Thank you Charlie Brown
T’was the night before Christmas and all through the house...People have been reading this poem for years and associating it with a figure that was designed by a soda company. We look forward to watching a video about a reindeer that has problems with his nose, an elf that wants to become a dentist, a snowman that comes to life by putting a hat on him and also a grandmother that was in a terrible accident involving a fat man, with a white beard, in a red suit riding in a sleigh with animals pulling it.
We spend so much money decorating our houses with lights and other things. We have made this into a holiday of going into debt buying so many things that people may or may not want. We have contests as far as who has the ugliest sweater and how much did that ugly sweater cost?
But as a young man asked years ago to his friends, “doesn’t anyone know the meaning of Christmas?!” Well, his friend explained it so well in 1965 and as long as they show the cartoon, we will know, that is if we really pay attention. It was from the Bible, Luke 2:8-20 to be specific:
“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.”
Let us remember that this season celebrates God humbling himself to be among us so that He can die for our sins. It is that He wants a relationship with us. He is the greatest present of the season.
When we put up lights to decorate our house and the trees that we bring into our house, let us remember that He is the light of the world, showing us the difference between living in darkness and walking in the light.
Why is it that we have to be reminded that the world does not revolve around receiving all mounds of gifts when we can be content with the best gift ever?
The best thing that I have seen was the lawn decoration of the fat man in the red suit bowing down and worshiping at the manger that our Lord was laid in.
Christmas is the time that the church has chosen to celebrate the birth of Jesus the Christ. The date was chosen to align more with the pagans winter solstice so that not too many people would get upset. Now we see that so many people have removed the reason that we celebrate the holiday to start with. It seems that so many shows that people are forgetting the true things in life.
Remember that Jesus came here with a mission that He had to carry out and He did it successfully. Will you carry out your mission that God may have for you, or will you turn your back on Him and the love that He has for you? That is between you and God.
Please have a good Christmas. I know that some of you may go to church, so may feel forced to go but open up your ears and listen to what is said. I know that others may help feed in a shelter and other people may be on shift, working the job that pays the bills. I may not be able to see you all but all of you are cared for.
Merry CHRISTmas! And as the innocent children would say “Happy Birthday Jesus!”
Stay Safe,
Didymus McHugh
didymus-mchugh.com
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