PRAYING HANDS

There are hands that help and comfort,
Hands that plan and teach,
Hands that rest and hands that strive
For a goal just out of reach,
Hands that grasp and hands that give,
Hands that work and play,
Friendly hands and loving hands
That soothes life's cares away.
But praying hands are dearest
In the sight of God above
For in their sweet and earnest clasp
Are reverence and love.
No hands can do an unkind act
Nor cause another care
Nor sin against Our Father's love
When they are clasped in prayer.
Author Unknown

I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born.
Isaiah 44:2

God has made us what we are. And in Christ Jesus, God has made us to do good works which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing.
Ephesians 2:10

For the spirit of Christmas fulfills the greatest hunger of mankind.
Loring A. Schuler

Now is the time for laughter,
Now is the time for cheer,
Herald the merry spirit . . .
The spell of Christmas is here.

This is the time for greeting
Friends, new and old . . .
Time for prayers and thankfulness . . .
The Bethlehem Star to behold!

Now is the time for reunion
Near the firesides logs that glow,
On this day when rejoicing
Brightens the hope we know.

This is the time to be happy,
Sharing the light of His will,
Sharing ethereal peacefulness
Only His love can instill.
Caroline G. Kolowicz

If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm.
Psalm 37:23

Mistletoe was used by the Druid priests 200 years before the birth of Christ in their winter celebrations. They revered the plant since it had no roots yet remained green during the cold winter months. The ancient Celtics believed mistletoe to have magical healing powers. They used it as an antidote for poison, infertility, and to ward off evil spirits. It was also seen as a symbol of peace. It is believed that among Romans, enemies who met under mistletoe would lay down their weapons and embrace. Scandinavians associated the plant with their goddess of love, Frigga. It is assumed that from this, the custom of kissing under the mistletoe began with the promise of good luck and happiness in the following year.
Author Unknown

Smile on me, your servant, God;
Teach me the right way to live.
Psalm 119:135 Message

The origin of Santa Claus begins in the 4th century with Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, an area in present day Turkey. Saint Nicholas was devoted to children and a generous man. After his death around 340 AD, he was buried in Myra. In 1087 Italian sailors stole his remains and removed them to Bari, Italy thus increasing his popularity in Europe. His kindness and reputation for generosity led to thoughts he could perform miracles and his popularity increased. Saint Nicholas became the patron saint of Russia where he was known for his flowing white beard and red cape. In Greece, he became the patron saint of sailors. France made him the patron saint of lawyers. Belgium made Saint Nicholas the patron of children and travelers. Churches were dedicated to him and around the 12th century an official church holiday was created in his honor. The Fest of St. Nicholas was celebrated December 6. The day was marked by gift giving and charity. European followers of Saint Nicholas dwindled after the Reformation. The legend was kept alive in Holland where the Dutch spelling of his name Sint Nikolaas. This was transformed to Sinterklaas. Dutch children would leave their wooden shoes by the fireplace where Sinterklaas would reward them with treats in their shoes. Dutch colonists brought this tradition with them to America in the 17th century. This is where the Anglican name of Santa Claus emerged. In 1822 Clement C. Moore composed the poem ‘A Visit from Saint Nicholas’ published as ‘The Night Before Christmas’ as a gift for his children.
Author Unknown

God has . . . planted eternity in the human heart.
Ecclesiastes 3:11

Heavenly Father, in this time of hustle and bustle, a time when my thoughts turn to shopping and gift giving, skating and sledding, snowman making and laughter, cooking and company, cards and letters, memories and smiles, help me to remember the gift that you gave that blessed night so long ago. Show me how to love and to bring others to you. Change my thoughts. Control my days. Let others see Your Love through me. Amen

It’s Christmas!
And in each home around the world,
The story again is told;
How Christ was born in a manger,
According to prophets of old.

They tell how angels caroled
Of ‘peace and good will on earth.’
And shepherds followed the star that led
To the place of the Saviour’s birth

And wise men, too, came from afar,
Their gifts of gold to bring.
Their hearts were filled with joy and love
And praise for the newborn King.

It’s Christmas!
And in each home around the world,
The family gathers near.
The carols are sung and the story
Is told again this year.
Barbara Skillings Reichow

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sings.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” which means, “God with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.
Matthew 1:18–24a

God’s unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure.
Ephesians 1:5

Life holds no sweeter thing than this – to teach a little child the tale most loved on earth. And watch the wonder deepen in his eyes the while you tell him of the Christ Child’s birth.
Adelaide Love

And there were shepherds living out in the fields. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” The shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
Luke 2:8-12

What can I give Him
Poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb,

If I were a Wise Man
I would do my part –

Yet what can I give Him?
Give my heart.
Christina Rossetti

You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:26

We know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love.
I John 4:16

There’s more, much more to Christmas
Than candlelight and cheer;
It’s the spirit of sweet friendship
That brightens all the year;
It’s thoughtfulness and kindness,
It’s hope reborn again,
For peace, for understanding
And for goodwill to men.
Author Unknown

Give more honor to others than to yourselves. Do not be interested only in your own life, but be interested in the lives of others.
Philippians 2:3-4

Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons.
Ruth Ann Schabacker

Our friends are the people whom we choose; usually friends are the same sort of people as ourselves. My neighbor is the man whom I do not choose; he is the man whom God gives to me. He is the man who happens to live in the house next to mine; he is the man who happens to sit opposite to me in the train; he is the clerk who works at the desk next to mine. I have no right to say that he is no concern of mine, because, if I am a Christian, I know that he is the man whom God has given to me.
Stephen C. Neill

The joy of brightening other lives, bearing each others’ burdens, easing others’ loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of Christmas.
W. C. Jones

God works through different people in different ways, but it is the same God who achieves his purpose through them all.
1 Corinthians 12:6

When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the Shepherds are back with their flock.
The work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among brothers,
To make music in the heart.

And to radiate the Light of Christ, every day,
in every way in all that we do and in all that we say.

Then the work of Christmas begins.
Howard Thurman

There has been only one Christmas – the rest are anniversaries.
W. J. Cameron

Once in an age, God sends to some of us a friend who loves in us, not a false-imagining, an unreal character, but, looking through all the rubbish of our imperfections, loves in us the divine ideal of our nature, -- loves, not the man that we are, but the angel that we may be.
Harriet Beecher Stowe

O God, help me to remember what Christmas is all about. Remind me to share my happiness with others – my smile may be the only one another person receives today. Let me not forget to give it. Help me to look up and follow your star all year – every year. Help me to lead others to you. Thank you for those you lead to me. Amen

Christmas is forever, not for just one day,
for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away
like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf.
The good you do for others is good you do yourself.
Norman W. Brooks

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.
Hebrews 1:1-2

Though the following song is believed to have been written much earlier, it wasn’t printed until 1780 in a children’s book, Mirth Without Mischief. It was a French song with hidden meanings to the teaching of the faith written as an encouragement to people to keep their faith alive not only when it is easy, but when any outward expressions of their faith could mean their life. The “true love” mentioned in the song doesn’t refer to an earthly suitor, it refers to God Himself. The “me” who receives the presents refers to every baptized person. The twelve days of Christmas in the song are the twelve days between the birth of Christ (Christmas, December 25) and the coming of the Magi, (Epiphany, January 6).

The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

Three French hens stood for Faith, Hope and Love, the Theological Virtues.

The four calling birds were the four gospels or the four Evangelists of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first Five Books of the Old Testament, the Pentateuch which gives the history of man’s fall from grace.

The six geese a-laying stood for the six Days of Creation.

Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments: Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

The eight maids a-milking were the eight Beatitudes.

Nine ladies dancing were the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control.

The ten lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments.

The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful Disciples.

The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in The Apostles’ Creed.
Author Unknown

Although it is often thought that the term Xmas is disrespectful, its origin shows this not to be true. Actually, this usage is nearly as old as Christianity itself with it’s origins in the Greek language. The first letter in the Greek word for Christ is ‘chi’. It is represented by a symbol similar to the letter ‘X’ in the modern Roman alphabet. The Greek word for Christ is Xristos. The abbreviation was not created specifically for the purpose of demeaning Christ, Christians, Christianity, or Christmas. It is a very old artifact of a very different language. Xmas became an abbreviated word for Christmas and was first used by Europeans in the 16th century. Xian is sometimes used as an abbreviatoin of the word Christian.
Author Unknown

Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”
John 7:38

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love!
Hamilton Wright Mable

I need never feel abandoned or afraid.
I am totally, eternally secure in Jesus Christ.
There is nothing that can change that blessed assurance.
Romans 8:38–39

Poinsettias, a native Mexican plant were named after Joel R. Poinsett, a U. S. ambassador to Mexico who brought the plant to America in 1828. Poinsettias were used by Mexican Franciscans in their 17th century Christmas celebrations. Legend has it that a young Mexican boy on his way to visit the Christ child at a village Nativity gathered pretty green branches from along the road and brought them to the church. When the leaves were laid at the manager, a beautiful star shaped flower appeared on its branch.
Author Unknown

Since you are God’s child, everything he has belongs to you.
Galatians 4:7

Try to have a sane estimate of your capabilities.
Romans 12:3, New Testament in Modern English

Be sure to use the abilities God has given you. . . . Put these abilities to work.
I Timothy 4:14 – 15 Living Bible

John Pierpont died a failure. In 1866, at age eighty-one, he came to the end of his days as a government clerk in Washington, D.C., with a long string of personal defeats abrading his spirit. Things began well enough. He graduated from Yale, which his grandfather had helped found, and chose education as his profession with some enthusiasm.

He was a failure at school teaching. He was too easy on his students. He turned to the legal world for training. He was a failure as a lawyer. He was too generous to his clients and too concerned about justice to take the cases that brought good fees. The next career he took up was that of dry-goods merchant. He was a failure as a businessman. He could not charge enough for his goods to make a profit, and was too liberal with credit.

In the meantime he had been writing poetry, and though it was published, he didn’t collect enough royalties to make a living. He was a failure as a poet. And so he decided to become a minister, went off to Harvard Divinity School, was ordained as minister of the Hossis Street Church in Boston. But his position on Prohibition and against slavery got him crosswise with the influential members of his congregation and he was forced to resign.

He was a failure as a minister. Politics seemed a place where he could make some difference, and he was nominated as the Abolition party candidate for governor of Massachusetts. He lost. Undaunted, he ran for Congress under the banner of the Free Soil Party. He lost.

Someone found him an obscure job in the back offices of the Treasury Department in Washington. He finished out the last five years of his life as a menial file clerk. He wasn’t very good at that either. His heart was not in it.

John Pierpont died a failure. He had accomplished nothing he set out to do or be. There is a small memorial stone marking his grave in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The words in the granite read: Poet, Preacher, Philosopher, Philanthropist.

From this distance in time, one might insist that he was not, in fact, a failure. His commitments to social justice, his desire to be a loving human being, his active engagement in the great issues of his times, and his faith in the power of the human mind, these are not failures. Much of what he though of as defeat became success. Education was reformed, legal processes were improved, credit laws were changed, and above all, slavery was abolished once and for all.

Many nineteenth century reformers had similar lives – similar failures and successes.

In one very important sense, John Pierpont was not a failure. Every year, come December, we celebrate his success. We carry in our hearts and minds a lifelong memorial to him. It is a song. Not about Jesus or angels or even Santa Claus. It’s a terribly simple song about the simple joy of whizzing through the cold white dark of winters gloom in a sleigh pulled by one horse. And with the company of friends, laughing and singing all the way. No more, no less. John Pierpont wrote “Jingle Bells”. One snowy afternoon in deep winter, John Pierpont penned the lines as a small gift for his family and friends and congregation. And in doing so he left behind a permanent gift for Christmas, not the one under the tree – but the invisible, invincible one of joy. John Pierpont did not die a failure.
Author Unknown

Serve the Lord with all your heart.
1 Samuel 12:20 NIV

The kingdom of God is within you.
Luke 17:21

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before his presence with singing.
Psalm 100:1-2

When Christ . . . shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too – the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity.
Colossians 3:4 The Message

According to legend, Christmas stockings began when a nobleman upset by the death of his wife squandered away his fortune leaving three young daughters without dowries. St. Nicholas hearing of the girls plight set forth to help. Wishing to remain anonymous, he rode his white horse by the nobleman’s house and threw three small pouches of gold down the chimney where they were captured by the stocking the young girls had placed by the fireplace to dry.
Author Unknown

Jesus said, “When you do good deeds, don’t try to show off. If you do, you won’t get a reward from your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 6:1 Contemporary English Version

God’s gifts put man’s best dreams to shame.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you.
2 Timothy 1:6, New American Standard Bible

What we are is God’s gift to us. What we become is our gift to God.
Eleanor Powell

Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that.
Galatians 6:4, The Message

Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.
Saint Augustine

Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.
Pamela Vaull Starr

Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible.
Corrie Ten Boom

Dear Lord, You have given me all that I need to get through this day. I trust You to provide what I’ll need tomorrow. Remind me to live one day at a time, not worrying about the yesterdays or the tomorrows. Help me to take time for myself, to take time for others, and most of all, to take time for you. Please use me to lift up others, as You have sent others to lift me. Thank you for the everyday gifts I so often take for granted. Remind me to open my eyes and see your divine touch in all things around me and to listen for your voice in the stillness of each day. Help me to see today how I can be useful. Amen

I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month.
Harian Miller

The Christmas tree can be traced back to the year 1604. In the 16th century Germany fir trees were decorated, both inside and out, with apples, roses, candies and colored paper. In the Middle Ages, a popular religious play depicted the story of Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden. A fir tree hung with apples was used to symbolize the Garden of Eden – the Paradise Tree. The play ended with the prophecy of a savior coming. This was often performed during the Advent season. It is believed that Protestant reformer Martin Luther adorned trees with light. While coming home one December evening, the beauty of the stars shining through the branches of a fir inspired him to recreate this effect by placing candles on the branches of a small fir inside his home. The Christmas tree was brought to England by Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, from his native Germany. The tree was popularized throughout Victorian England by the famous 1848 etching of the Royal Family of Victoria, Albert and their children gathered around a Christmas tree in Windsor Castle.
Author Unknown

I have been looking on, this evening, at a merry company of children assembled round that pretty German toy, a Christmas Tree.
Charles Dickens

The Christmas tree was introduced to America by the Pennsylvania German immigrants in the eighteenth century. Christmas itself, however, was little celebrated in Colonial America, except in the Anglican and Catholic Colonies of the South and where the Germans, Dutch, and Moravians settled. The Puritans, who settled New England, forbade any observance of Christmas celebrations, since they believed no day should be more important than the Sabbath. After the American Revolution, Christmas trees started to appear throughout America. These early trees were unpretentious decorated with natural materials gathered from the fields, woods, paper or fabric. Patchwork quilts were often placed at the base of the tree. These trees were only a few feet high, set on tables, and decorated with modest and simple ornaments such as nuts, homemade cookies, strings of popcorn, and apples. Tree trimming was not widely practiced in America until the Victorian period. By the middle of the nineteenth century, people living in the cities could buy special toys and imported glass ornaments for their trees. Around the turn of the twentieth century, the Christmas tree became very popular in America. Larger, floor to ceiling trees replaced table trees and were decorated with store bought and homemade ornaments. People who did not have a tree at home could enjoy the community tree set in the local schoolhouse, town hall or church. By 1930 the decorated Christmas tree had become a significant part of the American Christmas.
Maxine Kenny

He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.
Roy L. Smith

I pray that out of his glorious riches God may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:16 – 19 NIV

Loving Father, help us remember the birth of Jesus,
that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness
of the shepherds, and worship of the wise men.
Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world.
Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.
Deliver us from evil by the blessing, which Christ brings,
and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.
May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children,
and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful
thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus sake. Amen
Robert Louis Stevenson

For it is impossible to be in the presence of Jesus and not be changed.
Joanna Weaver

It was not long after Europeans began using Christmas trees that special decorations were used to adorn them. Food items, such as candies and cookies, were used predominately and straight white candy sticks were one of the confections used as ornamentation. Legend has it that during the 17th century, craftsmen created the white sticks of candy in the shape of shepherds’ crooks at the suggestion of the choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany. The candy treats were given to children to keep them quiet during religious ceremonies. This custom soon spread throughout Europe. According to the National Confectioner’s Association, in 1847 German immigrant August Imgard used the candy cane to decorate a Christmas tree in Wooster, Ohio. Bob McCormack of Albany, Georgia more than 50 years later made candy canes as treats for family, friends, and local shopkeepers. McCormack’s brother-in-law Catholic priest Gregory Keller, invented a machine in the 1950’s that automated the production of candy canes and the popularity of the candy cane grew. The symbolism of the color white represents Christ’s purity and the red the blood he shed. The presence of the three red stripes the Holy Trinity.
Author Unknown

There are different kinds of service in the church, but it is the same Lord we are serving.
1 Corinthians 12:5 New Living

Christmas! Friend, ‘tis Christmas! If there’s no joyous way to give a festive package. . . give some love away!
Christine Grant Curless

More than 95% of all Americans receive at least one Christmas card each year. The average is actually more than 70 cards per family. Millions of cards are mailed each holiday season throughout the world. A museum director in the mid 19th century liked to send yearly notes to his friends at Christmas, just to wish them a joyful holiday season. His name was Sir Henry Cole and was the first director of London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. Sir Henry found himself too busy in the Christmas season of 1843 to compose individual Christmas greetings for his friends, but he still wanted to send a message of good cheer. He asked his artist friend, John Calcott Horsely, to design a card that he might sign and send. The card featured three panels, with the center panel depicting a family enjoying Christmas festivities and the card was inscribed with the message, “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You.” Those who received the cards loved the idea and created cards of their own. This is how the Christmas card began.
Author Unknown

It’s happy, sparkling Christmastime,
And ere this season ends
I want to send a greeting to
My special dearest friends!
I want to wish you all the joy
Of happiness and cheer
That fills the heart of everyone
This festive time of year!
And not just for the holidays
This greeting comes to you . . .
I wish you sweet contentment
Everyday, the whole year through!
Esther Hirst

If instead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cast the gift of a loving thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give.
George MacDonald

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.
William Arthur Ward

To give and then not feel that one has given is the very best of all ways of giving.
Max Beerbohm

Fail not to call to mind, in the course of the twenty-fifth of this month, that the Divinest Heart that ever walked the earth was born on that day; and then smile and enjoy yourselves for the rest of it; for mirth is also of Heaven’s making.
Leigh Hunt

It is Christmas in the heart that put Christmas in the air.
W. T. Ellis

The joy of brightening other lives, bearing each other’s burdens, easing other’s loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of Christmas.
W. C. Jones

Christmas – that magic blanket that wraps itself about us, that something so intangible that it is like a fragrance. It may weave a spell of nostalgia. Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance – a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved.
Augusta E. Rundel

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.
Norman Vincent Peale

Remind me Lord, that your gifts to me are meant to be shared in love, with others.
I Samuel 16:23

As fits the holy Christmas birth,
Be this, good friends, our carol still –
Be peace on earth, be peace on earth,
To men of gentle will.
William Makepeace Thackeray

German and British front-line soldiers sang carols, exchanged gifts, and played soccer during a World War I Christmas truce. In the winter of 1914, on the battlefields of Flanders, Belgium one of the most unusual events in history took place. The Germans had been in a fierce battle with the British and French with both sides safe in muddy, man made trenches six to eight feet deep. All of a sudden, German soldiers began to put small Christmas trees, lit with candles, outside their trenches and started singing songs. The British and French troops started singing. Some English speaking Germans proposed a ‘Christmas’ truce and the British and French troops accepted. Though a few allied troops fired at the Germans, they climbed out of their trenches to celebrate Christmas. Stanley Weintraub wrote about this event in his book, Silent Night, the Story of the World War I Christmas Truce. Germans made signs, ‘You no fight, we no fight’ and the British units made banners of ‘Merry Christmas’. Gifts of cake postcards, newspaper and tobacco were exchanged. Ultimately the war continued for another four years with over 8 ½ million killed and 21 million wounded and though other Christmas truces were proposed, they never took place.
Author Unknown

The only gift is a portion of thyself.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Love is, above all, the gift of oneself.
Jean Anouilh

Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:35

In Northern Europe, Christmas occurred during the middle of winter. Boughs of holly, were believed to have magical powers since they remained green during the harsh winter. They were placed over the doors to drive evil away. Brought indoors, it would brighten the mood during the long harsh winters and freshen the air. Legend has it that holly sprang from the footsteps of Christ as he walked the earth. The pointed leaves were said to represent the crown of thorns Christ wore while on the cross and the red berries symbolized the blood he shed.
Author Unknown

Happy times and bygones days are never lost. . . In truth, they grow more wonderful within the heart that keeps them.
Kay Andrew

Thank you Lord, for all of the blessings You have given to me. Thank you for the birth of Jesus. Thank you for the joys and memories of Christmas. As the snow trickles down from the sky this Christmas season, shower me with a faith that lets nothing stand in the way of growing closer and closer to You. Help me see the angels that You send and help me share with others the love that you share with me. Bless me with patience and peace, forgiveness and love. Ignite in me new desires and hopes, plans and dreams, words and actions that will lead me to draw others to you. Give me the strength to walk into the opportunities You have set before me now and in the coming year. Amen

God will not let your foot slip – he who
watches over you will not slumber…
The Lord watches over you –
The Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm –
He will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
Psalm 121: 3, 5–8

Faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the
word of Christ.
Romans 10:17

I see your hand, Lord, in everything around me,
And in every aspect of my life, I see your will….
I see your plan, Lord, in all the years behind me.
And in the days and years to come, I’ll trust you still.
Jeremiah 29:11

Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands.
Protect them as they protect us.
Bless them and their families for the selfless acts
they perform for us in our time of need.
I ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31

You go no where by accident.
Wherever you go, God is sending you.
Wherever you are, God has put you there.
He has a purpose in your being there.
Christ who dwells in you has something
He wants to do through you where you are.
Believe this and go in His grace and love and power.
Richard C. Halverson, Chaplain of the United States Senate

O God, help me to touch someone today with my eyes, my words,
my smile, my voice, my laughter, Your word.
Change my life, so I can make a difference.
Let my actions bring someone closer to you.
Help me to make Christmas last all year.
Help me to use my gifts for Jesus.

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