Merry Christmas

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. We do things at Christmas that we seldom or ever think about doing. This morning I sat at my table and drank Browne & Ashley Lemon Tea and ate Hershey’s Extra Dark Chocolate with Pomegranate flavored pieces. These were gifts from our neighbor who always brings us food during the year. Sometimes freshly made food just for us or sometimes leftovers from his family. Both are always delicious, however, he sent us an extra special food gift for Christmas. The tea, the chocolate and lots of fruit, most of which he grew.

Last night Brenda, Chris, Chesed, Chara, Jonathan and Ashley, Judah and Kimberly, Charis, McKinley, Brandon, Madelyn, Mauri, Brady and Madison and Aunt Sarah came and had supper with us. I have not decorated this year. I have two poninsettas, a candle behind a small nativity scene and a Florida football Santa. Still the Christmas Spirit was here. Lots of fun and laughter very few gifts. Chesed wanted to give her gifts before she left to go to North Carolina to spend Christmas with Patrick and his family. She gave us a DVD of all the Thanksgiving pictures to which she had added music and captions. I know we will enjoy that.

Papa and I have had fun this Christmas season making goodies of which I have eaten way too much and am feeling the consequences right now. We have made TV Trash, Puppy Chow, Spiced Pecans, two Coconut Cakes, White and Chocolate covered peanut, pretzels and peanut butter crackers and a pound cake. We have delivered the two coconut cakes and the pound cake. The pound cake has become an annual Christmas gift to our local mechanic. We bake it and Papa takes it to Mr. LaOrange while it is still hot. He stands in pretty good with Mr. LaOrange. Delivered a sweet potato pie for Seth who will be coming home tonight. Still on our list is a tray for Ben up the street. He’ll get a tray of assorted goodies. Jerry Brogdon will probably get one too. Tomorrow we plan to make pralines for Uncle Bob. That is about it for the food part.

This morning I sat down to do my daily devotion. It was so good I want to share parts of it with you all. It is taken from a my devotional book “Morning and Evening” by Charles H. Spurgeon, a gift Cheri gave me last year. I have really enjoyed it all year. Hear is an excerpt from today’s devotion.

“The night also is Thine.” Psalm 74:16

Yes, Lord, you do not abdicate your throne when the sun goes down, nor do you leave the world all through these long wintry nights to be the prey of evil. Your eyes watch us as the stars, and your arms surround us as the zodiac belts the sky.

The night of affliction is as much under the arrangement and control of the Lord of Love as the bright summer days when all is bliss. Jesus is in the tempest. From the first watch of the night even unto the break of day the eternal Watcher observes His saints, and overrules the shades and dews of midnight for His people’s highest good. We hear the voice of Jehovah saying, “I create light and I create darkness; I, the Lord, do all these things.”

Gloomy seasons of religious indifference and social sin are not exempted from the divine purpose. When the altars of truth are defiled, and the ways of God forsaken, the Lord’s servants weep with bitter sorrow, but they may not despair, for the darkest eras are governed by the Lord, and shall come to their end at His bidding. What may seem defeat to us may be victory to Him.

“Though enwrapt in gloomy night,
We perceive no ray of light;
Since the Lord Himself is here,
‘Tis not meet that we should fear.”

I've enjoyed the Christmas music so very much this year. One of my favorites is “Mary Did You Know.” Another is “O Little Town of Bethlehem." Long, long ago in the little town of Bethlehem Jesus was born. He was and is Emanuel, God with us. The words to "O Little Town of Bethlehem were written in 1865 but the words are very meaningful for us today. Here are some of the verses of that song

O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie!
Above the deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by;
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight.

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 Emmanuel.

Merry Christmas To ALL