December 17, 2012
Late on a sleepy, star-spangled night, those angels peeled back the sky just like you would tear open a sparkling Christmas present. Then, with light and joy pouring out of heaven like water through a broken dam, they began to shout and sing the message that baby Jesus had been born. The world had a Savior! The prophecies from hundreds of years before had been fulfilled. The angels called it “Good News,” and it was.—Larry Libby
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[Jesus] slept with the poor. He dined with the rich. He danced with the joyful, and wept with the broken in heart and body. He became like us, so that we could become like Him.—Unknown
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Men must recapture the basic conviction that this is a visited planet … that in this vast, mysterious universe, of which we are an almost infinitesimal part, the great Mystery, whom we call God, has visited our planet in person. … We must be shocked afresh by the audacious central fact ... that, as a sober matter of history, God became one of us.—J. B. Phillips
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The joy, the beauty, the peace, the love
These are some gifts we receive from above.
Because of that Christmas so long ago
When Jesus graced our earth below.
—V. Kaskow
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The Light that shines from the humble manger is strong enough to lighten our way to the end of our days.—Vita-Rays
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What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace.—Agnes M. Pharo
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God took a meager stable, an animal’s feed trough, some shabby shepherds, and two weary and worn travelers about to have a baby with nowhere to stay, no one to give them comfort in their time of desperate need, and He brought from these a Gift that has turned darkness into light, death into eternal life, sin into forgiveness, and our shabby, hurting, dirty, abandoned hearts into the kingdom of heaven where we can look into the face of a loving God without fear or condemnation. That is the true miracle of Christmas.—Unknown
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When making a plea for exchange scholarships between nations, a scientist said, “The very best way to send an idea is to wrap it up in a person.” That was what happened at Christmas. The idea of divine love was wrapped up in a Person.—Halford E. Luccock
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When the compass of your heart feels the pull of attraction towards the Divine lodestone born in that manger long ago, let it draw you out of the vanity of time into the riches of eternity. Follow its guidance gladly, as the wise men of the east followed the star. It will do for you what that star did for them. It will lead you, not to a stable in Bethlehem, but to the birthplace of the King of kings in the depths of your own soul.—Adapted from William Law
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I am the spirit of Christmastime, when all should gladness be.
I am the light that you see shining upon each Christmas tree!
I am the thought that brings each gift from ones we hold so dear.
I am the good that permeates the world with Christmas cheer!
I am the joy that brightens homes and guides our thoughts above.
All heaven and earth rejoice in Me, for I am known as Love!
—Lebaron Sharp
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If we could condense all the truths of Christmas into only three words, these would be the words: “God with us.” We tend to focus our attention at Christmas on the infancy of Christ. The greater truth of the holiday is His deity. More astonishing than a baby in the manger is the truth that this promised baby is the omnipotent Creator of the heavens and the earth!—John F. MacArthur, Jr.
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Christmas presents at the start,
Was a gift from someone’s heart.
Christ is Christmas, that day is His.
That’s what Christmas presents is.
—Andy Williams
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Christmas is Love come down to earth,
A gift of infinite worth!
—Unknown
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The most important part about Christmas is the first six letters.—Life Research Universal
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The giving of gifts is not something man invented. God started the giving spree when He gave a gift beyond words, the unspeakable gift of His Son—a gift that changed the world forever.—Robert Flatt
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Love came down on Christmas Day so many years ago
And brought the greatest happiness the world would ever know...
Peace came down on Christmas Day to fill the hearts of men
With all the sweet tranquility each Christmas brings again...
Joy came down on Christmas Day as angels came to earth
Heralding the miracle of our Messiah’s birth.
—Unknown
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The star of Bethlehem was a star of hope that led the wise men to the fulfillment of their expectations, the success of their expedition. Nothing in this world is more fundamental for success in life than hope, and this star pointed to our only source for true hope: Jesus Christ.—D. James Kennedy
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Christmas began in the heart of God. It is complete only when it reaches the heart of man.—Unknown
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Christmas, my child, is love in action ... When you love someone, you give to them, as God gives to us. The greatest gift He ever gave was the Person of His Son, sent to us in human form so that we might know what God the Father is really like! Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas.—Dale Evans Rogers
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The greatest gift you will ever receive will never be found under a Christmas tree. It is far too valuable to be stored in any other place but in the depths of your heart.—Unknown
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This is Christmas: not the tinsel, not the giving and receiving, not even the carols, but the humble heart that receives anew the wondrous gift, the Christ.—Frank McKibben
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High in the heavens a single star,
Of pure, imperishable light;
Out on the desert strange and far
Dim riders riding through the night:
Above a hilltop sudden song
Like silver trumpets down the sky—
And all to welcome One so young
He scarce could raise a cry!
Stars rise and set, that star shines on:
Songs fail, but still that music beats
Through all the ages come and gone,
In lane and field and city streets.
And we who catch the Christmas gleam,
Watching with children on the hill,
We know, we know it is no dream—
He stands among us still!
—Nancy Byrd Turner
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He did not even own a bed,
He had no place to lay His head.
A cattle stall, His crib at birth,
He had no bank account on earth.
He laid the wealth of heaven down
For earthly rags, a thorny crown.
He passed the praise of angels by
And came where men cried, “Crucify!”
He left a throne for you and me
And bore our sins upon a tree.
So strong His claim, so clear His call,
How dare I give Him less than all?
—Barbara C. Ryberg
Published on Anchor December 2012. Read by Tina Miles. Music taken from the Christmas Moments album. Used by permission.
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