CHRISTMAS THOUGHT, SILENT MEDITATION, AND PRAYER

Today there is no sermon. I simply want to share a simple little story

with you that I received a couple of weeks ago - and then have you consider

in a minute or two of silence what the Christmas story means to you - and

then, in a time of prayer lead you further into the conversation with God

that you have already started with our hymns and readings and with the time

of silence.

The story goes like this:

There once was a father who wanted to read his news magazine, but he was

being bothered by his little daughter, Adell.

In the manner of children everywhere, she was bouncing around where

he was sitting - asking her Daddy to pay her some attention - asking

him to look at this - and to tell her about that - and generally she

was more in his face than was his magazine.

How many of you have been there with a child of yours?

After a while, and with a certain sense of exasperation, Adell’s

father came up with a scheme to keep her busy so he could read in

peace.

He pulled a page out of his magazine, on which was printed the map

of the world. Tearing it into small pieces, he gave it to her along

with some tape and said, "Go into the other room and see if you can

put this together."

After only a few minutes, Adell returned and handed her Father the

map - correctly fitted together.

Her father was surprised and asked how she had finished so quickly.

"Oh," she said, "on the other side of the paper is a picture of

Jesus. When I got Jesus in His place, then the world came out all

right."

When I got Jesus in his place, the world came out all right.

Both the wonder and the challenge of Christmas is this: - it is about

getting Jesus in his place and keeping him there so that the world, and so

that our lives, come out all right.

Think now about the place of Jesus in your life and ask - is He in his

place - the place he wants? That place where, when he is there, causes the

world to come out all right.....

Let us be silent for a moment or two as we think about this and

whatever else God may be putting upon our hearts - and then we will Hear God speak to us thru song.