Christmas Stories

Are you willing to forget what you have done for others and to remember what others have done for you, to ignore what the world owes you, to think what you owe the world?  Can you see that your fellow men are just as real as you?.  Try to look behind their faces to their hearts hungry for joy.Can you close your book of complaints against the management of the universe and look around for a place where you can sow a few seeds of happiness?  Are you willing to do these things even for a day?  Then, you can keep Christmas.



Are you willing to stoop down and consider the needs and desires of little children, to remembeou can carry it in front so that  the weakness and loneliness of people who are growing old, to stop asking how much your friends give you, and ask yourself whether you love them enough to trim your lamp so it will give more light and less smoke?  Then you can carry it in front so that your shadow will fall behind.



Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world?  It is stronger than hate, evil, and even death.  The blessed life which began in Bethlehem over two-thousand years ago is the image and brightness of eternal love.  This is keeping Christmas.



If yo keep it for a day, why not always?



According to Henry Van Dyke, “You can never keep it alone.”



                                   



 



                                    WHAT IS THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT



Music: Birthday of a King



Luke 1:10-11:  “...And the angel said unto them, ‘fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of good joy, shich shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David ..a Savior, which is Christ the Lord’”



There are those brave souls who say smugly on Black Friday, “I have all my Christmas shopping done, packages wrapped, and cards addressed.”



Then there are are those confused souls who never plan anything, get in a terrible rush at the last minute and come out with at least a headache.  The in-between souls, most of us, sit down and carefull plan out Christmas.  Then, at the last, it gets too much for us.  For some there is the last minute hurrying, scurying and confusion.  This causes us to do more than we had expected.  We excuse ourselves by saying, “The Christmas Spirit must have the best of us.”



We may then respond to the call of good causes that take advantage of our Christmas spirit to make their demands upon our poketbooks at Christmas time.  We give to people with certain diseases, to missions and missionaries, to welfare children, Salvation Army and others.  Our churches and other organizations gang up on us at a time when we are spending money for friends and loved ones.



All of these forces, plus the work and money for gifts and social obligations that seem to pile up (must everyone have a Christmas party?)...make us sigh and say, I’ll be glad when Christmas is over.” This was my attitude until I decided to use the holiday to honor Christ mostly through music.  We never go in debt, and if we buy something, we knoe it is something the person really needs. 



There is one custom we haven’t changed.  When my youngest son was about 8, he begged and begged Mother to let him open ust one gift before Christmas.  His big brown eyes won out.  He carefully picked up every one and shook it.  One made no noise and he was sure it contained money.  When it was opened, there were six pair of sock.  He threw it across the room yelling, “a box of socks.”  Every Christmas since that, someone gives him a large box of socks.My other son, who always read the Christmas Story, led in singing, and prayer, was lost to us in 2008.  I’ve had trouble attending family gatherings since then..  Due to my illness, I might not have a choice this year.



There is a simple answer to the financial pressures.  A simple test for giving of gifts, attending social obligations or donations to a good cause.  Consider the plan of God for giving.



God’s gift to the world when He gave Christ to be our Savior was the first Christmas Gift.  There are thring things to remembr about this gift, which you may apply to your giving.  First, God gave the best He had, His Son.  Second, He gave to people in need  We needed the Savior.  Third, He gave us this good gift because He loved us.  So put that test in everything you give at Christmas.  Is it the best you can do?  Is it of use to the one receiving it?  Are you giving it with love in your heart?  If you can answer “Yes” to those three questions, you have the real Christmas Spirit.



Remember, Christmas is the birthday of Our Lord.  We should think of what we do as a birthday gift for Him.  He said that if we do things for even the least of these we do it for Him.  But bear in mind, we cannot do things for him without love for Him in our heart.