My Prayer

CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS I

We just got back from our Christmas morning communion service. Yesterday we attended our 3:00 Service of Carols & Hymns. Familiar Christmas texts were read, including John 1:1-14; Isaiah 9:1-2, 6-7; Isaiah 11:1-10; Isaiah 7:10-14; Luke 2:1-7; Matt. 1:18-25; Luke 2:8-20; & 1 John 4:9-10. And we sang familiar carols & hymns, including "On Christmas Night All Christians Sing;" "God Loves Me Dearly;" "Of the Father's Love Begotten;" "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!;" "Lo, How a Rose;" "O Little Town of Bethlehem;" "Gentle Mary Laid Her Child;" "Now Sing We, Now Rejoice;" "Angels We Have Heard on High;" "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear;" "Where Shepherds Lately Knelt;" "Away in a Manger;" "Silent Night, Holy Night;" & "Joy to the World." Would you agree with me that one of the best things about Christmas is Christmas music?

CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS II

A highlight of my childhood was the children's program on Christmas Eve. St. Paul's was filled to capacity. Ushers even had to set up folding chairs in the aisles. (We weren't as cognizant of fire codes in those days.) When we were done with our songs & recitations, as children exited through the chancel, we received a bag filled with fruit, candy, & peanuts. (No worries about peanut allergies in those days either.) Then we walked home (a whole 2 houses down from church), where my brother, sister, & I were exiled to my brother's room to wait while Dad & Mom put presents under the tree. Yes, we opened presents on Christmas Eve. Of course, we couldn't play with any toys until after we got home from church on Christmas Day.

CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS III

For many years Lois & my Christmas tradition was visiting family over the holidays. We visited my family in Concordia, MO, & we visited Lois' family in Kansas. After we had children, we dragged them along, too. We also visited Lois' brother David & his family in Texas. A highlight of visiting them in Wichita Falls was driving around to look at Christmas lights & decorations. There were also displays at Midwestern University, which even included donkeys, sheep, & calves. Very cool!

One memory really sticks in my mind. We had bundled up our kids in Lincoln & headed for Lois' folks to Ulysses, KS. We couldn't make it on one tank of gas, but we remembered a gas station that was open all night just south of I-70. We got there . . . & it was closed! What to do? We thought about bundling up in the car & waiting for the station to open, but we decided to head toward Great Bend. We drove 45 m.p.h. & coasted down hills, & we made it! We actually put more gas in the car than the capacity of our gas tank. God was certainly with us.

CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS IV

Waiting . . . "Unfortunately, the culture we live in discourages waiting. Fast food, video-on-demand, overnight shipping--these are our way of life. yet the Bible seems to suggest it's in the waiting that I reap the best." (Gwen Faulkenberry, Mornings with Jesus) How long did God's people wait for the Messiah? How long until He returns again in glory on the Last Day? And so we wait, but we do not wait as people who have no hope. God promised to send His Son to save us, & He did! He has promised to return again to raise us from the dead & take us to live eternally with Him in heaven. He will do it, because His promises never fail!

CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS V

I can't tell you how many chapel messages I gave during my years a Lutheran educator. I only remember a few of those messages. One I remember in particular was a message I gave at Lincoln Lutheran Junior High. I put the manger we used for our Christmas program next to the lectern, but I noted that it was empty. We celebrate the birth of Jesus, but He is no longer in a manger. He has gone to prepare a place for us in heaven, & He is still in our hearts.

CHRISTMAS THOUGHT VI

I'm going to vent a little bit. Does it bother you that so many times we hear "Happy Holidays" this time of year, instead of "Merry Christmas?" Well, it bothers me. It seems like our culture bends over backwards to avoid any mention of Christmas, even though Christmas is a federal holiday. So, since if nothing else I am self-righteous, whenever someone wishes me a Happy Holidays, I respond with Merry Christmas.

LIFE THOUGHTS FOR THE CHURCH YEAR

"The Lord bared His holy arm (Isiah 52:10) not just by appearing in the form of a full-grown man. The Word became flesh (John 1:14) first as an embryo a fetus. The clearest revelation of God's glory (Heb. 1:2-3) also designates every human life precious, no matter what age, appearance, or ability. We can no more keep quiet about the sanctity of life than we can leave out Christmas or Jesus from the Gospel!" Grace Lutheran Church Bulletin

STEWARDSHIP CORNER

"'Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem . .  wise men from the east came to Jerusalem saying, 'Where is He Who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw His star when it rose & have come to worship Him' ' (Matt. 2:1-2) They had been watching & waiting, &, when the time came, they knew what was happening & they were ready. We have the Scriptures that tell us about not only the birth of the Christ Child, but about His Second Coming as well. While we watch & wait, let's be busy using the gifts God has given us to share God's Word so that all, like the wise men (Magi), will be ready when He comes." Grace Lutheran Church Bulletin

PRAYERS FOR CHRISTMAS DAY

Grant, almighty God, that the birth of Your only-begotten Son in human flesh may set us free, who through sin are held in bondage; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives & reigns with You & the Holy Spirit, one God, now & forever. Amen. Lutheran Worship

O God the Father, we praise You for the gift of Your Son, who was born in the poverty & lowliness of Bethlehem so that we might enjoy the riches of Your grace & the exaltation of sonship with You.

O God the Son, we adore You for humbling Yourself to be our Savior, for bearing our sins in Your own body & for rendering to our Father in heaven a perfect satisfaction for our sins.

O God the Holy Spirit, we glorify You for having made our hearts a home for the Savior of the world & for bringing the peace of forgiveness to our souls through faith in Him who is the Prince of Peace.

O blessed Trinity, on this holy day give us humble & contrite hearts that we may joyfully claim the Babe of Bethlehem as our Lord & our God. Remove from us the tattered robes of our own righteousness, & adorn us with the spotless garment of Christ's righteousness.

Use every gift received this day from loving friends to remind us of the gift of a Savior so that our hearts may rejoice & our tongues can sing, "Glory to God in the highest!"

Help us to cradle the Christ Child in our hearts, O Holy Spirit, & give us the grace & strength to love & adore Him all the days of our lives. Amen. My Prayer Book

Lord God, gracious Father, who in the fullness of time sent Your Son to become man, to assume human flesh like ours & become our Brother, we thank You for Your truth & Your fatherly goodness in giving us this Savior. By His birth, death, & resurrection, we are delivered form sin, death, Satan, & hell. We beseech You, keep us until the end in true knowledge of our Redeemer, that with the holy angels, we may rejoice at His nativity, & on the Last Day, when He comes again, we may behold Him, together with You & the Holy Spirit, in glory & majesty, world without end. Amen. Lutheran Book of Prayer

A CHRISTMAS HYMN

Where Shepherds Lately Knelt (LSB #369)

This has become one of my favorite Christmas hymns.

Where shepherds lately knelt & kept the angel's word, I come in half-belief, a pilgrim strangely stirred; But there is room & welcome there for me, But there is room & welcome there for me.

In that unlikely place I find Him as they said:  sweet newborn babe, how frail! And in a manger bed:  A still, small voice to cry one day for me, A still, small voice to cry one day for me.

How should I not have known Isaiah would be there, His prophecies fulfilled? With pounding heart I stare:  A child, a son, the Prince of Peace for me, A child, a son, the Prince of Peace for me.

Can I, will I forget how Love was born, & burned Its way into my heart--unasked, unforced, unearned, To die, to live, & not alone for me, To die, to live, & not alone for me?

CHRISTMAS REMINISCENCE I

After our mom entered the Good Shepherd Nursing Home in Concordia, MO, following her stroke, we made it a point to get together for Christmas with my brother & sister & their families. We would get together with Dad & Mom in one of the common areas of the Home, enjoy Christmas goodies, & exchange presents. Then came the year when we all got gift cards. We decided, somewhat reluctantly, that our gift exchange would be ended. There was also the year when my dad, my brother Mark & I, went to the Christmas Eve Candlelight Communion Service at St. Paul's Lutheran Church. Although we were sad that Mom couldn't join us, it was a very special worship service for Mark & me, as we were able to worship with our father.

CHRISTMAS REMINISCENCE II

One Christmas we found ourselves at Lois' parents in Ulysses, KS. The pastor of their church had decided to spend Christmas at his parents, so there was no Christmas Eve or Christmas Day service at their church. So, I ran off copies of Christmas carols & hymns, & we had our own "service" in their trailer home. While it may not have been our desired setting, nevertheless it was a special time of worship & fellowship with Lois' family.

CHRISTMAS REMINISCENCE III

Then there was the time when we visited Lois' parents for Christmas, maybe the same year. There was no Christmas Day service at her parents' church, so we traveled 50 miles on snow-packed roads for the Christmas Day service in . . . I don't remember the town. We sat in the last pew, since Nathan was a baby & Lois was still nursing him. As I remember it, there was only one other family in church, most likely due to the inclement weather.

GOD SENT HIS SON

"God defines us differently Whereas God created the rest of creation by the words of His mouth, He got His hands dirty, so to speak, in the creation of man:  'Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground & breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.' (Gen. 2:7) Thus, for the vast majority of history, Christians have talked about humanity using a two-part structure:  body & soul. Luther said, 'I believe that God made the whole man from the dust of the earth, for the text (Gen. 2:7) says that God made man. 'Man' doesn't mean the body alone but always means the body & the soul, & accordingly the Scriptures call soul 'the breath of life' (Gen. 2:7)

"Christians view man as a complete whole, as body & soul together. We do not reject the body as inferior trash to be forgotten or denied in preference to the soul--or the mind. Christianity gets its hands dirty by affirming the physical goodness of God's creation. Even though the creation struggles in bondage to sin, as 'in the pains of childbirth' (Rom. 8:22), it remains true that 'God aw everything that He had made, & behold, it was very good' (Gen. 1:31). The reality we see, though damaged & corrupted by sin, is still worth knowing & studying. And when we do learn & know it, we see how the heavens proclaim the glory of God & the skies declare His handiwork (Ps. 19:1)

"God also sent His Son into the flesh of mankind, to be born a man with a physical body. Christ did not become incarnate as a disembodied mind, but He took on physical human flesh. That is the joy & miracle of Christmas . . . " Roy Askins, The Lutheran Witness, Dec. 2022

PRAYERS FOR CHRISTMAS EVE

O God, because You once caused this hoy night to shine with the brightness of the true Light, grant that we who have known the mystery of that Light here on earth may come to the full measure of it joys in heaven; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lies & reigns with You & the hoy Spirit, one God, now & forever. Amen. Lutheran Worship

O great & glorious Redeemer, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, we praise You, we bless You, we worship You, we glorify You, we give thanks to You for Your great glory. O Lord God, Lamb of God, the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, King of kings & Lord of lords, Emmanuel, God with us! For You only are holy; You only are the Lord; You only, O Christ, with the Holy Spirit, are the most high in the glory of God the Father. But chiefly on this most holy of nights we adore You for leaving the glory that You had with the Father before the world began. We humbly ask You, by the holy mystery of Your incarnation & nativity, to deliver us, good Lord. You who came that we might have life & be saved from our sin, be gracious to us & save us. Let the glad tidings we commemorate this night be made known to all people. Amen. Lutheran Book of Prayer

Almighty God, heavenly Father, we thank You for Your unspeakable gift to mankind in the birth of the Christ Child at Bethlehem, as announced by the angel this holy night. May the mystery of the Word made flesh fill our souls with wonderment & yearning that like the shepherds, we may hurry to worship at His manger bed. Change our hearts from a busy inn that has no room for Your Son, that they may be a quiet chamber kept for Him.

Help us in the spirit of true repentance to rejoice in our Savior's birth that in genuine faith we may join in the song of the angels, share the delight of the shepherds, & adore Him with the Wise Men. Grant that Christ may be born again to us this holy night that the truth, love, & redemption He brought may henceforth abide in our hearts & lives. Like Mary, may we keep all these things & ponder them in our hearts always.

And as You have made us partakers of His glory here, grant that we may share His glory there. In Jesus' name we ask it. Amen. My Prayer Book

A GRADUAL & VERSE FOR CHRISTMAS EVE

To us a child is born, to us a Son is given, & the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Sing to the Lord a new song, For He has done marvelous things.

Alleluia. Alleluia. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. Alleluia. Lutheran Worship

A CHRISTMAS HYMN

O Sing of Christ (LSB #362) Sung to the tune of "O Little Town of Bethlehem

O sing of Christ, whose birth made known The kindness of the Lord. Eternal Word made flesh & bone So we could be restored. Upon our frail humanity God's finger chose to trace The fullness of His deity The icon of His grace.

What Adam lost, none could reclaim, And Paradise was barred Until the second Adam came To mend what sin had marred. For when the time was full & right God sent His only Son; He came to us as life & light And our redemption won.

He came to that which was His own, But He was not received; Yet still through Him God's glory shone, And some His name believed. To these He gave the right to be The heirs of heav'n above, Born not of human ancestry But born of God in love.

Lord Jesus Christ You deigned to dwell Among us here on earth As God with us, Emmanuel, To bring this holy birth. Though rich, You willingly became One with our poverty, That we might share Your wealth & name For all eternity!

TEMP CHALLENGE, DAY 3

Our time as Temp Challenge Champions was also fleeting. Ratings based on Wunderground at 7:27 a.m. this morning.

#1, Eagan, MN, -12/-29 wind chill

#2, Norfolk, NE, -9/-26

#3, Ventura, IA, -10/-23

#4, Beatrice, NE, -6/-15

#5, Balmiest Leckband, Lincoln, NE, -7/-7

TRENDING

"Meddling parents hire dating coaches for grown children." Drudge Report

"Canadian man too polite to tell doctor he doesn't want to be euthanized." Babylon Bee

"Father briefly glances up from phone to mumble something to teen about the dangers of technology." Babylon Bee

"Hallmark researchers say they are close to developing a second movie plot." Babylon Bee

THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE FLORIDA

"Scuba diving Santa spotted in the Florida Keys." Fox News Online

"Florida's iguanas might fall from trees, hit people amid cold front." Fox News Online

A REASON TO SMILE

"Want to change the world? Try smiling. At children, young & old. At yourself in the mirror. At people you don't like & strangers on the street. Someone will smile back at you. I guarantee it. Maybe they'll even blow you a kiss & make your headache go away." Column by Sharon Randall, Norfolk Daily News, 12/16

MOST TRUSTED BRANDS IN AMERICA *

* Compliments of Reader's Digest, Jan 2023

> Auto insurance:  State Farm

> Streaming service:  Netflix

> Wireless provider:  Verizon

> Coffee maker:  Keurig

> Home insurance:  State Farm

DEPT. OF SHAMELESS JOKE-STEALING *

* Compliments of Reader's Digest, Jan 2023

> I used to live hand to mouth. Do you know what changed my life? Cutlery.

> I tried to steal spaghetti from the shop, but the female guard saw me & I couldn't get pasta.

> By my age, my parents had a house & a family, & to be fair to me, so do I--but it is the same house & the same family.

> A weeping woman bursts into her hypnotist's office. "I have been faithful to my husband for 15 years, but yesterday I had an affair!" she said, sobbing. "The guilt is killing me. I just want to forget that it ever happened!" The hypnotherapist sighs. "Not again . . . "

A PRESENT THAT CANNOT BE BOUGHT OR EXCHANGED

"When King David ruled over all of Israel, one of the many Psalms he wrote included this verse: "Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing." (Psalm 146:3-4 NIV)

"Our politics is like them. Politicians can't, or are incapable of solving most problems, but many continue to place their faith in them . . . The Christmas season offers an annual opportunity to push the reset button and consider a better way, a way that will demonstrably produce results that politics cannot.

"Our culture tries hard to change, or ignore, the central message of Christmas, which is that God came down to rescue humanity from a condition known as sin, a condition from which we are incapable of rescuing ourselves. If we could, would we not have done so at some point in the entirety of human existence? Are not ceaseless wars, poverty, racism, and evil sufficient evidence of man's failure at self-improvement? . . . 

"What Christmas offers is a present that cannot be bought, or exchanged, because it has already been paid for by someone else. Christmas offers at least two things - a changed life and a hope beyond this life. What could be better than these? . . . No one is forced to believe the message, but those who do will inherit the greatest of benefits and the ultimate gift. Those who don't risk eternal consequences . . . 

"No power on Earth can equal right decision-making by individuals. These include living one's life according to principles laid down for us in the books of Ecclesiastes, Psalms, Proverbs, and the Sermon on the Mount. Changing politicians in Washington won't solve our basic problems or needs. Changed hearts do. That can only occur when one accepts a Higher Authority to transform and guide their lives.

"If you are a skeptic, plough through the clutter and distractions of the way the world observes Christmas and reconsider the main message. The original cast is always better than the road show." Cal Thomas, Townhall, 12/22

GOD OF OUR FATHERS

2 Chronicles 20:6.  “O Lord God of our fathers—the only God in all the heavens, the Ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth—You are so powerful, so mighty. Who can stand against You?” The Living Bible

FROM PSALM 7

"O Lord my God, in You do I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers & deliver me . . . Arise, O Lord, in Your anger; lift Yourself up against the fury of my enemies . . . The Lord judges the peoples; judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness & according to the integrity that is in me . . . My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart . . . I will give to the Lord the thanks due to His righteousness, & I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High." (Ps. 7:1, 6, 9 10, 17)

RENOUNCING SIN

"Every baptized Christian is obliged by his baptismal promises to renounce sin & to give himself completely, without compromise, to Christ, in order that he may fulfill his vocation, save his soul, enter into the mystery of God, & there find himself perfectly in the light of Christ." Thomas Merton, Men's Devotional Bible

TURNING TO CHRISTMAS

"As our thoughts turn to Christmas, despite its tawdry commercialization by the modern world, there is still something beautiful about an undeserved gift. It reminds us that while we have done everything possible to make ourselves unworthy of God's gifts, He sent the ultimate gift, His Son, to die for us (Rom. 5:6-8). We need not depend on our own evaluation to determine our worth--thank God! We look to God's evaluation in Christ. That is where we find dignity." Dr. Angus Menuge, The Lutheran Witness, Dec. 2022

AN ADVENT PRAYER

"O Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory, King of kings & Lord of lords, the Son of the living God & Son of David, come. Come now to Your Church that You have purchased with Your blood. Come with Your gracious presence, that we may rejoice in You. Come & rule over us, that we may serve & follow You. Come with Your love, humility, & perfect obedience, & let Your lowliness become our glory. Come into the midst of Your people & bless us, for we are Your heritage. Forgive us our sin, & do not angrily cast away Your servants, for You are meek & gracious. Clothe us with the garment of Your righteousness, for You are the only righteous one & our helper. Satisfy us with the abundance of Your mercy, for You did become poor for our sakes, that by Your poverty we might be made rich. Hear us, Lord Jesus, for the sake of Your holy name. Amen.

AN ADVENT HYMN

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (LSB #357, St. 7

O come, Desire of nations bind In one the hearts of all mankind; Bid Thou our sad divisions cease, And be Thyself our King of Peace. Rejoice! Rejoice Emanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel!

TODAY'S OLD TESTAMENT VERSE

2 Chronicles 16:9. “For the eyes of the Lord search back & forth across the whole earth, looking for people whose hearts are perfect toward Him, so that He can show His great power in helping them.” The Living Bible

TODAY'S VERSES FROM PSALMS

O Lord, rebuke me not in Your anger, nor disciple me in Your wrath. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. (Ps. 6:1-2, 4, 9)

CHRISTIAN ANTHROPOLOGY

"What does anthropology have to do with Christmas? Everything. Christian anthropology begins & ends with Christ Jesus. If we want to see the perfect man, we do not look to our fellow men. We do not look to 'perfect specimens' on television or the crafted characters in fiction books. Rather, we look to the infant child in the manger, & we proclaim the words of Pontius Pilate, 'Behold the man!' (John 19:5)

"Even as an infant Christ is the man. When we consider our creation in the image of God, we look to the Author & Perfector of our faith (Heb. 12:2) who became a man for mankind. When we consider how we lost God's image by the fall into sin, we measure that fall against His perfection. When we ponder our new creation in the waters of Baptism, we do so by virtue of being united to His death & resurrection.

"We celebrate Christmas because in the birth of God by the Virgin Mary, we see mankind as God meant him to be & as God recreates mankind through Jesus." Roy Askins, The Lutheran Witness, Dec. 2022

LOOKING AT CHRIST

"Looking at Christ, on the cross is believing in Him, by which sin is blotted out & cannot hurt us; or, even if it does hurt us, it will not harm us. So everything depends only on this looking at Jesus, & not on any work. However, just as this looking occur physically, so it occurs spiritually in the heart, when we believe that Christ has destroyed sin with His innocence . . . 

"So also here, whoever wants to have a sure remedy & rescue against sin & eternal death must hear & follow this amazing counsel of God; & abandon every other comfort, method, & work; & pin his heart only to this Christ, who let Himself be lifted up for us to bear our sins & death in His body. It has been decided that no other name under heaven shall help us be saved except the name of this crucified Christ . . . 

"When we ask:  'How doe the new birth happen, so that the Spirit makes the person into God's child through water & Word?' Answer:  In this way:  When you grasp comfort against the fright because of your sin & firmly believe that Christ, God's Son, came down from heaven for your sake & was lifted up onto the cross for you, so that you would not be lost but have eternal life. this faith is the box or chest which contains this treasure:  the forgiveness of sins & the inheritance of eternal life. People are saved through that, as Christ says, 'Your faith has delivered you'" A Year in the Gospels with Martin Luther

AN ADVENT COLLECT

"Almighty God, by John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, You once proclaimed salvation; now grant that we may know this salvation & serve You in holiness & righteousness all the day of our lives; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives & reigns with You & the Holy Spirit, one God, now & forever. Amen." Lutheran Worship

AN ADVENT HYMN

Hark the Glad Sound (LSB #349, Sts. 1, 4)

Hark the glad sound! The Savior comes, The Savior promised long; Let ev'ry heart prepare a throne And ev'ry voice a song.

Our glad hosannas, Prince of Peace, Thy welcome shall proclaim. And heav'n's eternal arches ring With Thy beloved name.