The Story of Christmas - No 10

Isaiah 7:14-16

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign;

Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,

and shall call his name Immanuel.

Butter and honey shall he eat,

that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.

For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good,

the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

Isaiah 9:6-7

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:

and the government shall be upon his shoulder:

and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God,

The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end,

upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom,

to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice

from henceforth even for ever.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Sir James Simpson - Discovering meaning in life

In  Bathgate, a town in Scotland, a boy was born in 1811.  His family were not wealthy, and his mother died when he was nine years old, but he went on to become one of the most famous doctors that has ever lived.  His name was James Simpson, and he was educated at the University of Edinburgh and trained as a doctor.

He attended the operating room soon after starting his medical training and the place was not as clean as it might be, and there were no gowns, masks or gloves worn by those doing the operation. The patient was terrified and had to be held down firmly on the table as the operation took place.  As the surgical knife was used, the screams of the patient echoed around the building as there were no anaesthetics in those days.  The sound of that distressed patient stayed with James Simpson, and he determined to see an end to such suffering and conscious surgery. 

Loving Christmas

I love Christmas time!

From boyhood days right through to the present, I have always looked forward to the Christmas season – and I love it all.  As the lights start to go up and Christmas songs begin to be included in the radio selection, I begin to have that sense of anticipation.

Having said that, there are, of course, a number of Christmas traditions which have absolutely no place in the true Christmas story.  Whether it be Christmas trees, Santa Claus or fairy lights, we would all admit that these are just traditions that have crept in from different sources that have intrinsically become part of our December customs.

But even when we look at the Christmas story itself, if we look very carefully, some things that we often take to be true are actually traditions which were not there in the original record; many of them appearing in our much loved carols.  

The Story of Christmas - No 9

This is the story of an old man who God spoke to. He knew the Messiah was coming and he knew he could only die after he had seen Jesus with his own eyes. 

No one should die without seeing Jesus (by faith). To recognise Jesus as the Son of God and to trust him for salvation is the only way to prepare for death. 

Are you ready to die?

Luke 2:21-35

And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;

(As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)