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TheGiftOfChristmas

Hi Merry Christmas!!!!! I did my Christmascolumn this week - it time for the Twelve Days of Christmas to tell people that they had 12 days just to remember the birth of Jesus - and what it means to the whole world. Love you all, George



Sour Grapes and Saddle Sores

George HIrst

The Gift of Christmas December 25, 2007

The Festival of Christmas is over, the celebrations in song and word, the buying and wrapping and giving of presents to families and friends and, the reading of the words that retell the story of Christmasare all finished. Following Christmas Day is a quiet time to reflect on the joys and meaning of Christmas called The Twelve Days of Christmas, it is the time between Christmas Day and Ephiphany. It is a time when we can reflect on the Gift that is central to the whole season. There is only one Gift of Christmas and, It is a gift that is only given. It is the gift of love. All persons or groups of persons who lay claim to be Christians ought to be giving what they have received. Surely the secular world, who also keeps the season, could find a word to use in their advertisement telling us that they have the right gift for us to buy to give to others.

For two thousand years, we have told the story of a gift of love given in human form. The gift came in ordinary ways and to persons who had little connection to the organization that professed to believe in the Giver of the gift of love. They not only did not change their ways, they continued to deny that gift to people who did not meet their standards. The Rev.Mr Joe Ballard, pastor of First Congregational United Church of Christ, Wyoming, in a sermon, said, "The Gift came not to people who were qualified but to qualify the world to be blessed by that giving love."

There is a line in an old song, " Better watch out... Santa Claus is coming to town, he sees you when your sleeping, he known where you're awake, he knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake." The Gift of Christmas is not restricted to just special persons, it is given to all the world.

The "old preacher" in me has come to the forefront in my thinking. I have to say that we all need understand that the wonder of Christmas is found when we recognize the love given is to all of creation great and small. We also need to pass that love on to all things around us good and bad, in all the shapes of our world.

The giving of gifts, the decorating of our homes and places of businesses, and the musical sounds of the season seems to leave out the central gift, the gift of a life that grew up among us. The story is there, but the full face of the love, that included sacrifice of a life, is hidden in the glitter and the sounds.

I have a suggestion: In the days between now and January 6th of the new year take some time for thinking about what that simple birth did to your life, then take that light that shines in your life and let it help some one. The way you kept the season is affects your way of living, so the thing I suggest is that you tell and show some other person that the Gift of Christmas is love.


SourGrapesAndSaddleSores
Created by KKris. Last Modification: Friday 28 of December, 2007 14:39:20 EST by KKris.