Christmas Blessing and shared Christmas Prayer

May you be truly blessed this Christmas Season!

May the song of the Christmas angels, the song of love and joy which can permeate whatever we may be experiencing, ring loudly within your heart. And may that song, with its divine power, overflow through you into the lives of all others in your life.

I share with you below the eloquent words of one of my favorite preachers, Dr. Peter Marshall, Chaplain of the United States Senate decades ago.

"We yearn, our Father, for the simple beauty of Christmas –
for all the old famliar melodies and words that remind us of that great miracle
when He who had made all things
was one night to come as a babe,
to lie in the crook of a woman's arm.

Before such mystery we kneel,
as we follow the shepherds and Wise Men to bring You the gift of our love –
a love we confess has not always been as warm or sincere or real as it should have been. But now, on this Christmas,
that love would find its Beloved,
and from You receive the grace to make it pure again, warm and real.

We bring You our gratitude for every token of Your love,
for all the ways You have heaped blessings upon us during the years that have gone.

And we do pray, Lord Jesus,
that as we celebrate Your birthday,
we may do it in a manner well pleasing to You.
May all we do and say, every tribute of our hearts, bring honor to Your name,
that we, Your people,
may remember Your birth
and feel Your presence among us even yet.

May the loving kindness of Christmas
not only creep into our hearts,
but there abide,
so that not even the return to earthly cares and responsibilities,
not all the festivities of our own devising
may cause it to creep away weeping.
May the joy and spirit of Christmas stay with us now and forever.

In the name of Jesus,
who came to save His people from their sins,
even in that lovely name we pray.
Amen."

Lonely?

Our haunting, daunting, pervasive human experience is "loneliness" (or lack of genuine love in our lives.) The antidote is in experiencing the reality “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Heb. 13:5; Deut. 31:6.)

We are never alone. The One who loves us unconditionally and endlessly is always with us. Even when we might feel otherwise, that truth remains constant.

You are never alone. Your greatest Friend is with you.

Overlooking Insults?

"A person’s wisdom yields patience;
it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense" (Prov. 19:11.)

Anyone can "fly off the handle." That takes little if any effort. And most of us can, without practice, be quite good at it! Furthermore, each of receives plenty of opportunity, because everyone receives offenses from others.

Some offenses need to be addressed - appropriately. To overlook them would be harmful.

However, “wisdom” allows us to "overlook" the majority of offenses and "give it a rest." If we defensively point out and try to right every wrong we experience, we end up exhausting both ourselves and others, harming (if not ruining) relationships, and have little time and energy left for anything else in life.

There is "wisdom" in choosing battles carefully, thinking before we automatically react, deciding to lighten up and give others more breaks. (Maybe others will be more easily inclined to give us breaks when we might be the perpetrator.) The resulting quality of life is much more pleasant and peaceful!

"I was right!"

How refreshing it is to be with someone who doesn't always have to be "right." One's world likely will not end with an admission "Maybe you are right" or even "I was wrong." Or how about: "Maybe we both have a worthwhile perspective here?" When I allow myself to be human like everyone else, I can begin to learn and grow with others. JS

Strength of Character

The stronger person is one who is capable of freely and readily offering kindness and gentleness to others. Displays of hostility and meanness mask inner weakness. JS

Fear and Worry

Just as fear paralyzes, worry is a destructive waste of time and energy. Worry drains us, leading our thoughts and emotions down pessimistic paths that might not even exist, negatively affecting ourselves and others. Live responsibly yes, but seek help if necessary to cast off fear and worry.
-JS