My wife and I always make it a point to read our Salvation Army's daily devotional every morning. We always get a blessing. We feel we are connected with the rest of our friends in the Army world.
This morning when I opened the book and read "It's my birthday..." I thought it was my wife's message. She shares the same birthday and sentiments as the editor!
Well this evening she thought she should drop the writer a note to thank her. We have been blessed by her writings, but did not get round to dropping the editor Major Beverly Ivany a note.
Way back in 2004, at the request of the then editor, Barbara Sampson, a good friend of ours, I wrote the Christmas meditations.
Christmas is coming so let me share what I wrote on 28th November 2004. As the season approaches let me share this message written nine years ago.
"It is that time of the year again. As one gets older the season of Advent seems to come round much more quickly, giving us less time to make preparations. The pressure begins to mount. There is the rush to send Christmas cards, a necessary task when it is the only time we make contact with many of our friends. Somehow for the rest of the year we are too busy to write or send a message in spite of our intention to do so.
Out come the artificial tree, the lights and the decorations. Then the rush to the departmental store to buy new decorations to replace those we need to discard. We purchase gifts for loved ones and make sure they are properly wrapped and labelled. There are parties to attend plus a thousand and one things to see to before the actual day arrives.
A busy time indeed! And it is good to be busy. However, let us not to be too preoccupied by the things of the season that we forget the real significance of the event. Let us not push ourselves till we are too weary to enjoy it.
Christmas - let us keep our focus. The season can be a time of celebration or desperation as we rush from one thing to another. We need to take time to reflect on the incarnation as recorded in the Bible. Let us not only sing the carols, but also reflect on the words the poets have so wonderfully penned for us.
O may we keep and ponder in our mind
God's wondrous love in saving lost mankind!
John Byron, SASB 78
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