Christmas begins
When the song of angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone
When the Kings and princes are departed
When the shepherds are back with their flocks
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost
To Heal the broken
To feed the hungry
To release the prisoner
To rebuild peace among brothers
To make music for all to hear.
~*~*~*~
Do You Have Room?
Performed by One Voice Children's Choir
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0tn-VdgU_k
They
journeyed far, a weary pair,
They
sought for shelter from the cold night air.
Some
place where she could lay her head,
Where
she could give her Babe a quiet bed.
Was
there no room? No corner there?
In
all the town a spot someone could share?
Was
there no soul come to their aid?
A
stable bare was where the family stayed.
Do
you have room for the Savior?
And
do you seek Him anew?
Have
you a place for the one who lived and died for you?
Are
you as humble as a shepherd boy,
Or
as wise as men of old?
Would
you have come that night?
Would
you have sought the light?
Do
you have room?
A
star arose, a wondrous light
A
sign from God this was the Holy Night
And
yet so few would go to see
The
babe who came to rescue you and me.
This
child divine is now a King
The
gift of life to all the world He brings
And
all mankind, He saves from doom
but
on that night for Him there was no room
Do
you have room for the Savior?
And
do you seek Him anew?
Have
you a place for the one who lived and died for you?
Are
you as humble as a shepherd bo,
Or
as wise as men of old?
Would
you have come that night?
Would
you have sought the light?
Do
you have room?
Will
you come tonight?
Will
you seek the light?
Do
you have room?
~*~*~*~
Almond Joy/Mounds Center
2/3 c. Sweetened condensed Milk (5 oz.)
2 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
12-14 oz. shredded coconut
1 pkg. Roasted almonds (optional)
Bring all ingredients to room temperature. In a small bowl mix together the vanilla and condensed milk. Add the powdered sugar ½½ c. at a time, blend until smooth. Add the coconut, blend until evenly distributed. Spread in a 8 x 8" pan. Chill. Cut into segments for dipping. Press a roasted almond onto the top of each segment if desired.
~*~*~*~
Yesterday, I got semi-sidetracked. Does that ever happen to you? My intention was to contact someone who was alone, who needed to know someone cared about them this Christmas. I planned to ask them about their Christmas memories, and help them remember the good times. Dean and I prepared goodie bags with apples, oranges, grapes, and granola bars and delivered them to various families in the area. We shared memories with many of them. At one home, we talked about the Fisher Price nativity set I own and how much our children enjoyed playing with the pieces when they were young. It’s not out this year, or I should say that it wasn’t out until yesterday. When I got home and looked at the empty spot where it usually sits, I had to put it out. So many memories of playing with my youngest daughter, Gina, and all of our grandchildren flooded back. One memory replayed itself over and over in my mind. Four years ago our grandson Lucas was here. We played with my set. I told Lucas a “service” stressed version of the nativity story. Lucas told me the names of the figurines, and every one of them was “Jesus” - the shepherds, the wise men, and Joseph. Even Mary and the angel were “Jesus”. The last piece was “baby Jesus”. I asked Lucas to tell me the story. He picked up the first wise man and said “serve Jesus”. Then said the same for each figurine, then finally picked up the baby in the manger again and said, “love Jesus”. He got that right! I wish I was a child and could serve through their eyes. This weekend I will concentrate on serving more. ~~ Marilee
~*~*~*~
True Christmas Joy
by Tennett Morrell
'Twas
the day before Christmas, a long time ago
And our beautiful
earth was all covered with snow;
Down the street with their
sleighs came two manly boys,
Who paused at the window to look
at the toys.
Already
two others were there looking in;
But their faces were sad, and
their clothes old and thin.
And the little one said, "is
it because we're so poor
That Santa doesn't come to our house
anymore ? "
The
older one patted his wee brother's head,
And hugged him up
closely, as softly he said:
"Oh, maybe he will come
tonight, little Tim,
If we ask in our prayers for the Lord to
send him!"
The
little face smiled, but the boys saw a tear
In the eye of the
one who quelled little Tim's fear.
Then slowly and sadly the
waifs went their way
To the place they called home, where that
night they would pray.
The
boys, with their sleighs, followed closely behind,
And neither
one spoke, but in each childish mind
A beautiful thought said
as plain as could be:
"I’’’’ll
share with those poor boys what Santa brings me. "
When
the two reached their home, to their father they ran,
And
eagerly told him their unselfish plan.
He was proud of his
boys, who now felt that same love
That sent our dear Savior
from His Home above.
Next morning, still thrilled with their beautiful thought,
They
scampered downstairs to see what Santa brought,
And they, with
the help of their father and mother,
Selected the presents for
Tim and his brother.
And
as the first light of dawn came into view
The two went their
way with the toys bright and new,
And
crept very quietly up to the door
Where they'd seen the boys
enter the evening before.
As
they hurried back home toward their own Christmas joys,
They
could not even dream how the other two boys,
On finding that
Santa had really been there,
Sent their joy to the One who had
answered their prayer.
That
night, when the "Santas" were ready for bed,
With a
hand of their father on each curly head,
They knew, as they
thought of two poor, happy boys,
What's the truest and choicest
of all Christmas joys.
The End
This appears on multiple sites, one of which is True Christmas Joy – All Christmas
