Hark how the bells, sweet silver bells
All seem to say: throw cares away
Christmas is here bringing good cheer
To young and old, meek and the bold
Ding, ding, ding, dong, that is their song
With joyful ring all caroling
One seems to hear words of good cheer
From everywhere filling the air
Oh how they pound, raising the sound
O’er hill and dale, telling their tale
Gaily they ring while people sing
Songs of good cheer, Christmas is here
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas
On, on they send, on without end
Their joyful tone to every home
Shopping, shopping, shopping; stringing up Christmas lights; either hunting for a live tree or putting up the traditional fake tree that you have used every year for a long, long time; sending out invitations to extended family members; thinking about the recipes new and old you will use on that day of feasting; and preparing for the festivities to come. . .
Hello Friend,
As we prepare for this Christmas season, it is important to remember the story of new life in our Lord Jesus Christ. This world lay condemned, doomed for all time in sin and misery. But hallelujah, God did not leave this world in sin and misery. As the Westminster Shorter Catechism states in Question 21, “God, having out of his mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation by a Redeemer.” And as the next question answers, the only redeemer is the Lord Jesus Christ.
“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,” . . . “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” ~Ephesians 2:1,4-10
One of my two favorite pieces of imagery from the New Testament (it competes with another that I may share later) is when the curtain temple was torn in two from top to bottom. Friends, through the person and work of Jesus Christ, we have access into the Holy of Holies to come boldly before the throne of grace. There is not a better way God could have shone His people that the atoning sacrifice of His son was enough. Jesus Christ had drank the cup of the Father’s wrath to the dregs, crying “It is finished!” – payed in full. We owe no more debt to God for Christ’s work.
“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,” ~Matthew 27:50-51
“He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” ~Matthew 28:6
“The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” ~Revelation 11:15
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heav’n and nature sing,
. . .
God Rest ye merry gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay,
Remember Christ our Savior
Was born on Christmas day,
To save us all from Satan’s pow’r
When we were gone astray;
. . .
Said the king to the people everywhere
Listen to what I say
Pray for peace people everywhere
Listen to what I say
The child, the child
Sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light
He will bring us goodness and light
Joshua Reynolds on Conservative Cornerstones – Author of Children’s Books, Young Adult, Historical Fiction / Family Stories – Finding Conservative Thought in Olde Books. Check out my Authoring Conservatism Post. Look up my two books, The Williams House and Treasure on the Southern Moor in my bookstore!