are "in" for this year. Obviously, the longer we wait, the more definitive the trend. Is it our fault that we are so through in our study that the "in" gifts are sold out when we go to buy them? NO! It is the greed of the big corporations and their heartless grab for cash that are to blame! 5. By perpetuating the stereotypical myth of men being uncaring, last-minute shoppers, we are, in fact, making women feel better about themselves. Our last minute scrambles, therefore, show us to have great concern and sensitivity. 4. At 6:30 pm Christmas Eve, whatever remains unbroken on the store shelves has proven its durability! 3. If you buy your present too soon, you may lose the receipts--or not be able to locate the guy selling stuff out of the trunk of his car! 2. How better to enter into the Christmas experience and share in Joseph's feeling of panic when he found out there was no room in the inn, than to hear: "There is no more stock on the shelves?" And the number one reason for last-minute Christmas shopping is: 1. It's a hunting and gathering, survival of the fittest, genetic thing! We're, therefore, just celebrating how God our Creator has made us! Jesus' Birth If It Happened Today!
"There's a problem with the angel," said a Pharisee who happened to be strolling by. As he explained to Joseph, angels are widely regarded as religious symbols, and the stable was on public property where such symbols were not allowed to land or even hover. "And I have to tell you, this whole thing looks to me very much like a Nativity scene," he said sadly. "That's a no-no, too." Joseph had a bright idea. "What if I put a couple of reindeer over there near the ox and ass?" he said, eager to avoid sectarian strife. "That would definitely help," said the Pharisee, who knew as well as anyone that whenever a savior appeared, judges usually liked to be on the safe side and surround it with deer or woodland creatures of some sort. "Just to clinch it, throw in a candy cane and a couple of elves and snowmen, too," he said. "No court can resist that." Mary asked, "What does my son's birth have to do with snowmen?" "Snowpersons," cried a young woman, changing the subject before it veered dangerously toward religion. Off to the side of the crowd, a Philistine was painting the Nativity scene. Mary complained that she and Joseph looked too tattered and worn in the picture. "Artistic license," he said. "I've got to show the plight of the haggard homeless in a greedy, uncaring society in winter," he quipped. "We're not haggard or homeless. The inn was just full," said Mary. "Whatever," said the painter. Two women began to argue fiercely. One said she objected to Jesus' birth "because it privileged motherhood." The other scoffed at virgin births, but said that if they encouraged more attention to diversity in family forms and the rights of single mothers, well, then, she was all for them. "I'm not a single mother," Mary started to say, but she was cut off by a third woman who insisted that swaddling clothes are a form of child abuse, since they restrict the natural movement of babies. With the arrival of 10 child advocates, all trained to spot infant abuse and manger rash, Mary and Joseph were pushed to the edge of the crowd, where arguments were breaking out over how many reindeer (or what mix of reindeer and seasonal sprites) had to be installed to compensate for the infant's unfortunate religious character. An older man bustled up, bowling over two merchants, who had been busy debating whether an elf is the same as a fairy and whether the elf/fairy should be shaking hands with Jesus in the crib or merely standing to the side, jumping around like a sports mascot. "I'd hold off on the reindeer," the man said, explaining that the use of asses and oxen as picturesque backdrops for Nativity scenes carries the subliminal message of human dominance. He passed out two leaflets, one denouncing manger births as invasions of animal space, the other arguing that stables are "penned environments" where animals are incarcerated against their will. He had no opinion about elves or candy canes. Signs declaring "Free the Bethlehem 2" began to appear, referring to the obviously exploited ass and ox. Someone said the halo on Jesus' head was elitist. Mary was exasperated. "And what about you, old mother?" she said sharply to an elderly woman. "Are you here to attack the shepherds as prison guards for excluded species, maybe to complain that singing in Latin identifies us with our Roman oppressors, or just to say that I should have skipped patriarchal religiosity and joined some dumb new-age goddess religion?" "None of the above," said the woman, "I just wanted to tell you that the Magi are here." Sure enough, the three wise men rode up. The crowd gasped, "They're all male!" And "Not very multicultural!" "Balthasar here is black," said one of the Magi. "Yes, but how many of you are disabled?" someone shouted. A committee was quickly formed to find an impoverished wise-person among the halt and lame of Bethlehem. A calm voice said, "Be of good cheer, Mary, you have done well and your son will change the world." At last, a sane person, Mary thought. She turned to see a radiant and confident female face. The woman spoke again: "There is one thing, though. Religious holidays are important, but can't we learn to celebrate them in ways that unite, not divide? For instance, instead of all this business about 'Gloria in excelsis Deo,' why not just 'Season's Greetings'?" Mary said, "You mean my son has entered human history to deliver the message, 'Hello, it's winter'?" "That's harsh, Mary," said the woman. "Remember, your son could make it big in midwinter festivals, if he doesn't push the religion thing too far. Centuries from now, in nations yet unborn, people will give each other pricey gifts and have big office parties on his birthday. That's not chopped liver." "Let me get back to you," Mary said.
Pa never had much compassion for the lazy or those who squandered their means and then never had enough for the necessities. But for those who were genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors. It was from him that I learned the greatest joy in life comes from giving, not from receiving. It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted so bad that year for Christmas. We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible. So after supper was over I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the fireplace and waited for Pa to get down the old Bible. I was still feeling sorry for myself and, to be honest, I wasn't in much of a mood to read scriptures. But Pa didn't get the Bible, instead he bundled up and went outside. I couldn't figure it out because we had already done all the chores. I didn't worry about it long though, I was too busy wallowing in self-pity. Soon Pa came back in. It was a cold clear night out and there was ice in his beard. "Come on, Matt," he said. "Bundle up good, it's cold out tonight." I was really upset then. Not only wasn't I getting the rifle for Christmas, now Pa was dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly reason that I could see. We'd already done all the chores, and I couldn't think of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night like this. But I knew Pa was not very patient at one dragging one's feet when he'd told them to do something, so I got up and put my boots back on and got my cap, coat, and mittens. Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something was up, but I didn't know what. Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house was the work team, already hitched to the big sled. Whatever it was we were going to do wasn't going to be a short, quick, little job. I could tell. We never hitched up the big sled unless we were going to haul a big load. Pa was already up on the seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up beside him. The cold was already biting at me. I wasn't happy. When I was on, Pa pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed. He got off and I followed. "I think we'll put on the high sideboards," he said. "Here, help me." The high sideboards! It had been a bigger job than I wanted to do with just the low sideboards on, but whatever it was we were going to do would be a lot bigger with the high sideboards on. When we had exchanged the sideboards Pa went into the woodshed and came out with an armload of wood---the wood I'd spent all summer hauling down from the mountain, and then all fall sawing into blocks and splitting. What was he doing? Finally I said something. "Pa," I asked, "what are you doing?" " You been by the Widow Jensen's lately?" he asked. The Widow Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so before and left her with three children, the oldest being eight. Sure, I'd been by, but so what? "Yeah," I said, "why?" "I rode by just today," Pa said. "Little Jakey was out digging around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They're out of wood, Matt." That was all he said and then he turned and went back into the woodshed for another armload of wood. I followed him. We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be able to pull it. Finally, Pa called a halt to our loading, then we went to the smoke house and Pa took down a big ham and a side of bacon. He handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait. When he returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and a smaller sack of something in his left hand. "What's in the little sack?" I asked. "Shoes. They're out of shoes. Little Jakey just had gunny sacks wrapped around his feet when he was out in the wood-pile this morning. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn't be Christmas without a little candy." We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen's pretty much in silence. I tried to think through what Pa was doing. We didn't have much by worldly standards. Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most of what was left now was still in the form of logs that I would have to saw into blocks and split before we could use it. We also had meat and flour, so we could spare that, but I knew we didn't have any money, so why was Pa buying them shoes and candy? Really, why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us. It shouldn't have been our concern.
We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the wood as quietly as possible, then we took the meat and flour and shoes to the door. We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid voice said, "Who is it?" "Lucas Miles, Ma'am, and my son, Matt. Could we come in for a bit?" Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The children were wrapped in another and were sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly gave off any heat at all. Widow Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp. "We brought you a few things, Ma'am," Pa said and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat on the table. Then Pa handed her the sack that had the shoes in it. She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out on e pair at a time. There was a pair for her and one for each of the children---sturdy shoes, the best, shoes that would last. I watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at Pa like she wanted to say something, but it wouldn't come out. "We brought a load of wood too, Ma'am," Pa said, then he turned to me and said, "Matt, go bring enough in to last for awhile. Let's get that fire up to size and heat this place up." I wasn't the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I had a big lump in my throat and, much as I hate to admit it, there were tears in my eyes too. In my mind I kept seeing those three kids huddled around the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks and so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn't speak. My heart swelled within me and a joy filled my soul that I'd never known before. I had given at Christmas many times before, but never when it had made so much difference. I could see we were literally saving the lives of these people. I soon had the fire blazing and everyone's spirits soared. The kids started giggling when Pa handed them each a piece of candy and Widow Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn't crossed her face for a long time. She finally turned to us. "God bless you," she said. "I know the Lord himself has sent you. The children and I have been praying that he would send one of his angels to spare us." In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears welled up in my eyes again. I'd never thought of Pa in those exact terms before, but after Widow Jensen mentioned it I could see that it was probably true. I was sure that a better man than Pa had never walked the earth. I started remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Ma and me, and many others. The list seemed endless as I thought on it. Pa insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was amazed when they all fit and I wondered how he had known what sizes to get. Then I guessed that if he was on an errand for the Lord that the Lord would make sure he got the right sizes. Tears were running down Widow Jensen's face again when we stood up to leave. Pa took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug. They clung to him and didn't want us to go. I could see that they missed their pa, and I was glad that I still had mine. At the door Pa turned to Widow Jensen and said, "The Mrs. wanted me to invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous if he has to eat turkey for too many meals. We'll be by to get you about eleven. It'll be nice to have some little ones around again. Matt, here, hasn't been little for quite a spell." I was the youngest. My two older brothers and two older sisters were all married and had moved away. Widow Jensen nodded and said, "Thank you, Brother Miles. I don't have to say, "'May the Lord bless you,' I know for certain that He will." Out on the sled I felt a warmth that came from deep within and I didn't even notice the cold. When we had gone a ways, Pa turned to me and said, "Matt, I want you to know something. Your ma and me have been tucking a little money away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but we didn't have quite enough. Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money from years back came by to make things square. Your ma and me were real excited, thinking that now we could get you that rifle, and I started into town this morning to do just that. But on the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunny sacks and I knew what I had to do. So, Son, I spent the money for shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand." I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very well, and I was so glad Pa had done it. Just then the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities. Pa had given me a lot more. He had given me the look on Widow Jensen's face and the radiant smiles of her three children. For the rest of my life, whenever I saw any of the Jensens, or split a block of wood, I remembered, and remembering brought back that same joy I felt riding home beside Pa that night. Pa had given me much more than a rifle that night, he had given me the best Christmas of my life. Count your blessings everyday, slowly and thoughtfully. In a small Southern town there was a "Nativity Scene" that showed great skill and talent had gone into creating it. One small feature bothered me. The three wise men were wearing firemen's helmets. Totally unable to come up with a reason or explanation, I left. At a "Quick Stop" on the edge of town, I asked the lady behind the counter about the helmets. She exploded into a rage, yelling at me, "You Yankees never do read the Bible!" I assured her that I did, but simply couldn't recall anything about firemen in the Bible. She jerked her Bible from behind the counter and ruffled through some pages, and finally jabbed her finger at a passage. Sticking it in my face she said "See, it says right here, 'The three wise man came from afar.'" My prayer for you is that this Christmas will be the most blessed one you have ever had. Take advantage of these last remaining days before Christmas Day, and be sure to share the Good News that the Savior has been born! Joy to the world, the Lord is come! |
Volume 2.51 – December 20, 2002 Sign up here to receive Click here to view archived issues of |
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Yours for HIM, |
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Make sure that your Christmas plans include joining us on Christmas Eve for this remarkable annual tradition! Beginning at 7:00 pm, we will enjoy a delightful time of Christmas worship! There will be a wonderful mosaic of vocal solos, duets, and instrumental songs, mixed together with our singing Christmas carols. Added to the mix will be readings from the Christmas narratives from the Bible, as well as my own special Christmas devotionals. We will conclude the evening with a fantastic candle light setting as we join in singing Silent Night.
by Nancy Parker Brummett
And Joseph went up from Galilee to Bethlehem with Mary, his espoused wife, who was great with child. And she brought forth a son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. And the angel of the Lord spoke to the shepherds and said, "I bring you tidings of great joy. Unto you is born a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."
