Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Christmas Package

Opening Act: You must watch this YouTube video of Pastor Wintley Phipps giving a short history of the hymn "Amazing Grace," followed by a powerful performance of the song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfGytXRpfho

A Night of Miracles
by George Graham

This was not going to be a Merry Christmas for the sailor and his family.

For starters, his oldest son, age 5, was in the hospital clinging to life with a potentially fatal disease, and on this particularly bleak Christmas Eve, his youngest son, age 2, was sick. So, leaving the baby with a sitter, the sailor his wife came to the small, rural, northern California hospital to watch over and pray for the older son.

The doctor made his rounds and told the worried parents that if their boy made it through the night, he just might survive, “But don’t get your hopes up,” he admonished as he left the room.

Then the hospital workers wheeled a little girl into the room. Her little face was bruised and there were several small cuts – nothing fatal or even really dangerous. But the child was silent – even depressed.

The sailor quietly asked a nurse about the girl.

“She’s only here because we have no other place for her at this hour of the night,” the nurse said. “She was in a horrible car accident and luckily for her, she was thrown out of the car. Both her parents were killed - burned alive - in the accident.”

The child and her parents were en-route to spend Christmas with grandparents and all the presents for the child were burned when the car bust into flames as a result of the accident, the nurse told the sailor.

He thought to himself, “There is no way this little girl won’t have Christmas,”

A light dusting of snow had blanketed the small town of 3,800 souls as the sailor rushed downtown hoping that he would find at least one store open. But at this late hour, nearly 11 p.m., the sidewalks had been long vacant and the stores long closed.

His only hope was a drug store where a light was burning in what appeared to be an upstairs apartment. The sailor spotted a doll in the window, along with assorted perfumes and other trinkets and began to tap on the store window with a coin, hoping against hope that the pharmacist lived in the apartment.

His persistent tapping paid off as an elderly gentleman, the pharmacist, finally came downstairs and opened the front door. The sailor explained why he was so determined to have the doll and as he paid, the pharmacist’s wife gift-wrapped the present.

The sailor returned to the hospital with his present. Both the little girl and the sailor’s son were asleep so he decided to wait for Christmas morning to give the girl her doll. And an hour later, just about midnight, the miracle of Christmas happened.

“Ho, ho ho,” boomed out the voice in the hallway, “where are my little Christmas girl and boy?”

Santa Claus, a poorly disguised pharmacist, entered the room with a huge bag of gifts – some for one sick little boy, but most for one special little girl. Mrs. Claus, a much better disguised pharmacist’s wife, entered the room leading several elves, local children who had been roused from their beds after a telephone chain began to operate.

The children (elves) voluntarily gave at least one of their unopened presents to two children they had never met. Their parents stood silently around the hospital beds, beaming with pride.

But the night of miracles was just beginning. In a blur of activity, the little girl’s grandparents, who had been notified of the terrible accident by the California Highway Patrol, showed up at the hospital to take their little granddaughter to their home. The nurses and the duty doctor came to the room with hot chocolate and some cookies. A lab technician came into the room for a hurried consultation with the doctor and he whispered to the sailor that his son had turned the corner and would recover from his illness.

Someone started to sing the beautiful Christmas Carol known as Silent Night but there were so many sobs and choked up throats, the first verse never ended.

The little girl left the hospital with her grandparents, clutching the dolly the sailor bought her and hugging as many of the gifts the elves brought her as she could. The little boy had to stay a few more days, but he had a complete recovery.

There were too many tears to make that Christmas Eve a silent night, but it was a beautiful night – it was a Holy night. It was a night the Son of God showed his love of pure light.

Is this a made-up story? I don’t think so. I was the sailor.






The Story of Christmas, from the Second Chapter of Luke:

1 AND it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
(New Testament Luke 2:1 - 20)

Twas the Night Before Liberal Christmas v.2007
By J.J. Jackson
MichNews.com Dec 22, 2007

T’was the night before Christmas and all ‘bout The House
Agendas collapsed and all the liberals did grouse!
Good word from Iraq was the news of the day,
That we could just win, caused the leftists to bay.
Upset and dumbfounded their plans were for naught,
It did not matter or replace what they taught.
Those people all were backwards but to their chagrin
Still seemed quite capable despite having dark skin.
Hillary Clinton slept while Bill paced to and fro,
He thought of three women and called them – ho ho ho.
He stood and he wondered how odd it would be
-to be back in power but as first lady.
When out on lawn there arose a great screech
Something or other about a lesson to teach!
He heard the loud sounds of a crowd that did gather,
To the window Bill flew to see what was the matter.
Below him there stood on fresh and new fallen snow,
A gaggle of moonbats that did slowly grow.
From members of Congress to nags of Code Pink,
All had come forth to tell what they did oh so “think”.
The gathering grew, and Clinton squinted to look
As among them there landed a surplus Chinook.
From it emerged a fellow who was quite a bore,
it was his old running mate – Mr. Al Gore.
“My friends,” he shouted as the crowd roar did rise,
“I just got back from collecting my Nobel peace Prize!”
A member of Greenpeace had the gall to so ask,
What ever gave Gore the right to waste so much gas.
With a cold, angry look Gore clapped with a smack,
Lead away he was, by agents dressed all in black.
“Now how dare you begin,” Al Gore hollered with glee,
“to start up this shindig and not wait up for me!”
Approached an old hippie, with deep reverence and awe,
Offered up to his savior a pad with some scrawl.
Looking it over Al spoke, “Yes, now I see.”
Then rubbed his chin thoughtfully did the former Vee Pee.
“Our leftist agenda and much power to gain,
Global Warming and Health Care - it is all so plain.”
He did turn to Bill standing hunched on the porch.-
But just in time Hillary sat up with a lurch.
All was so quiet. It was just a bad dream?
The windows were shut and not a moonbat scream.
Most thankfully of all, and this caused her to beam
the adulterer Bill was no where to be seen.
But then out from the yard a loud engine did roar
And she rushed to the window to see Mr. Gore.
With black puffs of strong smoke he revved it with glee
Oh how he did love his big black SUV.
Her cold blood did freeze and her face was all dour,
She looked like she’d sucked something that was sour.
“My word!” she exclaimed at her visit this night
And she heard Al Gore proclaim as he drove out of sight –
“Now Media, now Michael, now Harry and Teddy!
On Dennis, on John, on Obama and Cindy!
Let this message be heard - a decree of Priest Al!
We run this party … sorry to tell you old gal!”

On the Web: http://www.libertyreborn.com/

The TRUTH About Religion?
During these serious times, people of all faiths should remember these four religious truths:

1. Muslims do not recognize Jews as God's chosen people.
2. Jews do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
3. Protestants do not recognize the Pope as the leader of the Christian world.
4. Baptists and Mormons do not recognize each other at Hooters.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Source: http://www.strangecosmos.com/content/item/133579.html


SAFETY ADVISORY: Before you go overboard on your Christmas cheer, consider what this Montana state trooper is capable of doing:




Closing song: "O Holy Night" by Il Divo, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFirYXLoP5Q

2 comments:

Francis W. Porretto said...

Here you go, Charles. Have one from me! And may all the joys of this most joyous of seasons be yours.

"Doc Adler" said...

Thank you! I enjoyed listening to the story of the Nativity from the point-of-view of a humble census-taker for Caesar Augustus.