Christmas Memories 1973

Below is a series of pics from my 3rd Christmas as a human boy. Pardon me while I relive the moment...

[scratching chin & gazing contemplatively into nowhere ]

The year was 1973... this was the first Christmas that I had to share with a sibling, evidenced by the presence of a crib in several of the pictures.

Now, when I was 7, 8, 9 years old, I was known for getting up at unreasonable times Christmas morning & waking my parents so my sister & I could tear in to our loot. If this 3rd Christmas was like the later ones, it could've been anywhere around 4 or 5 AM when this picture was snapped.

What every parent longs for... why they charge up their credit cards each year...
to see the look on their child's face on Christmas morning.

What Child is This?

A couple of years ago I realized that there was another version of this sweet Christmas carol.

Try reading it....slowly. Notice the first two verses are in the forms of questions, the last verse being a command. Then the refrain gives the answer - the response.  The proclamation uses such language as:

"THIS, THIS IS CHRIST THE KING...HAIL THE WORD MADE FLESH...RAISE A SONG ON HIGH"

Next time you sing it, may the chorus be your proclamation to the world - your "song on high", of the Christ child, the King, "the Babe, the son of Mary".

May your "loving heart enthrone Him."

What Child Is This?

Words: Will­iam C. Dix, The Man­ger Throne, 1865.

Music: “Green­sleeves,” 16th Cen­tu­ry Eng­lish mel­o­dy

What Child is this who, laid to rest

On Mary’s lap is sleeping?

Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,

While shepherds watch are keeping?

REFRAIN:

This, this is Christ the King,

Whom shepherds guard and angels sing;

Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,

The Babe, the Son of Mary.

Why lies He in such mean estate,

Where ox and ass are feeding?

Good Christians, fear, for sinners here

The silent Word is pleading.

REFRAIN:

Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,

The cross be borne for me, for you.

Hail, hail the Word made flesh,

The Babe, the Son of Mary.

So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,

Come peasant, king to own Him;

The King of kings salvation brings,

Let loving hearts enthrone Him.

REFRAIN:

Raise, raise a song on high,

The virgin sings her lullaby.

Joy, joy for Christ is born,

The Babe, the Son of Mary.

Drummer Boy (Live)

To get us into the Christmas blogging season, here is my favorite band with their arrangement of "Little Drummer Boy". Enjoy.

Fisher Pricey

After buying a $5 box of vintage fisher price toys at a yard sale recently, I've been made aware of their rarity and value. I found the airport set below on Ebay. The starting bid is $99.95 (it is in near mint condition, in the box , mind you).

I want it. I really want it.


This set is particularly special to me because it was one of my first Christmas gifts that I'm aware of. The photo below shows me raking in the loot during what's likely my 2nd Christmas. I've commented before that it wouldn't be long before I had to share my parents holiday generosity with a new sister, but for now, I bask in the glory of being an only child and see no problem with materialism. If I could only get my hands on one of those airports...

Now, at $100 a set... I guess I'll have to settle for the pictures.

By the way, I still have that same Pillsbury Doughboy sitting in my office.

All I Want For Christmas Is...

"A Batman Zip Line Blaster and a gun with bombs on it"... that's how my 5 year old son answered the loaded question every child wants to hear in December.

I found the zip line thingy by googling for it online...it looks pretty cool...

I might let a grandparent buy this one. However, he's been improvising pretty good here lately with a shoestring and some twisted out paper clips. His action figures have been zipping back and forth between his desk lamp and the window blinds.

Now about the gun...and bombs...

I'm not really sure what kind of "bombs" Aaron Job is wanting, but I found something I think will be really cool! Check this badboy out:

It's a N-STRIKE FIREFLY REV-8...the barrel lights up when you pull the trigger and sends glowing darts up to 30 feet away and everything! Sweet!

Being the father of a 5 year old boy is having it's perks!

I think I'll get two!

Cancel Church...It's Christmas

I received the following email from a dear brother regarding Christmas church services and some current trends. It gave me something to think about, and so I included my response below his email...enjoy:


Friends,

I read with interest this brief article from a secular news agency.

Closed for Christmas
It seems even places of worship aren't immune to secularizing Christmas. Some of the country's largest churches are shutting their doors on Christmas Day so that staff and volunteers can spend time with their families. So-called megachurches near Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, and Detroit, where thousands of people worship each week, are closing for Christmas, despite the fact that the holiday falls on a Sunday. What's more, pastors at the churches report that the decision hasn't generated much controversy. One Kentucky pastor says Christmas is no longer sacred to many Americans, adding, "It's viewed more as a holiday than a holy day."

When I finished that article, I had to let out a bit of a sigh. This is no more than the grown-up version of what we kids were tempted with in years past. Do you remember when you were little and Christmas fell on Sunday? I certainly do. Like any immature and selfish kid, I wanted to forget Church, just this once. I clearly remember the pull at my heart, and the words that came out of my mouth. "Can't we just stay home and open the presents?" Of course, in those less sophisticated days, the wiser heads of my parents prevailed. "No, of course we can't just stay home! Eat your breakfast, get your coats on... we're going to Church, because today is CHRISTMAS!" So, properly chastised, we went to church. We prayed, we read and heard the Word, and we celebrated Holy Communion in harmony with millions of Saints around the world.

More importantly, we knew that we had participated in the feast of, need I say it, Christ Mass? In our recent sacred moments of singing, praying, and partaking of the elements, something vital to our souls was reaffirmed. Was it big and showy? As best I can recall, it was not. Was the choir and singing really all that musical and fantastic. No...not at all. Was the light show scintillating? Were there live animals, a laughing Santa, videos and all the exhausting accoutrements of so-called "Modern" worship? Again, no. Our simple time was, like Holy Communion itself, a mystery of magnificent proportions made mysterious only by Christ's condescending presence. The frugal, simple, and truly joyful moment in that little recycled Methodist building in a small town in Ohio was founded on something other than theater, smoke and mirrors. It was the Gospel of Christ once more affirmed, as it has been through centuries of practice around the world on this Holy Day.

Guess what? When we got home, the gifts and the tree and the food and the turkey in the oven were still there. Somehow, at least to my little heart, the tinsel and shiny toys back home under the tree were paradoxically more appreciated and less important.

In stark contrast, we now stand in the promised land of the early 21st century. Our material desires are, more than ever, at our beck and call. Unfortunately, with the institutionalization of materialism as god, the church has strayed. With a nation populated by selfish immature boys and girls trapped in adult bodies, there are no longer any parents left to compel us to do the right thing this Christmas 2005. We are the parents, but without hearts bent toward God's miracle gift, (the only gift truly worth receiving this December 25th) we're left with our trinkets and baubles. Our childish hearts have gotten our way. We're staying home from church this Christmas 2005. With those extra couple hours now recovered for our own personal use, we'll undoubtedly celebrate an entirely different holiday. Our glazed eyes will ache, too long mesmerized by the glow of our new plasma TV. Our tired orbs will squint at the tiny glowing display of a million video iPods as we collectively gasp in delight and wonder at our counterfeit national miracle. This isn't Kansas, Dorothy.

So, close the churches! After all, we're all free adults here, aren't we? We Americans can celebrate our own private communions at home! Yes, let's turn on the TV and sing of chestnuts roasting. Yes, bow to the majestic cartoon character floats, and watch in awe as young men process the football back and forth with mindless determination. Why we can even bow to some nameless god of maudlin sentiment as we confess vague affections for family and friends. Of course, let us not neglect to gather together in our conspicuous consumption of food and drink! Then, in a final profane moment, we'll gather around the green and sparkling altar of our tinsel god. There, with trembling hands and hearts full of anticipation, we'll handle the unholy communion elements we have
preferred on this, our most selfish holiday.

With thankfulness for your stand for the Gospel, I remain...

your devoted friend, _____________

My reply:

Thanks for the email _______. I had decided that it would be ok for my family to skip our Christmas morning service this year so we could be at my sister's home in time for our family celebration. After all, I thought - WE read the Christmas story before opening our gifts and WE have been teaching our children about the true meaning of Christmas for most of the month and WE don't even lie to our children about Santa Claus...so surely, WE can miss one day of church...SURELY God won't mind. But it's a bit more than that, as your thoughts have well reflected.

Whereas you and I would be careful not to say too quickly, "It is a SIN if you don't go to church on Christmas Day", and whereas we would be careful not to esteem this "Christmas" day over and above any other Lord's day (Romans 14:5-13; Galatians 4:9-10); there are fewer times as sweet as this when we can worship as a family the God-incarnate Christ. And I also wonder what message we're sending to our children, to whom we've been preaching Christ's arrival all month, when we choose to forego the corporate worship of the One we have been trying to worship as a family. I'll be in church on December 25th.

Speaking of Christmas traditions...is it even appropriate for Christians to celebrate Christmas? Many see it as a great opportunity to celebrate the Savior's birth, others see it as promoting ancient pagan traditions. I've found several articles from both living and dead Christian leaders on the subject, so I'll direct you to them and let you decide!

Grace Gems - several articles from C.H. Spurgeon, Arthur Pink, and others
Grace To You - John MacArthur's thoughts
Steve Camp's Blog Entry & readers' comments

Thoughts on Christmas

I remember doing a short skit in our youth group several years ago in which the main character was a young man celebrating his birthday. He was having a party, and so he invited over all of his friends. As soon as the guests arrived, they rushed right past the birthday boy and on to the food and drinks. The guests immediately entertained themselves with each other’s company, all to the neglect of the one who invited them. They were carrying on lively conversations and even playing party games. When the birthday boy tried to join in the fun and games, he was quickly rebuked with the words: “Hey, do you mind? We’re trying to celebrate here!”

Sounds a bit silly, doesn’t it? Though sadly enough, there is much truth beneath the silliness of this skit regarding the Christ of Christmas. Many celebrate the birthday without acknowledging Jesus Christ, the One whose birthday Christmas was meant to celebrate. The largest celebrated holiday in the country is simply that, a holiday – a far cry from a true Holy Day. Even when we see the popular Christmas slogan, “Jesus is the Reason for the Season,” the eternal implications wrapped up in this phrase go too often unnoticed. I want to take a few moments now to remind us all of some of those eternal implications surrounding the Christmas miracle. And it was indeed a miracle! God in the flesh…the Creator becoming created…the mother Mary, having been made by her own Son. Incredible isn’t it? But this is just the beginning.

In Luke 19:10, Jesus tells us why He came, "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." Paul also confirms this in 1 Timothy 1:15 “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…” So the reason Jesus Christ was born in the flesh was to seek and save lost sinners – lost sinners such as you and me. Isaiah 53:6 says that ”All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way.” And Romans 3:10-12 tells us “There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one.” These verses further clarify the need for God to come after us – for in our stubborn sin, we will not and cannot seek after the true God Who saves. So Christ comes into the world seeking and saving, but to do this He must come dying. You see, the wages (the cost, the price) for our sin is death (Romans 6:23). We must die not only a physical death, but an eternal death because of our sin. This is the only way a holy and just God can respond to sin. Sound like bad news? Here’s the good news, “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).” That is, in our place or, as a substitute. Christ came to seek and to save and to substitute Himself for sinners. Christ was born…to die. Christ gave His life as a sacrifice to God for sin. This sacrifice was a peace offering between a holy God and sinful man. The peace that we often sing about at Christmas time isn’t a warm, cozy feeling of peace. No, it’s a peace between God and man, and that without Christ as our peacemaker, we remain at war with God.
So, how can we have peace with the God of the universe? How can we be saved from sin by Christ the Savior? Allow me to end with probably the most well known verse in the Bible, John 3:16. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” You see, because God loved, God gave. He gave the ultimate Gift of His Son to us, so that we might have eternal life and not eternal death.

So how do we obtain this gift of eternal life? The way we obtain any gift – we receive it. Receive the gift of Christ’s sacrifice by faith, believing Christ to be God in the flesh, Who was born in the manger to soon die on the cross to be the sufficient payment for your sins. Confess your sins and seek God’s forgiveness for them, and repent. Repentance is a conscience decision to turn from your sin, toward God. That’s faith in Christ and repentance towards God. What a great Christmas this would be if you received the eternal Christmas gift from God Himself, salvation from sins and everlasting life! If you have already received the gift of eternal life through Christ alone, remember to include Him in your Christmas celebration this season.