No Room at the Inn (Stage Play)

 John Bevalere Cox

Inn Keeper:	Be off with you, peasant. We have no room for the likes of you here.
Traveler:	But I must find lodging for the night. My wife is heavy with child, and her time is very near.
Inn Keeper:	Alt the more reason why you cannot stay here. We have no facilities to accommodate such events.
Traveler:	Please, don't you have something- anything- a smaller room, a closet? Anything, anything to get us in off the street and out of the weather? See how she travails.
Inn Keeper:	Be off with you, I say there is NO ROOM at this inn! Away with you!
Traveler:	Come, Mary, there is no room for us here. We'll have to look elsewhere.
Inn Keeper:	(Overheard  as  the  travelers  are  leaving) Of course we have room for you Rabbi.  There are always accommodations at our inn for such a noble person as you.   You shall have our finest.
Mary:	But Joseph, I don't know how much farther I can go. The time is very near.
Traveler:	(Turning back to the Inn for one more plea to be considered.) Sir, Please!
Inn Keeper:	BE OFF WITH YOU, I SAY. THERE IS NO ROOM FOR YQU AT THIS INN!
Mary:	Joseph! Oh, have mercy! JOSEPH! JOSEPH!! Ohhh!
Joseph:	I know, Mary, I know, I know. We'll find something.
Narrator:	They try a second inn
Second Inn:	Sir, I truly wish I had room for you, but I do not. I am full and then some. The taxation decree, you know. It would seem all of Judea is here tonight.
Mary:	Joseph! What are we to do? The time is near. I cannot bear this child in the middle of the street.
Joseph:	Try to be patient, dear. God will provide.
Narrator:	They try a second inn
Third Inn:	Sorry, no room.
Narrator:	They try a second inn
Fourth Inn:	Full up!
Narrator:	And yet another.
Next Inn:	Begone! Our rooms are all full.
Narrator:	After several other tries.
A later Inn:	Sir, I am bulging at the seams with lodgers tonight.   I have no rooms - none at all.   I am truly sorry.   (He sees Mary’s urgent need.)   But there are the stables outback.  Perhaps you can find shelter there, if you can squeeze in. They too are full - the animals of the guests, you know.   You'll find the stables in  the  cave  just  across  the  way
Joseph:	Bless you, Sir. Bless you. We'll find our way.
Narrator:	Joseph cleared out a stall and cleaned away the animal residue, as best he could. He found some clean straw and placed it on the floor to make a bed for Mary. He spread a blanket down. (It was certainly no suite at the Royal Inn. The smell of the animals was heavy.)
Joseph:	"This is no place to bring forth the Son of God! But under the circumstances, it will have to do. "Are you comfortable, Mary?"
Mary:	As well as can be expected, I suppose.
Narrator:	Seeing that Mary was settled, Joseph turned his attention to preparing a place for the child whose arrival was now imminent.   Again he found straw, as clean and soft and tender as possible.   He spread it with care in the manger and covered it with the blanket which they had brought for this purpose. Although it was night, and they were well into the cave, it was curiously light.  It was as though daylight had followed them into their makeshift shelter, and they were comforted by it.
Mary:	It's time, Joseph. It's time! Help Me. Help me!
Joseph:	Of course. Of course.
Narrator:	Joseph crouched beside Mary. His heart ached for her, seeing the pain that racked her weary body. There were no doctors.   There was no midwife.   There was no sterile delivery room, warm and clean.   There was only Joseph, and the cattle - and the caring, loving, protecting hand of God - the Father. The Inn keeper's wife had been kind enough to let Joseph have a pail of warm water and some soft cloths, which he might use to clean the baby, and the mother, after the ordeal.   "Let me know when it is time," she said, "and I'll try to come and help you."   But there was no time, and the babe was delivered into the hands of loving Joseph. The child was born!  It was a boy!   A strong, perfect, healthy boy!  THE SON OF GOD HAD BEEN BORN OF MARY, A VIRGIN! For truly, Joseph had not known her.     Joseph washed the tiny infant, wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and lay him in the manger bed he had prepared. Then he ministered to Mary's needs. The curious light shown brighter, and seemed to gather directly over the manger where the baby lay. All the while, outside the cave, the night sky was wondrously aglow as though some heavenly presence were near.   Shepherds watching over their flocks on the Bethlehem hills were astonished by the phenomenon and wondered what it meant.
	Read the record of the event from Luke 2.
Song:	"It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" or "Hark! The Harold Angels Sing". Perhaps both. "The First Noel"
Narrator:	The shepherds did as the angels bade them, and came to the manger, led by the heavenly choir, and by the light.   They found the holy babe, as the angels foretold, lying in a manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes. They worshiped him! Joseph was curious about how they knew, so quickly,   of the birth, and where to find them.   The shepherds told Joseph and Mary of their heavenly visitation, and of the light that had guided them. Others came to see what great event had transpired,  and to learn the cause of the curious light that shown from the stable cave.  Their curiosity turned to awe and wonder,  when they saw the child,  and they too worshiped him. At length, Joseph prevailed upon the visitors to leave, so that Mary could get some much-needed rest. Joseph took note of all that had happened this night and gave thanks to God. Mary pondered these things in her heart. She took the babe and cradled it in her arms and sang.
Song:	“MARY’S LULLABY”
Narrator: Meantime	Across the world, in a land that Joseph and Mary and the shepherds knew not of, another scene was unfolding.  A scene mixed with hope and sorrow; faith and apprehension. It was now 600 years since the fathers had left the homeland. The prophets of this land had all prophesied that by this time, the Lord God was to have sent His Son into the world to save mankind from the fall of Adam. As late as five years ago, a Lamanite prophet named Samuel had prophesied, "Behold, I give unto you a sign; for five years more cometh, and behold, then cometh the Son of God to redeem all those who shall believe on his name. "And behold, this will I give unto you for a sign at the time of his coming; for behold, there shall be great lights in heaven, insomuch that in the night before he cometh there shall be no darkness, insomuch that it shall appear unto man as if it were day. "Therefore, there shall be one day and a night and a day, as if it were one day and there were no night; and this shall be unto you for a sign; for ye shall know of the rising of the sun and also of its setting; therefore ye shall know of a surety that there shall be two days and a night; nevertheless the night shall not be darkened; and it shall be the night before he is born. "And behold there shall be a new star arise, such an one as ye never have beheld; and this also shall be a sign unto you." (Helaman 14: 2-5) Now there were many who believed the words of the prophets, and they looked steadfastly toward the time that their words would be fulfilled. But there many who did not believe the words of the prophets, and they began to rejoice saying, "Behold the time is past, and the words of Samuel are not fulfilled; therefore your joy and your faith concerning this thing hath been vain." (3 Nephi 1:6)
	We go now to the household of Jacob and Sarah.
Sarah:	What is troubling you, Jacob?  For weeks now, and especially for the past few days, you have been beside yourself with apprehension.  You keep looking toward the sky, as if you expected some great disaster to befall us.
Jacob:	Do you not know?  Are you not aware?  The time is almost spent, which Samuel the prophet said should expire, before the coming of the Son of God to redeem the world. The disaster comes not from the sky, but from the unbelievers who have set a day that all those who believed in those traditions should be put to death except the sign should come to pass which had been given by Samuel the prophet. (3 Nephi 1:9)  How can I not be concerned?
Sarah:	You have reason to be concerned. But the day is not yet. Have faith and be of good cheer.
	Several days later
Sarah:	(Calling to children at play outside the door of her home.) "Come in now, children. The sun has gone down. It's time to get ready for supper."
Child:	But, mother, it's not dark yet. It's not even getting dark!
Sarah:	Now, Aaron, you know the sun went down some time ago. I'm sure you are having fun with your games, but you mustn't exaggerate. Come on in now, and get ready for supper.
2nd Child:	But, mother, It's true! It's not getting dark! In truth, the sun did set – quite a while ago - but it is NOT getting dark. It's as light as noonday.
3rd Child:	Yes, mother, come and see. What can it mean?
Sarah:	(At the door.) You are right! But I myself saw the sun sink below the horizon. Why does it not get dark, as always?
Narrator:	As they stand and wonder, Jacob comes rushing toward them, breathless with excitement.
Jacob:	Do you see! DO YOU SEE!  The sun has set, and it doesn't get dark! It is the sign! IT IS THE SIGN foretold by the prophets! The sign that the Son of God is to be born on the morrow!  Do you know what this means?!? The threat of extermination of those who believed the prophets has been averted!  Tomorrow was to have been the day, but the sign is here!  IT IS HERE! GLORY BE TO GOD! We are saved! We are saved. But, better than that, the Son of God is born. The LORD is come. THE LORD IS COME! GLORY BE TO GOD, AND HALLELUJAH!! HALLELUJAH!!
Song:	“Joy to the World” or “Far, Far Away on Judea’s Plain”
Narrator:	And thus began the greatest story ever told, about the greatest life ever lived.  The life that has affected ALL of mankind, the whole world over, whatever land they live in. This tiny babe, born to a virgin mother in a manger, grew in stature, and waxed strong in knowledge, and wisdom, and in faith, a wondrous life to live, and an awesome mission to fulfill. His life was an example for all who would follow.  His sacrifice brought immortality to everyone; and eternal life to those who believe on His name, who repent, and who love Him sufficiently to follow His teaching and obey His commandments. We celebrate the great event of His birth as Christmas.  And we do it by the singing of carols, and with the giving of gifts, symbolic of the great gift He gave to us. HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD DAY!
Benediction:	By Invitation

The Reason for the Season

 John Bevalere Cox

 Our living rooms are filled these days with stories of Christmas.  Stories of Santa Clause, how he came to be - of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - How Mrs. Clause Saved Christmas - The Grinch Stole Christmas - The Littlest Angel - The Little Drummer Boy - Amahl and the Night Visitors - all stories concerned with beginnings and celebration - all quaint and pleasant stories that entertain us and fill us with make-believe - non committal ideas of a joyous time of the year where love and giving are paramount. They are fun and touching and warm and happy and we enjoy them. But I would like us to consider Christmas in the light of Him who is the center of it all, the reason for the season.

The word Christmas comes from the Catholic Christ Mass, which means the celebration of Christ.

When we celebrate an event, someone invariably seeks to unravel the web of circumstance that brought it into significance, and to consider its impress upon our lives and times. That will be my task here. I will be that someone.

Our celebration of Christmas, out of habit and convenience, centers around the birth of the infant Jesus; around the advent of a single child born in Bethlehem, far, far away in a manger, to a virgin mother long, long  ago; so long that doubters embolden themselves in expressing their derision  and skepticism.

But what child was this that the whole world would come to revere, and whose miraculous birth we celebrate, in one way or another; whose birth was announced by angels; who had kings and wise men seek him out that they might worship him, (Even skepticism and derision are forms of recognition) Whether Christian or otherwise, the whole world is affected.

If the birth of Jesus were the beginning of Christ, whom we are celebrating, then as with other men of prominence that should be the first knowledge we have of Him. But it is not, A prophet named Nephi, the son of Nephi, living in a land far, far removed from Bethlehem, knew of him by name and of His foreordained mission, and of His imminent birth, the day before it occurred, He knew of it by revelation from Christ Himself. (3Ne 1:13)

But was that the first we hear of Him? Elizabeth, Mary's cousin and the mother of John the Baptist, and Zacharias (her husband) knew of Him months before his birth, (Luke 1:39-45) Others too have been shown His coming and His mission back through the pages of time: Samuel the Lamanite, five years before His birth; Alma (son and father), Ammon, Mosiah, King Benjamin, Enos, Jacob (the brother of Nephi), Nephi, Lehi (600 years before His birth), the brother of Jared (2,000 years before His birth), likewise the Old Testament prophets from Malachi back through Jeramiah, Isaiah, David, Moses, Joseph (who was sold into Egypt), Jacob, Isaac, Abraham, Noah, Enoch, all the way to Adam, And when we get to Adam we would suppose that would be the earliest we would be able to go, But we must go beyond Adam and the Garden of Eden, for even our first parents knew of the mission and purpose of Christ, and they taught it to their children. Where can we go beyond Adam? We must go back to that Grand Council in Heaven, before ever the earth was.

Here, in that Grand Council in Heaven, we sit with our brothers and sisters and listen as the Father outlines His plan for the mortal phase of our continuing progression, a progression toward becoming heirs to His glory.

We hear Him ask the question, "Whom shall I send to redeem man from his mortal state, and how shall it be administered?

We are there when one like unto the Son of Man, Lucifer by name, the enlightened and intelligent and powerful Son of the Morning says, "Here am I. Send me, I will be thy Son and I will redeem ALL mankind, that not one soul shall not be lost, And surely I will do it," then his selfish purposes surfaced, "wherefore give me thine honor, (Moses 4:1) In this he sought not only to destroy the agency of man, by limiting his choices, but also to usurp the very power of God. (Moses 4:3)  He selfishly moved for self-aggrandizement and ultimate power, and to exalt himself above God, if that were possible~

We also hear another, the Beloved Son of God, the beloved and chosen from the beginning say, "Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever."  (Moses 4:2)

Lucifer's motives were purely selfish, as were those who followed him, because of the things he promised them.

The offer of the Beloved Son was unselfish, and made out of pure love, concern, and caring; caring for the Father, that His will be done in His way; caring and love for us, His brothers and sisters, that we may maximize our growth and progression through the exercise of choices and agency.

And so the offer of the latter was accepted.  His offer was completely unselfish.  The Beloved Son was chosen to be the savior, the redeemer, the Christ.

The hosts of heaven rejoiced at His selection as the one to implement the plan of the Father.

Let us now consider the singular nature of this immortal, eternal personage.  Let us determine if a celebration of Him is in order.

We have rehearsed how His coming forth was anticipated by all the prophets, and how the angels announced His arrival.  Has there ever been another whose advent was so widely known and anticipated; one who even before His arrival into mortality was known by name and by gender; Who had churches organized and named for Him, that devoted followers might worship Him and follow His teachings and gospel, all before he even arrived?  Has there ever been another who led and directed His people.to lands of promise; who spoke to them; who showed Himself to them, revealing how He would appear when He would manifest Himself in the flesh; who governed and taught them, before His mortal birth?

King's sire offspring and pray for a son to be their heir. They announce and herald his coming, and broadcast to all the arrival.  They rehearse his every move as he grows.  But these heirs have no impace upon men until after their arrival upon the scene and have proven their worthiness.  Their deeds may live on for a time after they have gone, and their influence may be felt in a localized arena, but even the Ceasars have lost their influence.

But review the impact of Jesus - the Christ - upon mankind. His worthiness was known before His arrival All the earth - all civilizations - have felt His influence, and continue to do so, whether Christian or otherwise.

No single life has had so profound an effect upon the world as has His.  All the kings, all the armies, all the prophets, all the learned scholars, all the teachers, builders, artists, and scientists combined, that have ever lived, have not affected the life of man as profoundly as has this single man. Yet, in His life, he was an obscure carpenter, from an obscure village, in an obscure country, and His mortal ministry lasted but three years.  He never had much of this world's goods, but He blessed all whom He knew. He lived but 33 to 34 years.  He suffered an ignominious death, hung on a cross between two thieves, and was buried in a borrowed tomb.

But He occupied that borrowed tomb for less than three days, for on the third day he arose from death, a resurrected, immortal being - a GOD - the first fruits of the resurrection; and the world has not been the same since.

The significance of the birth of Jesus cannot be set apart, in matters of import, from the supremacy of the agonizing atonement of the Christ, first in Gethsemane, then culminating in the willing surrender of His mortal life on the cross at Calvary.  The one cannot be separated from the other, any more than the resurgent splash, and after waves can be arrested after the cast stone violates the pristine surface of a calm pool of water.

It is the whole life of that GOD-MAN that we celebrate.  When we celebrate Christmas, we celebrate Christ:  not alone the birth, nor the crucifixion, nor the mortal life, but the WHOLE concept of Christ, and His being, from the Council in Heaven, to the Supremacy of His Godhood in the Celestial world yet to be.

No, dear children, Christmas did not begin in Bethlehem, nor will it end soon. Christmas is forever.

Christmas is Love, It is the celebration of that Christ-like quality of love, not the lustful, sensual, selfish, immoral assault on virtue that our present society has come to mistake for love - but that truly unselfish caring for another; that consideration for the well-being of another; that heartfelt concern and compassion for another's woes; and righteous rejoicing with them in their joy and happiness.  And we mean genuine on-going enduring to-the-end kind of true involvement that brings us to feel as he feels, giving of ourselves, without self-interest or without self-concern, sharing in times of need, as Christ did, accepting with gratitude the gifts offered in times of plenty.

We feel it all about us at Christmas time; in the cheery greetings; in the happy smiles; in the desire to do good things for each other. Our gift-giving is but a token of His love.  It is but a symbol of His generous unselfish gift to us.

Let us rejoice with the angels and prophets and sing with them, "Glory to God in the highest…for unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulders, and He shall reign forever and ever."  (Isaiah 9:6&7 paraphrased)

What a glorious time that will be, when Christ shall reign personally upon the earth. Turmoil and strife shall cease.'  Selfishness will be replaced with love of fellow man, and neighbor will trust neighbor, and there will be no poor among us.  Each can enjoy life and righteousness to the fullest, unmolested and without shame or fear of derisive comments from anyone.

Let the celebration of Christmas be as the words of a song, "It's not the things you do at Christmas, but the Christmas things you do all year through."

May Christmas enter into our hearts and there find a happy and enduring abode, I pray in the name of Him whom we celebrate at this joyous time,

AMEN

Why Did Mary Swaddle Her Baby?

 Sherrie Mills Johnson

When we read that Mary swaddled her baby, we think she merely wrapped him in a blanket. But that’s not what it meant to Mary and Joseph.

The reason swaddling was a significant sign for the shepherds is that instead of meaning simply wrapped, swaddling was a ritual performed for all legitimate babies. I like to imagine the process as Mary placed her baby diagonally on a swaddle cloth. Carefully she would then rub the baby with a small amount of finely powdered salt mixed with olive oil.

Once anointed, she would bring the corners of the swaddle cloth up and over the baby’s arms, legs, and torso.  Next she would take an end of the swaddle band, a linen cloth about four or five inches wide and up to six yards long, hold it under the baby’s chin, then wrapped it up over the forehead and then around and around the infant all the way down to the feet so that it held the baby’s limbs straight and stiff.

During their betrothal Mary would have made the swaddle band out of fine linen and she would have embroidered it so that both sides looked exactly the same with emblems of her tribe, the tribe of Judah. After the betrothal period and during the wedding, the band would be tied around the bride and groom’s hands as part of the ritual. (That is where we get the phrase “tied the knot.”) After the ceremony, the band would be rolled up and kept in a special place to be used when their first child was born for another ritual.

Thus, after Jesus was salted and swaddled in the band, Mary and Joseph would hold pray for a short time that the child would grow to be upright and righteous and that He would never walk in crooked paths, but would serve God. There is some debate about the reason swaddling was done, but according to the Law of Moses, all sacrifices were accompanied by salt and therefore salt is a symbol of covenants. Therefore, the explanation I like best for swaddling is that the baby was salted and swaddled to dedicate the child as a covenant child of the House of Israel.

Whatever the reason for salting and swaddling, a swaddled baby is a metaphor for a legitimate child that is loved and properly cared for, thus when Israel strays from the covenant Ezekiel chastises the people by saying, “Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite. And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee: thou was not salted at all, nor swaddled at all” (Ezekiel 16:4). In other words, Israel is so wicked they have become illegitimate children. They have chosen to be children of the gentiles rather than the legitimate children of their Father in Heaven who would have swaddled and cared for them.

I love this small detail about Mary swaddling her baby because it tells us so much. First of all, it gives us a glimpse into the heart of a devout woman who cared for her child in the best possible way. To us Jesus Christ is our Master, our Savior, our Protector, but for a time, to Mary, He was a dependent child. That is a relationship no one else will ever share with Him.

But there is something else. Of all people, Mary and Joseph knew the significance of this child and the circumstances concerning His conception. They knew that despite the rumors and hatemongers this child was legitimate and so by swaddling Him they proclaim to the entire world that this baby is indeed God’s legitimate Son.

One can only imagine what Mary thought as she wrapped Him in the swaddling bands she had so laboriously made. From the moment of the miraculous conception, Mary must have sought for any information about the fate of this child. There were many prophecies, and Mary must have hung on every word the rabbis and others taught about the coming Messiah. She must have asked questions and in the answers would have discovered the terrible fate that awaited her Son.

As she salted the baby did she think about the fact that all sacrifices in the temple were salted and that this child would be the real sacrifice for all sin? Did seeing him wrapped tightly in the swaddling bands of birth make her think of the shroud of death that would someday cover Him?

Whether she thought about any of these things or not, the bands Mary swaddled her Son in remind us of the day He was wrapped in burial linens and placed in a tomb. He was born to die for us, and by so doing He “swaddled” us, proclaiming us His legitimate children and providing a way to take away our “crookedness.” But most important, Jesus Christ has changed our burial linens into the swaddling bands of new birth.

December 9, 2014

A Tree for Travis

 Charlotte Mae Shepard

Jacqueline’s family talked and laughed as they walked through the snow-dusted woods. But behind them, Jacqueline quietly trudged with the speed of a melting snowman.

She had waited all year for her family’s Christmas-tree hunt. She had dreamed about crunching through the frosty forest, sipping hot cocoa, and decorating the perfect tree until every branch sparkled with lights.

But now the frost she had waited for was freezing her toes, and the hot cocoa in her thermos didn’t taste as sweet as usual. She kept thinking about Travis.

Travis was Jacqueline’s best friend. He used to have a house near hers, but this winter his family had to move into a small trailer. The move had been really hard for Travis. There wasn’t even enough room for a Christmas tree in their new place. And Travis loved Christmas trees!

Suddenly Jacqueline stopped. Popping up from the snow in front of her was a tiny pine sapling. Maybe it would fit in Travis’s new home! Jacqueline’s eyes lit up as she reached for it—

“Whoa!” Dad said, putting a mittened hand on her shoulder. “We can’t cut down the little trees. They need to grow for next year.”

As Dad continued through the forest, Jacqueline looked back at the sapling and smiled. She had an idea.

Hours later Jacqueline was walking through the snow again—but this time in her own backyard. From where she stood, she could just glimpse her family’s Christmas tree twinkling through the windows of their house. Their tree hunt was over, but hers wasn’t quite finished.

She walked next to the towering trees that marked the edge of her yard until she saw a pine branch growing low enough to reach. It was just the right size for Travis’s trailer. Dad had told her that taking one small branch wouldn’t hurt the tree too much.

With a grunt, Jacqueline broke off the branch. But it didn’t look at all like the Christmas tree twinkling inside. Making Travis’s tree was going to be harder than she thought!

The next day Jacqueline sat in the car and watched the forest rush by in a blur of brown and green.

“Aren’t you excited to give Travis his tree?” Mom asked.

Jacqueline shrugged. She had spent all day trying to make the little tree look just right, but it didn’t end up nearly as nice as she wanted.

They parked in front of Travis’s trailer, and Jacqueline opened the trunk. When she saw the tree, her heart sank. It was lopsided, with needles dropping from its branches. Even the ribbons Jacqueline had tied around it were crumpled. Hot tears stung at the corner of Jacqueline’s eyes. It looked nothing like a real Christmas tree. It would probably just make Travis’s Christmas worse!

The door to the trailer swung open, and Travis bounded down the steps. With a deep breath, Jacqueline held out the tree. “Merry Christmas!” she said shakily.

When Travis saw the tree, a grin spread across his face. “Wow! It’s perfect!” he cried out. “Thank you!”

Jacqueline felt a warm feeling grow inside her, melting away the sad and worried feelings she’d had before. She realized that her gift wasn’t really the tree or the ribbons—so it didn’t matter if those were perfect or not.

What she had really given Travis was love. Like Jesus would have done.

And she couldn’t wait to give it again.

Sheppard, Charlotte Mae. "A Tree for Travis." The Friend Dec. 2016: 4-5. Print.

The Tablecloth

 Pastor Rob Reid

The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry, to reopen a church in suburban Brooklyn, arrived in early October excited about their opportunities. When they saw their church, it was very run down and needed much work. They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service on Christmas Eve. They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, etc. and on Dec 18 were ahead of schedule and just about finished.

On Dec 19 a terrible tempest - a driving rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days. On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church. His heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high. The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing what else to do but postpone the Christmas Eve service, headed home.

On the way he noticed that a local business was having a flea market type sale for charity so he stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to cover up the hole in the front wall. He bought it and headed back to the church. By this time it had started to snow. An older woman running from the opposite direction was trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus 45 minutes later. She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry.

The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area. Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor," she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?" The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria.

The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just gotten the Tablecloth. The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria. When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. Her husband was going to follow her the next week. She was captured, sent to prison and never saw her husband or her home again. The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth; but she made the pastor keep it for the church. The pastor insisted on driving her home that was the least he could do. She lived on the other side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a housecleaning job.

What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the spirit were great. At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return. One older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighborhood, continued to sit in one of the pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he wasn't leaving. The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on the front wall because it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war and how could there be two tablecloths so much alike? He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety, and he was supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and put in prison. He never saw his wife or his home again all the 35 years in between.

The pastor asked him if he would allow him to take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten Island and to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier. He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on the door and he saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine.

Christmas Customs

 Author Unknown

Christ's Birth from the Old English ‘Cristes Mæsse’ ~ meaning the ‘mass of Christ’ ~ the story of Christmas begins with the birth of a babe in Bethlehem. Many Christmas customs are based on the birth of Christ. Such as giving presents because of the Wise Men, who brought presents to the baby Jesus. Christmas carols based on Christ's birth and scenes of the birth with figures of shepherds, the Wise Men, and animals surrounding the baby Jesus. But some of the ways people celebrate Christmas have nothing to do with Christ's birthday. Many bits of older holidays have crept into Christmas! It wasn't until about 200 years after Christ's death that Christians even thought about celebrating his birth. No one knows the exact date of his birth. It is believed that December the 25th was chosen to turn people away from celebrating other holidays at this time of the year.

Saturnalia was the Romans holiday that they celebrated in December. It was a time of feasting and parties. Also, in northern Europe there was a holiday known as Yule. They celebrated this holiday by making great fires. They then would dance around the fires, yelling for the winter to end. In time, Christmas took the place of these holidays. But people kept some of the old customs -- such as burning a Yule log and having feasts and parties. The word Yule is still used as a name for the Christmas season. As time went on, new customs crept into Christmas. One was the Christmas tree, which was started in Germany. As the Germans settled in new lands they brought with them this tradition. In 16th-century Germany fir trees were decorated, both indoors and out, with apples, roses, gilded 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, and so was often performed during the Advent season. It is held that Protestant reformer Martin Luther first 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 the effect by placing candles on the branches of a small fir tree inside his home The Christmas Tree was brought to England by Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert from his native Germany. The famous Illustrated News etching in 1848, featuring the Royal Family of Victoria, Albert and their children gathered around a Christmas tree in Windsor Castle, popularized the tree throughout Victorian England. Brought to America by the Pennsylvania Germans, in the late 19th century.

Last but not least is Saint Nick. A long time ago, a bishop named Nicholas lived in what is now the country of Turkey. No one knows much about him. There are stories that he often helped children in need. Many years after his death, Nicholas was made a saint. In time, he became the patron saint of children.

 The origin of Santa Claus begins in the 4th century with Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, an area in present-day Turkey. By all accounts St. Nicholas was a generous man, particularly devoted to children. After his death around 340 A.D. he was buried in Myra, but in 1087 Italian sailors purportedly stole his remains and removed them to Bari, Italy, greatly increasing St. Nicholas’ popularity throughout Europe. His kindness and reputation for generosity gave rise to claims that he could perform miracles and devotion to him increased. St. Nicholas became the patron saint of Russia, where he was known by his red cape, flowing white beard, and bishop’s miter. In Greece, he is the patron saint of sailors, in France he was the patron of lawyers, and in Belgium the patron of children and travelers. Thousands of churches across Europe were dedicated to him and sometime around the 12th century an official church holiday was created in his honor. The Feast of St. Nicholas was celebrated December 6 and the day was marked by gift-giving and charity. After the Reformation, European followers of St. Nicholas dwindled, but the legend was kept alive in Holland where the Dutch spelling of his name Sint Nikolaas was eventually transformed to Sinterklaas. Dutch children would leave their wooden shoes by the fireplace, and Sinterklaas would reward good children by placing treats in their shoes. Dutch colonists brought this tradition with them to America in the 17th century and here the Anglican name of Santa Claus emerged

'Twas the Night Before Jesus

 Union Fork Baptist Church

 'Twas the night before Jesus came, when all through the house,
 not a creature was praying, not one in the house;
The Bibles were lain on the shelf without care
In hopes that Jesus would not come there;

The children were dressing to crawl into bed,
Not once ever kneeling or bowing a head.
And Mom in her rocker with baby on lap
was watching the Late Show while I took a nap.

When out of the East there arose such a clatter,
I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash!

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear
But angels proclaiming that Jesus was here,
 With a light like the sun sending forth a bright ray
I knew in a moment this must be THE DAY!

The light of His face made me cover my head
It was Jesus! returning just like He had said.
And though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth,
I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself.

In the book of Life which He held in His hand
Was written the name of every saved man.
He spoke not a word as He searched for my name;
When He said "it's not here" my head hung in shame.

The people whose names had been written with love
He gathered to take to His Father above.
With those who were ready He rose without a sound
While all the rest were left standing around.

I fell to my knees, but it was too late;
I had waited too long and thus sealed my fate.
I stood and I cried as they rose out of sight;
Oh, if only I had been ready tonight.

In the words of this poem the meaning is clear;
The coming of Jesus is drawing near.
There's only one life and when comes the last call
We'll find that the Bible was true after all.

"It is not for you to know the times or the season,
which the Father hath put in his power". Acts 1:7