Sunday Devotions: Accepting Jesus - Luke 4:24

Luke 4:24 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown.”

We live in a strange age. Our society and civilization, our culture and traditions have all been shaped, established, and blessed by Christianity. The freedoms we share have been formed by the faith we once held dear. In fact, if we were to erase Christianity from the last two thousand years of history, most of us would be serfs or slaves, ignorant and illiterate, cruelly treated and cast aside.

That’s what makes the living of these days very strange because Western society, in Europe and the Americas, is turning its back upon Christ, the true Founder of our freedoms and faith. It’s as if today’s verse from Luke could be rewritten to read: “No Savior is accepted in His world.”

Jesus lived and died almost two thousand years ago, but His Spirit still captivates most of the religious hearts and minds in other places throughout the world. Africa is a prime example of this. At the beginning of the 20^th century, 9% of the population was Christian and 36% were Islamic. A hundred years later, when we reached the year 2000, 40% of the African population was Islamic and over 44% of the population was Christian. The same thing is happening in China, where it has been estimated that by 2030 1.5 billion people will be Christians. Christ’s Church is growing at a rapid rate throughout the Earth, and yet on His home turf of Western Society people are forgetting what they really owe to His words and ways, His godliness and Gospel.

This morning our church has been closed due to the icy weather, so our people at Erin cannot collectively worship God. But for those of you who are reading this today, I want to say “Thank You” for taking time to accept Jesus into your heart and homes through the reading of God’s Word and the blessing of His Spirit.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, enable us to reconnect to Your words and ways, to find the time to rekindle our faith in order to make a recommitment to You. Help us to remember past days when we have needed You in our lives and the times that we have worshiped in our hearts and homes, as well as in our churches and cherished holy places. Thank You for being the Savior of our souls and the Lord of our lives. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s picture is John’s latest drawing called “Moonlight over Maybole West,” featuring his first parish church. If you would like to see a larger version of the picture, please click on the following link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/traqair57/4317958402/sizes/l/

Lenten Prayer and Study Resources

Lent is almost here! Some of you may be looking for some resources for small group study or prayer for the Lenten season.

So...let's share! What are you using this year, or have you used in the past, that you can recommend to others?

The PCUSA publication Presbyterians Today offers a Lenten Devotional Guide. Justice Seeker recommends the prayer guide on Sacred Space. This site also has a self-directed one day retreat you may want to look at. The Upper Room offers a free Lenten devotional study guide each year that can be used with a small group. Here's the link to the 2010 study.

Some churches write their own Lent devotions or studies for their congregations. If yours does, and it is available on the church website, please share it in the comments!

Welcome Mat

I'm shoveling off the mat to greet our newest (updated) member to the unofficial PC(USA) web ring, James Kim of God Revolution: Thoughts and Reflections of a guy doing his best to love God, love people, and serve the world.

James has been blogging for three years, is a self-described conservative evangelical PC(USA) pastor, and has recently relocated from Texas to Washington state. He's also a husband and "daddy to 4 awesome kids."

Rev. Kim has some fabulous posts over at God Revolution; please go check him out!


(Note to James: I'm sorry the application process at Ringsurf was onerous. We have no control over how many characters a blog description must be; that's set by Ringsurf.)


My apologies to all. I'm a blog administrator on four blogs. (tongue-in-cheek) Shockingly enough, I'm not keeping up very well. (/tongue-in-cheek) But changes are afoot: new bloggers and new features are coming soon!

Read and Learn -- CT's Book Awards

Christianity Today has posted the 2010 Christianity Today Book Awards. The editors have chosen a winner and one or two Awards of Merit in the following categories: Apologetics/Evangelism, Biblical Studies, Christianity & Culture, The Church/Pastoral leadership, Christian Living, Fiction, History/Biography, Spirituality, Missions/Global Affairs and Theology/Ethics.

I have read exactly none of the winners.

Several look quite interesting, though, but I am more attracted to the Award of Merit winners (i.e., the runners up) than to the winners. For instance, ITold Me So: Self-Deception and the Christian Life by Gregg A. Ten Elshof, the winner in Christian Living, sounds really good for me; but I'm a lawyer. I'm already an expert at lying to myself. The Award of Merit went to Singled Out: Why Celibacy Must Be Reinvented in Today's Church by Christine A. Colon and Bonnie E. Field.

Although, I must admit that the winner in Biblical Studies sounds far more interesting than the runner-up. Sin, a History by Gary A. Anderson v. The First and Second Letters to the Thessalonians by Gordon D. Fee just really isn't much of a contest.

Still, all pretty tame, CT kinds of stuff -- well, not quite. Did you ever think you would see an Anne Rice book on the CT book awards? Me neither, but an Award of Merit for fiction went to Rice's Angel Time.

The Award of Merit for History/Biography is the only thing that has made my to-read list. I just couldn't resist, The Sisters of Sinai: How Two Lady Adventurers Discovered the Hidden Gospels by Janet Soskice. I may not get to it too soon, but I'll let you know when I do.

Martin Luther King Speech: Full version

This is why today is so important

Sunday lectionary devotions: Psalm 36 - The Lost Ring

Psalm 36: 7     How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.

My wife Evelyn lost her engagement ring the other day. She had put some hand cream on her fingers and the ring must have slipped off. She left a message on my cell phone to let me know. It saddened both of us to think that something so significant could be lost.

We bought the engagement ring with my last tax rebate before I went to college to study to become a minister. That was thirty years ago. I can remember shopping for it in Glasgow’s Argyle Arcade where most couples in the city bought their rings. It was an exciting time for us and eventually we found the one clustered diamond ring that Evelyn liked after wandering from store to store. It cost us every penny that we owned at the time, and through the years it has become priceless.

Thankfully, Evelyn found the ring on the carpet next to her exercise bike. That was both a moment of relief and jubilation. This weekend, we’ll be taking it to a jeweler to have a clip put on it. We both don’t want the ring to be lost ever again.

When the writer of Psalm 36 talks about God’s unfailing love, he calls it ‘priceless.’ He cannot buy God’s love nor can he compare it to anything else in the whole universe. Believers in Christ know and understand this to be true, for how can we put a price on complete and everlasting salvation? How can we estimate the cost of Christ’s atonement for our sins?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, You are priceless to each and every one of Your followers. We can never repay the debt that we owe to You for redeeming our souls and restoring us to God. Thank You for such wonderful, amazing, and priceless love. In Your Holy Name, we cheerfully pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Read and Learn -- Blogging and Communication

I belong to a decent sized church. Like most we have a Sunday bulletin with announcements, a newsletter, a weekly email about the sermon; all of which I read faithfully. That puts me in a pretty small group from what I hear. So, on one hand I hear that many people in the Congregation don't read all of the Church news made available. On the other hand, I do read it all; and I still am frequently surprised about things that are going on. My guess is that isn't unusual. I have made the following suggestion to my church and would love comments or suggestions.

A blog, preferably a multi-column format so that different topics could be grouped into different feeds. This has to be lay run -- NO STAFF. I want the people doing things -- signing up families for Angel Food, singing in the choir, decorating for Christmas, working with a local homeless addict, serving on committees, teaching Sunday School, planning retreats and mission trips -- all the stuff going on in the church to post human interest kinds of things on one or another of the blog feeds. No ads, no staff, nothing formal just human interest stories, ideas being talked about in committees, problems with the new security system; just stuff. No full names, no personal info. The church newsletter can pick up a couple of the posts to include in each issue of the printed newsletter.

I see this as potentially solving three problems. First, assuming that I can get people from throughout the church to contribute and their friends all start reading, word should spread pretty rapidly about the things that are happening around us. Second, there is nothing more likely to encourage involvement than to see someone else who is just like you (and not clergy or other paid staff) involved. Third, it should provide great content for search engine spiders enhancing the Church's own Internet presence.

I realize that keeping the feeds fed will be difficult, and might be impossible. Trying to find the people to keep content flowing may be more than I can handle. Assuming, however, that the content end is manageable; what problems do you see and what do you think will come of it?

JusticeSeeker
JusticeSeekerOK@aol.com

Helping Haiti: Good News

Mark 1:15            "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"

We talk a lot in church about the good news, but do we actually take it to others?

I’m thinking about the horrific devastation that has taken place in Haiti since yesterday and the hundreds of thousands of lives that have been taken away by the terrifying earthquake. It’s one of the poorest countries in the world and it’s right on our front porch. How can we talk about good news in the church when our neighbors are dying in poverty, squalor, and cataclysm?

Our town was raging last night about the sudden departure of our football coach. People were out on the streets of Knoxville angry and furious, feeling betrayed and embittered. This morning our local newspaper has devoted many pages to football. But it’s just a game; the devastating earthquake in Haiti is a disastrous reality.

If we’re actually serious about the good news of the Gospel, then we will mobilize our churches to begin collecting money and supplies for the devastated people of Haiti. The good news that they need right now is to know that they are not isolated in their grief and that they are not cast off by the rest of the world. These people are amongst the poorest on earth and right at this moment we need to stop focusing on our own little problems and insignificant worries. We need to show them compassion and love. We need to embrace them in their darkest time. We need to comfort, support, and rebuild their lives.

This coming Sunday, I’m going to ask our congregation to hold a special offering for the people of Haiti. Our first response will be to send money to buy and ship the supplies, food, and medicine that are desperately needed. We’ll do this through the Presbyterian Disaster Agency so that help can get there quickly. Then we’ll approach the Red Cross and other relief agencies to see what supplies we can gather that will help.

That’s how the good news of Jesus Christ operates. In the midst of death, there is the promise of resurrection. At a time of despair, there is hope.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, what can we do to help Your people in Haiti? How can we show them the good news of Your love? Grant us the focus to use our resources and our money to alleviate as much suffering as we can. Allow us opportunities to restore and rebuild this nation. In Your Holy name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

If you would like to help the Haitian people now, you can give online to the Presbyterian Disaster Agency at the following link: http://www.pcusa.org/give/online/projectSelectAction.do?numberString=DR000064

Only in Scotland or a Worrying Trend???

From today's Scotsman newspaper...

Union sets up hotline to help church ministers who are victims of bullying


Published Date: 10 January 2010
By Mark Smith


DOZENS of Scottish clergy have contacted a new hotline to claim they are being bullied or harassed by their parishioners.


The helpline has been set up by the trade union Unite, which says intimidation of ministers and priests from all denominations is a hidden problem.

Read the rest of the article here....

Presbyterians Today: Minister Mothers

The January-February issue of Presbyterians Today (the official PCUSA magazine) is built around the theme of Minister Mothers. As many of you know, I write a column for PT called "Best of the Blogs". The purpose of that column is to highlight bloggers and blog posts that would be of particular interest to Presbyterians Today readers.

Following the theme of this issue, I wrote about "Online Minister Moms" , three of whom are also PresbyBloggers: Jan Edmiston of A Church for Starving Artists, Carol Howard Merrit of Tribal Church, Melissa DeRosia of Sacred Screaming. All three offered thoughtful comments about the role of blogging, Facebook and Twitter in their ministries.

You may can check out the rest of the issue which is posted online here.

I'd love to have your suggestions for future "Best of the Blogs" articles. If you have some, please leave them in the comments.

Happy New Year!

MB at 1000 thoughts/second is doing something new with her blog this year.

A New Way of Being: Living 2010 as a Spiritual Practice

After years of thinking that the ideal life is one that is authentic, fully integrated and non-compartmentalized, I've begun to see the limitations of that short (though worthy of pursuit) list. This year I am going to experiment with living all of life - as a whole - as a spiritual practice. I'm guessing in many ways this will be similar to beginning an intentional practice of living a more contemplative life.

"1000 thoughts per second" is definitely the way my brain works, so I am very interested in finding ways both to intentionally slow down and to effectively use my brain's natural way of processing information. Some of my content will be related to these 1000 thoughts per second and some will be specifically oriented to this journey toward Living 2010. Your ideas for being faithful stewards of a more intentional way of living are welcome in the comments. Or email me if you have something you'd like me to read or to comment on.

Peace & Presence, MB

Sunday lectionary devotion: Bounty - Jeremiah 31 v 14

Jeremiah 31:14 I will satisfy the priests with abundance, and my people will be filled with my
bounty," declares the LORD.

One of my all-time favorite movies is "Mutiny on the Bounty", starring Marlon Brando and Trevor Howard. My Dad took me to it when it was first released in Britain. I was six years old at the time and although I didn't really understand it, I loved the Polynesian scenery, the old British naval costumes and, of course, the galleon itself. Years later, when I grew interested in building plastic airplanes, cars and ships, my Uncle Ian gave me model of the Bounty, which he patiently made and painted as a teenager.

"Bounty" is a word that we normally associate with rewards for capturing wanted outlaws, but in this context the old Hebrew word "tuwh" means something beautiful, something that gladdens the heart, and something that benefits the beholder. So when God declares that He will fill His people with His bounty, He is promising to do something beautiful that will gladden the people and strengthen them.

Today, we can experience the same through the gift of the Holy Spirit in our churches, homes and hearts. Christ's bounty is gladly given to Christian believers, so that we can share these cherished blessings to our broken community. And in the midst of a sad and dangerous world, the bounty of God's blessings is much needed amongst us.

Prayer: Bountiful God, we thank You for the beautiful blessings that bring gladness and strength into our lives. Help us to share these gifts with those who need to know of Your love and who seek Your loving grace. In Jesus' Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. He also writes the weekday devotional blog Heaven's Highway.

Read and Learn -- New Year's Resolutions

I thought I would offer a few resources for New Year's resolutions. First, is probably the only spiritual disciplines book I have ever read that I think might actually connect with most of the typical, traditional Presbyterians I have known. Soul Feast: An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life, by Marjorie J. Thompson reads like it was written for Presbyterians.

God has not come alive for them through traditional religious institutions. I know a man who has dutifully attended worship and served as a church trustee for years. He is still mystified by the language of faith. Words about God seem mere words -- beautiful and hopeful, but unconnected tothe world he knows. This man would like to believe, but he does not experience the reality of God in his life.

This is a book written for intelligent, educated people who have good intentions, but have never really made faith a part of their real lives.

Second, Lifechurch.tv has updated its Bible reading app for Blackberry. (I would assume it is available for iphone, too -- but Grace will have to verify that.) This is an app that is designed to help you read the Bible. It has a selection of reading plans and some social networking components built in. It is a perennial top ten download on Blackberry's Appworld. It is called simply Bible. It is completely free. It integrates with your contacts and Twitter so you can send verses to other people. It inclues a variety of translations. It is a very nice contribution from lifechurch.tv.

So, happy New Year.

JusticeSeeker
JusticeSeekerOK@aol.com

2010 devotion - A New Year, a New Journey

Psalm 147:5    Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.

I like to think about each New Year as a journey of faith, where my understanding about God and my beliefs in Jesus will grow deeper and stronger. I’ve tried to be a Christian for almost 33 years and throughout each year, I’ve learned more about God’s words and Christ’s ways. It doesn’t make me anymore holy or saintly, but rather as each year passes I am in awe of God’s patience, love, and grace.

Perhaps you are also wondering about this New Year and new decade that we’re about to enter. Maybe you have hopes and dreams for your life, or perhaps there are fears and worries on the horizon. Whatever is ahead, know this: God is still mighty and powerful, and His understanding of our lives and circumstances are limitless.

We all tend to make resolutions at this time of year, but perhaps this is the perfect time to ask God what He would wish to resolve in us. If we will let Christ guide us throughout this new journey of 2010, then I think that there will be all sorts of new opportunities and possibilities about growing in faith, getting nearer to God, and finding our purpose.

So may 2010 be a Happy and Prosperous New Year for all of us, but also a more meaningful and faithful journey in Christ.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, as we stand on the threshold of another new year, we pray that You will come to meet us and lead us onward in this amazing journey that we call life. Take us to where You would have us effectively do Your work, and empower us to minister to those who travel with us. In Your Holy Name, we expectantly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@presbyterian.org.

Christmas Eve: The Huron Carol

Christmas Eve Devotion: Blue Christmas Candle & Poem

Each year, I post this on my blogs. Feel free to use it at your services.


Christmas can be a painful and lonely time for some people. At our candlelight service, we light a Blue Christmas candle for those who are grieving, hurting, or ill during the festive season. This prayer poem is recited as the blue candle is lit. It's a very meaningful and emotional time for some members in the congregation.

Blue Christmas Prayer

There’s no room at Christmas for sadness,
There’s no place for hearts that are blue.
All the world wants to hear
Is a word full of cheer,
Not a sigh, not a tear, not from you.

There’s no room at Christmas for loneliness,
There’s no place for your emptiness and grief.
All the world wants is peace,
Mistletoe and Christmas trees,
Not a heartache that mars its beliefs.

There’s no room at Christmas for sickness,
There’s no place or time to be ill.
All the world wants is health,
Prosperity and wealth,
Not a pain that can spoil its goodwill.

There’s no room at Christmas for Jesus,
There’s no place for His family, too,
All the world would not share,
No one seems to really care,
A stable will just have to do.

Silence……..

Yes, there’s room at Christmas for sadness,
There’s a place in God’s heart for you.
For He knows pain and loss,
Which He felt on the Cross,
So this candle is lit here for you…
*For Christ knows what it’s like to be blue.

* light a blue candle

Advent Welcome Mat - Decorated with Holly

Pour yourself a cup of cocoa and welcome our newest member, Bill McLean of Meandering McLean

"Meandering McLean" is the blog of a husband, dad, pastor, and sports fan who blogs to explore issues related to ministry and pastoral leadership from the Reformed perspective. While this will be the primary focus of the blog there will also be posts on random thoughts about life, parenting and sports. Please explore "Meandering McLean" and let me know what you think. My hope is that as part of my blogging we will be able to engage in a discussion about topics that are impacting on our lives and our ministries. With this in mind, I hope that visitors will feel free to post comments, ask questions and engage in a dialogue. I am new to the world of blogging, so I ask for your patience as I learn what it means to be a blogger and how to use this communication medium. * * * Please note that this is a personal blog and the posts that I write are my own opinions so they are not pre-screened and/or approved by the congregation I serve aspastor, the Presbytery I am a member of, and/or the Presbyterian Church (USA). * * *

Welcome, Bill!

Question for the Community: Congregational Traditions

A lot of focus this time of year is put on traditions inside of people's homes, or family traditions outside of the home. My wife and I are currently wrestling with ideas for how we will begin traditions, and what to begin, within our family of three. We realize that we will never be a family unto ourselves on Christmas as we will spend time with either my family or hers. (Hi Paul and Sarahlynn!) I'm not indicating that this is a bad thing. On the contrary, it's a wonderful thing to be able to spend time with our families whom we value very highly in our lives. We are struggling with how to set up traditions for our three that are meaningful for us as a unit without affecting others. Anyway, that's my story.

We live just north of Washington, DC.  One of the jobs that I am tasked with in the Presbytery office is to collect special worship information from our congregations for Lent and Advent.  It's really neat for me to see what different churches do to celebrate together while inviting others to join them.  We have one church that does a brief service and bag lunch on Wednesdays for Advent.  A couple of churches do live Nativities.  One church that does a really big Christmas Dinner.  It really makes me want to worship with a different church once or twice - if I only had the time!

So - my question for this month (and based on my posting, question to encompass the whole fall!) is:
What traditions happen in your congregation for the Advent Season?
Have you heard of traditions in other congregations that you want to try?
Do you go to another church to celebrate some of their traditions?

Read and Learn -- Children's Curriculum and the Great Stories

Last week Jan Edmiston of A Church for Starving Artists posted about trying to find a curriculum for use with children that taught the great Bible stories. For most of Christian (and Jewish) history the Bible stories were extremely well known. Most people weren't literate. The stories were read in church, they were depicted in public art. They were memorable.

I grew up in Sunday School using a story based approach to the Bible. Some of my earliest church memories are of coloring pictures of the stories while the teacher read the story aloud to us. I grew up and read those stories in context. So, I know where they are in the Bible and how they fit into the story. A lot of the people I grew up with know the stories, but they don't know the context. To them the stories are isolated snippets that they can't visualize in a bigger picture. Then, we have a lot of people younger than I am who just never learned them at all.

So, what do we do about this? Read Jan's post and the comments there, any ideas?

JusticeSeeker
JusticeSeekerOK@aol.com

Lectionary Ruminations: Scripture for Worship on December 20, 2009

Here are the passages for December 20th, 2009, the Fourth Sunday of Advent (Year C).  All lectionary links are to the NRSV via the PC(USA) Devotions and Readings website, but if you prefer another translation, feel free to use that instead.  (Other references are linked to the NRSV via the oremus Bible Browser.)

Micah 5:2-5a

• As Christians, it’s hard to hear the name of Bethlehem spoken without thinking of the birth of Jesus Christ.  Yet for the people to whom this prophecy was originally written, Bethlehem had a different connotation entirely.  Although a small, insignificant town, it was nonetheless well-known, but primarily as the hometown of King David.  How does this understanding affect our interpretation of this prophecy?
• In verse 3, we read of a person in labor giving birth.  How might God’s people from before the time of Christ have understood this prophecy?  And how do we, who know of Jesus Christ, interpret the reference where “the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel”?
• As this passage of prophecy draws to a close, a reference is made to the Assyrians.  Although the Assyrians were considered among the worst enemies the Israelites could imagine when this passage was written, the Assyrian Empire was long gone by the time of Jesus Christ.  Does this fact influence our interpretation of the passage in any way?

Luke 1:46b-55
Psalm 80:1-7

• Throughout Advent, the version of the Revised Common Lectionary used in the PC(USA)'s Book of Common Worship has not had a reading from the Psalms on Sunday. However, this week gives two "responsive" readings, one of which is a Psalm. I expect that most churches will choose one or the other, if either at all..... 

Hebrews 10:5-10

• Verses 5-7 of this passage come from Psalm 40:6-8, and the verses that follow expand upon this reference.  What does the author of Hebrews tell us about Jesus by attributing these words to him?
• A few weeks ago, we spent several weeks following passages of Hebrews, and noted that a common theme throughout the book is the nature of sacrifice, and the superiority of Jesus' sacrifice over the animal sacrifices of the first century.  How do the words of this passage add to or affect that understanding?  Why do the framers of the Revised Common Lectionary use this reading on the Fourth Sunday of Advent?

Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)

• The Revised Common Lectionary allows churches the option of reading--or not reading--the verses in parentheses. 
• Churches who choose not to read the "optional" verses may be missing out, because these verses contain the text of Mary's song of praise. These words tell us much about the character of the mother of Jesus Christ. How does she see God? Why does she sing praise during this time?
• The verses just before this song (the verses most churches will retain) may provide part of the answer. This is the famous passage where we learn that Elizabeth's baby, who we learn later in the gospel is John the Baptizer, “leaped for joy” when Mary came to visit. Why do you think the baby was so happy? And what about Elizabeth? In these days before mass communication, what had Elizabeth been told about Mary's pregnancy? Or do you think she knew about Mary's baby through God directly, apart from human communication? When verse 41 says that Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, what does that suggest?

With the closing of Advent, I am also bringing to a close my time as the writer of "Lectionary Ruminations" here on the Presbyterian Bloggers site.  I'd like to thank Sarahlynn Lester for offering me this opportunity, as well as for already having done the legwork to see that this feature will continue with new contributors.  I'm taking on a few new challenges, both on and off of the blogosphere, including becoming a deacon in my local church and attempting a "through the New Testament in a year" project over at my own blog, Transforming Seminarian, in a couple of weeks.   In the meantime, I'd like to link to one more lectionary reflection, the one written for the passages to be used on Christmas Eve.  Since these passages are the same every year, it only seems appropriate to draw attention to them one more time as I head out reflecting yet again on the words of Linus: "That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown!"