Blessings from Singing Carols of Christ
This past Friday night, December 19th, around 6:30pm, a group of close to sixty persons met in one of the nearby neighborhoods to go Christmas caroling. One of our men in the church showed up with his mule and trailer, with blankets laid out for everyone to sit on. We had the trailer and a diesel truck loaded down with about twenty-five children, sixteen youth, along with sixteen college/career and adults. It was amazing to see how many persons (fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters – by blood and in Christ) came out.
We had a list of names of persons and families from our church that lived in this particular neighborhood, and our plan was to visit and sing at each home. We also sung the familiar tunes of Joy to the World, O Come All Ye Faithful, Hark the Harold Angels Sing, Silent Night, Away in the Manager, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, and a few more that escape my mind at the present while driving down the streets. To see the bright eyes and smiling faces of the singing children was beautiful, having their fathers and mothers along with their older brothers and sisters joining in chorus with them.
It is no stretch of the truth to proclaim that each and every visit was exciting and enjoyable to us all. From the singing to those persons we passed on the streets, to those snuggled in their homes who came out to see who sung, to the doors of our church members we knocked, to all did we gleefully give remembrance to the birth of Christ. For what greater love is there, than the love of God in sending His Son Jesus into this world, and in the Savior giving Himself to redeem fallen man? There is no greater!
One of the persons we visited and had the opportunity of singing was a dear soul who has seen this world through her eyes for a hundred years. We can scarcely imagine the changes she has witnessed during her lifetime. Whether it be of the world, of politics, of people, or the church, surely there is much insight and wisdom she has gleaned through the years. To sing the marvelous song of our Savior Jesus Christ and to have her and her family join in harmony with us was truly a blessing one is not often given in this world of instant everything.
On this night, God allowed us the privilege of presenting the good tidings of the birth of our great Savior Jesus Christ to a family none of us knew. As we drove down the street caroling we saw a home with children, young people, and adults standing outside. They seemed to walk out to listen, so we stopped to share the songs of our heart with them. One of the ladies walked over to us and asked if we could all come inside to sing to her father. He is terminally ill, and lay upon a hospital bed so very weak looking. It can hardly be written concerning the site of the home, the family, the father, and his weeping daughter who had asked us to come in to sing to him.
A couple of the good men we have, who had driven us so far, guided the children and us all into the home. The children could not have stood straighter or sung more beautiful. It would have been impossible for any person to have beheld such a sight without ones heart sending forth springs of compassion through their eyes. We were able to pray with the daughter and her father, for which she was so grateful we had given but a small measure of our time and talents. Truly we were unworthy to have had that very moment to share in song and the moving of the Holy Spirit in the midst of that home and persons.
I pray that the Blessings from Singing Carols of Christ will live forever in the hearts and minds of our dear children, young people, and adults who gave of themselves this night. I know they will stay with me.
I appreciate the young persons (our youth) and the college/career who gave great testimony to our children, that singing and witnessing Christ is not merely for little children but for all who proclaim to know Him as Lord and Savior. And to the parents and adults who not only promote the life of Christianity by mouth, but also by deed in their daily lives.
May God bless His children during this season, and may His Spirit continue to enlighten those who do not yet trust in Him.
We had a list of names of persons and families from our church that lived in this particular neighborhood, and our plan was to visit and sing at each home. We also sung the familiar tunes of Joy to the World, O Come All Ye Faithful, Hark the Harold Angels Sing, Silent Night, Away in the Manager, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, and a few more that escape my mind at the present while driving down the streets. To see the bright eyes and smiling faces of the singing children was beautiful, having their fathers and mothers along with their older brothers and sisters joining in chorus with them.
It is no stretch of the truth to proclaim that each and every visit was exciting and enjoyable to us all. From the singing to those persons we passed on the streets, to those snuggled in their homes who came out to see who sung, to the doors of our church members we knocked, to all did we gleefully give remembrance to the birth of Christ. For what greater love is there, than the love of God in sending His Son Jesus into this world, and in the Savior giving Himself to redeem fallen man? There is no greater!
One of the persons we visited and had the opportunity of singing was a dear soul who has seen this world through her eyes for a hundred years. We can scarcely imagine the changes she has witnessed during her lifetime. Whether it be of the world, of politics, of people, or the church, surely there is much insight and wisdom she has gleaned through the years. To sing the marvelous song of our Savior Jesus Christ and to have her and her family join in harmony with us was truly a blessing one is not often given in this world of instant everything.
On this night, God allowed us the privilege of presenting the good tidings of the birth of our great Savior Jesus Christ to a family none of us knew. As we drove down the street caroling we saw a home with children, young people, and adults standing outside. They seemed to walk out to listen, so we stopped to share the songs of our heart with them. One of the ladies walked over to us and asked if we could all come inside to sing to her father. He is terminally ill, and lay upon a hospital bed so very weak looking. It can hardly be written concerning the site of the home, the family, the father, and his weeping daughter who had asked us to come in to sing to him.
A couple of the good men we have, who had driven us so far, guided the children and us all into the home. The children could not have stood straighter or sung more beautiful. It would have been impossible for any person to have beheld such a sight without ones heart sending forth springs of compassion through their eyes. We were able to pray with the daughter and her father, for which she was so grateful we had given but a small measure of our time and talents. Truly we were unworthy to have had that very moment to share in song and the moving of the Holy Spirit in the midst of that home and persons.
I pray that the Blessings from Singing Carols of Christ will live forever in the hearts and minds of our dear children, young people, and adults who gave of themselves this night. I know they will stay with me.
I appreciate the young persons (our youth) and the college/career who gave great testimony to our children, that singing and witnessing Christ is not merely for little children but for all who proclaim to know Him as Lord and Savior. And to the parents and adults who not only promote the life of Christianity by mouth, but also by deed in their daily lives.
May God bless His children during this season, and may His Spirit continue to enlighten those who do not yet trust in Him.
12 comments:
Tim
Christmas is a pagan holiday. My ex Church doesn't even celebrate it.
If you have any inking of history, you will know that Emperor Constantine stole Christmas from the druids who celebrate Dec 25 as Winter Solstice and turned it into Christmas, the day Jebus was born.
Beast FCD
Beast,
Christ is not pagan, nor is the singing of His birth. We should enjoy such praises all year long. The holiday should not be the reason we sing, but merely gives opportunity to witness in song to this lost and dying world.
The day and the holiday is of little importance, for it is the man Christ Jesus - the very Son of God, the Redeemer of those who repent of sin and trust in Him - that matters most.
Tim
Christ may not be pagan, but the Christians did steal the holidays from the druids of Scotland.
Beast FCD
And for your info, some churches don't celebrate Christmas.
Beast FCD
Romans 14:
5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
The question that must be asked by each of us is...Is what I am doing considered sin against God according to the Scriptures.
Tim
Tim,
What a beautiful testimony you have shared. The story of going into the home of the terminally ill man touched me most. When my Dad was very sick, a man from his church came to his bedside and sang to him. My Dad did pull through that time, and one of his favorite stories to talk about was the beautiful singing. It really blessed us, his family, too. I'm sure that many people were blessed by the joy your group spread. Thank you!
Teresa
Well, if your children are disobedient and you do not stone them to death, its sin.
Beast FCD
wow, that sounds like it was a wonderful experience. recently some of us from our church youth group went christmas caroling to a nursing home. it was really neat. all of the elderly people enjoyed it so much! some of them joined in with us. it's always nice to make someone happy =)
i agree totally with what you said about it not being because of the holiday that we sing, but that the holiday just gives us more of an opportunity to witness! it seems like people are more willing to listen around christmastime. so it's a great opportunity to share our faith!
~mousetrap
Oh well. In any case, its happy holidays for me.
Christmas is just another excuse to get drunk, get laid, and wake up in the morning and pop two paracetamols to stop the hangover.
Beast FCD
Beast, the Roman Catholic Church did not steal the holidays, but brought them into Catholicism when pagans converted into Catholicism.
Also, please do not confuse Roman Catholicism with the rest of Christianity. Up until the 20th century the Roman Catholic Church was identified, by Christians, as the Antichrist.
Not surprising, RC, considering that monotheistic religions often turn on their predecessors, hence anti semitism.
A lot of conversions were forced; Constantine, the first "christian" emperor, not only stole Christmas, but also treasures from pagan temples for his new religion.
Post a Comment