Observations from behind the counter – Working Christmas

I work at a store that is open every day of the year. Which means, unless it falls on a regularly scheduled day off, I work every holiday. Thanksgiving and Christmas are especially busy. And Christmas Eve and Day, when almost everyone else is closed, is crazy. What follows are just a few observations about working on Christmas.

I confess, for some reason, I had a hard time this year getting into the Christmas spirit. And the week leading up to Christmas day was terrible. People were out all night long. The crowds and busyness and rush-rush just suck the spirit of the season right out of you. I can’t imagine working in a retail store or restaurant that is non-stop busy. I’m sure you have heard the saying, Working with the public wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the public. I will Amen that.

Saturday night, Christmas Eve, about 12:10 am. A woman is in the store on the phone, wandering around looking for something. Finally, she asks me, “Do you sell wine?” I tell her we do but I can’t sell it to her now. She asks why and I tell her it is after midnight. (In South Carolina you can buy beer 24 hours a day except between midnight Saturday night and 7 am Monday.) She murmurs, “South Carolina!” Then she comes to the register and once again mutters, “South Carolina! Why is everything closed on Christmas here?” (For the record, I’m glad nearly everyone closes on Christmas.) I tell her, “Everywhere I’ve lived as an adult, everybody always closes on Christmas. Where are you from?” “D.C.” And I gathered they aren’t so backward up there. But you know what, I’m pretty sure she got off for Christmas and would be mighty upset if she had to work Christmas Eve and Day. She just wants stuff available for her. Which led me to this conclusion:

People in America are more concerned about convenience than they are motivated by conviction.

Which ties in to another observation:

America is a consumer culture, not a contemplative one.

There was a mild uproar over some stores opening on Thanksgiving night for the Black Friday sales. Yet every store open was packed out. I had people wandering around Christmas night waiting for Wal-Mart to open back up at 5 am! Kohl’s (an area department store) ran a big TV ad announcing they were opening at 5 am on the 26th. And I bet there were people there at 5 am, too. If a store will open people will shop. Americans are consumer mad, they just have to get out and buy something. I had people all night just coming in to buy chips or soft drinks or candy or cigarettes or to get $5 worth of gas. Just to get out of the house and buy something. I told a police officer last night, “If every store in Rock Hill would close for 2 days, we would have riots!” In fact, I have finally figured out why there was such a mad rush West in early America – stores were not open long enough back East!

So many people live day to day, they could not plan ahead for two whole days. I’m sure of it. They get enough gas or beer or tobacco for right now. And plan to do the same thing tomorrow. I know, I see a lot of people every single day, getting the same thing each time. There are people who come in 2,3,4 times a night and buy one can of beer each time! I have a guy who comes in every week day morning and buys one 35¢ pack of gum. And he brings exactly 35¢ each time!

One of the biggest fears in America is to have “nothing to do.” People are so stimulated these days they don’t know what to do with themselves. Contemplate? I’ll tell what I’m thinking about, Where can I go? What can I do? and Who sells what I wanna buy? !!

What you said got me to thinking

I’m sure that has happened to you. I was following a family conversation on facebook and a reference was made to me. This conversation was a potential minefield so I stayed out of it. (Just in case any family member involved in that discussion should happen to read this, I am still staying out of it!) I commented just to keep the facts straight, but it got me thinking. There are those who would say that is a dangerous thing, but I did it anyway!

Perhaps you are wondering, “What was said that would make you think?” It was suggested that because we lived in a house provided by the church we can’t relate to people who struggle having enough money. My initial response was, “HA! Obviously, you don’t understand – the pastor in a parsonage is there because neither he nor the church has much money.”

But it got me to thinking about my life. And money. Right now, we have way more money than ever in either of our lives. I guess we both grew up middle class, but middle class in the 50s and 60s was a little different. I like to tease Mary because when she was young she got to go to a pool. I tell her, “You grew up rich. We were so poor we didn’t even know people with a pool!”

I don’t remember much before being 10 years old or so (a lot goes into that and I would write about it, only I don’t remember!). I do remember Hawai’i. There were 8 children and two parents. All living in a small three bedroom house. Our next door neighbors, the Gumapacs had 13 people living in a slightly larger house (and they had cousins in Honolulu, 18 of them living in two adjoining apartments). I shared a room with two brothers. But my sisters had it really rough: 4 girls and a baby in one room! I don’t know how my parents provided enough food for us with only my Dad working. We never went out to eat, probably in part because they had not yet invented all the fast food joints we have now. Our big night out was going to a Shakey’s Pizza Parlor. We could watch them make the pizza. I always got a pepperoni and green pepper pizza, even though I didn’t like green peppers. No one ever bothered to tell me I could order the pizza minus the peppers! We got most of our clothes from the Salvation Army, but so did a whole lot of other people. When I was in the 6th grade I was a Junior Police Officer (crossing guards). We had to wear khaki pants, which in those days was poor man’s clothes. Then they changed it to blue pants. Rather than buying me a new pair of pants my mother dyed my khakis blue. I took a lot of ribbing the next time I wore my “new” blue pants! When we got into high school we began to get store bought pants. And since most people had very little money school lunches were subsidized and only cost 25¢, and everyone had to spend a week working in the cafeteria. But we were happy. I knew there were some folk who had more than we did but it didn’t bother me – I could beat most of them up, I mean, most everybody was in the same condition we were. Beginning with my 9th grade year, my Dad wanted me to go to school in the next town. So he got a “District Exception.” What he didn’t get was a ride. This meant I had to find my own way from Kaneohe to Kailua, so I hitch-hiked to school. In those days I hitch-hiked everywhere. But it is true, we endured all this while living in Hawai’i!

My Dad died and after my junior year we had to move to Nashville. What culture shock! The first summer we lived with my Grandparents. Some of us slept in a travel trailer in their driveway. We must have moved up in the world because we rented a house then my Mother bought a house. January after I graduated (another long story) I went off to the University of Tennessee at Martin. I came home in the summer and went back that fall. While at school this time my Mother re-married and moved to California. So there I was, stuck in Martin, TN. In the midst of all this I had met Mary and we had begun to talk about marriage. Long story short, I dropped out of school and began working at a Sonic Drive In.

Then we were married. I was 20, she was 19. I was working at Sonic and she was still in nursing school. Like college students everywhere, we had no money. When she graduated we moved to Memphis so I could pursue my schooling at Mid-South Bible College while she got into nursing. When she got pregnant I had to go to work full time and school part time while she stayed home with our first daughter. Eventually I graduated and headed off to the ministry.

My first church, Pensacola, was very small. As was the salary. We were there for a couple of years and then moved to Macon. A bigger church but not by much. After 3 years we moved to York. This was a little bigger church and more financially stable. All three churches provided a parsonage. This was part of the older way of doing things. But we weren’t getting rich. The unspoken arrangement was, “We can’t offer you a lot of money but we can offer a house for you and your family.” But you know what, I wasn’t in the ministry for the money. Oh, I know all about how a lot of pastors are doing quite well, thank you very much. We just wanted to serve the Lord. We ate. We all wore clothes. We were happy. As little as we had, our children had way more than I had growing up. My Dad had something he called the “Weak Week” box. If you were too weak to pick up a toy then it was put in the box for a week. Oh how that killed us because we didn’t have many toys. I tried that with my girls. They wouldn’t put something away and into the box it went. A month later we discovered it was still there! They had so many toys they never missed it. The “weak week” box didn’t last long at my house.

I’m sure we could have used and would have enjoyed more money when I was growing up and when we were raising our girls. But we were happy. It is true that at one point Mary went back to work part time as a nurse and we used that money for vacations and extras. And since we had made a commitment to being home with our children, I stayed home with the girls when she would work. Now we have more money than ever. Of course, the children are all grown and gone. Most of them far away! Of course with more money comes more taxes, ugh!

But let me stress again, this is not a thinly veiled response to that facebook conversation I alluded to. Everybody has to make their own choices and live with the consequences. It just got me thinking about our lives. We didn’t have a lot when we were raising our girls and even less when we were young. But we had enough. I have never been that interested in having a lot of money, anyway. Good thing, huh? ’cause we never did. Until now, or so the tax man sayeth!

Another favorite carol

My last post was “One of my favorite Christmas Carols”  about an old and obscure song that I had introduced to the church. The carol? "A Great and Mighty Wonder." And I said it was one of my all-time favorites. And that got me to thinking about another song I introduced that became one of my favorites – “From Heaven Above To Earth I Come.” It was written by Martin Luther for his son Hans in 1540. Luther, who loved Christmas, entitled it Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her. Since most of us don’t know German, it was translated into English by Catherine Winkworth in 1855. (If you know and like hymns, especially older hymns, then you are familiar with Winkworth as well as J.M. Neale.) We sang this to the tune, Sagina (And Can It Be That I Should Gain – a hymn I believe every Christian knows by heart!) I hope I am remembering this right, but I think I remember the praise team singing the first two stanzas and then the congregation joined in on the third stanza. If not, that is how I always wanted to do it! Another great carol!

From Heaven Above To Earth I Come

ANGEL
From Heaven above to earth I come
To bear good news to every home;
Glad tidings of great joy I bring
Whereof I now will say and sing:
To you this night is born a child
Of Mary, chosen mother mild;
This little child, of lowly birth,
Shall be the joy of all your earth.

"This is the Christ, our God and Lord,
Who in all need shall aid afford;
He will Himself your Savior be,
Himself from sin will make you free.
He brings those blessings, long ago
Prepared by God for all below;
Henceforth His kingdom open stands
Open to people in all lands.

CONGREGATION
Now let us all with gladsome cheer
Follow the shepherds, and draw near
To see what God for us has done
In sending us His glorious Son.
Give heed, my heart, lift up thine eyes!
Who is it in yon manger lies?
Who is this lovely baby boy?
’Tis Jesus Christ our only joy.

Welcome to earth, Thou noble guest,
Through whom e'en wicked men are blest!
In mercy come to our distress,
How can we thank thy gentleness?
Ah, Lord, who didst all things create,
How cam’st Thou to this estate,
To make the hay and straw thy bed
Whereon the ox and ass are fed?

And thus, dear Lord, it pleaseth Thee
To make this truth quite plain to me,
That all the world's wealth, honor, might,
Are naught and worthless in Thy sight.
Ah! dearest Jesus, Holy Child,
Make Thee a bed, soft, undefiled,
Within my heart, that it may be
A quiet chamber kept for Thee.

My heart for very joy doth leap,
My lips no more can silence keep;
I too must sing with joyful tongue
That sweetest ancient cradle-song—
Glory to God in highest Heaven,
Who unto man His Son hath given!
While angels sing with pious mirth
A glad new year to all the earth

One of my favorite Christmas Carols

We went to church this morning and sang Christmas Carols. That was nice. And how those brethren sang! As we sang, I remembered that I regularly introduced a new Christmas Carol every year. Usually some really old obscure song that I had discovered. You see, I had learned that old Christmas songs had really great words, and if we could learn them they would be brand new songs to us.

One of my all-time favorites is "A Great and Mighty Wonder." This was written in the 7th century by St. Germanus and the original title was μεγα και παραδοξον Θαυμα. It had been translated into English by John Mason Neale (who translated a lot of ancient songs). All of this was in its favor. All we had to do was learn the tune. The hymnbook had put it to Ellacombe (The Day of Resurrection, another old hymn also translated by J.M. Neale!), which is a bright tune and easy to learn. So we learned it and sang it every Advent season thereafter.

I love this carol and am enjoying singing it again. I hope you can join me. If you don’t know it or have forgotten how it goes, just grab a hymnbook and look up the tune Ellacombe. I mean, everybody has like 10 different hymnbooks lying around, right? OK, so maybe collecting hymnbooks is one of my eccentricities! But you can also go here for the sheet music.

A great and mighty wonder.
A full and holy cure:
The Virgin bears the Infant
With virgin honor pure!

Repeat the hymn again:
Repeat the hymn again:
"To God on high be glory
And peace on earth to men!"

The Word becomes incarnate
And yet remains on high,
And cherubim sing anthems
To shepherds from the sky.

While thus they sing your Monarch,
Those bright angelic bands,
Rejoice, ye vales and mountains,
Ye oceans, clap your hands.

Since all He comes to ransom.
By all be He adored,
The Infant born in Bethlehem,
The Savior and the Lord.
__________________________
"A Great and Mighty Wonder"
μεγα και παραδοξον Θαυμα
St. Germanus, 634-734
Translated by John M. Neale, 1818-1866

My daughter knows Uzbeks or, We were a “cutting edge” church

In a recent Facebook post, my daughter, who is living and working in South Korea, casually mentioned that there were Uzbeks at a restaurant she was at. I was shocked and asked her, There are Uzbeks in Gimahe, South Korea? She said there were quite a few.

OK, you may be wondering, What are Uzbeks? And, What does this have to do with the church you used to pastor being cutting edge? Fair enough. Uzbeks are the people from Uzbekistan. What? You’ve never heard of Uzbekistan? All this got me to thinking about being an innovative church and I immediately thought of three ways that we were on the cutting edge.

Contemporary Worship. We were by no means the first church to ever use contemporary music etc. We may well have been the first in York. But that wasn’t our goal, we just wanted to encourage people to worship the Lord - so, we went contemporary and casual before it was the cool thing to do. But we messed it up by insisting on having Scripture reading and prayer time in our services! This has obviously become popular and “in.”

But, being true to myself, I also latched on to two other “cutting edge” practices that have not as yet gained wide spread approval.

Praying Through the Window. For years I had been using Patrick Johnstone’s Operation World in my private devotions. And they began to talk about the 10/40 Window (“The 10/40 Window is located from 10 degrees south to 40 degrees north of the equator. There are 69 nations across northern Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia in the 10/40 Window. Nearly 4 billion people live here, including 90 percent of the world's poorest of the poor. It is estimated that 1.6 billion of these people have never had the chance to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ - not even once! The seat of every major non-Christian religion - Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Animism, Atheism, and Sikhism - is headquartered in the 10/40 Window. Two-thirds of the world’s population (4 billion) live in the 68 nations of the 10/40 Window” click here for more info ). I believe we began participating from the beginning. Window International Network provides a 31 day calendar with information about and prayer points for each nation and people group in the window. We made calendars available for personal use and then prayed as a church during these 31 days. Since Uzbekistan is in the window we prayed for them.

Ramadan. As a church we observed Ramadan. Not really. But we did participate in 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World.  And these 30 days always took place during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. This grew out of Praying Through The Window and I’m sure that is how we heard of this. And since Uzbekistan is 96% Muslim, we prayed for them then too. So we prayed for Uzbekistan at least twice a year.

I know they are out there, but I have never known another church that participated in Praying Through the Window or 30 Days of Prayer. (We also took part in the Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. I knew of one other pastor who did as well). That has got to be the definition of cutting edge – being out in front of everybody else! Although honestly, that was not why we participated. We were part of the Christian & Missionary Alliance and our motto was Pray · Give · Go. So we were praying for the unreached of the world.

Anyway, I thought it was cool that my daughter had met Uzbeks in Korea, even though they were in her words, “super drunk.” And it got me to thinking about Uzbekistan and how I knew of it and I realized, "We were cutting edge." Just not in a cool way! My hope is: that it was truly a good work; and if it was a good work, in the promise, For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name; and most of all, that our prayers were in some way effective and that there will be Uzbeks in that day singing with me:

I’m redeemed, I’m redeemed,
Jesus saves me and keeps me just now, Hallelujah!
And I join with the throng round the throne
In the song, I’m redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.

A good word for Advent

This is from John Wycliffe’s comments on the Creed. What a good word for the Advent season. As we celebrate His incarnation, we must also ready ourselves for His return. What a sobering picture he presents. This is the backdrop for understanding grace.

I believe that He is to come, to judge the living and the dead. Here we should believe that the same Jesus Christ, very God and very man, shall come to the judgment in the same manner, and with the same wounds that he suffered and bare with him to heaven, and shall judge all mankind, both good and evil, according to their deeds.

That shall be a dreadful judgment, and a fearful Judge. For Christ, who shall be Judge there, is now meek as a lamb, and ready to bow to mercy ; but there he will be stern as a lion to all that are damnable, and judge according to righteousness. Before the stern Judge, beholding all saints, angels, and fiends, all men and women shall yield reckoning of all their living in earth ; of all the deeds that they have done; for what intent and to whose worship they did them; and not only of great trespasses, but also of those that seem small. For of each idle word man shall account there, as Christ says himself. Each word that edifies not the hearer turns into peril to the speaker. That is an idle word which profits neither the speaker nor the hearer. And since reckoning shall be held of such, much more and without comparison, harder reckoning shall be of sinful speech, as of backbiting, slandering, scorning, false accusing, lying, swearing, cursing, and licentious speech. Also man shall yield reckoning of all the thoughts of his heart that inclined to any sin. And not only shall we account for deeds done, which we should not have done, but also of deeds left undone, that we should have done. As those that have not done works of mercy to poor needy folk, nor given to them, nor lent to them, nor helped them in their suffering, as Christ shall reveal at the judgment.

Also of all the time that man has in earth, he shall yield reckoning, how he has spent it. Also man shall account there of all his worldly goods, how he got them, kept, spent, and lent them. Also of all powers of body, as strength, comeliness, swiftness, skill of body — in whose service these have been spent.

Also each man shall yield reckoning of the keeping of his own soul. Therefore God commands in the book of his law, that each man carefully keep his own soul. The father and mother also shall account for their children whom they chastise not ; as is expressed in holy writ, how Eli was punished for his sons, because he chastised them not, as he should have done. Also each pastor shall account for his people, how he taught them by living and by word ; as God says by his prophet, a great dread shall be at his judgment.

Of the multitude of accusers, man's own conscience, which is defiled with sin and not amended, shall accuse him, not secretly but openly. Also a man's own sins, which he would not leave, shall accuse him. Also holy writ shall accuse them that knew it, and heard it, and lived not according to it. Such shall bear with them the sentence of condemnation. Also God's creatures which a man has used out of measure and in sin, shall accuse him there, and be as ready to take vengeance upon him as they were before to serve him. The fiends also shall be ready there, accusing sinful men and women, for they, as traitors, enticed to the sin, and when the sin is done they will accuse man of it. And therefore in the book of Revelation the fiend is called accuser of Christian men. Also the benefits which men have received of God, who did not worship him with due service for them, shall accuse them, and be alleged against them. And the torment which Christ suffered in time of his passion, both wounds, cross, nails, and spear, shall accuse sinful men.

Therefore, all Christian people, consider this truth, and flee the unlawful lusts of your flesh, and covetings, and deceits of this deceivable world ; and believe ye and keep this firmly fixed in your mind, that Christ shall appear in the judgment, stern as a lion to wicked men's sight, and judge both the living and the dead. Of the great dread of that day God speaks by the prophet Joel. The day of the Lord shall be a great day of deliverance, a day of wrath, and of vengeance, of misery, of bitterness ; the day of complaining and of accusing, the day of dread and of trembling, the day of crying and of sorrow, the day of darkness and of mourning, the day of calamity and of bitterness ; a dreadful day of parting from God for ever.

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Joel 3:11-16
11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD.
12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.
13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.
14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.
16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

As I said at the beginning, this is the backdrop of grace. In the light of the Day of Judgment, how sweet grace appears! How wonderful forgiveness! And how necessary repentance.

Is celebrating Christmas biblical?

This year, Advent begins November 27. The world does not understand or distinguish between Advent and Christmas. Sadly, I don’t think the average Christian does either. Well, liturgical churches probably do, but not your average evangelical church and I’m almost certain very few contemporary churches would. For so many people, the Christmas “season” begins the day after Thanksgiving. And it ends on Christmas Day. By then they are thoroughly sick of it all, having heard Christmas music since All Saints Day!

There is a difference between Advent and Christmas. And Epiphany for that matter! But I’m not writing about that. I’m asking, Is it biblical to celebrate Christmas?

There are those who emphatically say, “No!” And, Why not? “It’s not commanded or observed in the Bible.”

I will admit at the beginning, they are correct. But, does that make it unbiblical? Are we only to do things explicitly mentioned in the Bible? Think about this. We meet on Sunday, that is according to explicit apostolic practice. But, what time do we start? Not mentioned. Have a song leader or praise team to lead the singing? Not mentioned. Meet in a building? Not mentioned! And then you have TV, computers, internet, Nook Color. None of these are even remotely mentioned in the Bible.

I believe we have three criteria for determining if something is biblical: precept, prohibition, principle. If something is commanded, it is a sin not to do it. If something is prohibited, it is a sin to do it. But what if a matter is neither commanded nor forbidden? Then we apply biblical principles. When there is neither command nor prohibition we have freedom that is guided and guarded by biblical principles and the Holy Spirit.

Is celebrating the birth of Christ commanded? No. Is there an approved example of it? No. Is celebrating the birth of Christ forbidden? No. So then, does celebrating the birth of Jesus our Savior violate scriptural principles? I believe that answer is also, No.

Obviously, there are elements of Christmas celebration that are unbiblical: the parties, the drinking, the carousing, the excess, the profligacy. The rampant materialism is also a huge problem, as well as the debt caused by it. These are simply and undeniably wrong.

Advent and Christmas are part of the Church Year. This is a way of teaching the life of Jesus in an orderly way. The year consists of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Pentecost, Kingdomtide. In this way, every year you cover the birth of Christ, his baptism, earthly ministry, death and resurrection, the church, and second coming. The church year is not commanded in the Bible, but is there anything wrong with it? Oh I know, it is Catholic. But you know what – GASP - not everything Catholic is wrong or bad. I have never cared for Lent and the Lenten season, but I am persuaded, if evangelical churches followed the church year in their teaching, or at least in their Scripture Readings, their people would be much more biblically literate. (Oh if we could just get all these Bible believing churches to read the Bible and pray in their worship!)

But what about the tree and wreath and lights and candles? Not to mention the Yule log – which I won’t since no one does this anymore! “Surely,” they say, “we can demonstrate that all these were at one time used by pagans in their feasts.” To me, this sounds a lot like the conflict in Corinth, “The meat in the market was dedicated to idols. You cannot buy that and be a Christian.” And the contact then was much closer than the tree and wreath are now. Paul told the Corinthians (1 Cor 8-10) that eating that meat was OK, as long as they didn’t eat it to honor the idol. I think we have a precedent here.

Now, I understand that these elements were taken up by the Church from heathens. (As were the names of each day of the week.) Those pagans were concerned about life (evergreens) and light (candles and fire) and the hope of a new day. They held these festivals in winter in the hope and anticipation that life and light and warmth would return. Does the Gospel not address these concerns? In the depth of our cold, dark, long night of despair caused by sin, Life and Light and Hope have come!

Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

I believe this can be a great tool to help us focus on Jesus. And I am convinced that the parties and consumerism/materialism are a much greater danger to our souls than the tree. Advent and Christmas can be a wonderful time to teach the incarnation and blessings of salvation that flow from it, as well as the need to prepare myself for the return of Christ.

Do you choose not to celebrate or in any way observe Christmas? You’re free! But don’t condemn those who do.

Do you choose to celebrate Christmas? You too are free! But don’t judge those who choose not to observe it. And keep your focus on Jesus.

Christmas is such a joyful time. The lights, the tree, the candles, the music. I am persuaded this is a reflection of the “good tidings of great joy.” I think Isaac Watts got it right:

Joy to the world! the Lord is come!

Let earth receive her King;

Let every heart prepare him room,

And heav'n and nature sing.

Joy to the earth! the Savior reigns!

Let men their songs employ,

While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains,

Repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,

Nor thorns infest the ground;

He comes to make his blessings flow

Far as the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,

And makes the nations prove

The glories of his righteousness,

And wonders of his love.     

(Psalm 98 Part 2 C.M. The Messiah's coming and kingdom)

Christmas is the message that Jesus, the Son of God, became a man so that we might be reconciled to the Father, and gathered into the Family of God. All through the salvation provided by the incarnation, cross, and resurrection of Jesus! Amen!

I say, Celebrate the Incarnation of the Son of God. Celebrate Jesus. Celebrate Christmas!


In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth . . . No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.