Day 11: Stay Out of Bethlehem

 

Day 11

On Christmas night all Christians sing

to hear the news the angels bring;

news of great mirth,

news of our merciful King’s birth

Celia poured the eggs into the hot pan while Althea spent another few minutes exclaiming and bemoaning. “Why are you calling me?” Celia asked.

“Well, we called around to find supply pastors for the next weeks but no one is available on Christmas Eve. Tamara said you were writing a story for the Christmas newsletter and we thought that maybe you could deliver it as a Christmas sermon instead? It doesn’t have to be really long, just something to fill the time between the carols.”

Celia sat down fast. A story was one thing but a sermon? The eggs sizzled in the pan as Althea nattered on, alternating between flattery and begging Celia to agree. 

Turning off the burner, Celia interrupted Althea’s tirade, “Give me a minute to think, Althea. Look, I’ll call Pastor Alaina tomorrow to get her opinion and get back to you. I’m not making any promises now.” Althea showered her with thanks as Celia hung up. 

A Christmas sermon! 

Advent Challenge: Eleanor Roosevelt wrote, “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” Eleanor was a timid child who overcame her fears to do much good in the world. What fears are holding you back from doing good? Take an inventory. What challenges are facing you? What fears are holding you back? When facing challenges, we must turn to God, the Father, for strength, Jesus, our Savior, for peace, and the Holy Spirt, the helper, for guidance. Before turning from a challenge, pray for strength, guidance, and peace, then face it knowing that you are never alone.

Prayer: All out of darkness we have light, which made the angels sing this night, “Glory to God and peace to men, now and forevermore. A prayer from Eleanor Roosevelt: Our Father, who has set a restlessness in our hearts and made us all seekers after that which we can never fully find, forbid us to be satisfied with what we make of life. Draw us from base content and set our eyes on far-off goals. Keep us at tasks too hard for us that we may be driven to Thee for strength. Deliver us from  fretfulness and self-pitying; make us sure of the good we cannot see and of the hidden good in the world. Open our eyes to simple beauty all around us and our hearts to the loveliness men hide from us because we do not try to understand them. Save us from ourselves and show us a vision of the world made new. Amen