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Isaiah 63:7-9
As a young vaudeville actor Bob Hope found himself alone each Christmas. The grueling road schedule prevented him from returning to Cleveland for the holiday. Each Christmas morning Hope would think of his family worshiping at Euclid Avenue Presbyterian Church without him, followed by a family dinner of turkey and plum pudding. For the Hope household Christmas was family day, and Bob longed to join them around the hearth.
In 1948 Senator Stuart Symington asked Bob Hope to entertain American military personnel in Berlin with a special Christmas celebration. Never forgetting the loneliness he felt as a young performer in a strange city far from home, Hope readily agreed. That was the beginning of what Bob Hope would call his "Christmas family," thousands of homesick servicemen with whom he shared annual Christmas greetings.
Each Christmas day as Bob Hope walked onto the stage, gazing at the throng of gathered servicemen, he would begin the performance saying to himself, "It's a long way from Cleveland." With those words he could empathize with the forlorn G.I.
Mr. Hope understood the message of the Psalmist when he wrote, "I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD… In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old."
Christmas is a great day of celebration, merriment, exchanging gifts, and family fellowship; Jesus did not come into the world to stand under mistletoe. He came into the world because the people were distressed and oppressed. They were sick and lonely, poor and destitute. God understood and remembered this. That is why the Psalmist could say God in his kindness lifted them up. It is not a message and mission that was lost on Bob Hope, nor should it ever be lost on us. Enjoy the "chestnuts roasting on an open fire," but remember they are to be shared.
Ron L.
Isaiah 63:7-9
Mothers, this is for you. The morning after your daughter's first prom or homecoming dance, what do you do? You pump them for information. What was so-and-so wearing? Who did you dance with? Did anything unexpected happen? Did your hair stay in place? Did anyone break a shoe? We want to hear every little detail -- and girls, don't you want to tell every little detail? You want it to be as if your mom -- or your friends who couldn't go, or maybe your sister -- was right there beside you during that special night. You want to recreate the atmosphere of the evening so they can understand how much fun you had. Isaiah is doing the same thing with God. He wants to recount every little detail: he wants it to be as if his listeners were standing at the right hand of God himself, seeing each act of wonder, watching each decision made for the benefit of humankind.
Leah T.
Hebrews 2:10-18
There is a common expression about "walking a mile in someone else's shoes." It even found its way into an Elvis Presley song. It speaks of sharing one's experiences, understanding the struggles that someone else has to face.
That is part of the miracle of Christmas. God in Heaven, the Creator of the Universe, shared our humanity – the highs, the lows, the temptations and the triumphs. And the most amazing part? He did it for us: "Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people" (v. 17).
Craig K.
Matthew 2:13-23
"So you understand the roaring wave of fear that swept through the greatest city in the world just as Monday was dawning -- the stream of flight rising swiftly to a torrent, lashing in a foaming tumult round the railway stations, banked up into a horrible struggle about the shipping in the Thames and hurrying by every available channel northward and eastward." In this descriptive passage, H.G. Wells in his book, The War of the Worlds, describes the fear of the Londoners as the Martians approach their city. Terrorized, the residents scurry to leave the city. Their movement is so fast and furious it is as if the people have become a stream of rushing water.
There is a story that we avoid telling in the Bible, because it is so horrific. It is the story of the slaughter of the innocents. By the order of Herod all children under the age of two were stolen from the bosoms of their mothers and killed, with the intent that the new king foretold by the prophets would perish during the ensuing holocaust. One can only imagine that day in Jerusalem when fear swept through the city like a stream of rushing water.
In this season of Christmas holiday merriment we can never forget that Christianity is not a benign religion. There are Christians in foreign countries who suffer for the faith. There are missionaries in foreign lands who suffer for the faith. And there will be a day when you and I will be persecuted by friend and neighbor for taking an uncompromising stance for the values of our Christian beliefs.
Ron L.
Matthew 2:13-23
In Matthew's text today, however, Joseph seems to do a lot based on dreams. In today's reading we hear about two dreams, and then there's the dream where Joseph is told not to dismiss Mary. Joseph makes big life decisions at least three times based on his dreams. According to the Jewish belief system, however, this may not be so strange. Judaism believes that all of God's word -- except that spoken Moses -- was transmitted to the prophets while the prophets were in a dream-like state. Therefore, Jewish lore takes dreams seriously. One custom, called "hatavat chalom" -- which, translated, means "to make the dream better" -- involves asking a rabbi for a favorable interpretation of a nightmare. The dream itself is not as important as the interpretation -- and what you do with that interpretation.
Leah T.
As a young vaudeville actor Bob Hope found himself alone each Christmas. The grueling road schedule prevented him from returning to Cleveland for the holiday. Each Christmas morning Hope would think of his family worshiping at Euclid Avenue Presbyterian Church without him, followed by a family dinner of turkey and plum pudding. For the Hope household Christmas was family day, and Bob longed to join them around the hearth.
In 1948 Senator Stuart Symington asked Bob Hope to entertain American military personnel in Berlin with a special Christmas celebration. Never forgetting the loneliness he felt as a young performer in a strange city far from home, Hope readily agreed. That was the beginning of what Bob Hope would call his "Christmas family," thousands of homesick servicemen with whom he shared annual Christmas greetings.
Each Christmas day as Bob Hope walked onto the stage, gazing at the throng of gathered servicemen, he would begin the performance saying to himself, "It's a long way from Cleveland." With those words he could empathize with the forlorn G.I.
Mr. Hope understood the message of the Psalmist when he wrote, "I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD… In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old."
Christmas is a great day of celebration, merriment, exchanging gifts, and family fellowship; Jesus did not come into the world to stand under mistletoe. He came into the world because the people were distressed and oppressed. They were sick and lonely, poor and destitute. God understood and remembered this. That is why the Psalmist could say God in his kindness lifted them up. It is not a message and mission that was lost on Bob Hope, nor should it ever be lost on us. Enjoy the "chestnuts roasting on an open fire," but remember they are to be shared.
Ron L.
Isaiah 63:7-9
Mothers, this is for you. The morning after your daughter's first prom or homecoming dance, what do you do? You pump them for information. What was so-and-so wearing? Who did you dance with? Did anything unexpected happen? Did your hair stay in place? Did anyone break a shoe? We want to hear every little detail -- and girls, don't you want to tell every little detail? You want it to be as if your mom -- or your friends who couldn't go, or maybe your sister -- was right there beside you during that special night. You want to recreate the atmosphere of the evening so they can understand how much fun you had. Isaiah is doing the same thing with God. He wants to recount every little detail: he wants it to be as if his listeners were standing at the right hand of God himself, seeing each act of wonder, watching each decision made for the benefit of humankind.
Leah T.
Hebrews 2:10-18
There is a common expression about "walking a mile in someone else's shoes." It even found its way into an Elvis Presley song. It speaks of sharing one's experiences, understanding the struggles that someone else has to face.
That is part of the miracle of Christmas. God in Heaven, the Creator of the Universe, shared our humanity – the highs, the lows, the temptations and the triumphs. And the most amazing part? He did it for us: "Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people" (v. 17).
Craig K.
Matthew 2:13-23
"So you understand the roaring wave of fear that swept through the greatest city in the world just as Monday was dawning -- the stream of flight rising swiftly to a torrent, lashing in a foaming tumult round the railway stations, banked up into a horrible struggle about the shipping in the Thames and hurrying by every available channel northward and eastward." In this descriptive passage, H.G. Wells in his book, The War of the Worlds, describes the fear of the Londoners as the Martians approach their city. Terrorized, the residents scurry to leave the city. Their movement is so fast and furious it is as if the people have become a stream of rushing water.
There is a story that we avoid telling in the Bible, because it is so horrific. It is the story of the slaughter of the innocents. By the order of Herod all children under the age of two were stolen from the bosoms of their mothers and killed, with the intent that the new king foretold by the prophets would perish during the ensuing holocaust. One can only imagine that day in Jerusalem when fear swept through the city like a stream of rushing water.
In this season of Christmas holiday merriment we can never forget that Christianity is not a benign religion. There are Christians in foreign countries who suffer for the faith. There are missionaries in foreign lands who suffer for the faith. And there will be a day when you and I will be persecuted by friend and neighbor for taking an uncompromising stance for the values of our Christian beliefs.
Ron L.
Matthew 2:13-23
In Matthew's text today, however, Joseph seems to do a lot based on dreams. In today's reading we hear about two dreams, and then there's the dream where Joseph is told not to dismiss Mary. Joseph makes big life decisions at least three times based on his dreams. According to the Jewish belief system, however, this may not be so strange. Judaism believes that all of God's word -- except that spoken Moses -- was transmitted to the prophets while the prophets were in a dream-like state. Therefore, Jewish lore takes dreams seriously. One custom, called "hatavat chalom" -- which, translated, means "to make the dream better" -- involves asking a rabbi for a favorable interpretation of a nightmare. The dream itself is not as important as the interpretation -- and what you do with that interpretation.
Leah T.
