The
words came to me this morning as I have been thinking about and mulling over
the Christmas season. I’ve read the
lyrics to a dozen carols, I’ve revisited a hundred scriptural texts and read
thoughts by other writers and this is what I’ve come up with.
Walk Slowly Through Christmas. Walk very slowly,
for if we rush, we might miss the cues, the sights, the smells, the sounds, and
the hints of God’s love story that is for all of mankind. ALL mankind – Americans-white or
black, Hispanic, Asian, Jew, Gentile, Muslim, Greek, French, South African,
German, Brit, Canadian, Russian, Latvian, and everybody else I’ve left
out. We are all included in this great
story of love and redemption at Christmas.
Here
is a sample of what I mean.
“Christ is reaching out to us
today. He is reaching through the chaos
of our world, through the confusion of our minds. He is reaching … longing to share with us …
the very being of God.”
This
sounds as if it was written last week.
It was written in the seventies by Gloria Gaither, yet note the
relevancy, the hope and the desire for today.”
Another:
“From the azure halls of heaven to
a lowly manger stall,
Jesus came, and here He gave His
life for all”
There
it is, in a Christmas song, the story of redemption, the story of hope and
forgiveness. That one could be easily
missed. Walk slowly.
Remember
this?
“The Word was made flesh, He lived
among us, and we saw His glory, the glory that is His as the only Son of the
Father, full of grace and truth”
How
about this?
“O come to my heart Lord
Jesus.
There is room in my heart for
Thee”
And
this:
“When they saw the star, they
rejoiced with exceedingly great joy” The wise men weren’t just happy, mildly so. They were exceedingly joyful. They were jumping with joy. When is the last time you let out exceeding
great joy? That must have been something
to see.
“Fear not!” How many times in the Christmas portions of the scriptures
do we read these words?
Angel
Gabriel to Mary
Angel
to the shepherds on the hillside
Angel
to Joseph to “be not afraid to take Mary as your wife”
One
of the great messages of Christmas is this … Have No Fear!
I
love this one …
“How silently, how silently,
the wondrous gift is given
So God imparts to human hearts
the blessings of his heaven
No ear may hear His coming,
but in this world of sin
Where meek souls will receive Him
still,
the dear Christ enters in”
And
this …
Cast out our sin and enter in,
be born in us today
Perhaps
my favorite of all:
Then rang the bells more loud and
deep
God is not dead, nor does He sleep
The wrong shall fail, the right
prevail
With peace on earth good will to
man
Take
a slow stroll through Christmas this year.
Look for the old to become new, the tired and worn phrases that suddenly
jump out with freshness, and listen with renewed ears to the songs of the
season, both sacred and secular. Hear
the joy, the hope, the love and the optimism.
Merry
Christmas!
Words of Hope
Encouragement Inspiration
One Word at a Time
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