Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Scripture for the day:

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who
dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. ~Isaiah 9:1-6

Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord. ~Psalm 96

The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you
good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the
city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord. And
this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling
clothes and lying in a manger." ~Luke 2:1-14


Meditation for the day:

It seems like there is so much darkness in the world. How can we sort it
all out. Values are messed up. People invest in things that are not
helpful to them or anybody. And, just like 2000 years ago, Jesus bursts
into our lives. "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great
light." Our Savior is born! We can welcome Him into our own hearts. We
can allow him to sort out the difficulties of the world and bring light
into the darkness through us. Are we willing to do that. Will be allow
Him to be born into our hearts?

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may allow the Savior to be born in my heart. I pray that I
may allow Him to live in me and that I may work to bring about the
fullness of His Kingdom by being a person dedicated to His light.

Hello my friends! I hear that the boards will be shut down for a couple days, so I'm wishing you all a Very Merry, Joyful and Blessed Christmas and may you all have a wonderful time with family and friends as you celebrate the Birth of Jesus so many years ago, but never to be forgotten! Praise God for giving us Jesus thru Mary, our Blessed Mother!
It was her openness to do God's Will and her YES to the Angel that we have Jesus for our Savior and Redeemer! She really deserves a lot of honor and she is always here for us, too!!
We are going to be at Lori's for Christmas Eve at her new house! That will be different! Darla and Greg are traveling now, should be in Mpls in the morning, to Greg's house, he still has it, and rents it out, but keeps his bedroom handy - so they'll sleep there first and then come to Lori's. I hope and pray they do not run into any bad weather and we're sending as many Angels as they need to protect them and keep them safe.
Today was my last day working for Lori - and I did sell! It was good I was there today.


The Christ Child

To realize that God himself came down among us, to experience and to share our weakness, is to understand something that is at the heart of Incarnation. On a strictly human level it didn't make sense, because the world doesn't understand the power there is in littleness. And when Jesus came as a helpless infant, the Herods of this world were really scared because they could and cannot deal with it.

Jesus Christ, the redeemer, came as a helpless infant for three important reasons.

He came as a helpless child to be like one of us, so that he could speak our language, and eventually understand and forgive the sinner and feed the hungry and show us exactly what we ourselves had to do.
There is, however, still another reason why he came as a helpless child. He did not want to distract people from his true origin. Would he have come as a king, people would have revered him as king. He did come as a child, to point out his origin in God and from God.
During the days when God appointed Judges, the Ark of the Covenant was lost. The high priest commissioned that every artisan throughout Israel craft a new ark, one that would be a fitting and appropriate replacement for the old one. Then God himself could choose its worthy successor. Every craftsman without exception set about the task of building a truly noble and worthwhile replacement for the Ark. When the day of decision finally arrived, there lay spread before the people of Israel chests of wood and stone and bronze and silver and gold. Before each ark the high priest cast his sacred die to determine the Lord's choice. One model after the other was rejected. Then the high priest arrived at Joseph's ark. Joseph was a poor carpenter with only normal ability but deep devotion to God. His ark was painfully simple and decidedly lackluster. When the die turned up positive the people were outspokenly upset. "Does God reject the very talent he has given to these gifted craftsmen?" they shouted. Yielding to pressure, the high priest cast the die again. Again the choice fell upon Joseph's ark. He was forced to try for the third time. The result was the same. And amid cries of protest, a voice from heaven was heard to say: "With a wondrous ark", God said to the people, "my people may get lost in the beauty of their own work. With a simple and humble ark there will be nothing to distract them. Then they will think of me, and not of themselves."

The Christ Child is like this simple and humble ark. Seeing it we will be reminded of God, and not be distracted by our own ways and plans of saving ourselves.

The Christ Child reminds us also of the difference that exists between sugar and salt. When sugar is added to food, it draws attention to itself, to the sugar. When salt is added, it brings out the flavor of the food. It does not draw attention to itself, to the salt. Similarly, the Christ Child draws attention not to himself but to our need for salvation and to God's bottomless love for us. The Christ Child also reminds us that we are called to be the salt and not the sugar of the earth.

There may be a third reason why Jesus Christ met humanity as a child. He reminds us that like children we are to grow into sons and daughters of God, in his image and likeness. When Mary took the child to the Temple, she offered two turtle doves. According to the legend, when the priest went to offer them in sacrifice, one of them escaped and flew off. It was the one who symbolized Christ's divinity. So the bird had no place to go except heaven. However, when it got there the gates were closed. So the dove returned to earth, but the child was gone from Jerusalem and was nowhere to be found in all the Holy Land. Since the bird could not light on earth nor enter heaven, it flew to the only place where innocence exists between heaven and earth, the heart of a child.
It is said that the child immediately took on the nature of the dove, sweet, gentle and kind, in one word, Christlike. Then as the child grew, the dove continued to gather strength until it was strong enough to leave and continue its search for the Christ child. But before it did, it carried the soul of its host to the gates of heaven and sang its sweet, plaintive song. On hearing the Christ-dove the Father opened the gates of Heaven and allowed the soul to pass through.

Since then the Christ-dove continually journeys back and forth between heaven and earth, taking up residence in the heart of the innocent until the day it can find the Christ child once again.

And so let us conclude with Karl Barth and Mother Teresa. Karl Barth once said: "Anyone who has really understood that God became human, can never speak and act in an inhuman way." Mother Teresa rephrased the same idea in an even more practical manner: "Welcome Jesus at Christmas Time," she said, "not in a cold manger of our heart ... but warm with love for one another."




THE BELL
I KNOW WHO I AM
I am God's child (John 1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15 )
I am united with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17)
I am bought with a price (1 Cor 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ. (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt 5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom 8: 1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil 3 :20)
I am free from any charge against me (Rom 8:31 -34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God (2 Cor 5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be separated from the love of God (Rom 8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor 1:21-22 )
I am assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28 )
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16 )
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12 )
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13 )
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16). I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).. I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1). I am God's workmanship (Eph. 2:10)
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected. (Phil. 1: 5)
I have been redeemed and forgiven ( Col 1:14). I have been adopted as God's child (Eph 1:5)
I belong to God
Do you know
Who you are?


Keep this bell ringing...pass it on
'The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine upon you
And be gracious to you;
The LORD turn His face toward you
And give you peace...
Numbers 6:24-26.


One Baby Born

One baby born in the darkness of time.
One baby born for the good of mankind.
So small, so frail, so meek was He,
Who would have thought
The Son of God He would be?


One baby born to laugh and play,
One baby born to give us hope that day.
So small, so frail, so meek was He,
Who would have thought
His mission was to die on the tree?


One baby born to suffer for all,
One baby born, to die was His call.
So small, so frail, so meek was He,
Who would have thought He held the key
That opens Life's Gate to Victory?

One baby born in the darkness of time,
One baby born for the good of mankind,
So small, so frail, so meek was He,
A gift of Love for you and me.

By Brenda Bergen


This Message I send to you with love
a gift that was passed from our Father above.

Cherish this time of remembrance of
the birth of our savior and teacher...

and this one I got from Hopefully - thank you, Hopefully!

THE LAST STRAW

By: Paula McDonald

Everyone, unfortunately, was cooped up in the house that typical gray winter afternoon. And, as usual, the four little McNeals were at it again, teasing each other, squabbling, bickering, and always fighting over their toys.

At times like this, Ellen was almost ready to believe that her children didn't love each other, even though she knew that wasn't true. All brothers and sisters fight sometimes, of course, but lately her lively little bunch had been particularly horrid to each other, especially Eric and Kelly, who were only a year apart. The two of them seemed determined to spend the whole long winter making each other miserable.

"Give me that. It's mine!" Kelly screamed, her voice shrill.

It is not! I had it first," Eric answered stubbornly.

Ellen sighed as she listened to the latest argument. With Christmas only a month away, the house seemed sadly lacking in Christmas spirit. This was supposed to be the season of sharing and love, of warm feelings and happy hearts. A home needed more than just pretty packages and twinkling lights on a tree to fill the holidays with joy.

Ellen had only one idea. Years ago, her grandmother had told her about an old custom that helped people discover the true meaning of Christmas. Perhaps it would work for her family this year. It was certainly worth a try. She gathered the children together and lined them up on the couch, tallest to smallest - Eric, Kelly, Lisa and Mike.

"How would you kids like to start a new Christmas tradition this year?" she asked. "It's like a game, but it can only be played by people who can keep a secret. Can everyone here do that?

"I can!" shouted Eric.

"I can keep a secret better than him!" yelled Kelly.

"I can do it!" chimed in Lisa.

"Me too. Me too," squealed little Mike. "I'm big enough."

"Well then, this is how the game works," Ellen explained. "This year we're going to surprise Baby Jesus when He comes on Christmas Eve by making Him the softest bed in the world. We're going to fill a little crib with straw to make it comfortable. But here's the secret part. The straw we put in will measure the good deeds we've done, but we won't tell anyone who we're doing them for."

The children looked confused. "But how will Jesus know it's His bed!" Kelly asked.

"He'll know," said Ellen. "He'll recognize it by the love we put in to make it soft."

"But who will we do the good deed for?" asked Eric, still a little confused.

"We'll do them for each other. Once a week we'll put all of our names in a hat, Daddy's and mine too. Then we'll each pick out a different name. Whoever's name we draw, we'll do kind things for that person for a whole week. But you can't tell anyone else whose name you've chosen. We'll each try to do as many favors for our special person as we can without getting caught. And for every good deed we do, we'll put another straw in the crib."

"Like being a spy!" squealed Lisa.

"But what if I pick someone's name that I don't like?" Kelly frowned.

Ellen thought about that for a minute. "Maybe you could use an extra fat piece of straw. And think how much faster the fat straws will fill up our crib. We'll use the cradle in the attic," she said. "And we can all go to the field behind the school for the straw."

Without a single argument, the children bundled into their wool hats and mittens, laughing and tumbling out of the house. The field had been covered with tall grass in summer, but now, dead and dried, the golden stalks looked just like real straw. They carefully selected handfuls and placed them in the large box they had carried with them.

"That's enough," Ellen laughed when the box was almost overflowing. "Remember it's only a small cradle."

So home they went to spread their straw carefully on a large tray Ellen never used. Eric, because he was the eldest, was given the responsibility of climbing into the attic and bringing down the cradle.

"We'll pick names as soon as Daddy comes home for dinner, Ellen said, unable to hide a smile at the thought of Mark's pleased reaction to the children's transformed faces and their voices, filled now with excited anticipation rather than annoyance.

At the supper table that night, six pieces of paper were folded, shuffled and shaken around in Mark's furry winter hat, and the drawing began. Kelly picked a name first and immediately started to giggle. Lisa reached into the hat next, trying hard to look like a serious spy. Mike couldn't read yet, so Mark whispered the name in his ear. Then Mike quickly ate his little wad of paper so no one would ever learn the identity of his secret person. Eric was the next to choose, and as he unfolded his scrap of paper, a frown creased his forehead. But he stuffed the name quickly into his pocket and said nothing. Ellen and Mark selected names and the family was ready to begin.

The week that followed was filled with surprises; it seemed the McNeal house had suddenly been invaded by an army of invisible elves. Kelly would walk into her room at bedtime to find her nightgown neatly laid out and her bed turned down. Someone cleaned up the sawdust under the workbench without being asked. The jelly blobs magically disappeared from the kitchen counter after lunch one day while Ellen was out getting the mail. And every morning, when Eric was brushing his teeth, someone crept quietly into his room and made the bed. It wasn't made perfectly, but it was made. That particular little elf must have had short arms because he couldn't seem to reach the middle.

"Where are my shoes?" Mark asked one morning. No one seemed to know, but suddenly, before he left for work, they were back in the closet again, freshly shined.

Ellen noticed other changes during that week too. The children weren't teasing or fighting as much. An argument would start, and then suddenly stop right in the middle for no apparent reason. Even Eric and Kelly seemed to be getting, along better and bickering less. In fact, there were times when all the children could be seen smiling secret smiles and giggling to themselves. And slowly, one by one, the first straws began to appear in the little crib. Just a few, then a few more each day. By the end of the first week, a little pile had accumulated.

Everyone was anxious to pick new names and this time there was more laughter and merriment than there had been the first time. Except for Eric. Once again, he unfolded his scrap of paper, glanced at it, and stuffed it in his pocket without a word.

The second week brought more astonishing events, and the little pile of straw in the manger grew higher and softer. There was more laughter, less teasing, and hardly any arguments could be heard around the house. Only Eric had been unusually quiet, and sometimes Ellen would catch him looking a little sad. But the straws in the manger continued to pile up.

At last, it was almost Christmas. They chose names for the final time on the night before Christmas Eve. As the sat around the table waiting for the last set of names to be shaken in the hat, the children smiled as they looked at their hefty pile of straws. They all knew it was comfortable and soft, but there was one day left and they could still make it a little deeper, a little softer, and they were going to try.

For the last time the hat was passed around the table. Mike Picked out a name, and again quickly ate the paper as he had done each week. Lisa unfolded hers carefully under the table, peeked at it and then hunched up her little shoulders, smiling. Kelly reached into the hat and grinned from ear to ear when she saw the name. Ellen and Mark each took their turn and handed the hat with the last name to Eric. As he unfolded the scrap of paper and glanced at it, his face crumpled and he seemed about to cry. Without a word, he turned and ran from the room.

Everyone immediately jumped up from the table, but Ellen stopped them. "No!" Stay where you are," she said firmly. "I'll go."

In his room, Eric was trying to pull on his coat with one hand while he picked up a small cardboard suitcase with the other.

"I'll have to leave," he said quietly through his tears. "If I don't, I'll spoil Christmas."

"But why? And where are you going?"

"I can sleep in my snow fort for a couple of days. I'll come home right after Christmas. I promise."

Ellen started to say something about freezing and snow and no mittens or boots, but Mark, who had come up behind her, gently laid his hand on her arm and shook his head. The front door closed, and together they watched from the window as the little figure with the sadly slumped shoulders trudged across the street and sat down on a snow bank near the corner. It was dark outside, and cold, and a few flurries drifted down on the small boy and his suitcase.

"Give him a few minutes alone," said Mark quietly. I think he needs that. Then you can talk to him."

The huddled figure was already dusted with white when Ellen walked across the street and sat down beside him on the snow bank.

"What is it, Eric? You've been so good these last weeks, but I know something's been bothering you since we first started the crib. Can you tell me, honey?"

Ah, Mom . . . don't you see?" he sniffled. "I tried so hard, but I can't do to it anymore, and now I'm going to wreck Christmas for everybody. With that, he burst into sobs and threw himself into his mother s arms.

"Mom." The little boy choked. "You just don't know, I got Kelly's name every time! And I hate Kelly! I tried Mom. I really did. I snuck in her room every night and fixed her bed. I even laid out her crummy nightgown. I let her use my race car one day, but she smashed it right into the wall like always! Every week, when we picked names, I thought it would be over. Tonight,

when I got her name again, I knew I couldn't do it anymore. If I try, I'll probably punch her instead. If I stay home and beat Kelly up. I'll spoil Christmas for everyone."

The two of them sat there, together, quietly for a few minutes and then Ellen spoke softly. "Eric I'm so proud of you. Every good deed you did should count double because it was hard for you to be nice to Kelly for so long, but you did those good deeds anyway, one straw at a time. You gave your love when it wasn't easy to give. And maybe that's what the spirit of Christmas is really all about. And maybe it's the hard good deeds and the difficult straws that make that little crib special. You're the one who's probably added the most important straws this year." Ellen paused, stroking the head pressed tightly against her shoulder. "Now, how would you like a chance to earn a few easy straws like the rest of us? I still have the name I picked in my pocket, and I haven't looked at it yet. Why don't we switch, for the last day? And it will be our secret."

Eric lifted his head and looked into her face, his eyes wide. "That's not cheating?"

"It's not cheating." And together they dried the tears, brushed off the snow, and walked back to the house.

The next day, the whole family was busy, cooking and straightening up the house for Christmas Day, wrapping last minute presents and trying hard to keep from bursting with excitement. But even with all the activity and eagerness, a flurry of new straws piled up in the crib, and by nightfall the little manger was almost overflowing. At different times while passing by, each member of the family, big and small, would pause and look at the wondrous pile for a moment, then smile before going on. But . . . who could really know? One more straw still might make a difference.

For that reason, just before bedtime, Ellen tiptoed quietly to Kelly's room to lay out the little blue nightgown and turn down the bed. But she stopped in the doorway surprised. Someone had already been there. The nightgown was laid across the bed, and a small red race car had been placed next to it on the pillow.

The last straw was Eric's after all.

Good night all - Sweet Dreams and Merry Christmas !

Closing prayer:

Christmas Prayer

Lord, in this holy season of prayer and song and laughter, we praise you for the great wonders you have sent us: for shining star and angel's song, for infant's cry in lowly manger. We praise you for the Word made flesh in a little Child. We behold his glory, and are bathed in its radiance.

Be with us as we sing the ironies of Christmas, the incomprehensible comprehended, the poetry made hard fact, the helpless Babe who cracks the world asunder. We kneel before you shepherds, innkeepers, wisemen. Help us to rise bigger than we are. Amen.