Enjoy the video of this classical rendition of Unto Us a Child Is Born from Handel’s Messiah based on Isaiah 9:6 and performed by the Choir and Orchestra of Pro Christe from the album, Messiah-Christmas Highlights form Handel’s Enduring Masterpiece.

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

GOD, who makest us glad with the yearly remembrance of the birth of thine only Son Jesus Christ; Grant that as we joyfully receive him for our Redeemer, so we may with sure confidence behold him when he shall come to be our Judge, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

May God bless you and your loved ones as you worship Him in spirit and truth on this day in which we celebrate Jesus coming to earth for our salvation.

photo credit: Janet Beasley = JLB Creatives

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Heavenly Father, we praise You and bless You for sending Your Son Jesus Christ to save us from our sins. Immanuel—God with us! Father, Son, and Holy Spirit with us always and forever—thank You! In the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord and Savior, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

photo credit: IABoomerFlickr

One year a group of us from an organization of businesswomen gave a party for mothers and children who were in transition from the Battered Women’s Shelter. There were twelve families in the program, with a combined total of about twenty children. One of our members had played Santa many times, and she agreed to be our Jolly Old St. Nick.

As an afterthought, I grabbed my Polaroid camera on the way out of the office, but I didn’t have any film. Santa and I stopped to buy film, and you can imagine the line of children following Santa through the drugstore. Santa had to smile and wave and speak to kids so we could get out of the store after making our purchase.

We arrived at a party location to find that the women and children were waiting for us because they had to arrive very early due to inconvenient bus schedules. After we served the guests cookies and punch, Santa sat in a large chair in the middle of the room and invited the children to come sit on “his” lap and get their gifts and have their picture taken. None of the children came forward. I walked around the outside of the room where the children stood with their mothers, encouraging them to go see Santa. They looked down at the floor or smiled and nodded, but no one moved. Finally one of the mothers spoke so low I had to lean closer to hear her. “How much does it cost?”

“Oh, it doesn’t cost anything,” I answered. “It’s free.”

The mothers smiled and motioned their kids toward Santa. The children swarmed around Santa’s chair, eager for their gifts. We took a Polaroid snapshot of each child, then we took pictures of the child with his or her siblings. One of the mothers shyly approached me. “Would you take a picture of me with my kids? I’ve never had a picture of my kids and me before.”

I’m sure the women could hear the emotion in my voice when I said, “Of course, we’ll take all the pictures you want!” The smiles on those faces lit up the room, and the happiness on the face of each mother when she saw the first picture of herself brought tears to the eyes of the six volunteers.

The children were excited to get their gifts, which they took home to open as the only gifts they would receive on Christmas Day. The mothers appreciated the gift certificates and the food, which they carried home on the bus. But the best gift of all was those pictures, which seemed to be an afterthought on our part.

An afterthought to us, maybe, but like all unexplained coincidences, another example of God choosing to remain anonymous.

For several years, the employees of my interior landscape company volunteered for the Elf Louise Project. The 100% volunteer-operated organization collects donations of toys, which are wrapped and delivered in person to needy children. Nearly 20,000 toys are given to children in almost 6,000 families. The parents must request the gifts for their families, and Elf Louise tries to match gifts as closely as possible to what the children want. Volunteers, close to 6,000 of them, collect toys and money, buy toys, wrap the gifts, and deliver them to the families. The toys are delivered by teams with a Santa on each team. Each year, my company fielded several teams to deliver gifts.

The teams were warned that most of the neighborhoods where gifts were to be delivered were high-crime areas, and the driver should be careful to always park in such a way as to be able to make a quick escape if necessary. Our driver knew that, but in a neighborhood of run-down, dilapidated homes, the street suddenly ended, and he had to turn around and go back. When he turned the vehicle around, a carload of teenage boys—guys who certainly looked like they could be members of one of the notorious gangs frequenting the area—pulled in front of us and slammed on the brakes. Big, rough-looking guys poured out of all the doors. We started to panic as the teens ran toward our vehicle yelling.

Then we realized what they were saying.”Santa! Santa! Santa!”

Fortunately, Elf Louise provides each team with a large bag of candy to hand out to children who aren’t on the gift list. That night, all our candy went to the “gang” of guys who looked like young toughs but who acted like children. After each boy got a big handful of candy, the young men said, “Thanks, Santa!” They smiled at us and each other, high-fived, piled back into the car, and drove away.

Women in Business gave many more parties to the women in transition from the Battered Women Shelter, and our employees volunteered a number of years for Elf Louise. Each of those experiences was moving and meaningful, but none was more special than the experiences I’ve just described.

This Christmas, I hope you are a Santa like Ed Butchart, the author of The Red Suit Diaries—reminding everyone on your gift list that you love them and God loves them. I pray that you remember that the value of a gift lies in the love with which it is given and the meaningfulness of it to the recipient.

A handwritten note telling a parent or spouse how much you love them, an offer to help a young mother with childcare or a senior citizen with household chores, a box of homemade cookies—these cost little or nothing but are likely to mean more than an expensive item purchased from a fine store.

Of course, gifts that you buy can be as meaningful as gifts that you make if you choose them with love and care. Selecting an item the recipient has been wanting for a  long time or choosing something that perfectly matches their tastes and interests can bring joy to the recipient, and their joy will make you happy.

Naturally, as a writer and a reader, I love books. For the book lover on your list, a book in their favorite genre or a gift certificate to a bookstore can be the perfect gift. Although I’d like to think my books are perfect for everyone, I know better. You can give the perfect gift only if you take the time and effort to discover what would make the recipient happy.

May God richly bless you in this holy season and may the gifts you give and the gifts you receive bring joy.

photo credit: LaurenC.

Today, the First Sunday in Advent, is the beginning of the Christian year. Advent is a time of preparation leading up to Christmas. Liturgical Christians celebrate three different Advents: the Advent of Jesus’ birth on earth more than two centuries ago, the Advent of Jesus’ coming into our hearts when we accepted Him as our Lord and Savior, and the Advent of His coming again in glory at the end of time. The Bible teaches us to be ever-ready as we don’t know when the Lord will return. Advent is a time to prepare … to get ready.

I invite you to join me in brief daily Advent devotions here on my blog and encourage you to spent more time with the Lord in prayer, devotion, and Bible study during this special time.

As my Advent gift to you, I have created Scripture/prayer cards. You can download the PDF file, print the Scriptures on one side of the heavy paper or card stock and the prayers on the other, cut the page into cards, and carry them with you in your purse or pocket.

May this holy season refresh your spirit and bring you closer to God.

ALMIGHTY God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen. (Collect for the First Sunday in Advent, 1928 Book of Common Prayer)

photo credit: mattjlc