Dreading the Darkness of the Christmas Blues
Donald Cantrell
Isaiah 9:2, Luke 1:79
Theme: Christmas is a time of dread and darkness for many
I - The Seasonal Reality of a Blue Christmas
II - The Scriptural Recording of a Blue Christmas
III - The Stoical Recipients of a Blue Christmas
IV - The Societal Remiss of a Blue Christmas
V - The Spiritual Relief of a Blue Christmas
Sometimes Things Don't Go As Planned
John Simmons tells about a grade school class that was putting on a Christmas play which included the story of Mary and Joseph coming to the inn. There was a little boy in that class who wanted so very much to be Joseph. But when the parts were handed out, his biggest rival was given that part, and he was assigned to be the inn keeper instead.
He was really bitter about this, so during all the rehearsals he began to plot how to get even with his rival.
Finally, the night of the performance, Mary and Joseph came walking across the stage. They knocked on the door of the inn, and the inn-keeper opened the door and asked them gruffly what they wanted.
Joseph answered, ''We'd like to have a room for the night.''
Suddenly the inn-keeper threw the door wide open and said, ''Great, come on in and I'll give you the best room in the house.'' Now, that wasn't in the script and for a few seconds poor little kid didn't know what to do.
But finally the young Joseph had an idea. He stepped up to the innkeeper, and looked beyond him through the door that represented the inn. He made a big production of looking right and left. He stepped back out beside his ''wife'' and said, ''No wife of mine is going to stay in dump like this. Come on, Mary, let's go to the barn.''
There are times when Christmas doesn't go according to plan. There are times when you know what the script ought to be but somebody or something changes the lines on us. There are times when Christmas doesn't seem as cheerful and upbeat as we had hoped it would be.
Pastor ...
Donald Cantrell
Isaiah 9:2, Luke 1:79
Theme: Christmas is a time of dread and darkness for many
I - The Seasonal Reality of a Blue Christmas
II - The Scriptural Recording of a Blue Christmas
III - The Stoical Recipients of a Blue Christmas
IV - The Societal Remiss of a Blue Christmas
V - The Spiritual Relief of a Blue Christmas
Sometimes Things Don't Go As Planned
John Simmons tells about a grade school class that was putting on a Christmas play which included the story of Mary and Joseph coming to the inn. There was a little boy in that class who wanted so very much to be Joseph. But when the parts were handed out, his biggest rival was given that part, and he was assigned to be the inn keeper instead.
He was really bitter about this, so during all the rehearsals he began to plot how to get even with his rival.
Finally, the night of the performance, Mary and Joseph came walking across the stage. They knocked on the door of the inn, and the inn-keeper opened the door and asked them gruffly what they wanted.
Joseph answered, ''We'd like to have a room for the night.''
Suddenly the inn-keeper threw the door wide open and said, ''Great, come on in and I'll give you the best room in the house.'' Now, that wasn't in the script and for a few seconds poor little kid didn't know what to do.
But finally the young Joseph had an idea. He stepped up to the innkeeper, and looked beyond him through the door that represented the inn. He made a big production of looking right and left. He stepped back out beside his ''wife'' and said, ''No wife of mine is going to stay in dump like this. Come on, Mary, let's go to the barn.''
There are times when Christmas doesn't go according to plan. There are times when you know what the script ought to be but somebody or something changes the lines on us. There are times when Christmas doesn't seem as cheerful and upbeat as we had hoped it would be.
Pastor ...
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