Bah humbug!

Gentle Reader,
Here is something to give you pause for thought.
Merry Christmas,
Love,
Denis

Bum Deal At Christmas?
by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson

Once in a while at Christmas-time I catch myself complaining- about little things, inconveniences, mainly. "I don't need this now," I mutter, and wonder, "Why does this have to happen to me? Is God mad at me?" Then my thoughts turn to Mary and Joseph. Face it. Their story doesn't center on sugar cookies and egg nog.

Joseph was off work for weeks because the government made him travel to a distant town to fill out some stupid registration papers.
You can bet the Nazareth biddies hounded Mary about her pregnancy. Have you ever been called "slut"?
Can you imagine taking a four-day donkey ride to Bethlehem at full term? Of course, if Mary didn't want to ride, she could always walk ... or waddle.
Think about a camping trip with winter winds whistling through your tent. Or do you have a tent?
How about being in labor in a dirty cattle barn? One whiff was all Mary needed.
And then, in the middle of the night after a grueling labor, there's a herdsman banging on the door
Why, of all things, did God let His own Son to be born under those conditions?
Was God mad at Mary and Joseph? Of course not.
Maybe God allowed the stable so we could see His glory backlit amidst life's humbling experiences.
Life does have its downside, its reversals, its annoyances. And where is God when we despair? He was with Mary and Joseph every moment, working out His plan, just as He is with you and me right now. I guess Christmas reminds us look to beyond our aggravations. God is doing something. You know, if we'll lift our eyes above Bethlehem's hovels for a moment, we might even catch a glimpse of the Christmas star.

Christmas "W"

As you know our Savior Jesus Christ loves little children! So
today
I will share with you a message that was sent to me last year by
one of our subscribers. I know that you will enjoy it as much as I
do.
It is titled...... .

The "W" in Christmas

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 ten 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 it's bold title.

Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in
fuzzy
mittens, red sweaters, and bright snow caps 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, quiet, 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: "CHRISTWAS LOVE" And, I believe, He still is.
Amen.

What if there were no Christmas?

...Christmas?
Dear Gentle Reader,
I have been thinking recently (yes, I do think once in a while, not
all the time but just enough, to keep certain people guessing) !
What if all the people who try and remove prayer in school and those
who hate the words Merry Christmas, and want to think that we evolved
from the slime of the earth and hate... Christians, Because "Christians
are, as my Grandfather use to say ‘If someone hates you it’s because
you’re a reproach to their conscience or a challenge to their ego’"
What is they had their way?
Well, there would be no ACLU to fight for there would be no
Christians to stand up and say "Abortion is wrong, or we want prayer in schools,
or murder is against the Golden rule... Wait a minute I should start at
the beginning shouldn’t I?
Well, if those who want to kick God out of their world. Then there
would have been no Israel to rescue from slavery (you know Moses, the Red
Sea, forty years would have been taken off the Calender (the wandering
in the wilderness). In Fact there would have been no nation of Israel
at all! No Nation to save. Rome would have ruled the world (which means
you would have had to learn Latin). If the were no Jews then Hitler
would have conquered the world and (you would have to learn German) There
would have been no Pearl Harbor because America would not exist! No
Christmas?

No thanksgiving, (what would we give thanks for ? Slime?) No Toys, No
Children to buy for (Remember the Pro-choice platform? My body my
choice! (Really?)
The winter would be darker, no morality, everybody would live anyway
they wanted Murder, crime, violence, hatred, maleficent evil
everywhere..... No goodness, no kindness, no compassion no recognition of beauty,
no art, no music to stir the soul (Oh, that’s right no soul) just
brutish animalistic creatures feeding off the weaker ... until nothing!

Aren’t you glad Gentle reader, that we can celebrate Christmas each
year? That Mary wasn’t pro-choice, that there is a God who loves us and
that whatever race, color or creed you may be wherever you may live
whatever your situation. There is a still small voice that speaks so loud
that that says "You are not alone"! No matter who ever they are that
can scream at the top of the lungs "Be Bright"!" or Bah Humbug"
But I hear the Almighty Creator of the universe whispering gently "I
love you".
And you know what Gentle Reader, I love you too!
Denis




Dr Denis
http://studiesinscripture.bravehost.com
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http://parsontoperson.blogspot.com