Dear Fellow Children of God,
I have 2 Christmas questions for you. First, what are your favorite sounds of
Christmas?
Do you enjoy the laughter of children? I think everyone does. Does the blanketing quiet of a new snow
enchant you? Some connect the jingling
of bells with the Christmas season.
Personally, the music of Christmas speaks to my heart and lifts my
spirit. The traditional hymns and carols
of Christmas bring good news and great joy in the familiar melodies that share
the good will of the season. Christmas
music is my favorite Christmas sound.
Also, do you have a Christmas gift list? I mentioned recently that our family exchanges
lists to help each other with the giving of gifts. However, when Kathy asked me this year for a
list I told her, “I really don’t need anything.
I just want to worship God and be with family.” (Maybe that is a list of
sorts.)
However, on second thought I do have a Christmas
list. This list is really the requests
or prayers found in Christmas music and prayed to God. For example, do you know the ancient
plainsong hymn, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.”?
The fourth verse is a prayer which asks,
O come, Thou Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight
Yes,
Lord, bring joy and life through Jesus, our Dayspring from on high. I am thinking now of people facing
death. I pray the joy and eternal life
of Jesus for them, and for all people.
Do
you know the familiar carol, “O Little Town of Bethlehem.”? The peaceful melody helps us pray the prayer
of the fourth and final verse.
O
holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray;
Cast
out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today.
We
hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell;
O,
come to us, abide with us, our Lord Immanuel!
Yes,
Lord, Immanuel, cast out our sin and live in and with each of us. Make us more like you!
Most
people know the children’s cradle song, “Away in a Manger.” The final verse of this Christmas carol teaches
children to pray
Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask Thee to
stay
Close
by me forever and love me, I pray.
Bless
all the dear children in Thy tender care
And take us to heaven to lice with Thee there.
And take us to heaven to lice with Thee there.
I pray
this prayer for my children, even though they are grown. I pray that Jesus would bless my
grandchildren with His tender care and eternal life in heaven. It is a Christmas request of mine that God
would so bless all children with the knowledge of His love in Jesus.
Martin
Luther wrote a Christmas song for his children, “From Heaven Above, To Earth I
Come.” This hymn has touched my heart
since I was a child. In the 13th
verse of this song we hear the following prayer.
O dearest Jesus, Holy Child, Prepare a bed, soft,
undefiled,
A quiet chamber in my heart, For you to dwell within
my heart.
Jesus
was born in a manger that first Christmas.
I do pray that my heart is prepared to receive Him this Christmas.
On
the first Christmas the Shepherds heard one of the greatest concerts ever, as
the angels of heaven praised God, singing, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace to men on whom his favor rests." (Luke 2:14) In a way that concert continues as we sing the praise of God and rejoice in
His love through the music of Christmas.
And, in the words of our Christmas carols and
hymns you will find my Christmas list. My
Christmas list is a prayer for the joy, for the eternal life, for the presence
of the Christ child in my life, in my children’s and grandchildren’s life, and in
the lives of all people.
A
Blessed Christmas, from one child of God to another,
Pastor
Jonathan
P.S. In our 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. Christmas Eve
Candlelight worship we will sing and pray the Christmas prayers above as part
of our worship.
****
ABOUT ‘THOUGHTS
FROM THE PASTOR’ - I am sending these e-mail messages, hopefully
weekly, to all St. John members and friends whose e-mails I have. (I am
always adding new names of friends and members – in case you are just receiving
this e-mail for the first time.) However, if you don’t want to receive
this e-mail, please let me know, and I’ll gladly leave your name off my list
for this message. . .
****
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