Faith, Folklore, and Friends

Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds and worship of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, And teach us to be merry with clear hearts. May Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake. Amen. ~Robert Louis Stevenson

Star by Wanda Stricklin Robertson No loud, lighted shopping malls, No shimmering street lights in a row, No service stations with dazzling fluorescents, No string of cars with headlights beaming. No burning bush in the wilderness, No lanterns to light the crooked paths. No brilliance to point the way home. All was darkness, gloom, murkiness. Then, over a barn in Bethlehem, a star appeared, lighting the sky, illuminating the Baby, the shepherds, the angels, and the hearts of mankind. The ones who witnessed the flaming star  wondered what it would mean to them, not knowing why or how, but knowing that nothing would be the same again. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. ~Isaiah 9:2