THIS CHRISTMAS

THIS CHRISTMAS This Christmas This Advent Let us make a vowel To God A vowel To be JOYFUL To all people “JOY to the world The Lord has come Let earth Receive her KING” On of my favorite Christmas songs To be sure “And BLESSED Is the one Who takes no offense at me” Luke 7:23 Let us take no offense With God NO OFFENSE with Jesus Let us LOVE GOD With our whole heart-whole soul- Whole mind-And whole strength Let us LOVE OTHERS As much As we love ourselves THIS CHRISTMAS Let us concentrate On bringing JOY to others And if we can't do it By then What a great NEW YEARS RESOLUTION That would be “The precepts Of the Lord are right Giving JOY to the heart The commands Of the Lord Are radiant Giving light To the eyes” Psalm 19:8 John the Baptist TESTIFIED about Jesus ONE thing he said-was, “That JOY is mine And it is now COMPLETE He must become GREATER I must become less” John 3:29-30 What great testimony By John What great SELFLESSNESS How great it would be If we could become “LESS” This Christmas too And let Jesus Become JOY in our hearts And carry it out Through 2016 JOY to the world Let it begin THIS CHSISTMAS What would have happened If John was a different kind of man? What if a rivalry Developed between him and Jesus Thank God-he wasn't Thank God-he was A HOLY MAN Let us become men and women Like John Brothers and sisters in Christ LIVING to do The will of God An impure spirit Once said to Jesus “What do you want With us-Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come To destroy us? I know who you are The HOLY ONE of God!” Mark 1:24 John the Baptist KNEW who he was too He took “NO OFFENSE” At Christ's message Of love and mercy There was no competition ONLY MUTUAL RESPECT-and the effort- To-simultaneously-DO- The will of God THIS CHRISTMAS Let us be “less” And let us BRING CHRIST'S MESSAGE OF LOVE AND MERCY To our homes-and- To our churches and communities And-JOY TO THE WORLD Robert P. Wallman 12-15-15 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Paul Pennick