Dec 20.97: Light For The Day - "Christmas' story"

Luke 1:30-37 (NIV) :

"But the angel (Gabriel) said to her, "Do not be afraid,
Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be
with child and give birth to a son, and you are to
give him the name Jesus ("the LORD saves").
(Jesus: Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua). 

He will be great and will be called the Son of the
Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of
his father David, and he will reign over the house
of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." 

"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I
am a virgin?" 

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come
upon you, and the power of the Most High will
overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will
be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your
relative is going to have a child (John the Baptist)
in her old age, and she who was said to be barren
is in her sixth month. 

For Nothing Is Impossible With GOD." 

-- Luke 1:30-37 (NIV)
-------------
"Bum Deal At Christmas?" 

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. 

-- by Ralph F. Wilson 
-------------------

How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is giving!
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.

O holy Child of Bethlehem,
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in,
Be born in us today.
-- Unknown-

-