'Tis the day after Christmas and all through the house … is a mess, and, we didn't even have Christmas here!

Everywhere I look I see signs of love … let me explain!

The mess in the kitchen reminds me of all the food I cooked over the past few days to share with children and grandchildren and friends. The dirty dishes, empty trays, and leftovers remind me of the love we shared sitting at a table enjoying the seasonal delicacies.

The mess in the living room reminds me of the gifts I wrapped … scraps of wrapping paper, scotch tape, gift tags, scissors, bags of ribbon, empty rolls of paper. What a delight! I look at them and can envision the looks on the children's faces as they opened their gifts and jumped up to throw their arms around us with hugs and kisses. "Thank you, Nana! Thank you, Papa!"

The mess in the bathroom reminds me of our hurried frenzy to get ready and on the road so we could spend every minute possible with our family. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are special to this family because of exactly that … family!

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"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14)

"Silent Night" has become an anchor for Christmas celebrations throughout the world. Its lullaby-like melody and simple message of heavenly peace can be heard from small town street corners in mid-America to magnificent cathedrals in Europe and from outdoor candlelight concerts in Australia to palm thatched huts in northern Peru. "Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!" can easily be called the world's best-loved Christmas carol. It has been translated into nearly 300 languages and dialects. Its message of heavenly peace sets the theme for Christmas celebrations around the globe.

Silent Night

Silent night! Holy night!All is calm, all is bright.Round yon Virgin Mother and Child.Holy Infant, so tender and mild.Sleep in heavenly...

"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." (Luke 2:7)

Probably one of the first songs little children are taught during this season is "Away in a Manger". I can remember as a little girl singing this with my class in front of the entire church, each of us stepping out of the choir to say our verse while we recited the entire account of the birth of the Lord Jesus from the Gospel of Luke. It was something we looked forward to each year, singing the sweet lullaby about Baby Jesus and saying our memory verses.

Although some believe this carol was penned by Martin Luther, German religious reformer and author of a number of beautiful hymns, it is almost certainly of late 19th century American origin. Verses 1 and 2 appeared anonymously in Little Children's Book for Schools...

The world of blogs has opened up a whole new dimension of learning for me. Since my sphere of influence is mainly among true believers, it's interesting to me to read others' opinions of what is happening around the world from a not-so-conservative point of view. This morning, I happened upon one such blog. At the risk of appearing to endorse the author (which I do NOT), I want to share some of what she wrote and make some comments.

The title of the blog in question is, "Why Rick Warren is a Problem: Gee, Can't We All Be Friends?" written by the author of "Lingual Tremors". I found the blog because the words "missionary outreach" were picked up by my daily Google search. Sadly, it had nothing to do with a missionary outreach. I was, of course, also interested to see what was being said about Rick Warren of Saddleback Church. So, I took the plunge and read it.

The blog...

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear" (I Peter 3:15)

During this season, more than all others, the "Reason" can be hard to focus on for even those with the strongest faith. Television floods our homes with commercialized Christmas advertisements and programming. Radio fills the airwaves with seasonal songs, many of which fail to even mention the "Reason for the season". Workplaces are full of hustle and bustle trying to get ahead so everyone can take a few days off without the business losing money. Parties, pageants, cantatas, plays, programs, shopping, wrapping, planning, cooking, baking, greeting . . . and the list goes on. Time is soon snuffed out and there is none left to devote quality time with the "Reason" for the season.

Although rarely...

 

"Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel." (Isaiah 7:14)

Emmanuel . . . God with us! The history of this Christmas hymn is rich with meaning as you will see in the original translation. Each verse of this poetic masterpiece praises the coming of the Savior by a different name: Emmanuel, Branch of Jesse, Day-Spring, Key of David, Lord of Might, Wisdom, and Desire of Nations!

O COME, O COME EMMANUEL

O come, O come, Emmanuel,And ransom captive Israel,That mourns in lonely exile hereUntil the Son of God appear.

O EMMANUEL, God with us, Our King and Lawgiver, the expected of the nations and their Saviour: COME to save us, O Lord our God. Amen.

RefrainRejoice! Rejoice! EmmanuelShall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, thou Branch of Jesse's TreeFree them from Satan's tyrannyThat trust thy mighty power to save,And...

"When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh." (Matthew 2:10-11)

The Magi followed the Star to meet the Christ Child face to face and worship Him. Interestingly, the song we would attribute to these "wise men" is based on a lot of assumption which has dramatized the visit of the Magi to honor the Son of God. However, the song itself gives us some food for thought as we consider its context.

"Who really were the three kings? Some people call them Magi, or Wise Men, or even astrologers. The American Rev. John Henry Hopkins who wrote this carol in 1857 doesn't exactly let us in on the mystery. His greatest explanation is of a more...

"For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ."  (John 1:17)

From the manger to the cross, His glory was revealed to all who would receive Him. The same is true today . . . to all those who would receive Him His glory is revealed!

Jewish custom said there had to be two witnesses to establish the genuineness of a given testimony. The presence of grace and truth witness together that Jesus is the light of the world, the Savior, the Son of God. It has been said that truth without grace is cruel, and grace without truth is irresponsible. But when grace and truth come together, the heart of God is made known. The heart of God is present in Jesus—and that is the salvation of the world.

This tiny Child who lay so innocently in His mother's arms had left His heavenly estate to take on a mantle of flesh and become the tangible evidence...

"Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King."  (Psalm 98:4-6)

It is so easy to take the old Christmas songs for granted, thinking they're out-dated or old-fashioned! Nothing could be further from the truth! Today's carol, "Joy to the World" was actually written to a musical score entitled "Antioch", named after the city of Antioch where believers were first called Christians (see Acts 11:26).

Go back and read Today's Verse and find the heart of the Psalmist in the words to this song.

Joy to the World

Joy to the world! The Lord is come: Let earth receive her King, Let every heart prepare him room, And heaven and nature sing.

Joy to the earth!...