Once in Royal David's City

Once in royal David’s city

Stood a lowly cattle shed,

Where a mother laid her Baby

In a manger for His bed:

Mary was that mother mild,

Jesus Christ her little Child.

He came down to earth from Heaven,

Who is God and Lord of all,

And His shelter was a stable,

And His cradle was a stall;

With the poor, and mean, and lowly,

Lived on earth our Savior holy.

And, through all His wondrous childhood,

He would honor and obey,

Love and watch the lowly maiden,

In whose gentle arms He lay:

Christian children all must be

Mild, obedient, good as He.

For He is our childhood’s pattern;

Day by day, like us He grew;

He was little, weak and helpless,

Tears and smiles like us He knew;

And He feeleth for our sadness,

And He shareth in our gladness.

And our eyes at last shall see Him,

Through His own redeeming love,

For that Child so dear and gentle

Is our Lord in Heav’n above,

And He leads His children on

To the place where He is gone.

Not in that poor lowly stable,

With the oxen standing by,

We shall see Him; but in Heaven,

Set at God’s right hand on high;

Where like stars His children crowned

All in white shall wait around.

by Cecil F. Alexander

*

*

Isaiah 9:2-7

"The people who walk in darkness

Will see a great light;

Those who live in a dark land,

The light will shine on them.

You shall multiply the nation,

You shall increase their gladness;

They will be glad in Your presence

As with the gladness of harvest,

As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

For You shall break the yoke of their burden 

and the staff on their shoulders,

The rod of their oppressor, 

as at the battle of Midian.

For every boot 

of the booted warrior in the battle tumult,

And cloak rolled in blood,

 will be for burning, fuel for the fire.

For a child will be born to us, 

a son will be given to us;

And the government will rest on His shoulders;

And His name will be called 

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

There will be no end 

to the increase of His government or of peace,

On the throne of David 

and over his kingdom,

To establish it and to uphold it 

with justice and righteousness

From then on and forevermore.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this."

*

Our Second Snow

It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

It came upon the midnight clear, 
that glorious song of old, 
from angels bending near the earth 
to touch their harps of gold: 
"Peace on the earth, good will to men, 
from heaven's all-gracious King." 
The world in solemn stillness lay, 
to hear the angels sing. 

Still through the cloven skies they come 
with peaceful wings unfurled, 
and still their heavenly music floats 
o'er all the weary world; 
above its sad and lowly plains, 
they bend on hovering wing, 
and ever o'er its Babel sounds 
the blessed angels sing. 

And ye, beneath life's crushing load, 
whose forms are bending low, 
who toil along the climbing way 
with painful steps and slow, 
look now! for glad and golden hours 
come swiftly on the wing. 
O rest beside the weary road, 
and hear the angels sing!

For lo! the days are hastening on, 
by prophet seen of old, 
when with the ever-circling years 
shall come the time foretold 
when peace shall over all the earth 
its ancient splendors fling, 
and the whole world send back the song 
which now the angels sing.
*

Luke 2:22-40
"...And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 

And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 

And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,

“Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace,
According to Your word;
For my eyes have seen Your salvation,
Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
A Light of revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”


And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. 

And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed...”

*

Oh, Worrycare!

Matthew 6:34

So do not worry about tomorrow; 

for tomorrow will care for itself. 

Each day has enough trouble of its own.

*

Hail, hail the Word made flesh!

What child is this who, laid to rest

On Mary’s lap is sleeping?

Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,

While shepherds watch are keeping?

This, this is Christ the King,

Whom shepherds guard and angels sing;

Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,

The babe, the son of Mary.

Why lies He in such mean estate,

Where ox and ass are feeding?

Good Christians, fear, for sinners here

The silent Word is pleading.

Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,

The cross be borne for me, for you.

Hail, hail the Word made flesh,

The babe, the son of Mary.

So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,

Come peasant, king to own Him;

The King of kings salvation brings,

Let loving hearts enthrone Him.

Raise, raise a song on high,

The virgin sings her lullaby.

Joy, joy for Christ is born,

The babe, the son of Mary.

William C.Dix

"Why are you so angry?"

Thanks, Billy Sunday! What a wonderful way to begin a conversation with an angry person!

*

We would hear our precious retired pastor friend ask this question, "Why are you so angry?" when certain angry individuals would come up to our evangelistic free book table in the public square and try to cause us trouble.  

His question never failed to diffuse the anger in the persons who were the troublemakers.  

So many times the person would begin to share with this pastor about the things which made him angry, and what came out eventually was the person was angry at God.  What a great place to begin to explain the gospel!

One other time a particularly angry student who was a frequent book table visitor came up once again to argue.  We did not argue, but discuss, and aim individuals to the Word.  This always infuriated this certain student.  

This time "J" stated his false claim against the Bible, and my beloved said to him, "Did you know that the Bible talks about you, "J"?"

"J" tipped his head and was actually curious, asking where.

My Beloved turned to Romans 1 showing it to "J" while he recited Romans 1:18-32:

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

because that which is known about God is evident within them; 

for God made it evident to them. 

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, 

His eternal power and divine nature, 

have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, 

so that they are without excuse. 

For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, 

but they became futile in their speculations, 

and their foolish heart was darkened. 

Professing to be wise, they became fools, 

and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God 

for an image in the form of corruptible man 

and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures...."

It was one of the few times that this student did not leave angry, but instead contemplated, agreed, and left.  I do believe it was just what he needed to hear. 

Still praying for our "J".

How the angels must have sung!

Angels we have heard on high

Sweetly singing o’er the plain

And the mountains in reply

Echoing their joyous strain

Gloria, in excelsis Deo!

Gloria, in excelsis Deo!

Shepherds, why this jubilee?

Why your joyous strains prolong?

What the gladsome tidings be?

Which inspire your heavenly songs?

Gloria, in excelsis Deo!

Gloria, in excelsis Deo!

Come to Bethlehem and see

Christ Whose birth the angels sing;

Come, adore on bended knee,

Christ, the Lord, the newborn King.

Gloria, in excelsis Deo!

Gloria, in excelsis Deo!

See Him in a manger laid,

Jesus, Lord of heaven and earth;

Mary, Joseph, lend your aid,

With us sing our Savior's birth.

*

Luke 2:19

..."Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart."...

For He will save His people from their sins

Matthew 1:20-21
"...an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Oh, Holy Night

A Merry Christmas from Hillsdale College

He comforts us in all of our afflictions!

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 

who comforts us in all our affliction 

so that we will be able to comfort 

those who are in any affliction 

with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, 

so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.

But if we are afflicted, 

it is for your comfort and salvation; 

or if we are comforted, 

it is for your comfort, 

which is effective 

in the patient enduring 

of the same sufferings which we also suffer; 

and our hope for you is firmly grounded, 

knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, 

so also you are sharers of our comfort.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

*

He came to save the world! Go Tell!

Go, tell it on the mountain,

Over the hills and everywhere

Go, tell it on the mountain,

That Jesus Christ is born.

While shepherds kept their watching

Over silent flocks by night

Behold throughout the heavens

There shone a holy light.

Go, tell it on the mountain,

Over the hills and everywhere

Go, tell it on the mountain,

That Jesus Christ is born.

The shepherds feared and trembled,

When lo! above the earth,

Rang out the angels chorus

That hailed the Savior’s birth.

Go, tell it on the mountain,

Over the hills and everywhere

Go, tell it on the mountain,

That Jesus Christ is born.

Down in a lowly manger

The humble Christ was born

And God sent us salvation

That blessed Christmas morn.

Go, tell it on the mountain,

Over the hills and everywhere

Go, tell it on the mountain,

That Jesus Christ is born.

John Work, Jr.

*

Luke 2:15-20

"When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” 

So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.

When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 

And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 

But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 

The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them."

The Drummer Boy

"She out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."
Luke 21:4

“The Little Drummer Boy” is a popular Christmas song written in 1941. It was originally known as “Carol of the Drum” and is based on a traditional Czech carol. Although there isn’t any reference to a drummer boy in the Christmas story in Matthew 1–2 and Luke 2, the point of the carol goes straight to the heart of the meaning of worship. The carol describes how a boy is summoned by the Magi to the scene of Christ’s birth. Unlike the wise men, however, the drummer has no gift—so he gives what he has. He plays his drum, saying, “I played my best for Him.”

This echoes the worship Jesus described when He told of the widow and her two coins: “ ‘Truly I tell you,’ he said, ‘this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on’ ” 
Luke 21:3-4

God is worthy of our all.

All the drummer boy had was his drum and all the poor widow had were her two coins, but the God they worshiped was worthy of their all. He is worthy of our all as well, having given His all for us.

“All to Jesus, I surrender, all to Him I freely give; I will ever love and trust Him, in His presence daily live.” 
by Judson W. Van De Venter

Your little is a lot when you give your all.

INSIGHT:
In both the Old and New Testaments, the Scriptures challenge the people of God to show concern for the marginalized. For example, Deuteronomy 14:29 says: “At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied.” In the New Testament, the church at Jerusalem established a ministry for the care of widows (Acts 6), and James says the care of widows and orphans is the mark of true religion (James 1:27).

Our Daily Bread

In the Bleak Mid-winter

In the bleak mid-winter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter
Long ago.

Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him
Nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign:
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable-place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty,
Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, whom cherubim
Worship night and day,
A breastful of milk,
And a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels
Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
Which adore.

Angels and archangels
May have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim
Thronged the air -
But only His mother
In her maiden bliss
Worshipped the Beloved
With a kiss.

What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb;
If I were a wise man
I would do my part;
Yet what I can, I give Him -
Give my heart.

C. Rossetti

But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head.

“The letter” came with its cult-like fluff written by one of them.  

The situation never leaves us. 

Over and over I give it to the LORD, and He knows and understands my deepest pain. This is my great comfort.

The day after it came I literally went to the LORD every minute, because only He could help me overcome the huge grief, capturing my horrible thoughts. 

Now, I continue to live for Him, and it all "seems" fine, but I am still so very wounded, deep, deep inside.  

I realize that even “if” the situation would ever turn around, things could never, would never be as it should be, as if it was all normal again ~ and so I just continue.  

I want to live and be happy without the constant pain deep inside, but this can never be.  The agony is very real, a living death.  

I know the LORD is using this huge agony, because nothing, no pain is ever wasted by Him.  He knows and understands and it is some how for the good for those who love Him.  

Continuing for Him. 

Thank you, LORD!

*

As you, my sisters in Christ, find your woundedness too much to handle, I point you to the Only One who can truly be there for you all the time, to lift your heads in your agonies.


Psalm 3
"O Lord, how my adversaries have increased!
Many are rising up against me.
Many are saying of my soul,
“There is no deliverance for him in God.” 

But You, O Lord, are a shield about me,
My glory, and the One who lifts my head.
I was crying to the Lord with my voice,
And He answered me from His holy mountain. 

I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord sustains me.
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me round about.

Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God!
For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek;
You have shattered the teeth of the wicked.
Salvation belongs to the Lord;

Your blessing be upon Your people! 

Suspicions suddenly confirmed

I'm just saying....

A Moral Compass

Galatians 5:1, 13-25

"It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery…

…For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 

For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 

But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. 

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. 

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 

Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit."

*

Life is tough, but God is good!

This evil world is not our own, and who would want it?!

We who belong to LORD, live our lives for Him as we wait for Jesus' return.  This is our desire, to glorify Him no matter what is happening to us in this life. 

Our hope is in Him!

The pain and struggles of this earthly life only seem to quadrupple as each day goes by.  But we have the LORD as our comfort and strength!  Just as the poem says, 

"God is not dead; nor doth He sleep!"

*

"Christmas Bells"

"I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!


And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!


Till, ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!


Then from each black accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!


It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!


And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"


Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!"

(The original poem, complete with all seven stanzas)

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

*

"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" became the Christmas carol.

*

Weather report from the cat

The wind is blowing.

*

No matter what happens, try to remember not to fret. God is in charge of even "the bad guys"

"Do not fret because of evildoers,
Be not envious toward wrongdoers.

For they will wither quickly like the grass
And fade like the green herb.

Trust in the Lord and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.

He will bring forth your righteousness as the light
And your judgment as the noonday.

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.

Cease from anger and forsake wrath;
Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.

For evildoers will be cut off,
But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.

Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more;
And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.

But the humble will inherit the land
And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.

The wicked plots against the righteous
And gnashes at him with his teeth.

The Lord laughs at him,
For He sees his day is coming

The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow
To cast down the afflicted and the needy,
To slay those who are upright in conduct.

Their sword will enter their own heart,
And their bows will be broken.

Better is the little of the righteous
Than the abundance of many wicked.

For the arms of the wicked will be broken,
But the Lord sustains the righteous.

The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
And their inheritance will be forever.

They will not be ashamed in the time of evil,
And in the days of famine they will have abundance.

...the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He is their strength in time of trouble.

The Lord helps them and delivers them;
He delivers them from the wicked 
and saves them,
Because they take refuge in Him.

Psalm 37:1-19,39-40

There is a Redeemer!

*

There is a redeemer

Jesus, God's own Son

Precious Lamb of God, Messiah

Holy One

Thank You, O my Father

For giving us Your Son

And leaving Your Spirit

Till the work on earth is done

Jesus my Redeemer

Name above all names

Precious Lamb of God, Messiah

O for sinners slain

When I stand in glory

I will see His face

And there I'll serve my King forever

In that holy place

*

Melody Green

*

1 Corinthians 1:30

"...by His doing 

you are in Christ Jesus, 

who became to us wisdom from God, 

and righteousness 

and sanctification, 

and redemption"

*