Dearly beloved in Christ,
What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may over-flow with blessings rich and eternal and that every path may lead to peace. (AGNES M. PAHRO)
WISHING YOU A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS! MAY IT BRING YOU JOY, HAPPINESS AND EVERYTHING ELSE YOU DESERVE.
This story might be familiar to you; it is about an old shoe cobbler who dreamed one Christmas Eve that Jesus would come to visit him the next day. The dream was so real that he was convinced it would come true. So the next morning he got up &went out & cut green boughs & decorated his little cobbler shop & got all ready for Jesus to come & visit. He was so sure that Jesus was going to come that he just sat down & waited for Jesus. The hours passed & Jesus didn’t come. But an old man came. He came inside for a moment to get warm out of the winter cold. As the cobbler talked with him he noticed the holes in the old man’s shoes, so he reached up on the shelf & got him a new pair of shoes. He made sure that they fit & that his socks were dry & sent him on his way. Still he waited. But Jesus did-n’t come. After sometime an old woman came, who hadn’t had a decent meal in two days. They sat & talked for a while, &then he prepared some food for her to eat. He gave her a nourishing meal & sent her on her way. Then he sat down again to wait for Jesus. But Jesus still didn’t come. Then he heard a little boy crying out in front of his shop. He went out & talked with the boy, & discovered that the boy had been separated from his parents & didn’t know how to get home. So he put on his coat, took the boy by the hand & led him home. When he came back to his little shoe shop it was almost dark & the streets were emptied of people. And then in a moment of despair he lifted his voice to heaven & said, “Oh Lord Jesus, why didn’t you come?” And then in a moment of silence he seemed to hear a voice saying, “Oh shoe cobbler, lift up your heart. I kept my word. Three times I knocked at your friendly door. Three times my shadow fell across your floor. I was the man with the bruised feet. I was the woman you gave to eat. I was the boy on the homeless street.” Jesus had come. The cobbler just didn’t realize it. This is a thought provoking story which makes us think. Many times we are also the same like this shoe Cobbler. We fail to recognize the presence of Jesus near us; instead we look around to find Him.
We do not notice the presence and peace that God offers because we are used to seeing a disfigured self and a disfigured world so distant from God’s purposes. God shares God’s self with humanity in offering God’s peace to the world. That is what we see in the Bible from the time of Creation. Christmas is a season of Joy only with the peace of God transforming people’s lives. And in this Christmas season we should be able to see Jesus in others and share the message of peace in reconciliation. In Christ we treat each other with respect equality. No human being has the right to inflict pain on another human being since all of us are created by God and that every human life is precious. This is the message of the season. This is the message that incarnation through Jesus’ birth brings us. We should evaluate our self, are we bringing forth the true message of Christmas through our lives. Let this Christmas challenge us. Let this season be filled with fun, joy, peace and under-standing. Oh come let us adore him.
Christ the Lord.
Happy Christmas.
May God bless you and your family on this special day.
Yours’ In Christ
Levin Achen
