31 Days of Christmas – Day #21

The Fullness of Time

Christmas did not happen by accident. It was carefully planned in the throne room of eternity and, on earth there was detailed preparation for centuries. That’s why the apostle Paul said, “When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son” (Galatians 4:4).
The Hebrew people were unique in their worship of one God. The Greeks fashioned the most perfect language the world had ever known. The Romans built the roads which connected the whole earth. Judaism was the mold which held the Good News, the Greek language was the vehicle to carry the Good News, and the Roman Empire was ready to spread the Good News.
So you see, Jesus came at the right time. He came to a world of failure. The Jews were an unsatisfied people, the glory of Greece was past, and Roman rule was cruel and tyrannical. It was an unhappy, suspicious, fearful, needy world. It was a world of moral degradation, low ethical standards, bitter hatred, and unrelieved despair. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
But the coming of Jesus gave the world a fresh start. That’s why mankind has numbered their years from the date of His birth. That’s when God’s Son was given, not loaned, but given. God’s gift is outright. It has never been withdrawn. He is still here. Our emptiness invites God’s abundance, our weakness cries out for His strength, and our blindness gropes for His light every day.
The fullness of time is still here! (1 John 1:9)

31 Days of Christmas – Day #20

What’s In A Name

We don’t pay much attention to names today. They hold very little significance for us. They identify us, but they don’t describe us. We can know a person’s name without having the slightest idea what that individual is like.
But the Hebrews believed that the name was an important part of a personality. It spoke of character. If they heard someone’s name, they knew what kind of person he or she was.
For instance, the name Jacob indicates that he was a devious person, a trickster who could not be trusted. Barak means lightning. He could strike anyone without warning. Deborah means bee (you know, the insect!). She could be as sweet as honey, but she never lost her sting!
In the same way, the name of a place describes its outstanding feature. Carmel was a garden land. Gibeah was a hill. Horeb was dry. If a Hebrew knew the name of the place, he knew what to expect when he got there.
So you can see that the name chosen for God’s Son was important — so important that it was determined in the councils of heaven. And lest there be any doubt about His name, it was revealed to both Joseph and Mary, separately.
Today, there is no name in the world so widely known and honored, no name so often remembered or so greatly loved. There is no name more precious to young and old alike.
That name means Deliverer, Rescuer, Savior, Angel-sent. (Matthew 1:25 – “He called His Name JESUS.”)

31 Days of Christmas – Day #19

The Son of Man

Jesus summed up the purpose of Christmas: “The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
83 times He called Himself “the Son of Man.” That was His favorite title. All other names turn out to be words of limitation.
He could have been called the Son of Abraham, but that’s racially limiting. Or, He could have been called the Son of David, but that’s officially limiting. Or, He could have been called the Son of Mary, but there you have family limitation.
Those titles are all good, but their weakness lies in their littleness. They’re exclusive rather than inclusive.
Confucius is a son of China. Plato, a son of Greece. Hugo, a son of France. Shakespeare, a son of England. Hemingway, a son of America.
But Christ, He is the Universal One — the Son of no tribe or nation or empire.
He is the Son of Man, who by His own words, “is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
(Matthew 18: 12, 14)

31 Days of Christmas – Day #18

When Christmas Went Outdoors

Almost 100 years ago, 10-year-old David Jonathan Sturgeon lay in bed in Denver, doomed to die. To cheer him up, his father lit a small Christmas tree in his sickroom. Young David, pointed through the window at an evergreen growing on the front lawn, exclaiming, “Oh daddy, please put some lights on that tree, too. It would look wonderful!”
His father, David D. Sturgeon, operator of an electrical business, strung colored lights on the evergreen; and David lay there smiling as he watched them sparkle like emeralds and rubies against the mantle of snow.
The tree was the talk of the town. In horse-drawn carriages and chugging automobiles, people came from miles around to drive slowly past the Sturgeon home and admire the tree which Denverites proudly believe was the first lighted living Christmas tree in the land.
By Christmastime 2 years later, little David was dead. But neighbors, who had marveled at his tree, lit trees in their own yards and gardens, turning their section of town into a glittering fairyland. House by house, block by block, the idea spread; and through the years, more and more of these dazzling monuments to a dying boy’s wish appeared.
8 years later, in San Francisco, another little boy was sick at Christmastime. Because the little boy couldn’t see the family tree, Clarence F. “Sandy” Pratt, painted some full-size light globes and strung them on a wire around an evergreen on his lawn across the street.
Like Denver’s tree, it attracted much attention. And before New Year’s Eve, the sick boy was well. This so impressed Sandy Pratt, that he resolved to spend the rest of his life persuading others not only to light living trees, but to plant them. He organized the Outdoor Christmas Tree Association of California, and began sending 2-year-old redwood seedlings to anyone who would promise to care for them and light them at Christmastime.
Today, in city parks, along highways, on dark and snow-drifted lawns alike, lighted living trees remind millions of the birth of Christ. -Grady Johnson-

31 Days of Christmas – Day #17

Happy Birthday Presents

This year we have invested nearly 2 billion dollars in Christmas savings. We will spend 450 million on trees and decorations. 340 million on turkeys. And another 15.5 million for plum pudding.
Our Treasury Department will put more than a billion dollars in circulation just for the demands of Christmas. But do you ever get the feeling that we’re missing the point of the celebration? Then think about this:

I have many friends. When they arranged to have a celebration in honor of My birthday, I was pleased. Moreover, it was intimated to Me, that preparations were being made for gifts to be given. And this made Me happy, because I’ve shared My life with many people in great need, and in My present circumstances, I depend on what My friends are doing.
You may be sure that I looked forward to that day, and when it finally came, a vast number had remembered it. My name was on every tongue. Gifts came in such profusion that I was overwhelmed. But when I looked at the names of those to whom the gifts were given, I was amazed. Not one gift was for Me. My friends were giving gifts back and forth to one another in hectic complexity. I walked around enjoying the occasion as best I could, watching the happiness of others. But what a lonesomeness I felt.
I am the Christ Whose birthday people celebrate by giving gifts to each other, but not to Me.
But please understand: The gift I want most is the gift of themselves.

31 Days of Christmas – Day #16

Stimulating Seasonal Songs From Roget’s Thesaurus

Move hitherward the entire assembly of those who are loyal in their belief.
(O Come All Ye Faithful)

Listen, the celestial messengers produce harmonious sounds.
(Hark, the Herald Angels Sing)

Nocturnal timespan of unbroken quietness.
(Silent Night)

An emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation of good given to the terrestrial sphere.
(Joy to the World)

Embellish the interior passageways.
(Deck the Halls)

The Christmas preceding all others.
(The First Noel)

The first person nominative plural of a triumvirate of far eastern heads of state.
(We Three Kings of Orient Are)

Proceed forth declaring upon a specific geological alpine formation.
(Go, Tell It On the Mountain)

Jovial yuletide desired for the second person singular or plural by us.
(We Wish You a Merry Christmas)

Small municipality in Judea southeast of Jerusalem.
(O Little Town of Bethlehem)

31 Days of Christmas – Day #15

The Other Christmas Story

And there were in the same country, husbands and fathers keeping watch over their homes by night but going to work every morning to make lots of money.
And lo, the smooth-voiced TV announcer came upon them and the glories of many fine possessions shone out at them, and they were afraid that they would never be able to buy all the things their families wanted.
And the TV announcer said unto them, “Fear not, for I bring unto you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all fathers, mothers, children, and relatives. For unto you there is this day in the city where our store is, a savior, which is our credit manager. And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find this wondrous one wrapped in red clothing, with a big stomach, and sporting white whiskers. We call him Santa Claus.”
And suddenly there was with the TV announcer a multitude of TV actors, praising the store and saying, “Glory to Santa, and on earth, lots of presents for all.”
And it came to pass as the TV actors faded away, the fathers and mothers said to one another, “Let us now go even unto this store which the TV announcer hath made known unto us.”
And they came with haste and found glittering wrist watches, fur coats, transistor radios, electric can openers, new dresses, and also the wondrous one, dressed in red, sitting by the cash register, saying, “Ho, ho, ho.”
And when they had made their purchases, they spoke now among all their neighbors how they were going to have one of the best Christmases ever, yet Santa Claus kept all the contracts in his safe and pondered on all the interest he was going to collect.
This Christmas season, be very careful that the message of what man has to sell, does not overwhelm the proclamation of what God has freely given. (Matthew 6:19-21)

31 Days of Christmas – Day #14

Just Shepherds

Sheep intended for sacrifice in the Temple in Jerusalem were pastured 5 miles away in the hills of Bethlehem. I was one of those simple shepherds caring for the flocks when the birth of Jesus was first announced.

Of all the people involved who witnessed that amazing birth, we were the only ones who didn’t have to travel to get to Christmas. The angels had come from the other side of heaven. The Wise Men from the other side of the world. Joseph and Mary from the other side of the country. But the shepherds, we bowed at the manger which was within range of our voices. Christmas came to us.
Understand this. We shepherds were considered lowly people. We were at the bottom rung of the social ladder. No one was lower than tax collectors, prostitutes, and shepherds. So why should we be honored with God’s Good News? Well . . .
The regular townspeople in Bethlehem were too caught up in the excitement of the visiting crowds to pay any attention. The innkeeper was busy assigning rooms. Herod was worried about a rival King. The scribes and Pharisees were looking for a military ruler to deliver them from the hated Romans. Would these people care about a baby, wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger? NOT ON YOUR LIFE!
So God passed up the important folks and spoke to the ordinary. He shared the news with those who would listen, even lowly shepherds.
And God still hasn’t changed. If you can’t come to Bethlehem for Christmas, don’t worry. Christmas will come to you!

31 Days of Christmas – Day #13

Let Me Be The Manger

Eight-year old Joey lived in a low-income housing development in Southern California. Church buses made periodic runs through his neighborhood to gather children for Sunday School and other special events.
Nice people invited him to a party at their church. But he only had 15 minutes to get dressed before the bus left. Joey ran home and exploded with excitement to his mother. “There’s a party at that big church this afternoon, and I’m invited, like at school a few months ago.”
It was an early season Christmas party, and his family never had enough money to really celebrate holidays. So he assumed it was a Halloween or Thanksgiving party.
He went to work on an outfit. 15 minutes wasn’t much time, and their funds were even more limited than their minutes. He rummaged around and thought, Why not go as a haystack? He took his old brown sweater and stuffed it with weeds. He even put some of the straw on the outside of the sweatshirt just to make it look more real.
Poor Joey was more than surprised when the party turned out to be a Christmas play, not a costume party. Embarrassed, he hung around the fringes of the group. Then he heard one of the leaders say they couldn’t find the manger.
“Can I help?” He asked. “I’m good at finding things.” The leaders explained to Joey that what they were looking for was a box full of hay where baby Jesus could be laid. It seemed that someone had borrowed the one the church used each year. How could they have a Bethlehem drama without it?
Forgetting his embarrassment, Joey, now feeling very resourceful, looked down at his costume: baggy brown sweatshirt with weeds stuffed in it and straw sticking out everywhere. “I could be a box of hay.” He lay down on the floor and announced, “I’ll be your manger. Let Jesus be born in me!”
Let Jesus be born in me, too, oh God! (Matthew 18:3-4)

31 Days of Christmas – Day #12

Just One Star

Back in the throne room of Heaven, plans were being made to announce the birth of God’s Son on Earth. Michael, the archangel, had just finished describing his great heavenly display of comets and falling stars.
Gabriel went on with his musical plans — A great angelic choir of tens of thousands of voices, tuned with heaven’s finest and latest harmonies, ready to serenade the earth.
But God interrupted their conversation. “No,” he said, “that’s not really what I had in mind. I planned a small family gathering in Bethlehem, actually. We don’t need all those trimmings.”
“But all my stars,” said Michael. “What will I do with them?”
“And my music?” Gabriel added.
Just then, Jesus stepped through the pearly gates, out onto the red carpet of time and started down the spiral stairway of stars.
Michael pled, “Father, please let us do something! He just can’t go un-announced!”
“Well, all right,” God said. “Gabriel, a few angels, and Michael, just 1 star, please.”

“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”(John 1:14)