Dr.
John Rosen, a psychiatrist in New York City, is well known for his work with
catatonic schizophrenics. Normally doctors remain separate and aloof from
their patients. Dr. Rosen moves into the ward with them. He places his bed
among their beds. He lives the life they must live. Day to day, he shares it.
He loves them. If they don’t talk, he doesn’t talk either. It is as if he
understands what is happening. His being there, being with them, communicates
something that they haven’t experienced in years—somebody understands.
But
then he does something else. He puts his arms around them and hugs them. He
holds these unattractive, unlovable, sometimes incontinent persons, and loves
them back into life. Often, the first words they speak are simply, "Thank
you."
This
is what Christ did for us at Christmas. He moved into the ward with us. He
placed his bed among our beds. Those who were there, those who saw him,
touched him and were in turn touched by him and restored to life. The first
word they had to say was "thank you."
Christmas is our time to say "Thank you."
From Bible Illustrator.
What
did you get for Christmas?
Got
Jesus:
Mat. 1: 21 And she shall bring forth a
son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from
their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was
spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with
child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel,
which being interpreted is, God with us.
Jesus
is what we got for Christmas.
1.
Unwrap Him. What does it
mean to have Jesus? Do you have
him? Got Jesus?
G:
Give Him your life. Make
your commit to Him and to His church.
O:
Open you life to new possibilities in the New Year.
T:
Trust Him to lead you throughout your life to the best possible
life.
2.
Discover whom He is and what it means to know Him.
(Read the instructions)
3.
Invite Him in and let Him sit at your table.
4.
Be Thankful for Him.
5.
Don’t reject Him or return Him.
6.
Don’t try to fix Him or change Him, but allow Him to be who He is in
your life.
7.
Let Him change you. For
Example: The man on a bicycle. Does
the man ride the bike, or does the bike carry the man?
Maybe it’s a little of both.
8.
Accept Him by Faith.
I
was teaching a Grade 2 class in London, Ontario, Canada, and was asked to
produce a Christmas pageant. Some people thought what happened ruined it,
while others considered it the truest Christmas story they had ever seen. You
be the judge. After much thought and tact, I gave out the various parts for
the pageant. One problem was Ralph. He was a big boy for nine years old and
should have been in Grade 4. Besides being big, he was clumsy, slow-moving and
slow-thinking. He was well-liked by all the children, especially the younger
ones-he acted as their natural protector. Ralph wanted to be a shepherd with a
flute. I told him I had a more important role for him. As the innkeeper, I
reasoned, he would not have too many lines to remember. His size would make
his refusal of lodging to Joseph more impressive. We practiced and practiced,
each child feeling his importance to the success of the evening. The
auditorium filled with family and friends for the yearly school extravaganza
of a stage filled with exuberant children.
But no one in the audience or on the stage was more caught up in the
magic of that night than Ralph. The play progressed without any major mishaps
until Joseph appeared5 walking slowly, tenderly helping Mary to the door of
the inn. He knocked hard on the wooden door. Ralph was ready and waiting.
"What do you want?" he cried, pushing the door open with a rude
gesture. "We are looking for lodgings." "Look for them
elsewhere." Ralph looked straight ahead, but he spoke with conviction.
"The inn is full." "Kind sir, we have asked everywhere in vain.
We have traveled far and are very weary. "There is no room for you."
"Please, good innkeeper, this is my wife, Mary. She is heavy with child
and must find a place to rest for the night. Surely you must have some small
corner for her. She is so tired." Ralph looked down at Mary. There was a
long pause. The audience became tense with embarrassment. "No, begone!"
I coached. Ralph just stood there. Three times I prompted him from the wings,
each time louder than the last. The angels backstage with me were becoming
anxious, too. At last, Ralph automatically repeated the words he had learned
in those long weeks of practice: "No, begone!" Joseph sadly placed
his arm around Mary and started to turn away. The innkeeper did not return to
his inn as directed. He stood there watching the forlorn couple, looking
perplexed, with his mouth opened, his brow creased with concern, his eyes
filled with tears.
Suddenly,
this Christmas pageant became different from all the rest. "Don't go,
Joseph. Please don't go," Ralph called. "Bring Mary back." His
face brightened with a big smile. He stretched out his arms. "You can
have my room." And my eyes filled with tears. The glory of God shone
about them, and in only a moment, the choir of angels entered caroling their
Christmas song. By
Dma Donohue
Here
is what He gives. What does it mean to have God in your life?
Got Hope: 1Pet
1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to
his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
·
To have hope is to dream of the way things will be.
Because Jesus rose from the dead we who believe have eternal hope.
Got Peace:
Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
·
To
have peace is to know the presence of the Spirit of the only true living God. He
is here. He is in you as a
Christian.
Got Joy:
Luke
2:10 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.
·
To know joy is to know the Savior
who gives us happiness throughout our lives.
Got
Love: John
3:16 For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life.
·
To be loved is to be looked
after, taken care of, tended to, nursed, supported, watched over, protected,
provided for, and nurtured. He
loves us.
What
will you do with what He gives? Life
with Jesus is a journey and a destination (heaven).
·
Take Him and enjoy Him.
·
Live with Him.
·
Give yourself to Him through
sacrificial service
Source:
Mark Berg in Donald L. Deffner, Seasonal Illustrations, Resource, 1992, p. 21In
his book, Science Speaks, Peter Stoner applies the modern science of
probability to just eight prophecies regarding Christ. He says, "The
chance that any man might have ...fulfilled all eight prophecies is one in 10
to the 17th. That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000." (one hundred
quadrillion) Stoner suggests "we take 10 to the 17th silver dollars and
lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state 2 feet deep.
Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly...
Blindfold a man and tell him he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must
pick up [that one marked silver dollar.] What chance would he have of getting
the right one?" Stoner concludes, "Just the same chance that the
prophets would have had of writing those eight prophecies and having them all
come true in any one man,...providing they wrote them in their own
wisdom." Peter
Stoner, Science Speaks.