The Christmas song that is near and dear to my heart is "Away in the manger," The reason is personal. Let me tell you about it.
One night during the Christmas season, when I was a child of eight years of age, my family was on our way home from church. We were singing which was our custom, Christmas songs mostly.
In the middle of that trek home, my parents stopped at a little Mom and Pop store in Powell, Ohio, to pick up a few things. We children stayed in the car while they went in the store.
As we waited for them, we sang. As we sang, I looked across the street at the big evergreen tree that the firemen of that town had put lights all over. I was in awe of its size.
As we started to sing, "Away in the manger," my eyes dropped to the manger scene that was set under the tree.It was like any other manger scene with angels, Wisemen, Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus. But through my child eyes it was all new and I switched my awe from the tree to it.
Just as we started to sing the last verse, I looked upon baby Jesus in that manger and realized that Jesus loved little old me, So much that he came down to earth as a human baby! That song became tidings of good news to me at that moment.
I opened up my heart to him and the last verse became a prayer for me. The next spring, I asked Jesus into my heart as my Savor, Lord, and King.
As I sit here recalling this memory, with a tear in my eye. I realize that there is a world around us that has a shallow perception of Christmas being just food, and wrapped stuff.
They are quietly screaming for meaning in the mist of all the confusion, because they have not heard the tidings of good news that Christmas can bring.
Are we telling them,"Fear not, for, behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people" (Luke 2:10) like the angel told the shepherds long ago?
Are we sharing the tidings of great news with them, that "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasing life. God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved" (John 3:16-17) or do we, too, get caught up in the hustle and bustle of Christmas ourselves? We should slow down enough to make sure that we give those around us the tidings of the best Christmas gift ever- Jesus.
Like the star that led the Wisemen to Christ, we, too, should lead others to him. This the perfect season to share the tidings of good news.
As you go through this Christmas season, I wish you and yours, a Christmas filled with joy, peace, and good tidings that only come through Jesus Christ.
Note: This article was first published in The Marietta Times, Thoughts of Faith, Dec. 17-18, 2005
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