Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy. Joseph Campbell
The Shepherd - You Were Not There in Bethlehem Michael McLean
The video with this is beautiful. It is not a clip from the play “The Forgotten Carols. It is the same song, but a beautiful and impressive video.
Good Sabbath, everyone! Have a peaceful almost-Christmas day.
Marilee’s Shoemaker Story
Any resemblance to the well-known fairy tale is completely intentional. Thank you, Brothers Grimm
When my children were small, I loved to tell them about the shoemaker and the good deed-doers.
There was once an elderly shoemaker, who lived with his wife above his tiny shop. He worked hard, very hard; but his gnarled, arthritic fingers just couldn’t make enough shoes. He couldn’t pay his bills. One night, he realized that he only had enough leather to make one more pair of shoes, then it was done. Where would they go? What would they do? How could they live?? Maybe, just maybe if he worked super carefully, he could sell that last pair. He shaped the leather, making sure that every cut was precise and laid the pieces on his workbench where he could put them together in the morning. He went to bed after saying his night time prayers, and slept deeply.
He rose early the next morning and knelt by the side of his bed to say his morning prayers, then headed to his workbench. On the table was what appeared to be a pair of shoes! How did this happen? Did he make them in his sleep? Did his wife make them? No, she sewed, she didn’t cobble. He must have done it somehow. Gratitude filled his heart. The shoes were perfect!
A customer came in, took one look at the shoes and absolutely HAD to have them. He gave the cobbler a fortune for them. It was enough that the cobbler could buy leather for two pairs of shoes! He bought the leather, cut it and placed it carefully on his bench, just like he had the night before. He said his prayers and went to bed. He was so excited for the morning to come that he woke early, went downstairs and there were 2 beautiful pairs of shoes on his table. Again, the workmanship was perfect! How had he done this? Why couldn’t he remember? Why didn’t his hands hurt?
Friends of his first customer came in and were thrilled to see those fabulous boots on his counter. They bought them and took off chortling with glee. (Believe me, that’s pretty happy). They paid him enough to make 4 pairs of shoes!
He didn’t know what to tell his wife, so he went and bought more leather. His next stop was at the doctor’s office. The doctor gave him some sleeping pills to help him sleep through the night. Relieved that he was ok, he cut the leather, put it on his bench, took his pills, said his prayers and went to bed.
He came down the stairs the next morning, groggy from the pills, but ready to work. There on his bench were 4 pairs of stylish shoes. And so it went. Every night he cut out shoes and found them sewn together the next morning. No matter how many pairs he cut, they were always done. Soon new styles started appearing. There were boots and sandals, slip-ons and heels! All kinds of shoes! People lined up outside his shop every morning breathlessly waiting to buy his shoes!
Night after night, he knelt and prayed for whoever was doing this kind deed for them. Every morning, he found the shoes made. He paid off his bills. He bought warm new clothes for him and his wife, he stored food and gave to the poor.
As December approached, he and his wife sat in front of their cozy fire, and talked about the “miracle of the shoes”. He told his wife that he wanted to stay up and find out once and for all who was doing this for them. She thought it was a great idea and joined him. They left a light on, hid behind a curtain and waited.
As soon as the clock struck midnight, 2 little figures entered the shop. They were tiny and clothed in rags. Their dirt-smudged faces looked so sad. Then they saw the bench with the leather and smiled. They started sewing pieces together, stitching and forming the different shoes so fast that the shoemaker’s jaw dropped. He knew who they were. They were the legendary deed-doers! Good-deed-doers! Long before the first rays of morning light broke the horizon, they finished their work and slipped away.
The shoemaker and his wife talked together about the situation and the wife said, “These little deed-doers have made us rich. We need to tell them thank you. We need to tell them that they are the answer to our prayers. I’m going to make them clothes. I’ll make them pants, shirts and gloves, even coats to keep them warm.” The shoemaker responded in kind, “I’ll make them shoes!”
They worked during the day while the deed-doers worked at night. Finally, on Christmas Eve, everything was done. They set out platters of cookies, and mugs of milk. They put the new clothes on the table along with the new boots and hid once again behind the curtain. About midnight the good deed-doers came in, hopped around the room, and went to the bench. When they saw the clothes and the cookies, they laughed and chuckled. They put the clothes on and ate the cookies with milk and danced around the room. Then they saw the boots. In the twinkling of an eye, the boots were on their feet. The room filled with their joy. They ran from the shop, chortling with glee (and yes, that means they were super happy).
The shoemaker and his wife never saw them again, but they remembered them always, and served those in need, at Christmas time and always.
Matt 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
