The Christmas Story In Verse

The Christmas Story In Verse by Ralph E. Dinger

In the days of Augustus, who was Caesar that year,

A decree was sent out to towns far and near,

That all over the world the people must go

To the place of their fathers their faces to show.

So Joseph, the carpenter, from Nazareth town,

Located in Galilee (of little renown),

Took Mary, the Virgin, so meek and so mild,

Who now was quite burdened with Heavenly Child,

And went to Judea—to Bethlehem town

To tell who he was and write his name down.

While they were in Bethlehem, something took place

That showed all most clearly the extent of God’s grace.

Mary, the Virgin, gave birth to a Son—

Her firstborn—the promised Messiah had come!

On that blessed night, in fields near the town,

To certain poor shepherds and angel came down.

A light shown around, making night seem like day.

The shepherds were frightened, and filled with dismay.

But the angel spoke kindly, “Fear not, for behold,

I bring you good tidings that have long been foretold.”

“In Bethlehem town, which is not far away,

Your Savior from sin was born on this day.

By this sign you will know that you’ve found the Christ—Child,

He lies in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes mild.”

Then all of a sudden, a host dressed in white,

Appeared out of heaven—What a glorious sight!

They joined in this song:”To God highest glory,

And peace among men who have faith in this story.”

When the angels were gone into heaven again,

The shepherds said “Brethren, we cannot remain.”

They hurried to Bethlehem in search of the Child,

And found Him with Joseph and Mary so mild,

On straw, in a manger, in swaddling clothes bound,

As the angel had promised, so they had found.

And when they had witnessed the blessed event,

The shepherds proclaimed it wherever they went.

The told all they knew of the wonderful Child,

The angels, And Joseph, and Mary so mild.

The people who heard what the shepherds did say,

Wondered and marveled at the news of that day.

But Mary, the mother, kept all in her heart,

Thanking the Father for her special part.

The shepherds returned to their fields that same night,

Praising their God for the wonderful sight.

And now that we’ve heard of that blessed event,

We know that the Father our Savior has sent.

Trusting in Him our sins are forgiven,

And we, by God’s grade, now live in heaven.

Good news such as this we’re eager to spread,

About God’s dear Son, born in rude manger bed.

So tell all your neighbors, those far and those near,

That Jesus, the Savior from sin, now is here!

Ralph E. Dinger

December 26, 1965

Shout and Be Glad!

Zechariah 2:10“Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the LORD.

One of my favorite Christmas time movies is “Christmas Vacation.”  There are some very special scenes that will always get a laugh out of me.  And one scene that I, and anyone who has had a large group of family members come visit for the holidays, can relate to is the scene where the doorbell rings announcing the arrival of the relatives.  It rings once at the normal doorbell tone.  And then again, at a slightly lower and more ominous sounding tone.  And then again, lowering in tone.  Even more ominous than before  Finally the door is opened and there are the relatives, arguing away about some trivial thing like where to park the cars.  I find it to be a very funny scene.  The underlying dread the Griswold family characters have for the impending arrival of the relatives is fully realized. 

How differently we await Christmas Day when we celebrate the birth of our Savior than the Griswold’s await their family’s arrival.  We await with joy.  We celebrate in a number of different ways.  As we have seen in our Advent services over the years at Grace.  We learned how Christmas is prepared for and celebrated in Sweden and Germany.  We heard of the legend of St Lucia, and of Tomte the Christmas gnome.  I still chuckle over the little Ole and the kidnapping of Jesus’ Mother joke.  These are the warm memories that were shared with our congregation.  This is how they prepare and celebrate with shouts of joy. 

The arrival of the Savior is so different than when relatives come to visit.  It is certainly not something for us to dread.  And I wonder if we make it an occasion to dread with our own traditions.  We heap so many expectations upon ourselves.  Think about all the planning of activities, shopping for gifts, decorating the inside and outside of our houses, wrapping gifts, writing and mailing Christmas cards, attending so many social functions.  The list gets bigger and bigger every year.  Need I go on?  Our busy-ness can literally suck the life out of our holiday spirit.  It can kill our joy!   We shout, but only with frustration.  And yet, that is not what the Advent season is all about.  We are beginning the new year for the church.  We are eagerly awaiting that most precious of days, the day we celebrate the birthday of Jesus!  This is the time when our worship can become filled with joy and anticipation.  It can be a time of great reflection.  It can, and should be a time of intense gratitude for the gift we were given in that manager in Bethlehem.  The Son of God, born of a virgin.  The King of the Jews who was born in a lowly manger.  The Savior of all mankind placed in swaddling clothes.  And yet, we dread this time of year.  Maybe it is time to take a fresh look at what we are going about and doing in preparation for Christmas.  Truly it is to be a time of celebration, reflection and shouts of joy.  After all it is not every day that we celebrate the arrival of the most precious of infants.  Happy Birthday Jesus!

PRAYER:  Lord God, heavenly Father, create in us a glad heart.  Move us with your spirit to welcome the wonder of this season.  Help us to sort out the wheat from the chaff in our lives as we approach the celebration of Christmas.  Help us O God to remember to shout with joy.  This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

We Rejoice In The Hope Of The Glory Of God

Romans 5: 1-2 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

Have you ever hoped to gain access to something, but were not able to?  It may be something like the most awesome concert of the decade, the opening night of a blockbuster movie.  Or it could have been the hot night spot in town.  Okay maybe in some town other than Pocatello, Idaho.  You may have stood in line for hours only to find that it was already sold out, or were not able to allowed inside the door.  I’ll bet you were more than a little disappointed.   

We live in a society where having access to something exclusive is considered important.  It gives us a desired status in our community.  It elevates us above those who merely hope to get inside.  In these situations there is always some standard that has to be met to be admitted.  The people in charge of some of these settings raise the bar pretty high in order to exclude those who in their view are “undesirables”.   Unless you are a bona fide “celebrity”, do not even show up at the door.  

  

When you contrast that with the Romans 5 passage above, how different a life in Christ can be to life in the fast lane.  A life in Christ is not about belonging to an exclusive club.  God does not want us standing in line in some vain hope of gaining access to His Glory.  Rather, he wants us to gain access.  What’s more, He promises us access.  He gives us a ticket for entry by giving us the faith we need.  He does not hold out these tickets for only a select few.  His desire is for all of us to be there with Him.  So, our life in Christ is a life of hope based upon the promise of God.  It just does not get any better than that. Yes, friends of the Savior, a life in Christ means you are part of an inclusive club.  And after all, isn’t that a better club to belong to?

PRAYER:  Father in heaven, we are truly blessed by Your enduring love.  We are humbled by Your grace.  We stand in awe of the magnitude of Your love for us.  Help us as we reach out in love to others who are lost.  Guide our efforts so that Your glory may be seen in our humble efforts.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.