POLL SHOWS STRENGTH OF AMERICAN BELIEFSNewsweek 12/5/04

Seventy-nine percent of Americans believe that, as the Bible says, Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, without a human father, according to a new NEWSWEEK poll on beliefs about Jesus. Sixty-seven percent say they believe that the entire story of Christmas—the Virgin Birth, the angelic proclamation to the shepherds, the Star of Bethlehem and the Wise Men from the East—is historically accurate.

Twenty-four percent of Americans believe the story of Christmas is a theological invention written to affirm faith in Jesus Christ, the poll shows. In general, say 55 percent of those polled, every word of the Bible is literally accurate. Thirty-eight percent do not believe that about the Bible.

In the NEWSWEEK poll, 93 percent of Americans say they believe Jesus Christ actually lived and 82 percent believe Jesus Christ was God or the Son of God. Fifty-two percent of all those polled believe, as the Bible proclaims, that Jesus will return to earth someday; 21 percent do not believe it. Fifteen percent believe Jesus will return in their lifetime; 47 percent do not, the poll shows.

When asked if there would be more or less kindness in the world today if there had never been a Jesus, 61 percent of all those polled say there would be less kindness. Forty-seven percent say there would be more war if there had never been a Jesus (16 percent say less, 26 percent say the same); 63 percent say there would be less charity; 58 percent say there would be less tolerance; 59 percent say there would be less personal happiness and 38 percent say there would be less religious divisions (21 percent say more and 26 percent say the same).

Just 11 percent of those surveyed say American society as a whole very closely reflects true Christian values and the spirit of Jesus; 53 percent say it somewhat reflects those values. But 86 percent say they believe organized religion has a “a lot” or “some” influence over life in the United States today. Nine percent say it has “only a little” influence.

Sixty-two percent say they favor teaching creation science in addition to evolution in public schools; 26 percent oppose such teaching, the poll shows. Forty-three percent favor teaching creation science instead of evolution in public schools; 40 percent oppose the idea.

For this NEWSWEEK Poll, Princeton Survey Research Associates interviewed by telephone 1,009 adults, aged 18 and older on Dec. 2 and Dec. 3. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

© 2004 Newsweek, Inc.

FEAR NOT

In the Christmas narratives, there are several “fear not’s.”

1. The “fear not” of salvation: “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings...which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10,11).

2. The “fear not” of the humanly impossible: “Fear not, Mary, … the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: …For with God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:30, 35, 37).

3. The “fear not” of unanswered prayer: “Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John” (Luke 1:13).

4. The “fear not” of immediate obedience: “Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife. … Then Joseph … did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him” (Matthew 1:20,24 NPS)

IT COST …

It cost Mary and Joseph the comforts of home during a long period of exile in Egypt to protect the little babe.

It cost mothers, in and around Bethlehem, the massacre of their babies by the cruel order of Herod.

It cost the shepherds the complacency of their shepherd’s life, with the call to the manger and to tell the good news.

It cost the wise men a long journey and expensive gifts and changed lives.

It cost the early Apostles and the early church persecution and sometimes death.

It cost missionaries of Christ untold suffering and privation to spread the Good News.

It cost Christian martyrs in all ages their lives for Christ’s sake.

More than all this, it cost God the Father His own Son—He sent Him to the earth to save men.

It cost Jesus a life of sacrifice and service, a death cruel and unmatched in history.

MUCH MORE John Donne

Twas much,
that man was
made like God before,
But that God should
be like man
much more.

THE MICROWAVE GIFT

Pastor Clifford S. Stewart of Louisville, Kentucky, sent his parents a microwave oven one Christmas. Here’s how he recalls the experience:

“They were excited that now they, too, could be a part of the instant generation. When Dad unpacked the microwave and plugged it in, literally within seconds, the microwave transformed two smiles into frown! Even after reading the directions, they couldn’t make it work. Two days later, my mother was playing bridge with a friend and confessed her inability to get that microwave oven even to boil water. ‘To get this darn thing to work,’ she exclaimed, ‘I really don’t need better directions; I just needed my son to come along with the gift!’”

When God gave the gift of salvation, he didn’t send a booklet of complicated instructions for us to figure out; he sent his Son.

WHAT IF HE'D NEVER BEEN BORN

What do people believe about the birth of Christ? A few days ago Newsweek Magazine conducted a poll asking some questions about Christ and His birth.* Here are some of the results:
67% - believe that the entire story of Christmas is historically accurate
24% - believe the story of Christmas is a theological invention
If Jesus had never born, people believed there would be:
63% - less charity
61% - less kindness
59% - less personal happiness
58% - less tolerance
47% - more war (16% say less, 26% say the same)
38% - less religious divisions (21% say more, 26% say the same)

HE WANTED THE BABY http://www.14wfie.com, Baby Jesus Stolen - Again, 12/6/04

Chicago Police say an art student was arrested for stealing a figure of the baby Jesus from the Nativity Scene at the Daley Plaza. Authorities say 19-year-old Matthew Staib is a Texas resident who is a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He lives in a dormitory that overlooks the Plaza.

Two witnesses saw the man pull the tree-foot figure from the manger and walk away with it. They contacted police who arrested Staib a few blocks away. When questioned about the theft, Staib said he took the figure because he saw it and wanted it.

The same baby Jesus has been stolen before. In 1999, the Jesus figure disappeared and was recovered from a Union Station luggage locker after an anonymous tip several days later.

HERE'S THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM

Bill Keane's comic strip, Family Circus, has communicated a beautiful truth about Christmas. As the children were setting up their nativity set, little Dolly held up the baby Jesus and declared, “Here's the star of Bethlehem!”

12 DAYS GIFT COST -- http://news.yahoo.com/news

What do you think it would cost to purchase all the gifts mentioned in the song "The

Twelve Days of Christmas? According to PNC Financial Services Group Inc, purchasing each

of the items in 2004 would cost a whopping $66,334.00.

ROOM FOR MARY AND JOSEPH Reuters, Plenty of Room at Inn for Mary and Joseph, November 26, 2004

A London hotel chain says this Christmas there will be plenty of room at the Inn for Mary and Joseph. The Travelodge in Covent Garden is offering couples named Mary and Joseph a free night's stay over Christmas this year.

Hotel Manager Sandy Leckie says, "We are trying to make up for the hotel industry not having any rooms left on Christmas Eve, 2004 years ago." He says his motel is more comfortable than a stable, and adds, "I just hope they don't bring their donkey." Leckie says the offer has only one proviso, the Marys and Josephs have to prove their identities first. Leckie did not say whether or not the hotel could provide the services of a midwife

SEASONAL INSULTS

• A couple of slates short of a full roof.
• A few pies short of a holiday.
• A few too many lights out in his Christmas tree.
• All wax and no wick.
• Batteries not included.
• Bright as Alaska in December.
• Chimney's clogged.
• Got his brains as a stocking filler.
• Not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree.
• Several nuts over fruitcake minimum.
• A few presents short of a full sleigh.

GOOD AND PERFECT GIFTS, by Alan Smith

The following story sounds like an "urban legend," but it's true:

Roy Collette and his brother-in-law exchanged the same pair of pants as a Christmas present for 25 years -- and each time the package got harder to open.

It all started in 1964 when Collette received a pair of moleskin trousers from his brother-in-law, Larry Kunkel. Kunkel's mother had given her son the pants the year before. He wore them a few times, but they froze stiff in cold weather and he didn't like them. So he gave them to Collette. Collette didn't like them either, so he wrapped them up and gave them back to Kunkel for Christmas the next year.

The friendly exchange continued each year until one year Collette twisted the pants tightly, stuffed them into a 3-foot-long, 1-inch wide tube. And so the game began. The next Christmas, Kunkel compressed the pants into a 7-inch square, wrapped them with wire and gave the "bale" to Collette. Not to be outdone, the next year Collette put the pants into a 2-foot-square crate filled with stones, nailed it shut, banded it with steel and gave the trusty trousers back to Kunkel.

The brothers agreed to end the caper if the trousers were damaged. But they were as careful as they were clever.

Kunkel had the pants mounted inside an insulated window that had a 20-year guarantee and shipped them off to Collette. Collette broke the glass, recovered the trousers, stuffed them into a 5-inch coffee can and soldered it shut. The can was put in a 5-gallon container filled with concrete and reinforcing rods and given to Kunkel the following Christmas.

Kunkel installed the pants in a 225-pound homemade steel ashtray made from 8-inch steel casings and etched Collette's name on the side. In turn, Collette found a 600-pound safe and hauled it to Viracon Inc. where the shipping department decorated it with red and green stripes, put the pants inside and welded the safe shut. The safe was then shipped to Kunkel, who is the plant manager for Viracon's outlet in Bensenville.

One year, the pants were trucked back to Collette in a drab green, 3-foot cube that once was a 1974 Gremlin with 95,000 miles on it. A note attached to the 2,000-pound scrunched car advised Collette that the pants were inside the glove compartment. And so it went until 1989, when the pants were finally damaged in an attempt to encase them in 10,000 pounds of jagged glass. They have now been turned to ashes and sit in an urn on Kunkel's mantle.

GETTING DOWN ON YOUR KNEES TO FIND JESUS

Kevin Tully, a UM Pastor, tells about his family’s nativity scene made of olive wood from the Holy Land . One year when his son was three or so, his son lost the baby Jesus. Previously his son Kyle would carry the baby Jesus with him every where he went. They would find Jesus with the action figures or sometimes in a pocket of his clothes. The family looked all over, but to no avail. They asked Kyle, but he didn’t know where he had put it. His wife searched frantically for the figure. As she was looking, a neighbor stopped by and noticed how agitated she was. What’s wrong the friend asked? Georgia blurted out, “No one know where to find Jesus!” The friend thought the family was in a spiritual crisis. Over the preceding day, Georgia made the most of the situation, telling people, “Yeah, we lost Jesus.” “We can’t find Jesus at our house.” “Kevin (the pastor) doesn’t know where to find Jesus.
Kevin concluded that a few days later he and Kyle were playing on the living room floor and Kyle tilted his head and looked under the couch. “Look, there’s Jesus! Under the couch!” And sure enough, there it was. He had a broken arm, but we were able to fix it with a little glue.
Kevin says that he often reminds himself of the story, because it reminds him of the true meaning of Christmas. You have really got to look to find Jesus and sometimes you have to get down on your knees to see him!

GIFT WRAPPING GOD

Mary Ellen Ashcroft, “Gift Wrapping God,” Christianity Today, 12-8-97, p. 32-33. From "God in a Body" by Matthew Rogers on www.sermoncentral.com.

“To get ready for Christmas, God undressed. God stripped off his finery and appeared – how embarrassing – naked on the day he was born. . . God could not be God-with-us if he wasn’t flesh...
As evangelicals we have focused on the saving death of Christ but thrown out the Incarnation in our Christmas wrappings.
As we cover God with Christmas, we hide what is most distinctive about Christianity. And this is the tragedy: What many don’t know about Christianity is that God has chosen to identify with their pain, their humanness, their flesh.
This is what we’ve lost as we’ve exchanged the Feast of the Incarnation for Christmas."

THEY COULD SLEEP ON THE COUCH

On the Sunday before Christmas, I was telling my first grade Sunday Schoolers the Nativity Story.  Even at this age, having heard the story all their little lives, each one knew every detail by heart, except for our young visitor, the cousin of one of my students who, with his large family, was visiting for the holidays.
As I went on with the story I would occasionally pause to choose, from many outstretched hands, a child to fill in a particular detail of the story such as, "And what did the innkeeper say to Mary and Joseph?"  "No room!!" was of course the prompt reply.  "But," I continued, "the innkeeper did remember a place where Mary and Joseph could sleep. And where was that?"  And for the first time that morning our little visitor's hand shot up.  "I know, I know," he yelled, waving his hand wildly, "On the couch!"

WHO STARTED THIS CHRISTMAS STUFF?
A woman who was out Christmas shopping with her two children. After many hours of looking at row after row of toys and everything else imaginable; and after hours of hearing both her children asking for everything they saw on those many shelves, she finally made it to the elevator with her two kids. She was feeling what so many of us feel during the holiday season time of the year. Overwhelming pressure to go to every party, every housewarming, taste all the holiday food and treats, getting that perfect gift for every single person on our shopping list, making sure we don't forget anyone on our card list, and the pressure of making sure we respond to everyone who sent us a card.
    Finally the elevator doors opened and there was already a crowd in the car. She pushed her way into the car and dragged her two kids in with her and all the bags of stuff. When the doors closed she couldn't take it anymore and stated, "Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be found, strung up and shot."
   From the back of the car everyone heard a quiet calm voice respond, "Don't worry we already crucified Him." For the rest of the trip down the elevator it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.
   Don't forget this year to keep the One who started this whole Christmas thing in your every thought, deed, purchase, and word.  If we all did it, just think of how different this whole world would be.

MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB Marv & Marbeth Rosenthal

Mary had the little Lamb, who lived before His birth;

Self-existent Son of God, from Heaven He came to Earth. (Micah 5:2)

Mary had the little Lamb, see Him in yonder stall -

Virgin-born Son of God, to save man from the Fall (Isaiah 7:14)

Mary had the little Lamb, obedient Son of God;

Everywhere the Father led, His feet were sure to trod. (John 6:38)

Mary had the little Lamb, crucified on the tree

The rejected Son of God, He died to set men free. (I Peter 1:18)

Mary had the little Lamb, men placed Him the grave,

Thinking they were done with Him; to death He was no slave (Matthew 28:6)

Mary had the little Lamb, ascended now is He;

All work on Earth is ended, our Advocate to be. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

Mary had the little Lamb - mystery to behold!

From the Lamb of Calvary, a Lion will unfold. (Revelation 5:5,6)

When the Day Star comes again, of this be very sure:

It won't be Lamb-like silence, but with the Lion's roar. (Psalm 2:12; Revelation 19:11-16)

CALVARY CHAPEL "SAYS" CHRIST IS REASON FOR SEASON - http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ibsys/20031121/lo_wplg/1888280
When Broward County told Calvary Chapel that they could not include the words
"Jesus is the Reason for the Season" in their Christmas display, the church filed a suit in the U.S.
District Court claiming they had the right to display the words.  Judge William Zloch agreed with their "free speech" argument and allowed them to keep the words in their display as long as they included the words, "Calvary Chapel says," before the words "Jesus is the Reason for the
Season."

QUOTE: How many observe Christ’s birthday! How few, his precepts! O! ’tis easier to keep holidays than commandments. — Benjamin Franklin

CHRISTMAS QUIZ
1. Electric Christmas tree lights were first used in:
A) 1492
B) 1895
C) 1944
D) 1976
2. The poinsettia, a traditional Christmas flower, originally grew in which country?
   A) Canada
   B) China
   C) Mexico
   D) Spain
3. Which name does NOT belong to one of Santa's reindeer?
   A) Comet
   B) Prancer
   C) Blitzen
   D) Klaxon
4. The real St. Nicholas lived:
   A) At the North Pole
   B) On the island of Malta
   C) In Turkey
   D) In Holland
5. At Christmas, it is customary to exchange kisses beneath a sprig of which plant?
   A) Ivy
   B) Yew
   C) Holly
   D) Mistletoe
6. Believe it or not, one Indiana town is called:
   A) Christmasville
   B) Wenceslas
   C) Noel
   D) Santa Claus
7. Which popular Christmas song was actually written for Thanksgiving?
   A) Away in a Manger
   B) Frosty the Snowman
   C) Jingle Bells
   D) Joy to the World
8. The poem commonly known as The Night Before Christmas was originally titled:
   A) Santa's Secret Visit
   B) A Visit from St. Nicholas
   C) The Night Before Christmas
   D) The Midnight Guest

Christmas Quiz Answers:
1. b
2. c
3. d
4. c
5. d
6. d
7. c
8. b

THE SHEPHERDS' FAITH Luke 2:15-20

When Dr. Martin Luther was in safekeeping at Wartburg castle near Eisenach , he had time to write. In his Christmas Postil, which he had ready by the middle of November 1521, we find this exposition of Luke 2:15-20. Under nine headings he analyzes the shepherds' faith. The shepherds said, "Let us now go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which has come to pass." In connection with this Luther says: "The first and most important thing is faith. For if these shepherds had not believed the angel, they would not have gone to Bethlehem , nor would they have done anything else of that which is spoken about them in the Gospel. But if someone says: 'Well, I too would believe if an angel had spoken to me,' he fools himself. For he who does not receive the Word on its own merit will never receive it because of the preacher even though all the angels preached to him. And if he receives it to please the preacher, he does not believe the Word, nor does he believe God through the Word, but he believes in the preacher. Therefore his faith does not last" Translated from "Evangelisten"

QUOTE: In Martin Luther’s words, just as a mother goes to the cradle only to find a baby, we go the Bible only to find Christ.

CALVIN & HOBBS ON CHRISTMAS COMMERCIALS

Oh look, yet another Christmas TV special! How touching to have the meaning of Christmas brought to us by cola, fast food, and beer conglomerates. Who'd have ever guessed that product consumption, popular entertainment, and spirituality would mix so harmoniously? It's a beautiful world all right. --Calvin's Father (of Calvin & Hobbs)

WISEMEN, OR WISE WOMEN? Contributed by:  Kyle Meador 
Again, there’s a great deal of Internet research and revisionist thinking going on about these characters in the Christmas story. Some have suggested that things would have been considerably different if these wise men had actually instead been wise women. And things sure would have been different. If it had been ‘Wise Women’ instead of ‘Wise Men’, they would have asked directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the baby, cleaned the stable, made a casserole, and brought practical gifts from Baby’s-R-Us, including diapers, wipes, bibs and formula. But that’s an entirely different story…   

WHAT CAN I GIVE HIM? Poem --Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)

What can I give Him
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb;
If I were a wise man,
I would do my part,--
Yet what I can give Him
Give my heart.

WISE WOMEN BRING DIAPERS R. Digest 12/20 p. 203

I was telling my three boys the story of the Nativity and how the Wise Men brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh for the infant Jesus.

Clearly giving it a lot of thought, my 6 year old observed, "Mom, a Wise Woman would have brought diapers."

FRACTURED CHRISTMAS CAROLS
  No one can fracture a Christmas carol better than a kid. Sing along with these new takes on old favorites:
Deck the Halls with Buddy Holly
We three kings of porridge and tar
On the first day of Christmas my tulip gave to me
Later on we'll perspire, as we dream by the fire.
He's makin a list, chicken and rice.
Noel. Noel, Barney's the king of Israel.
With the jelly toast proclaim
Olive, the other reindeer.  (From the Popeye version maybe?)
Frosty the Snowman is a ferret elf, I say
Sleep in heavenly peas
In the meadow we can build a snowman, Then pretend that he is sparse and brown
You'll go down in listerine
Oh, what fun it is to ride with one horse, soap and hay
O come, froggy faithful
You'll tell Carol, "Be a skunk, I require"
Good tidings we bring to you and your kid

HOLIDAY TRIVIA  From Us Magazine by way of This comes from "Keith's Mostly Clean Humor & Weird List" <McHawlist@mail.otherwhen.com>

• The average American takes six months to pay off holiday credit-card bills.
• Pogonophobia: the fear of beards.
• There are currently 78 people named S. Claus living in the U.S. -- and one Kriss Kringle.
• December is the most popular month for nose jobs.
• Weight of Santa's sleigh loaded with one Beanie Baby for every kid on earth: 333,333 tons.
• Number of reindeer required to pull a 333,333-ton sleigh: 214,206 -- plus Rudolph.
• Average wage of a mall Santa: $11 an hour. With real beard: $20.
• To deliver his gifts in one night, Santa would have to make 822.6 visits per second, sleighing at 3,000 times the speed of sound. At that speed, Santa and his reindeer would burst into flame instantaneously.
  

HOW CHRISTMAS BEGAN
The word for Christmas in late Old English is Cristes Maesse, the Mass of Christ, first found in 1038, and Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church.
The first evidence of the feast is from Egypt. About A.D. 200, Clement of Alexandria tells us that certain Egyptian theologians "over curiously" assign, not the year alone, but the day of Christ's birth, placing it on May 20 in the twenty-eighth year of Augustus.
About A.D. 425, John Cassian tells us that Egyptian monasteries still observe the "ancient custom"; but on December 25. Then in A.D. 433, Paul of Emesa tells us that the December celebration was then firmly established there, and calendars of that day prove its permanence. 

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS Freshministry.com
As I'm getting older, I find that I like of some of the icons of the Christmas season that I
once rejected.  In the past, decorations and traditions seemed a bit sacrilegious to me.  I thought
that if I had a picture of Santa Claus in my home or if we went overboard decorating, we'd be
missing the real meaning of Christmas.  And I suppose that if those things were the final
destination I'd have been right. 
Today, when I see a Santa Claus, I don't think about the commercialism of Christmas, I
think of St. Nicholas, the fourth Century Bishop who was legendary for his kindness and
generosity. And when I see a Christmas tree, I am reminded that the first Adam took the fruit of
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil from his wife and sinned against a holy God (Gen
3:6), but that the second Adam, took the fruit of that sin and bleed and died on another tree to
pay the price of that sin.  When I smell the scent of the evergreen, I'm reminded that the new life
I enjoy because of what Jesus did on the cross gives me everlasting life (John 3:16).
The ornaments hanging on the tree also remind me of what Jesus has done for me. 
When I see the red ones, I think about the blood of Jesus that He shed for my salvation.  The
silver and gold remind me of God's blessings in my life and the candy cane reminds me that
Jesus is the Good Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4).  The white stripes remind me that Jesus was sinless
(2 Cor. 5:21). The red stripes that he shed His blood for me (Eph 1:7).  Both colors of stripes
remind me that my spiritual healing comes only through His stripes (Isa 53:5).  The angel on the
top reminds me of my responsibility to tell the world that Jesus has come, just as the angel of old
did (Luke 2:10).

WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR CHRISTMAS?

Jennifer Aniston wants to learn to play the guitar, so she'd like a guitar. Jennie Garth

says she wants "diamonds_ what else?" Tony Danza isn't asking for much, just a "big,

luxurious jet plane." For Kirstie Alley, a vacation to Italy is plenty. Eric Stoltz is a bit more philosophical in his request, he said, "Is there such a thing as a box loaded with a lot more time? I'd love to get a big box of that." --Biography, December 2002, p. 32

HANUKKAH & CHRISTMAS Ray Stedman

I think everyone here knows that Hanukkah and Christmas are celebrated at the same time of the year. They have something in common, in that Hanukkah is a celebration of the cleansing of the temple for the ultimate coming of the Messiah, whom the Jews expected would come to the nation of Israel, while Christmas celebrates the actual coming of that Messiah to a sinful, weary, and waiting world. I think these two ceremonies, very diverse in nature, nevertheless symbolize the close relationships that the nation of Israel has with the church of the living God.

CHRISTMAS SERMONS

I. Isaiah 11:6-9   -  The Wolf and The Lamb Inside Us
     No outline. This sermon is for communion Sunday.

II. Micah  5:2-5   -   God's Best Gift In The Worst Times
     1. The Messiah will feed His flock in the strength of the Lord.
     2. The Messiah's greatness will be our Strength.
     3. The Messiah will be our Peace.

III. Luke 1:39-56   -   Mary's Revolutionary Song
     1. The First Revolution is spiritual in nature.
     2. The Second Revolution of Jesus is social in nature.
     3. The Third Revolution is economic in nature.

IV. Galatians 4:1-7  -  The Perfect Gift
     1. The First Gift of Christ is Forgiveness
     2. The Second Gift is Eternal Life.
     3. The Third Gift is a Heart Transplant.
     4. The Fourth Gift is Inner Peace.

V. Matthew 1:18-23 - Naming The Divine Baby
     1. You are to name him Jesus
     2. He shall be called Immanuel

SWEET LITTLE JESUS BOY Our Daily Bread 12/24/01

On Christmas Eve 1932, Robert McGimsey attended a midnight church service in New York City and then headed back to his one-room apartment. As he walked the final blocks, he passed the open doors of private clubs where people were shouting and swearing and singing. Others were so drunk they had passed out on the sidewalk.

"What a strange way to celebrate the birth of the most perfect Person who ever lived on this earth," McGimsey thought. "We seem to have missed the whole significance of His life."

That night McGimsey wrote his thoughts on the back of an envelope. These words, which were written like the spirituals he loved growing up in the southern United States, flowed out from his heart:

Sweet Little Jesus Boy, they made you be born in a manger

Sweet little Holy Child, didn't know who You was.

Didn't know You'd come to save us, Lord - to take our sins away.

Our eyes was blind, we couldn't see.

We didn't know who you was."

CHRISTMAS IDEAS FOR JESUS Conrad Hartsch

Let’s talk about some of the things Jesus would like for His birthday. But first, here are some things He doesn’t want: clothes, video games, jewelry, stereo, money, or gift certificates.

What does He want? One thing He likes is fruit. If you take a look at Galatians 5:22 ,23 and you can find out what kinds of fruit He likes best. Pick out some of His favorites!

He also likes vegetables. Some of His favorites are lettuce, turnips, beets and peas.

Lettuce is found throughout Scripture. “Let us… come near to God… go forward… help one another… encourage one another… hold firmly to our hope.”

Turnips help us fulfill our Christian commitments. Turn up for worship services… to serve others, and so on.

Beets strengthen us for the spiritual battles we’ll face. Whenever one resists temptation and sin, he beats the devil.

Peas promote positive performance: patience, peace, prayer, purity, perseverance, persistence, power, preparation, progress, perfection, prudence, and purpose.

There are more gift ideas for Jesus. But, for now, 2 things that would really make Him happy are fruits and vegetables – the evidence of a growing faith.

TROUBLE AT THE INN Dina Donohue in Guideposts 1966

Wally was 9 that year and in the 2 nd grade, though he should have been in the 4 th. Most people in town knew that he had difficulty keeping up. He was big and awkward, slow in movement and mind. Still, Wally was well liked by the other children in his class, all of whom were smaller than he, though the boys had trouble hiding their irritation when Wally would ask to play ball with them or any game, for that matter, in which winning was important.

They'd find a way to keep him out, but Wally would hang around anyway - not sulking, just hoping. He was a helpful boy, always willing and smiling, and the protector, paradoxically, of the underdog. If the older boys chased the younger ones away, it would be Wally who'd say "Can't they stay? They're no bother."

Wally fancied the idea of being a shepherd in the Christmas pageant, but the play's director, Miss Lumbard, assigned him a more important role. After all, she reasoned, the innkeeper did not have too many lines, and Wally's size would make refusal to lodging to Joseph more forceful.

And so it happened that the usual, large partisan audience gathered for the town's yearly extravaganza of crooks and crèches, of beards, crowns, halos and a whole stage full of squeaky voices. No one on stage or off was more caught up in the magic of the night than Wallace Purling. They said later that he stood in the wings and watched the performance with such fascination that Miss Lumbard had to make sure he didn't wander onstage before his cue.

Then the time came when Joseph appeared, slowly and tenderly guiding Mary to the door of the inn. Joseph knocked hard on the wooden door set into the painted backdrop. Wally the innkeeper was there, waiting.

"What do you want?" Wally said, swinging the door open with a brusque gesture.

"We seek lodging."
"Seek it elsewhere," Wally spoke vigorously. "The inn is filled."

"Sir, we have asked everywhere in vain. We have traveled far and are very weary."

"There is no room in this inn for you." Wally looked properly stern.

"Please, good innkeeper, this is my wife, Mary. She is heavy with child and needs a place to rest. Surely you must have some small corner for her. She is so tired."

Now, for the first time, the innkeeper relaxed his stiff stance and looked down at Mary. With that, there was a long pause, long enough to make the audience a bit tense with embarrassment.

"No! Begone!" the prompter whispered.

"No!" Wally repeated automatically, "Begone."

Joseph sadly placed his arm around Mary and Mary laid her head upon her husband's shoulder and the two of them started to move away. The innkeeper did not return inside his inn, however, Wally stood there in the doorway, watching the forlorn couple. His mouth was open, his brow creased with concern, his eyes filling unmistakably with tears.

And suddenly this Christmas pageant became different than all others.

"Don't go, Joseph," Wally called out. "Bring Mary back." And Wallace Purling's face grew into a bright smile. "You can have my room."

Some people in town thought that the pageant had been ruined. Yet there were others who considered it the most Christmas of all Christmas pageants they had ever seen.

THE CROSSES OF CHRISTMAS

Residents of Wauconda , Illinois : They refused to let the plug be pulled on Christmas. Two water towers have always served as landmarks for travelers heading for their homes near Wauconda , Illinois . But especially at the holidays.
More than 40 years ago, John Kuester, then village police chief, suggested mounting large twin crosses on the towers to luminously mark the season. Adopted by the village, the display of crosses became a tradition. Right after Thanksgiving, when Christmas decorations went up, the crosses also lit the sky from their near-heavenly height.
But five years ago [1989], Robert Sherman, spokesman for American Atheists, Inc., heard about the crosses. Since Wauconda’s crosses were on government property, Sherman saw an alleged violation of church and state. He delivered an ultimatum: remove the crosses from the water towers or meet in court.
Several town hall meetings followed. Resident Joyce Mitchell, a member of Crossroads Community Church , asked God to give her the right words and right spirit before each meeting.
"The Christians in the community were united with the rest of the community--whether they were churchgoers or not--in refusing to let some outsider tell us how to celebrate Christmas."
But the decision was forced by economics. Realizing a similar case had lost in court, the residents of Wauconda opted not to burden themselves with hundreds of thousands of dollars in court costs. Then a grassroots group of residents had the final say.
"Our business, Wauconda Boat Company, is located across from the village hall," resident Rosemary Buschick explains. "The meeting about the crosses was on a Tuesday night, and when it was over, we knew the crosses would have to come down. Then my husband, Chuck, went to the back room of the shop and constructed a window-sized cross with lights to display the next day. Will Shumaker, whose home appliance store is also on Main Street , also put up a cross. Within weeks, crosses were appearing on houses everywhere--attached to antennas, stuck in yards, beaming from trees, shining in windows. It seemed to just happen."
When Joyce Mitchell drove around the village with her daughters, who were 6 and 9 at the time, she began to cry. "The media portrayed us as losing the fight, but we didn’t lose. Two crosses had been replaced with hundreds. God was glorified in the end."
The crosses continue to shine each year. "No one will tell us to take our cross down," says Rosemary Mers of Mers Restaurant, which inherited one of the original tower crosses. "That cross is up there forever."

WHAT’S MOST IMPORTANT?

A recent poll by the Barna Research Group in America found that only 37% of adults thought the birth of Jesus is the most important aspect of Christmas. 44% of the respondents said family time is the most important part of the Christmas celebration. 3% said presents or parties were the most important part of Christmas. The same percentage said the best thing about Christmas was getting a paid holiday. And that’s in America , what you might have thought was the most Christian country in the world!

WHEN CHRISTMAS WAS BANNED --When Christmas Was Banned, Moody Magazine, November/December 2001, pg 54.

     In early America , it was once against the law to celebrate Christmas. Anyone who took
the day off of work was subject to a $25 fine.  The Puritan leadership did not ban Christmas
because they were not sure of the correct day, or connections with a pagan holiday.  They
outlawed Christmas to rid the celebration of customs that had become attached to the holiday
over the centuries. 
     In Europe , the celebration of Christ's birth was often lost in a carnival type atmosphere.
On Christmas, crowds took to the streets dancing, singing, and playacting.  Merrymakers would
dress in animal costumes, and go from house to house expecting a tip or some refreshments.
Sometimes the revelers would cause trouble if they didn't like the handouts they received.
Christmas had become a 12-day period of overeating, drinking, and gambling.
     The warm, family-oriented holiday we celebrate today dates back only about 150 years.
We might argue with the Puritans about banning Christmas.  We would point out that Christmas
could be kept in ways that honor the Lord.  The Puritans might remind us that we have replaced
the old customs with new ones just as extreme, over shopping, overworking, and overspending.
     There are two ways to keep Christmas this year.  One is just a celebration, nothing more.
The other is closer to the Puritan way, a celebration that honors God as we remember the mystery of God becoming man, and ponder the love of God who gave us the best gift of all, salvation through Jesus Christ.  Christmas gives all believers an opportunity to heed the words of the Apostle Paul.  "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."  Colossians 3:17 NIV

CHRISTMAS/GIVING --KFLQ News Department, 12/701.  Submitted by Jim Sandell
  For years the Bugg house in northeast Albuquerque has been a Christmas landmark.  The
family traditionally sets up thousands of lights and holiday scenes. The only thing they asked in
return was a donation for a local homeless ministry, known as Noonday.
  When the lights went on Friday, December 7th, things were different this year at the
Bugg's home.  A neighbor complained that the display was a public nuisance, and convinced the
city of Albuquerque to sue to prevent the Buggs from turning on the lights this year.  The city
tried to shut down the display, saying collecting money for the homeless made the home a
business.  A District Court Judge ruled December 6th  that the display could go on, but the barrels to collect money had to go, because collecting for the homeless made the home a business.
Dennis Lihte , director of Noonday Ministry says, "The spirit of Christmas is giving and that's
one of the hearts of the gospel, to allow folks to be charitable during the Christmas season."  He
said the display was a great opportunity for residents who did not attend a local church to give
to the needy.  Last year, the display netted the ministry almost $12,000.  
  During the Christmas season, we celebrate God's gift of His son. Giving to those in need
allows us to understand more of what Jesus has done for us. God gave His gift freely, let's
remember that gift in our giving this year.
     2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not
reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."
. 

WHO APPOINTED SANTA  Submitted by Dave Bootsma

  In a cartoon-strip of Calvin and Hobbes, the mischievous imp Calvin is listening to the
tune, "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town": He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when
you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good; So be good, for goodness' sake! Reflecting
deeply on this theme of Santa, Calvin reports his musings to Hobbes, his striped sidekick and co-
conspirator. "This Santa Claus stuff bothers me . . . especially the judge and jury bit," Calvin
mutters. He wonders why Santa carries such moral authority: "Who appointed Santa? How do we know he's impartial? What criteria does he use for determining bad or good? And what about
extenuating circumstances? Kids should have the benefit of legal counsel, don't you think?"
  Many of us view God in the same way. "Who appointed him? Why does He get to make
all the rules? How do we know that He will be fair? What right does He have to judge me?" From the outset the Bible describes God as the creator of everything and therefore has the right to do whatever he wants with His creation. It is not our place to question or judge him, but to submit, obey and trust. He is God!

ALL I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LIFE I LEARNED FROM SHOPPING

PAULandBARB76@webtv.net (Paul and Barbara Paulsen)
Get it now. Tomorrow it might be gone.
If it's on sale, you need it.
Never ask your mother her opinion.
You can always take it back.
You'll grow into it.
By the time you need it, you'll lose ten pounds.
Never believe anyone who says, "It's really you." If they're working on commission, they're lying.
Know when to yell "Charge"
So many malls, so little time.
If you put it on your credit card, it's not really spending money.
Always try to spend someone else's money first.
There no such thing as compulsive shopping, just enthusiastic shopping.
Shopping is patriotic. It's good for the economy.
If you've still got checks, there must be money in the account.
You can always get more credit.
If you want it, you deserve it.

THE JESUS DOLL Robert Johnson

Did you see the ads some time ago for a new Baby Jesus doll? A company in Colorado sold Baby Jesus Dolls with a glow in the dark halo for $3l.50. It was a thirteen-inch-tall vinyl doll dressed in a cream-colored gown with a gold cross on the chest and wrapped in a blue blanket. The pupils of the doll's eyes were shaped like fine-painted stars, and the eyes were directed "upward, toward Heaven" (said the brochure). The doll came with a wooden manger, including non-toxic hay. The halo snapped in the back of the doll's head and was (quote) "safe for children."

Can you imagine a better way to teach your child that Jesus is not really a human baby, not really concerned with the real everyday world of human boys and girls? Jesus is only a pretend person. He doesn't really belong here. And if we want to be like him, then we don't belong here either. That baby Jesus doll comes in other disguises too---any number of religious excuses to avoid the human world, any number of spiritual escapist opportunities are available---and not just at Christmas.

TWO BABIES IN THE MANGER Story related by Stan Cole

I recently read a story of a missionary team that had been invited to Russia to teach Christianity. It was Christmastime, and as they taught the story of Christ's birth at an orphanage, everyone listened in amazement. None of the kids or the staff had ever heard it before.

One of the missionaries wrote: "We gave the children some materials and instructed them to create the manger scene that they had just heard about. All went well until I got to one table where little Misha sat; he looked to be about 6 years old and had finished his project.

"As I looked at the little boy's manger, I was startled to see not one, but two babies in the manger. I called for a translator to ask why. Looking at his completed manger scene, the child began to repeat the story accurately, until he came to the part where Mary put the baby Jesus in the manger. Then Misha started to ad-lib his own ending to the story.

"He said, 'And when Mary laid the baby in the manger, Jesus looked at me and asked me if I had a place to stay. I told him I have no mama and no papa, so I don't have any place to stay. Then Jesus told me I could stay with him. So I got into the manger, and then Jesus looked at me and he told me I could stay with him forever.'

"Putting his hand over his face, Misha's head dropped to the table and his shoulders shook as he sobbed and sobbed. He had found someone who would never abandon nor abuse him, someone who would stay with him forever."

ROUND JOHN VIRGIN

A little girl came home from Sunday school triumphantly waving a paper. "Mommy! My teacher says I drew the most unusual Christmas picture she has ever seen!"
The mother took the picture from her little girls hands -- she studied it for a moment and she too concluded that this was the most peculiar picture of Christmas she had ever seen.
"This is wonderfully drawn, but why do you have all of the people riding in the back of an airplane?" The mother gently asked.
"It’s the flight to Egypt," the little girl said, with a hint of disappointment because the picture’s meaning was not immediately obvious.
"Oh" the mother said cautiously "Well, who is the mean-looking man at the front?"

"That’s Pontius the Pilot," the girl said now visually impatient.

"I see. And here you have Mary and Joseph and the baby" the mother volunteered. And studying the picture silently for a moment, she summoned the courage to ask, "But who is the fat man sitting behind Mary?"
The little girl sighed. "Can’t you tell? That’s Round John Virgin!"

CHRIST WAS LOVE Dwight Gunter II

Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I had cut back on nonessential obligations -- extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending. Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas. My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season for a six year old.
For weeks, he’d been memorizing songs for his school’s "Winter Pageant." I didn’t have the heart to tell him I’d be working the night of the production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher. She assured me there’d be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation. All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then.
Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise. So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in 10 minutes early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the room, I saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats. As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song. Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday as "Christmas", I didn’t expect anything other than fun, commercial entertainment -- songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer. So, when my son’s class rose to sing, "Christmas Love", I was slightly taken aback by its bold title.
Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads. Those in the front row -- center stage -- held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song. As the class would sing "C is for Christmas", a child would hold up the letter C. Then, "H is for Happy", and on and on, until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message, "Christmas Love". The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her --a small girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down --totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W". The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one’s mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her "W". Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together. A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen. In that instant, we understood -- the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities. For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear: CHRIST WAS LOVE. And, I believe, He still is.

THE BONFIRES AT A BIRTH

History records for us an interesting footnote. It was during the dark winter of 1864. At Petersburg, Virginia, the Confederate army of Robert E. Lee faced the Union divisions of General Ulysses S. Grant. The war was now three and a half years old and the glorious charge had long since given way to the muck and mud of trench warfare. Late one evening one of Lee’s generals, Major General George Pickett, received word that his wife had given birth to a beautiful baby boy. Up and down the line the Southerners began building huge bonfires in celebration of the event. These fires did not go unnoticed in the Northern camps and soon a nervous Grant sent out a reconnaissance patrol to see what was going on. The scouts returned with the message that Pickett had had a son and these were celebratory fires. It so happened that Grant and Pickett had been contemporaries at West Point and knew one another well, so to honor the occasion Grant, too, ordered that bonfires should be built.
What a peculiar night it was. For miles on both sides of the lines fires burned. No shots fired. No yelling back and forth. No war fought. Only light, celebrating the birth of a child. But it didn’t last forever. Soon the fires burned down and once again the darkness took over. The darkness of the night and the darkness of war.

THE GIFT WOULD NEVER COME

There was a woman who had waited until the last minute to send Christmas cards. She knew she had 49 folks on her list. So she rushed into a store and bought a package of 50 cards without really looking at them.
Still in a big hurry, she addressed the 49 and signed them without reading the message inside.
On Christmas Day when things had quieted down somewhat, she happened to come across the leftover card and finally read the message she had sent to 49 of her friends.
Much to her dismay, it read like this: "This card is just to say / A little gift is on the way."
Suddenly she realized that 49 of her friends were expecting a gift from her--a gift that would never come.

THE POWER OF SILENT NIGHT-- "Twang! The Ultimate Book of Country Music Quotations," compiled by Raymond Obstfeld and Sheila Burgener (New York: Henry Holt and Company, Inc., 1997), 47.
Country music star Travis Tritt spent many years playing out-of-the-way joints before he made it big in the music industry. He reports that many of the bars were dangerous places, with drunk fans starting fights over the smallest matters. But Tritt found a unique way to keep the peace in such situations. As he says, "'Silent Night' proved to be my all-time lifesaver. Just when [bar fights] started getting out of hand, when bikers were reaching for their pool cues and rednecks were heading for the gun rack, I'd start playing 'Silent Night.' It could be the middle of July -- I didn't care. Sometimes they'd even start crying, standing there watching me sweat and play
Christmas carols."

THE IMPORTANCE OF A BIRTH

Take the year 1809. The international scene was tumultuous. Napoleon was sweeping through Austria; blood was flowing freely. Nobody then cared about babies. But the world was overlooking some terribly significant births.
For example, William Gladstone was born that year. He was destined to become one of England’s finest statesmen. That same year, Alfred Tennyson was born to an obscure minister and his wife. The child would one day greatly affect the literacy world in a marked manner. On the American continent, Oliver Wendell Holmes was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. And not far away in Boston, Edgar Allen Poe began his eventful, albeit tragic, life. It was also in that same year that a physician named Darwin and his wife named their child Charles Robert. And that same year produced the cries of a newborn infant in a rugged cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. The baby’s name? Abraham Lincoln.
If there had been a news broadcast at that time, I’m certain these words would have been heard: “The destiny of the world is being shaped on an Austrian battlefield today.” But history was actually being shaped in the cradles of England and America. Similarly, everyone thought taxation was the big news—when Jesus was born. But a young Jewish woman cradled the biggest news of all: the birth of the Savior.

LET THE WALLS COME DOWN! George Prins Sermon_Fodder.com
One of the greatest all-time blunders in history took place in East Germany. Erich Honecker, the iron-fisted East German leader, stepped down due to an illness and was replaced by a reformer, Egon Krenz. Just before a news conference, with mass demonstrations in Berlin streets, Krenz gave a short note to Guenter Schabowski, a member of the Politburo. He misinterpreted the note to reporters saying, "as a transitional measure... travels to foreign countries is possible." Reports fired questions and Schabowski said the decision meant East Germans could now cross into West Berlin and travel freely. A border guard at the wall watched the news conference on TV and heard the announcement. In the melee, and unable to get clarification by phone from his superiors, he allowed some people through. The leaders thought to leave the wall open for a day or so but it was too late. People flooded through both sides of the open wall, dancing with joy. Yes, those walls came down on November 9, 1989!
I recalled the excitement of that day, over ten years ago, as our young family watched on TV, the big news of the falling of the Iron Curtain—it had changed people, culture, history and freedom for decades, starting at the end of World War II. With Berlin divided, many were killed, East-West tensions escalated. Now pieces of the wall are sold or auctioned off for thousands of dollars. One 160-pound piece went for an incredible $70,000!
I also recall the excitement I read when another wall was about to fall. This wall fell when Jesus Christ, 2,000 years ago, came in the form of a baby.

TIS THE SEASON TO REEK HAVAC www.eSermons.com.

Our impulse to create a fairy tale stage seems to take our minds off the harsh Christmas realities. For even as we are caught up in the glitter and the tinsel we know that all is not well in the world. Fact, murder and robbery in the United States reaches its highest peak in December. Fact, the Christmas season ranks just under Memorial weekend in the number of car wrecks on the highway. Fact, the suicide rate will begin its annual climb until it peaks out at what some call the "big downer" New Years Eve. This is the reality of Christmas. No tinsel, no glitter--just harsh reality.

THE TALE OF THE STAR When They Saw The Star Henry M. Morris

Eusebius, a scholarly church historian of the early fourth century, evidently made a considerable study of the literature available to him, and came to this conclusion about the star: "The star was new and a stranger among the usual lights of heaven, a strange star, not one of the many known stars, but being new and fresh."

A recent writer, Robert McIver, has spent 3 decades researching this subject. In his book, Star of Bethlehem - Star of Messiah, published 1998, he cites star records from ancient Chinese and Korean astronomers who both noted such an unusual new star about the time of Christ's birth. He also discusses paintings in the Roman catacombs, as well as coins from various countries which depict an unusual star about this time. He even notes possible interpretations, but it is at least an interesting coincidence, if nothing else, that such indications of an unusual new star at about the time of Christ's birth can be found all over the world.

"YES VIRGINIA, THERE IS A JESUS." Edited from Still More Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks by Wayne Rice.
It is truly heartwarming to know that millions of people around the world believe in Santa. Sure, most are under four feet tall, but still it’s amazing that so many believe in the big guy in the red suit. Consider the following:
Around the globe, today, live approximately two billion children (persons under 18). Santa doesn’t visit all of them, of course. Subtracting the number of Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, or Buddhist children reduces Santa’s Christmas Eve workload to 15 percent of the total, or 378 million children (according to the Population Reference Bureau). At an average (census) rate of 3.5 children per household, and presuming that there is at least one good child in each home, Santa must visit about 108 million homes.
Santa has about 31 hours of Christmas to work with, thanks to the different time zones and the rotation of the earth, assuming he travels east to west (which seems logical). This works out to 967.7 visits per second. That means that at each household with a good child, Santa has around 1/1000^th of a second to park the sleigh, hop out, jump down the chimney, fill the stockings, distribute the remaining presents under the tree, eat whatever snacks have been left for him, and get back up the chimney, jump into the sleigh, and get on to the next house.
For the purposes of our calculations, we will assume that each of these 108 million stops is evenly distributed around the earth (which, of course, we know to be false). We’re talking about a trip of 0.78 miles per household; a total trip of 75.5 million miles, not counting bathroom stops or breaks. To cover that ground in 31 hours, Santa’s sleigh moves at 650 miles per second--3,000 times the speed of sound. By comparison, the fastest man-made vehicle, the Ulysses space probe, moves at a poky 27.4 miles per second, and a conventional reindeer can run (at best) 15 miles per hour.
The payload of the sleigh adds another interesting element. Assuming that each child gets nothing more than a medium-sized Lego set (two pounds), the sleigh must carry over 500 thousand tons, not counting Santa himself. On land, a conventional reindeer can pull no more than 300 pounds. In air, even granting that the "flying" reindeer could pull 10 times the normal amount, the job can’t be done with a mere eight or nine of them—Santa would need 360,000 of them. This increases the payload, not counting the weight of the sleigh, another 54,000 tons, or roughly seven times the weight of the Queen Elizabeth (the ship, not the monarch).
Six hundred thousand tons traveling at 650 miles per second creates enormous air resistance—this would heat up the reindeer in the same fashion as a spacecraft reentering the earth’s atmosphere. The lead pair of reindeer would absorb 14.3 quintillion joules of energy per second each. In short, they would burst into flames almost instantaneously, exposing the reindeer behind them and creating deafening sonic booms in their wake. The entire reindeer team would be vaporized within 4.26 thousandths of a second, or right about the time Santa reached the fifth house on his trip.
Not that it matters, however, since Santa, as a result of accelerating from a dead stop to 650 miles per second in .001 seconds, would be subjected to centrifugal forces of 17,500 g’s. A 250-pound Santa (which seems ludicrously slim) would be pinned to the back of the sleigh by 4,315,015 pounds of force, instantly crushing his bones and organs and reducing him to a quivering blob of pink goo.
Adults have no problem believing in Santa. By comparison, the story of the little baby in the manger is relatively easy to believe. The life of Jesus Christ is a fact, recorded not only by biblical writers but by secular historians as well. Some historians declare that there is more evidence for the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ than there is evidence that Julius Caesar ever lived at all.
Even in the face of the written testimony of eyewitnesses, many people refuse to believe in Jesus. They consider him nothing more than a myth. But for those willing to believe with childlike faith, Jesus promises an inheritance of the kingdom of God (Mark 10:14).

CHRISTMAS SIGNS From: Mikey’s Funnies <mikeys-funnies-owner@

YouthSpecialties.com>
- From a toy store: "Ho, ho, ho spoken here."
- In a bridal boutique: "Marry Christmas."
- Outside a church: "The original Christmas Club."
- From a department store: "Big pre-Christmas sale. Come in and mangle with the crowd."
- In a Texas jewelry store: "Diamond tiaras: $70,000. Three for $200,000.
- A reducing salon: "24 Shaping Days until Christmas."
- In a stationery store: "For the man who has everything: A calendar to remind him when payments are due."

NAME THAT CHRISTMAS CAROL! (Answers Below, no cheating)
1. Bleached Yule
2. Castaneous-colored Seed Vesicated in a Conflagration
3. Singular Yearning for the Twin Anterior Incisors
4. Righteous Darkness
5. Arrival Time 2400 hrs - Weather Cloudless
6. Loyal Followers Advance
7. Far Off in a Feeder
8. Array the Corridor
9. Bantam Male Percussionist
10. Monarchial Triad
11. Nocturnal Noiselessness
12. Jehovah Deactivate Blithe Chevaliers
13. Red Man En Route to Borough
14. Frozen Precipitation Commence
15. Proceed and Enlighten on the Pinnacle
16. The Quadruped with the Vermillion Probiscis
17. Query Regarding Identity of Descendant
18. Delight for this Planet
19. Give Attention to the Melodious Celestial Beings
20. The Dozen Festive 24 Hour Intervals

Answers:
1. White Christmas
2. Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire
3. All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth
4. O Holy Night
5. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
6. O Come, All Ye Faithful
7. Away in a Manger
8. Deck the Hall
9. Little Drummer Boy
10. We Three Kings
11. Silent Night
12. God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen
13. Santa Claus is Coming to Town
14. Let it Snow
15. Go, Tell It on the Mountain
16. Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer
17. What Child is This?
18. Joy to the World
19. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
20. The Twelve Days of Christmas

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF CHRISTMAS TO AMERICANS

The Barna Research Group poll, conducted for the Lutheran Hour Ministries found that:

• 37% of adults in the national survey (88% of whom identified themselves as Christian) said the birth of Jesus is the most important aspect of Christmas.
• More than 75% of evangelical Christians placed Jesus' birth as of first importance on Christmas.
• Only 32% of those who identified themselves as fundamentalists gave that answer.
• Only 29% of Catholics placed Jesus' birth first.
• Only 24% of theological liberals said the birth of Christ made Christmas important for them.
• 44% of the respondents said family time is the most important part of one of the three most sacred days (along with Good Friday and Easter) on the calendar.
• 26% of respondents ages 18 to 34 said the birth of Jesus was the most important aspect of Christmas.
• 39% among respondents 65 and older said the same thing.
• Only 3% said presents or parties were the most important part of Christmas. The same percentage that said the best thing about Christmas was getting a paid holiday.

"I guess it demonstrates what preachers have been wringing their hands over for some time: Christ has been evacuated from Christmas," said the Rev. William Willimon, a theologian and Duke University chaplain. "It's good to know where we are. Christmas has been a co-opted
holiday."
"Americans are more likely to correctly recall the significance of April 15 than they are to connect Christmas with the birth of Jesus. As America becomes increasingly anesthetized to Christian principles and practices, it seems only fitting that we have contracted acute amnesia regarding the spiritual significance of December 25," said pollster George Barna. Barna
goes on to say, "Even with all that I know about how secularized our culture has become, I would have thought that more people would say Christmas, the birth of Jesus." [From "Making Room For Christ At Christmas" by Mike Hays].

THREE WISE WOMEN

Do you know what would have happened if it had been three Wise Women instead of three Wise Men? They would have asked directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the Baby, cleaned the stable, made a casserole, brought practical gifts, and there would be peace on earth.

THE EMPTY GIFT Dianne Matthews in Focus On The Family Magazine 12/2000 p. 8

I was enjoying 1^st grade to the fullest until one day in December when the little girl behind me set "it" on her desk. It was the tiniest Christmas present imaginable, less than an inch on each side with white glossy paper tied up with a sliver of red cellophane. Immediately I was captivated. I had never seen anything so exquisite. Day after day the tiny gift caught my eye, and my active imagination tried to guess what miniature treasure might be inside. It had to be something wondrous beyond description.

I longed for that object with all the power a 5 year old can muster. Finally, I became convinced that it should be mine. I deserved it because I desired it. Since I rode an early bus to school, it was a simple matter to slip into the empty classroom one morning. My hands eagerly tore open the tiny present. Inside I found - nothing.

Staring at the destruction in my hand, anticipation dissolved into disappointment and confusion. Gradually my stunned mind grasped the fact that the little package had been nothing more than a hollow decoration. I sat at my desk with the empty paper and an empty feeling, sickened by the knowledge of my guilt.

Little did I know that morning that this scene would repeat itself many times in my life. As I grew up the world enticed me with all sorts of shiny, gaily wrapped "presents" that caught my eye and promised happiness. Too often, when I accepted what the world was offering and tore away the wrappings, my excited expectations were replaced by feelings of emptiness. Over and over I found myself proving the old cliché: "You can't judge a gift by its wrapping."

HOLDING MARY RANSOM Billy D. Strayhorn, "Stay On Your Toes"

Maybe you've heard the story of the little boy who decided to write a letter to God one Christmas. He started out by writing: "Dear God, I've been a really good boy this year."
Unfortunately, he remembered that God was all knowing and all seeing and he decided that he couldn't lie to God. So, he crumpled up that letter and started over. This time he wrote: "Dear God, I know I haven't done everything I should have, but I really tried to be good." He stopped and crumpled up that letter, too. It was obvious that he was struggling with what to write to God.
As he sat there thinking he looked up and saw his mother's favorite piece of sculpture on the mantel. It was a beautiful rendition of the Madonna, the mother of Christ. The boy perked up and ran out of the room. He came back with a towel and a shoe box. He walked over, carefully picked up the Madonna, gently wrapped it in the towel, carefully put it in the shoe box and then hid it in the closet. He immediately went back to the table and wrote: "Dear God, if you ever want to see your mother again . . ."

EXPLOSIVE CRECHE James Martin The Upper Room

On a trip to the Holy Land, I bought a nativity set for my Sunday School. Carved out of olive wood in Bethlehem itself, the crèche had all the traditional figures – sheep and oxen, wise men and shepherds. Mary and Joseph and, of course, the baby Jesus.

For the return trip, security at Tel Aviv airport was very strict. I remember thinking they would not trouble to examine my nativity set; it was obviously innocent. But they did. Each figure was carefully scrutinized and even taken away for x-ray examination.

"You see," said the security officer, "we must make sure there is nothing explosive in them."

As one department store advertised in December of 1983 "Make this Christmas one you will not soon forget – charge everything!"

WHY JESUS IS......
"Why Jesus is Better than Santa Claus?"
Santa lives at the North Pole ... JESUS is everywhere.
Santa rides in a sleigh ... JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.
Santa comes but once a year ... JESUS is an ever present help.
Santa fills your stockings with goodies ... JESUS supplies all your needs.
Santa comes down your chimney uninvited ... JESUS stands at your door and knocks, and then enters your heart when invited.
You have to wait in line to see Santa ... JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.
Santa lets you sit on his lap ... JESUS lets you rest in His arms.
Santa doesn't know your name, all he can say is "Hi little boy or girl, what's your name?" ...
JESUS knew our name before we did. Not only does He know our name, He knows our address too. He knows our history and future and He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.
Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly ... JESUS has a heart full of love.
All Santa can offer is HO HO HO ... JESUS offers health, help and hope.
Santa says "You better not cry" ... JESUS says "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you."

Santa's little helpers make toys ... JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions.

Santa may make you chuckle but ... JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.
While Santa puts gifts under your tree ... JESUS became our gift and died on a tree.
It's obvious there is really no comparison. We need to remember WHO Christmas is all about.
We need to put Christ back in CHRISTmas, Jesus is still the reason for the season.
Yes, Jesus is better, he is even better than Santa Claus. Merry CHRISTmas!!!

THE CHRISTMAS STORM
You know the Christmas story, the God born in a manger and all that escapes some moderns mostly I think because they seek complex answers to their questions and this one is so utterly simple. So for the cynics, the skeptics, and the unconvinced, I submit a Modern Parable by Paul Harvey: This is about a modern man, one of us, he was not a scrooge, he was a kind, decent, mostly good man, generous to his family, upright in his dealings with others. But he did not believe in all that incarnation stuff with the Churches proclaim at Christmas time. It just didn't make sense to him and he was too honest to pretend otherwise. He just could not swallow the Jesus story about God coming to earth as man I'm truly sorry to distress you he told his wife, but I'm not going with you to church this Christmas Eve. He said he'd feel like a hypocrite. That he would much rather stay home, but that he would wait up for them. He stayed, they went. Shortly after the family drove away in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window to watch the flurries getting heavier and heavier, then went back to his fireside chair and began to read his newspaper. Minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound. Then another and another. At first he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against his living room window. Well, when he went to the front door, he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow. They had been caught in the storm and in a desperate search for shelter they had tried to fly through his large landscape window. Well, he couldn't let the poor creatures lie there and freeze. He remembered the barn where his children stabled their pony. That would provide a warm shelter -- if he could direct the birds to it. He quickly put on his coat and galoshes, trampled through the deepening snow to the barn, opened the door wide, and turned on a light. But the birds did not come in. He figured food would entice them in and he hurried back to the house, fetched bread crumbs, sprinkled them on the snow making a trail to the yellow lighted wide open doorway of the stable, but to his dismay the birds ignored the bread crumbs, and continued to flap around helplessly in the snow. He tried catching them, he tried shooing them into the barn by walking around them waving his arms -- instead they scattered in every direction except into the warm lighted barn. Then he realized they were afraid of him. To them, he reasoned, I am a strange and terrifying creature, if only I could think of some way to let them know they can trust me. That I'm not trying to hurt them, but to help them. How? Any move he made tended to frighten them, confuse them. They just would not follow. They would not be led or shooed because they feared him. If only be a bird myself he thought. If only I could be a bird and mingle with them and speak their language, and tell them not to be afraid, and show them the way to the safe, warm barn. But Id have to be one of them, so they could see and hear and understand. At that moment the church bells began to ring. The sound reached his ears above the sound of the wind. He stood there listening to the bells. Adeste Fideles. Listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas. And he sank to his knees in the snow.

I’M NOT SUPPOSED TO THIS BUT… (Christy Ehmann in Christian Reader Nov/Dec 99)

My friend’s granddaughter once directed a group of 4 year olds in their Christmas pageant. Everything moved along smoothly until the children playing Mary & Joseph "arrived" at the inn in Bethlehem.

"Do you have any room for us?" asked young Joseph.

"No, the inn is full," replied the innkeeper.

"But it’s so cold outside, sand my wife is going to have a baby, "pleaded Joseph. "Don’t you have any place for us?"

To the surprise of the director and the audience, instead of showing the couple to the stable, the 4 year old innkeeper replied compassionately, "I’m not supposed to say this, but you come right on in."

CAROLS CHANGED CHRISTMAS —Knight

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.

"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.

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."

Dave Barry in his "Notes on Western Civilization" (Chicago Tribune Magazine, July 28, 1991)

To avoid offending anybody, the school dropped religion altogether and started singing about the weather. At my son's school, they now hold the winter program in February and sing increasingly non memorable songs such as "Winter Wonderland," "Frosty the Snowman" and--this is a real song--"Suzy Snowflake," all of which is pretty funny because we live in Miami. A visitor from another planet would assume that the children belonged to the Church of Meteorology.

THE CHRISTMAS NAIL - SERMON/POEM
This 3 different things that I found, and I wanted to share them with you.
1. "For God so loved the world, that He gave..." Jesus

2. Remember Why He Came

It may seem strange at Christmas time
To think of nails and wood,
But both were used in Jesus’ life
To bring us something good.

From manger bed, to crown of horns
To death on Calvary,
God used the wood and nails of men
To set all people free.

So celebrate God’s greatest gift,
Give thanks in Jesus name.
The wood, the nail, the blood red cord-

3. This is the Christmas Nail.

A guy bought his wife a beautiful diamond ring for Christmas.
A friend of his said, "I thought she wanted one of those sporty 4-Wheel drive vehicles."
"She did," he replied. "But where in the heck was I gonna find a fake Jeep?"

You are cordially invited to A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
Guest of Honor: Jesus Christ
Date: Everyday. Traditionally December, but He's always around, so the date is flexible
Time: Whenever you're ready, (please don't be too late, though; or you'll miss out on all the fun!!)
Place: In your heart .. He'll meet you there (you'll hear Him knock)
Attire: Come as you are ... grubbies are okay, He'll be washing our clothes anyway. He said something about new white robes and crowns for everyone who stays till the end
Tickets: Admission is free. He's already paid for everyone.. (He says you would not have been able to afford it...it cost Him everything He had!!)
Refreshments: New wine, bread and a far-out drink He calls "living water", followed by a supper that promises to be out of this world!!
Gift Suggestions: Your heart. He's one of those people who already has everything else. (He's very generous in return though; just wait until you see what He has for you).
Entertainment: Joy, Peace, Truth, Light, Life, Love, Real Happiness, Communion with God, Forgiveness, Miracles, Healing, Power, Eternity in Paradise, and much more! (All rated "G" so bring your family and friends).
RSVP Very Important! He must know ahead so He can reserve a spot for you at the table. Also, he's keeping a list of His friends for future reference. He calls it the "Lamb's Book of Life").

Party Being Given By His Kids (That's Us)
Hope To See You There!

"Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) ... "Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding
supper of the Lamb!".
Revelation 19:7-9 For those of you whom I will see at the party, share with someone!!

WHAT TO DO WITH BAD GIFTS Source: USA Today 1999

What adults say they do with that not-quite-right holiday gift:
Survey Says...

• 31%: Keep it
• 30%: Hide it
• 13%: Toss it
• 12%: Give it away
• 6%: Return it

SANTA ON A TIRADE AP in Indianapolis Star 12/25/99

LOS ANGELES – A shopping mall Santa Claus had a meltdown after refusing to cuddle a bawling toddler, calling the mother evil and ripping off his beard and costume in front of startled children.

Kelly Fornatoro, 33, said she told Santa her 19 month old son, Brian, would stop crying if he put his arm around the child. According to her, he balked and told her, "I will not imprison your child."

"When I went to pick up the baby, he said: ‘Was it worth it? Was it worth it for you to torture your child for a picture? You must be an evil person,’" Fornatoro said Thursday.

The woman told Santa she planned to file a complaint. She said he leaped from his throne and said: "You can complain about me if you want, but I am Santa Claus. I am the best person in the world. I am good."

Fornatoro then told Santa he should not be around children.

"With that, he got really angry," she said. "He started to rip off his clothes. He took off his beard, his wig, his coat, his belt."

Some stunned parents covered their children’s eyes.

Santa was led away by security guards, and a replacement was brought in. Westfield Shopping-town Promenade Mall and Cherry Hill Photo, suppliers of the Santa, wouldn’t give his name.

"Which would you rather do, spend a Christmas afternoon with a room full of relatives, or spend Super Bowl Sunday afternoon with a room full of friends?"

A ten-year old, under the tutelage of her grandmother, was becoming quite knowledgeable about the Bible.

Then one day she floored her grandmother by asking, "Which Virgin was the mother of Jesus? The virgin Mary or the King James Virgin?"

THE ORIGIN OF "THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS"
When most people hear of "The 12 days of Christmas" they think of the song. This song had its origins as a teaching tool to instruct young people in the meaning and content of the Christian faith. From 1558 to 1829 Roman Catholics in England were not able to practice their faith openly so they had to find other ways to pass on their beliefs. The song "The Twelve Days
of Christmas" is one example of how they did it. " The 12 Days of Christmas" is in a sense an allegory. Each of the items in the song represents something of religious significance. The hidden meaning of each gift was designed to help young Christians learn their faith. The song goes, "On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me..."
The "true love" represents God and the "me" who receives these presents is the Christian. The "partridge in a pear tree" was Jesus Christ who died on a tree as a gift from God.
The "two turtle doves" were the Old and New Testaments - another gift from God.
The "three French hens" were faith, hope and love - the three gifts of the Spirit that abide (I Corinthians 13).
The "four calling birds" were the four Gospels which sing the song of salvation through Jesus Christ.
The "five golden rings" were the first five books of the Bible also called the "Books of Moses."
The "six geese a-laying" were the six days of creation.
The "seven swans a swimming" were "seven gifts of the Holy Spirit." (I Corinthians 12:8-11, Romans 12, Ephesians 4, 1 Peter 4:10-11)
The "eight maids a milking" were the eight beatitudes.

The "nine ladies dancing" were nine fruits of the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23)
The "ten lords a-leaping" were the Ten Commandments.
The "eleven pipers piping" were the eleven faithful disciples.
The "twelve drummers drumming" were the twelve points of the Apostles' Creed. So the next time you hear "The 12 Days of Christmas" consider how this otherwise non-religious sounding song had its origins in the Christian faith. - Author Unknown

I have a close friend who goes to a church that’s so progressive that when they do the Christmas story, the three Wise Men are bringing gift certificates.

THE BABY WAS THE MESSAGE Max Lucado "God came near":

When God chose to reveal Himself to mankind, what medium did He use? A book? No, that was secondary. A church? No, that was consequential. A moral code? No, to limit God's revelation to a cold list of do's and don'ts is as tragic as looking at a Colorado roadmap and saying that you'd seen the Rockies.

When God chose to reveal himself, he did so through a human body. The tongue that called forth the dead was a human one. The hand that touched the leper had dirt under its nails. The feet upon which the woman wept were callused and dirty. And his tears... oh, don't miss the tears... they came from a heart as broken as your or mine has ever been.

So, people came to him. My, how they came to him! They came at night; they touched him as he walked down the street, they followed him around the sea; they invited him into their homes, and placed their children at his feet.. Why? Because he refused to be a statue in a cathedral or a priest in an elevated pulpit. He chose instead to be Jesus.

There were those who mocked him, who were envious of him, who misunderstood him and there were those who revered him. But there was not one person who considered him too holy, too divine, or too celestial to touch. There was not one person who was reluctant to approach him for fear of being rejected.

REMEMBER THAT.

Remember that when you see the nativity scene with a helpless infant drawing shepherd and wise man, manger beast and celestial angel, all in an unthreatening atmosphere that was to mark his entire life, even when that life was eventually slain on a desolate hill in Judea. Remember. For man seems always to build barriers between himself and God, but Jesus builds bridges.

Mark Lowry, a Christian comedian observed that Mary's silence at the cross always amazed him. If he were being crucified in the middle of town, his mother would have "Pitched a fit", but Mary never said a word. Lowry wondered if maybe what made the difference for her was remembering back to that 1st Christmas. Remembering touching his little hands and feet and counting his fingers and toes. He said:

"I wonder if she realized then that those were the same fingers that

had scooped out the oceans and formed the seas.

Mary probably counted those little toes- I wonder if she realized that

those were the same feet that had walked on streets of gold and had

been worshipped by angels.

Those little lips were the same lips that had spoken the world into

existence.

When Mary kissed her little baby, she wasn't just kissing another baby -

she was kissing the face of God.

33 years later she's standing on a hillside watching blood pour from His veins, from the side of her own son... and she didn't open her mouth. What a great testimony to the fact that

He wasn't just a great prophet

He wasn't just a great preacher

He wasn't just a great teacher

He was virgin born son of God. He was our Savior.

And... He didn't just die for us, He died for His own mother. The baby boy she had delivered on that 1st Christmas was now on a cross delivering her. Mary needed a savior too. Oh, what a wonderful Savior He is.

A mother and her daughter, dressed in shabby clothes, were standing outside one of the big department stores, admiring the manger scene in the window. It was a big manger scene with the Wise Men and their lavish gifts, Mary and Joseph, and the Christ Child. The little girl kept staring at the face of Mary, that white plaster face, so pure. Finally, the little girl said, "She's so beautiful, but she doesn't know the pain and trouble we have."

INCONVENIENT CHRISTMAS WORSHIP? (from Scottsdale, AZ. Chaparral Christian Church's November letter)

"People are looking ahead to December. That is immediately followed by the realization that Christmas falls (Oh, how can that be?) on Sunday this year. The questions are flying. What about our family traditions? When will we open the gifts? How will the dinner be prepared if we're not home to get things started? If we attend the Christmas Eve service the night before will we be expected to return the next morning?

Perhaps we are overly concerned with being inconvenienced.

I wonder if the Wisemen were inconvenienced by having to leave their families and friends to travel to a foreign country? It would have been so much easier to send a letter of congratulations.

I wonder if Joseph felt inconvenienced to be traveling with an expectant wife? Those 'rest stops' must have slowed him down considerably.

I wonder if Mary felt inconvenienced to give birth in a stable? A bed with clean sheets seems a small thing for the arrival of God's Son.

Feeling inconvenienced? In thinking about it, Sunday is the perfect day for Christmas. It is the day for our rejoicing in the arrival of our Lord and Savior who agreed to go through the greatest inconvenience of all that we might have eternal life.

POEM - I'M GLAD HE WAS BORN IN A STABLE

I am so glad He was not born

in some rich palace bed.

I am so glad to know it was

a lowly place, instead,

A place where soft-eyed cows and sheep

were sheltered and were fed.

For to the country born of earth

a stable will ever be

A wholesome place, where night comes down

with its tranquillity,

A place of heart's ease and content

for all who choose to see,

And so I like to think of Him,

First opening His eyes

In that good elemental place

Beneath the friendly skies

That the men of fields could find Him there,

as well as the great and wise.

Christmas was not celebrated during the 1st 2 centuries after Christ's life on earth. In AD 245, when a group of scholars attempted to pinpoint the exact date of Christ's birth, a church council denounced the endeavor, declaring it wrong to celebrate the birthday of Christ "as though he were a King Pharaoh." In spite official disapproval, various attempts were made to pinpoint the nativity, resulting in a confusion of dates. Among the earliest: January 1st, 6th, March 25th, and May 20th. By the middle of the 4th century, December 25th was associated as the birthday of Christ. Pope Julius formally named December 25th as the day for Christmas in AD 349.

December 25th was widely celebrated day in the Roman world. On that date, citizens observed the Natalis Solis Invicti (the Birthday of the unconquerable Sun) in honor of the Sun god, Mithras. The festival took place just after the winter solstice of the Julian calendar. Many modern Christmas customs, such as decorating a house with greenery, exchanging gifts and enjoying festive meals, originated with this pagan celebration. Scholars believe that pope Julius selected December 25th as the date of the nativity in order to win followers of Mithras as well as giving Christians an opportunity to honor Christ on his birth date.

In 17th century England, puritans objected to Christian celebrations because they had no clear biblical basis. As a result, in 1643, the parliament outlawed Christmas, Easter, and other Christian holidays. However, December 25th was so popular as a festive day, that by 1660, the citizens reclaimed it. Their neglect of the religious aspects of December 25th resulted in a growing secularization of the holiday.

The Christmas tree tradition was started in Germany in the late 15th century. At that time a popular play depicted the expulsion of Adam Eve from Eden, by a fir tree hung with apples. Soon trees were placed in the homes of Christians who interpreted it as a symbol of the coming Savior. the apples were replaced with small white wafers to represent Communion. later, the wafers were replaced by small pieces of pastry cut into shapes of stars, angels, hearts, flowers, and bells.

The origin of Xmas as an abbreviation for Christmas originated with the Greek Christians. "X" is the first letter of the Greek word for Christ (Xristos="Christos"). Later Christians, unfamiliar with the Greek origin, mistook the X as a sign of disrespect and an attempt by unbelievers to rid Christmas of its central meaning. Some Christians still disapprove of the abbreviation.

MERRY CHRISTMAS The Beam. 12/11/84

Originally "Merry Christmas" had a deeper, richer meaning. The word merry did not mean joyful; it meant peaceful. So when carolers sang, "God rest ye merry, gentlemen," they meant "God keep you peaceful."

Let me give you an example, a true example, of a person who experienced a conversion of sorts in terms of his values. Rev Charles Neal is a pastor in Emory, Virginia. One day he was reading a brochure about alternative Christmases. Probably Christmas is our most abused holiday in the Christian community right now. He was reading the literature on alternative Christmases. The pamphlet started off by saying this: that the Wise Men who came to worship Jesus at that first Christmas did not come bringing gifts for one another; they came bringing gifts for the baby Jesus. Rev. Neal started thinking about the implications of that idea - that Christmas is a time for giving gifts, not to each other, but to Jesus. He discussed it with his wife, they prayed about it, and discussed it with their children. They decided that they would change the values that they had relating to their Christmas celebration and focus their giving on Jesus. So they wrote the Grandparents of the children -- you know how traumatic that would be in your family -- and said to the grandparents, and the in-law's, "Don't send us anything for Christmas this year; we won't be sending you anything. Our Christmas giving will be aimed at Jesus." So about two weeks before Christmas they have a love feast at which they share simple gifts that they have made for each other as a symbol of love for one another - this is a kind of compromise gesture with the old Christmas. They put up a Missions Tree in their church and they took the money that they would normally squander trying to find the right gifts and ending up giving people presents that they knew they did not need, or in some cases, they would not even use and they put this money on the tree to be used in the work of Christian missions. Other people in their church have caught on with that idea and last Christmas this very small church had $1,200.00 hanging on the Missions Tree on Christmas Eve to do the work of Jesus in honor and in love of Him.

GET THE CAMELS OUT OF MY LIVING ROOM R.Digest 12/94 p. 12

Preparing for a large Christmas Eve family gathering, I had been giving out orders like a drill sergeant: "Pick up your things! Don't get your clothes dirty! Put away those toys."

My four-year-old daughter had been underfoot, so I sent her 10 the next room to play with our wooden Nativity set. As I scurried around setting the table I overheard her make-believe conversation in an all-too-familiar tone of voice: "I don't care who you are, get those camels out of my living room!"

The story of the candy maker who loved Jesus: There was a man who loved Jesus so much that he decided to do something special for Jesus' birthday. Since he was a candy maker he decided to use his talents to make a special candy to honor Jesus; so he designed the first candy cane.

If the candy cane is held upright, it is the shape of a shepherd's staff which the shepherd uses as he watches over his sheep. Jesus is our shepherd. If the candy cane is turned upside-down, it becomes the letter "J" for Jesus.

The scriptures tell us that by Jesus' stripes we are healed. Jesus was beaten and stripes were put upon his back when He was crucified in payment for our sins. So the candy cane was made with red and white stripes to represent that it was blood the Jesus which washes away our sins and makes us pure and white as snow. One bold stripe represents our belief in one God who is Father of us all.

WHEN WAS JESUS BORN? Lamplighter Newsletter, Dec. 93 p.2

According to Luke 1:24-26, Mary conceived Jesus in the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy with John the Baptist. This means that Jesus was born 15 months after the angel Gabriel appeared to Elizabeth's husband, Zacharias, and informed him that his wife would bear a child. According to Luke 1:5, Zacharias was a priest of the division of Abijah. Luke 1:8 says that Gabriel appeared to Zacharias while he was serving as a priest in the Temple. We know from the Talmud and other sources that the division of Abijah served as priests during the second half of the fourth month of the Jewish religious calendar - which would have put it in late June (the Jewish religious calendar begins in March with Passover).

Fifteen months later would place the birth of Jesus in the seventh month of the Jewish calendar. That would be in the fall of the year, in either late September or early October. His conception, not His birth, would have occurred in December of the previous year.

The seventh month of the Jewish calendar is the month of the Feast of Tabernacles. John 1:14, speaking of Jesus as the Word, says: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt

among us, full of grace and truth." The word "dwelt" that is used here is the Greek word "skenoo" which literally means "to tabernacle!"

So, when God came to earth to tabernacle among Men it appears that He timed His arrival in the Bethlehem manger to coincide with the Feast of Tabernacles. That was only appropriate, for the Feast of Tabernacles is the most joyous of all the Jewish feasts. It is, in fact, their feast of thanksgiving.

1. Move hitherward the entire assembly of those who are loyal in their belief.

2. Listen, the celestial messengers produce harmonious sounds.

3. Nocturnal time span of unbroken quietness.

4. An emotion excited by the acquisition of expectation of good given to the terrestrial sphere

5. Embellish the interior passageways.

6. Exalted heavenly beings to whom hearkened.

7. Twelve o'clock on a clement night witnessed its arrival.

8. The Christmas preceding all other.

9. Small municipality in Judea southeast of Jerusalem.

10. Diminutive masculine master of skin-covered percussionistic cylinders.

11. Omnipotent supreme being who elicits respite to ecstatic distinguished males.

12. Tranquility upon the terrestrial sphere.

13. Obese personification fabricated of compress mounds of minute crystals.

14. Expectation of arrival to populated area by mythical, masculine perennial gift-giver.

15. Natal celebration devoid of color.

16. In awe of the nocturnal span characterized by religiosity.

17. Geographic state of fantasy during the season of mother nature's dormancy.

18. The first person nominative plural of triumvirate of far eastern heads of state.

19. Tintinnabulation of vacillating pendulums in inverted, metallic, resonant cups.

20. In a distant location the existence of an improvised unit of newborn children's slumber

furniture.

21. Proceed forth declaring upon a specific geological alpine formation.

22. Jovial Yuletide desired for the second person singular of plural by us.

1.0 Come All Ye Faithful 2.Hark, the Herald Angels Sing 3.Silent Night 4. Joy To the World 5.Deck the Halls 6.Angels We Have Heard On High 7.lt Came Upon A Midnight Clear 8.The First Noel 9.0 Little Town of Bethlehem 10. Little Drummer Boy 1l.God Rest

Ye Merry Gentlemen 12.Paace On Earth 13.Frosty the Snowman 14.Sante Claus Is Coming To Town 15.White Christmas 16.0 Holy Night 17.Winter Wonderland 18.We Three Kings 19.Jingle Bells 20.Away In A Manger 21.Go Tell It On the Mountain 22.We Wish You a Merry Christmas.

Twas the night before Christmas the eve of Christ's birth

Many People were resting all over the earth.

The shepherds were watching their sheep in the night,

When all of the sudden they saw a bright light.

And what to their wondering eyes should appear

But a beautiful angel up in the air.

His face it was glowing; his garment so bright,

It shone like a moonbeam through the dark night.

But as he came closer the words that he said

Soon gave them to know they had nothing to dread.

He told them of "Peace with no fear or danger,

For their Wonderful Gift they'd find in a manger.

So leaving their sheep they went into town to seek for this Gift!

They would look all around.

Then they came to the stable, the covers they lift,

and there in the manger God's Wonderful Gift.

So pure and so Holy, so full of God's love,

They knew it was Jesus, God's Gift from above.

And so as we think of this Saviour again,

May our worship this Christmas not be in vain.

Let's love Him and trust Him; there's none that's too small;

May the Lord richly bless you, Merry Christmas to all!

WHO STARTED CHRISTMAS? J.D.Saunders Angola Church Newsletter 12/8/94

How did mistletoe, holly, candles, trees, ornaments, and all those other things sneak in? The Bible doesn't say.

Most scholars believe Dec. 25th was chosen because that was the date people were

celebrating the Sun-god's return to the northern skies. In 274 A.D. the Roman Emperor

Aurelian decreed that the Sun-god was the main patron of the empire. Christians decided to neutralize the pagan celebration with a celebrat