O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM

Posted byDianne HornePosted inUncategorized

O little town of Bethlehem

How still we see thee lie

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep

The silent stars go by

Yet in thy dark streets shineth

The everlasting light

The hopes and fears of all the years

Are met in thee tonight

   For Christ is born of Mary

   And gathered all above

   While mortals sleep, the angels keep

   Their watch of wondering love

   O morning stars together

   Proclaim thy holy birth

   And praises sing to God the King

   And peace to men on earth

      How silently, how silently

      The wondrous gift is giv’n!

      So God imparts to human hearts

      The blessings of His heav’n

       No ear may hear His coming;

       But in this world of sin,

       Where meek souls will receive Him still

       The dear Christ enters in

          A holy Child of Bethlehem

          Descend to us, we pray

          Cast out our sin, and enter in

          Be born in us today

          We hear the Christmas angels

          The great glad tidings tell

          O come to us, abide with us

          Our Lord Emmanuel

Hello….and MERRY CHRISTMAS

Our December newsletter has been sent and we look forward to hearing from family and friends, especially this time of year.  It’s a wonderful time to make that special effort to connect with people you know, love and hold dear.

In all honesty, I thought that piece of correspondence was all we were going to mail out, either through the mail or on email.

But as I was having lunch, I tuned in to Christmas Music on YouTube.  There’s much to choose from to listen to as you go about your chores and daily routine at home.  I enjoyed a cup of tea and a small ham and cheese sandwich.  Would have loved if you could have joined me.

I was sipping my tea as my inner ear was tuned in to the lyrics of the Christmas melodies.  My heart seemed to skip a beat when I not only listened, but sang along to “O Little Town of Bethlehem.”   Too often, I think we may sing along with the music, enjoying the tune and neglect “listening to the lyrics.” 

My lunch time was different today!  I sang the song a number of times and the more I sang and listened not only with my ears, but with my heart.  It wasn’t long before I was gripped by a number of the words.

Look to verse 1 with me at the phrase, ‘yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light.’  That light is Christ….and if you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, you and I carry Him on all the streets and sidewalks we come to.

Then again, the phrase, ‘the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.’   We all have hopes and fears throughout our year.  But Christ comes to bring us individual hope amidst all of life.  Especially the fear of “death.”  That is a universal fear.  Yet Christ wants to meet and address that fear too.   He offers “life” not only here, but the moment we leave our earthly tent.

Look to verse 2, “and praises sing to God the King, and peace to men on earth.”  Is this for real…. peace to mankind on this earth?   In our current world, there seems to be anything but peace.  This is a peace that lies “deep within a heart” not the ceasing of wars necessarily, but a stillness that God gives even amongst the turmoil of the world, or the turmoil of your circumstances. It’s a “divine quietness” that only God can give.

Let’s move to verse 3 “How silently, how silently the wondrous GIFT is given.”  God came to this earth, in the person of His Son, Jesus (a baby, God in the flesh, a human so we could relate to God in a personal way). 

Babies are adorable and non-threatening, gentle, wanting to be held and embraced.   Jesus came for each of us, to be embraced within our hearts and lives.  He came to show us, in human form, Who God is and what He is like.  He longs to be embraced and held in the highest regard.   His ways may appear “silently” and most often missed by us, because we either think we don’t need Him, or we’ve allowed the “world’s agenda” to drown out His tender touches in our lives.

Throughout our life, He seeks us to get our attention through good days, bad days, sad days, health issues and weakness and a myriad of circumstances…. knocking at the door of our hearts, waiting for us to “ask Him in.” 

That can only happen if we, as it’s said in verse 3, a “meek soul will receive Him, then He enters in.”  Scriptures tell us to come to God as a “child, trusting Him to enter our lives upon our asking Him.” 

I love it that Jesus is such a tender and caring Savior because He will never push or force Himself upon our lives…. but waits for “our personal invitation.”  As humans, visiting our friends, family and neighbors, the most excellent and finest way to come into their home is to ring the doorbell and wait for a “response….and invitation to come in.”   That happens to be God’s way too. 

And finally verse 4 is really a personal prayer, a personal invitation to:

Descend to us or   ”come down to where I live and move”

Cast out our sin or  ”forgive me of all my sins & give me a new heart not to respond

           to sin’s ways”

And enter in – be born in me today or

          “come inside my heart & life and make me new, giving me a new

          nature so I can now begin to respond to You.” I was cold to You

          before & non-responsive.

CHRISTMAS is a wonderful gift-giving season. But you know, we can celebrate the SEASON and yet “miss the REASON” for the season. The Greatest Gift to mankind, to you and to me is the FORGIVENESS & CLEANSING THAT COMES BY JESUS TAKING THE PENALTY OF OUR SIN/WRONGDOING enabling the GIFT OF HIS PRESENCE WITHIN US, through His Holy Spirit.

Like all gifts, they become yours when you undo the wrapping, open up the box and make it yours. Make Him “your Savior” this Christmas.

JESUS AWAITS YOUR PERSONAL INVITATION ! Your life is the gift He’s been waiting for.

Romans 3:23 ”For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (no one is perfect)

Romans 6:23 ”For the wages (payment) of sin is death, but the FREE GIFT of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Our sins bring us the death penalty, but Jesus paid the price for God to forgive us & make us right with God.

Romans 10:13 ”For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Jesus “is” the Savior of the world. (If we admit we are a sinner and need a Savior….He comes to live within us and upon our last breath here on earth, we enter His presence eternally….forever).

         THERE IS NO GREATER GIFT ON EARTH THAN JESUS

            He is EMMANUEL…..God with us!

           REMARKABLE…..DON’T YOU THINK??!!

Published by Dianne Horne

I can’t think of anything I enjoy more than to see lives changed! There’s nothing more that puts “oxygen and joy” into my life than to bring the application of Scripture into the “shoe leather” of our lives and to share it with others. I feel awkward speaking about myself, but I understand it can be helpful to enable others to relate to and enjoy the work of our Lord does in other people. Another down-to-earth way of sharing who I am, is that I love to eat, laugh and to talk about the Lord. I’m not a very exciting individual, but my Savior sure is! I’ve been happily married for many years, and I now reside in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. God has transplanted my husband and I 28 times in our years together; and it is only when in His presence that you can ask the “why questions” as to the adjustments He’s brought us “to” and “through” in the numerous locations and countries we have lived. God’s care, love, forgiveness, faithfulness and moment-by-moment presence has not only carried me (when I had every reason to fall apart), but lifted me to a joy I’ve never known. There’s one thing to have joy when things are going great, and quite another dimension of joy and peace when everything in your world is crumbling and unknown. Most of our lives will appear like “ordinary oatmeal living”, but when we allow Him to “establish our steps”, He alone takes our mundane acts of kindness or aid and makes them “extraordinary” for His purpose in the lives of others. The seasons of caring for my parents and the associated grieving process has forever changed me. It was my honor, joy and privilege to participate with my Lord in what He was accomplishing in their lives, as they both gave their lives to Jesus Christ just days before they were escorted into His presence in heaven. The medical challenges and decisions that needed to be made for a number of those years thrust me into a trust and dependence upon the Lord that I had never known up to that point in my life. In my journey, I’ve come to realize that our “weakness” is our greatest “strength”, because real power, provision, and His purpose being carried out in and through our lives, depends on Him orchestrating such through His sovereignty. My “heartbeat of fulfillment” lies in sharing with women, in various settings, helping them to enjoy, study and apply the principles of God’s Word in a down-to-earth fashion. I thrive interacting with women and encouraging them to put their trust in the One Who knows them best and loves them extravagantly; and to prioritize “spending time alone with God each day” developing their relationship with Him. Our lives aren’t designed to just get answers to prayer….but to know and love a very personal Savior, and to surrender daily to “His plans, His agenda and purpose” for our lives. Several years ago I was challenged to respond to a critical question I had never considered: Why do you exist? What’s your purpose in life? I live to bring an expression of God in the ordinary events of life, seizing every opportunity of serving and delighting in others. I want my life to be an infectious expression of His love for others, and for them to know how special “they are” to Him; and thus be contagious with His grace. My life compass is: After people spend time with me, what do they think of Jesus Christ? The stories that will appear in my blog, are true events that have taken place in my journey. They’re all “very ordinary” circumstances that have occurred through sharing them with Jesus and watching Him orchestrate and demonstrate what He can do when we yield “our ordinary” to the Extraordinary One.

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