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Jim
 
Merry Christmas, everyone!
 
Luke Chapter 2
1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David

5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7 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.

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
 
MATT'S CHRISTMAS STORY


By: Matt Miles

Pa never had much compassion for the lazy, or those who squandered their means and then never had enough for the necessities. But for those who were genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors. It was from him that I learned the greatest joy in life comes from giving, not from receiving.

It was Christmas Eve - 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted for Christmas. We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible.

After supper was over I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the fireplace, and waited for Pa to get down the old Bible. I was still feeling sorry for myself, and ... to be honest ... I wasn't in much of a mood to read Scriptures. But Pa didn't get the Bible. Instead, he bundled up again and went outside. I couldn't figure it out because we had already done all the chores. I didn't worry about it long though. I was too busy wallowing in self-pity.

Soon Pa came back in. It was a cold, clear night out and there was ice in his beard. "Come on, Matt," he said. "Bundle up good; it's cold out tonight."

I was really upset then. Not only wasn't I getting the rifle for Christmas - now Pa was dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly reason that I could see. We'd already done all the chores, and I couldn't think of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night like this. But I knew Pa was not very patient at one dragging one's feet when he'd told them to do something, so I got up and put my boots back on and got my cap, coat, and mittens. Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something was up, but I didn't know what.

Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house was the work team, already hitched to the big sled. Whatever it was we were going to do wasn't going to be a short, quick, little job, I could tell. We never hitched up this sled unless we were going to haul a big load. Pa was already up on the seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up beside him. The cold was already biting at me. I wasn't happy. When I was on, Pa pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed. He got off and I followed.

"I think we'll put on the high sideboards," he said. "Here - help me." The high sideboards?! It had been a bigger job than I wanted to do with just the low sideboards on, but whatever it was we were going to do would be a lot bigger with the high side boards on.

After we had exchanged the sideboards, Pa went into the woodshed and came out with an armload of wood -- the wood I'd spent all summer hauling down from the mountain, and then all fall sawing into blocks and splitting. What was he doing? Finally I said something. "Pa," I asked, "What are you doing?"

"You been by the widow Jensen's lately?" he asked. The widow Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so before and left her with three children, the oldest being eight. Sure, I'd been by, but so what?

Yeah," I replied, "Why?

"I rode by just today," Pa said. "Little Jakey was out digging around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They're out of wood, Matt."

That was all he said, and then he turned and went back into the woodshed for another armload of wood. I followed him. We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be able to pull it. Finally, Pa called a halt to our loading, then we went to the smoke house and Pa took down a big ham and a side of bacon. He handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait. When he returned, he was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and a smaller sack of something in his left hand. "What's in the little sack?" I asked.

"Shoes - they're out of shoes. Little Jakey just had gunny sacks wrapped around his feet when he was out in the woodpile this morning. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn't be Christmas without a little candy."

We rode the two miles to widow Jensen's pretty much in silence. I tried to think through what Pa was doing. We didn't have much by worldly standards. Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most of what was left now was still in the form of logs that I would have to saw into blocks and split before we could use it. We also had meat and flour, so we could spare that, but I knew we didn't have any money, so why was Pa buying them shoes and candy? Really ... why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us; it shouldn't have been our concern.

We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the wood as quietly as possible. Then we took the meat and flour and shoes to the door. We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid voice said, "Who is it?"

"Lucas Miles, Ma'am, and my son, Matt. Could we come in for a bit?"

Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The children were wrapped in another blanket and were sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly gave off any heat at all. Widow Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp.

"We brought you a few things, Ma'am," Pa said ... and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat on the table.

Then Pa handed her the sack that had the shoes in it. She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out - one pair at a time. There was a pair for her and one for each of the children -- sturdy shoes, the best -- shoes that would last. I watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at Pa like she wanted to say something, but it wouldn't come out.
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"We brought a load of wood too, Ma'am," Pa said. He turned to me and said, "Matt, go bring in enough to last awhile. Let's get that fire up to size and heat this place up."

I wasn't the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I had a big lump in my throat and as much as I hate to admit it, there were tears in my eyes too. In my mind ... I kept seeing those three kids huddled around the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks with so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn't speak.

My heart swelled within me and a joy that I'd never known before filled my soul. I had given at Christmas many times before, but never when it had made so much difference. I could see we were literally saving the lives of these people.

I soon had the fire blazing and everyone's spirits soared. The kids started giggling when Pa handed them each a piece of candy and widow Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn't crossed her face for a long time.

She finally turned to us. "God bless you," she said. "I know the Lord has sent you. The children and I have been praying that he would send one of his angels to spare us."

In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears welled up in my eyes again. I'd never thought of Pa in those exact terms before, but after widow Jensen mentioned it, I could see that it was probably true. I was sure that a better man than Pa had never walked the earth. I started remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Ma and me, and many others. The list seemed endless, as I thought on it.

Pa insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was amazed when they all fit and I wondered how he had known what sizes to get. Then I guessed that if he was on an errand for the Lord, that the Lord would make sure he got the right sizes.

Tears were running down widow Jensen's face again when we stood up to leave. Pa took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug. They clung to him and didn't want us to go. I could see that they missed their Pa, and I was glad that I still had mine.

At the door, Pa turned to widow Jensen and said, "The Misses wanted me to invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous if he has to eat turkey for too many meals. We'll be by to get you about eleven. It'll be nice to have some little ones around again. Matt, here, hasn't been little for quite a spell." I was the youngest. My two brothers and two sisters had all married and had moved away.

Widow Jensen nodded and said, "Thank you, brother Miles. I don't have to say, 'May the Lord bless you.' I know for certain that He will."

Out on the sled, I felt a warmth that came from deep within, and I didn't even notice the cold. When we had gone a ways, Pa turned to me and said, "Matt, I want you to know something. Your ma and me have been tucking a little money away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but we didn't have quite enough. Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money from years back came by to make things square. Your ma and me were real excited, thinking that now we could get you that rifle, and I started into town this morning to do just that, but on the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunny sacks and I knew what I had to do. Son, I spent the money for shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand."

I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very well, and I was so glad Pa had done it. Now the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities. Pa had given me a lot more. He had given me the look on widow Jensen's face and the radiant smiles of her three children.

For the rest of my life, whenever I saw any of the Jensens’, or split a block of wood, I remembered … and remembering brought back that same joy I felt riding home beside Pa that night. Pa had given me much more than a rifle that night; he had given me the best Christmas of my life.

A long, long time ago, God looked down upon humanity from heaven upon high, and saw a heart-breaking need far greater than firewood for the cold and food for the hungry. He saw the grip of sin upon mankind, and He had a painful decision to make. Either let them die in their sins, or go down and rescue them. The Christmas Story is the outcome of His decision.
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Wonderful story, LazyL!!

Many years ago, I was a volunteer for an organization called SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now). My job was to match needy families with donors who could help provide a few Christmas gifts. These were families that had been affected by domestic violence and the kids were all at high risk for abuse and/or neglect. We would have the family write letters to Santa, and then give those letters to donors to help identify needs and wants of the family. There is one family that has stayed in my heart through the years. Mom was about 28 or 29 and heavily pregnant. She had 5 kids, aged 2,4,6,7, and 9. Dad was out of the picture, having recently gone to prison for assaulting his kids and wife. They lived in an old tobacco barn with a dirt floors. Three rooms- a living room with a big old wood stove, and 2 tiny bedrooms. The "house" was drafty, but the wood stove was pretty warm. The oldest two boys wrote their own letter to Santa. The younger boy asked for a model and a bicycle, but the oldest boy drew a line through the model and bicycle and wrote that was too expensive, but if they could just get bandannas that matched for all the kids, they would be really happy. Mama added a note at the bottom and asked for a pot, as she only had one frying pan to use for all their cooking, and if anyone had any old books, she would be very grateful to borrow them.

The time came to deliver the gifts to the family. A volunteer dressed as Santa drove the big commercial van, and there were two pick-up trucks, with drivers dressed as elves. I dressed as Mrs. Claus. We warned Mom ahead of time what time we would arrive on Christmas Eve, and the kids were all there and ready. I have never seen kids so excited to meet Santa! When we first arrived, before a single thing was unloaded, we went into the "house" to visit with the family for a few minutes. Although the floors were dirt, they were swept, and covered with rag rugs. The kids were clean, dressed in well-mended clothes, and had amazing manners. They were so excited that Santa came to visit them! It was obvious mom loved her kids and they loved their mom and each other. They had a little tree, decorated with homemade ornaments, strips of fabric, and pine cones that Mom told us they all worked on together.

It was incredible watching the kids and Mom as the presents began to pour out of the three vehicles. Each of the older kids got bicycles, there were clothes, a crib and changing table for the soon-to-arrive baby, a CASE of new paperback books for mom, dishes, a set of new pots and pans and a couple of cookbooks, food, and too many other things to list. The last pickup was loaded with firewood, as mom was too pregnant to be able to cut wood any more. What an experience it was to see the joy on the faces of the kids! They had never had anything like this in their young lives, and I thought my heart would break seeing the relief, gratitude, and sheer happiness in Mom's eyes.

This happened over 35 years ago, and it forever changed my view of Christmas. At the time, I was a single mom, still in nursing school, struggling to raise 2 kids on less than $500 a month. Christmas was going to be slim in my household, and I was incredibly depressed at the lack of packages that would be under my tree before I got involved in the adopt-a-family program. That program changed my life! It opened my eyes to just how good we had it, and that there was a lot more to Christmas than presents. I was there to deliver gifts, but in fact, I got an amazing gift, because they helped me find the real meaning of Christmas!

:nativity:
 
That is a great story.
Our family sets aside money each month for Christmas gifts for other families. Even if it's a hard month, it doesn't matter. We've done this for 20 years. The week before Christmas we all go shopping together, everyone filling a basket. We have a place called the Storehouse near us where people come to get food and used clothing. All the gifts go there. Santa is there for two days, and every child can come to see him and get a new toy of their choosing. I've watched the distribution once a long time ago, and it was incredible. I don't need to watch anymore, because I remember it well. So, this Sunday morning is our Toys R Us day with our kids and grandkids to go fill those carts. The Storehouse will be picking it all up from our preschool on Tuesday. I found this really important a few years ago when the twins came to live with us. We didn't know them before they came to live with us, and they were often the recipients of these handouts. It has been good for them to think about what is good for others, first, as they've never done that before. Trying to teach them that giving is more important than receiving, and the blessing in that.
 
This is one of my favorite personal Christmas stories.

I have spent many Christmases behind the steering wheel of a patrol car. I have seen the holiday bring out the best in people and the worst in people. One year, our first Christmas after having been married I had to work, so my wife flew back home to see her family. After a few days bad weather started covering the region and so she decided to fly back on Christmas morning because she did not want me to be alone. I got off my 10 hour shift and jumped in my SUV and took off for a larger city about 60 miles away. That city has a much larger airport and is less expensive to fly in and out of. As I pulled into that city it started to snow and snow hard. She called to tell me that she made it halfway home, was sitting at Chicago O'hare and her flight was delayed because of snow. It might even be cancelled. Just then then I got a call telling me that we were closing the interstates. Knowing how things work I drove to the closest hotel and booked a room. All they had left was a large double King room, but I was happy to have it. Not knowing how long I would be there I went a Walgreens (the only place I could find that was open) and bought a big pile of holiday snacks/treats, a small string of lights and a little table top Christmas tree. Just in case she did make it to me I was going to be ready.

I set out to find some lunch but could not find any place open except IHop. So I had some scambled eggs and bacon. The whole town was basically closed and if it wasn't for my 4WD Tahoe I would be stuck at that hotel. I went back and took a nap. I woke up to see that the snow had finally stopped. Everything was buried in white stuff. My wife called and said she was still stranded but was hopeful that she would still arrive that day. I watched some TV, decorated the hotel room for Christmas, made sure it was all nice and tidy and then waited. Dinner time arrived and I was not going to do IHop again. The main roads were somewhat plowed so I went out searching for someplace to eat. I found a nice Indian buffet restaurant and delved into a variety of foods unknown to me at the time. It was basically me, the employees and one presumably Indian family and they all seemed surprised that I was there. While I paid the bill I got a call that my girlfriend was boarding the plane. I went to the airport and found a comfy place to sit and wait. When she finally arrived she came running over and give me a big hug and kiss. She said "It was all worth it to spend even a little bit of Christmas with you".

We drove to the hotel and while in route realized the interstate was back open. Several snow plows and sanders were out on their second and third runs. We talked it over and decided we wanted to get back to my place, where our Christmas presents were and our one Rottie was probably trying desperately not to go to the bathroom in the house. We arrived at the hotel to check out and while we were in the lobby a family was standing at the counter. A frazzled man, his wife, 2 little girls and a little boy were pleading with the clerk for a room, any room. They were exhausted from white knuckle driving and were still several hours away from their destination. The clerk just kept saying he was sorry but there was nothing he could do. I don't believe in coincidence. I walked up to the clerk and asked if he could remove the credit card I had placed on my room for damages and replaced it with this mans. The clerk said he certainly could and the family just stood there staring at me. I told them I had a room with 2 king beds but was heading out and so they were welcome to have it and Merry Christmas. The man shook my hand and kept thanking me over and over. His wife hugged my wife. The clerk switched over the credit card, I signed the slip and I handed over the access cards for the room. I told the man that there was some untouched Christmas stuff in the room as well and to enjoy it.

The wife and I drove home at speeds of around 35-45mph, rescued a Rottie who somehow held her bladder and spent a very wonderful but very short first Christmas together as a married couple. I have always hoped that the family went into the hotel room to see that little tree with blinking lights on it, those Christmas cookies & peanut brittle, the Hickory Farms meat & cheese gift basket and the bottle of sparkling apple cider and had an unexpectedly wonderful Christmas. I also hope they are still telling their version of this same story.
 
Looking forward to spending a few days with youngest son, his wife and two wee ones over Christmas. Both my sons are pastors as was I until I retired so Christmas and Easter have always been work days. Last year was the first Christmas with the eldest and his family in 15 years, this year will be first with youngest in same time.

What a blessing to see them and to hear them preach about our Lord at Christmas.

Now if I can just get the chores all done before I have to leave Thursday. While on the subject of Christmas ... in case I get side tracked before hand ... May God richly bless you and yours this Christmas season and in the coming new year
 
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