Merry Christmas from TWW

Posted on by December 24, 2015avatar

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6 (KJV)

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gerard_van_Honthorst_001.jpgThe Adoration of the Shepherds

O Come Let Us Adore Him

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Isaiah 7:14 (KJV)

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.  (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Luke 2:1-7 (KJV)

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.  And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.  And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

Luke 2:8-16 (KJV)

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

Matthew 2:1-12 (KJV)

A Christmas Prayer (link)

Almighty God and Father of light, a child is born for us and a son is given to us. Your eternal Word streamed down from heaven in the silent watches of the night, and now your Church is filled with wonder at the nearness of her God. Open our hearts to receive his life and increase our vision with the rising of dawn, that our lives may be filled with his glory and his peace, who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

Amen.

A Prayer to Follow the Star (link)

Lord, may I be like the Wise Men who were guided to you by the Star of Bethlehem. Give me the wisdom to seek you, a light to guide me to you, the courage and persistence to search until I find you, the graciousness to worship you and the generosity to lay my gift before you, who is my King and my God for ever and ever.

Amen.

Wishing our TWW family peace and joy this Christmastide.

Dee & Deb

Comments

Merry Christmas from TWW — 44 Comments

  4. A very merry Christmas to all of my friends here, and especially to Deebs, without whom many of those closest to the heart of the King would be suffering alone.

  10. Merry Christmas. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ exchanged his crown of glory for a crown of thorns.

    He bore our sin!!!

    His name be glorified forever and ever!!!

  14. I just got home from midnight service and saw this post. Merry Christmas to Dee, Deb and all the readers! Dee and Deb, thanks again for your wonderful work.

  16. a joyful Christmas to everyone . . . the light of Christ is present in a world that is ‘easy on sin and merciless to sinners’, and that radiant Light has the power to change everything

  17. Merry Christmas to all of our dear friends.

    To those of you suffering during this time, know that we care but most of all, know that the Christ, who was born into poverty and was abused by the church, loves you.

  18. Christmas means many different things.

    My teenage son’s present to me was an apron. It’s red, with bold white lettering on it which says (and I quote exactly): GET THE F**K OUT OF MY KITCHEN.

    Perhaps I’ve trained him too well… 🙂

  21. Merry Christmas to all the contributors. Despite what the objects of many of the posts on this blog think, pursuing truth, justice, and support for the abused is part of what following JC ia all about, IMHO. The Bible is full of exposing misbehavior on the part of leaders, both political and spiritual, and the Bible does not participate in cover ups, putting down those abused by false leaders, etc.
    Further, much of JC’ s teaching was is parables, or indirect forms. He seems to think we can think for ourselves, and struggle with issues; as opposed to the simplistic, top down, ” Hotel California” approach we read about so often here.
    The longer I live, I the more complex life issues become to me; however, putting others first is not complex…. JC was the ultimate example of putting others first…

  22. Merry Christmas to all! I’ve had a great one, and I hope everyone’s day is blessed and special.

  23. Dee and Deb, Guy Behind the Curtain, and the TWW community — all y’all are one of the best all-year-round presents (and presences!) I’ve received. Thanks for helping me/us survive, regain resiliency in the face of injustice and evil, and find continued insight, transformation, and hope.

    Wishing everyone at TWW a meaningful Christmas, and a great 2016!

  24. Dr. Fundystan, Proctologist wrote:

    Stick it in your ear – FIRST!

    Hehe, at first I was wondering why I should first stick it in my ear before wishing you all a Merry Christmas. I’m a little slow today, I ate too much yesterday.

    Blessing to all and my hope this new year brings more people to recognize and free themselves from abusive organizations.

  27. Nick Bulbeck wrote:

    A very merry Christmas to all of my friends here, and especially to Deebs, without whom many of those closest to the heart of the King would be suffering alone.

    Very well stated Mr Bulbeck. Thank you Deebs – my family prays for you and your families daily. Please thank them for sharing you with the world. Merry Christmas to all at TWW and best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year!

  28. Thanks for the kind comments. Looking forward to 2016! There is so much to be accomplished here at TWW.

    Please keep Dee and her family in your prayers. Next year is gonna be difficult, and we need to continue to be an encouragement.

    Blessings to you and your loved ones.

  29. brad/futuristguy wrote:

    Dee and Deb, Guy Behind the Curtain, and the TWW community — all y’all are one of the best all-year-round presents (and presences!) I’ve received. Thanks for helping me/us survive, regain resiliency in the face of injustice and evil, and find continued insight, transformation, and hope.”
    Thankyou from New York. And may God bless you both and commentators, TWW-ers have helped me in ways that I cannot explain easily. Resiliency in the face of …evil-that says it all. Thankyou.

  30. Merry Christmas to all! Thank you Dee and Deb for all you do. I keep you and your families in prayer!

  31. Thanks to all who were praying for me and my brother. My brother passed away on Dec 23 at 12:15,am. I am surprisingly calm due to prayers and support. I have definitely felt God’s presence. My brother Tom went through 12 years of Catholic School and came out of that with a healthy skepticism of religion. He eschewed religion and embraced Jesus’s teachings. He lived his life giving to others. He was always there when others needed him. Although he had a Masters degree, he lived very simply and what material goods he had he shared with others. He was very loved and respected in his community, I expect there to be 250 people at his funeral. He and I had many discussions on religion over the years, it was particularly interesting during my fundie days. Theology was not important to him . Living like Jesus taught was important to him. Many would not think he was a Christian because of his disdain for church authority. To me he was the best Christian I know.

  34. @ Leslie:
    You were blessed with a very special brother!!! I think you will be blessed through your brother’s kindness and influence for years to come.

    To Dee: You have taken on a huge amount of responsibilities for your family, but don’t forget to take care of yourself!!!

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to Deb, Dee, and everyone on TWW!

  35. I am a day off so…

    Happy Boxing Day!
    There is about 20 hours of English Soccer on, even here in the States….

  36. @ K.D.:

    Which I, too, am following! I’m slightly conflicted about proceedings at Anfield today, TBH. I obviously want Liverpool to win. However, under any other circumstances this season I’d want Leicester to win in order to keep up their extraordinary season at the top of the table. They’ve won a great many fans this year and, moreover, I am far from alone in thinking that it would be good for the game if an unheralded team won the title.

  38. I’m eating In-n-Out burger which I have waited for 12 months!! Lol!! Hope you guys had a good Christmas. I’ve been busy traveling. Today is my first full day in California. 🙂

  40. Eagle wrote:

    I’m eating In-n-Out burger which I have waited for 12 months!!

    And your favorite Christmas movie is Die Hard. The Deebs have picked up some interesting characters over the years.

  41. Eagle wrote:

    I’m eating In-n-Out burger which I have waited for 12 months!! Lol!! Hope you guys had a good Christmas. I’ve been busy traveling. Today is my first full day in Cal

    I apologize for our weather. It’s strange when the East Coast has much warmer weather than we do. But we still have In-n-Out Burger which they don’t.

    Hope all had a Merry Christmas and will have a wonderful New Year. Wishing the best for all in the coming year.

  42. Dee hats off to you for loving your family and being there for them. Not easy to deal with elderly family that needs support and love.

  43. Leslie wrote:

    Thanks to all who were praying for me and my brother. My brother passed away on Dec 23 at 12:15,am. I am surprisingly calm due to prayers and support. I have definitely felt God’s presence. My brother Tom went through 12 years of Catholic School and came out of that with a healthy skepticism of religion. He eschewed religion and embraced Jesus’s teachings. He lived his life giving to others. He was always there when others needed him. Although he had a Masters degree, he lived very simply and what material goods he had he shared with others. He was very loved and respected in his community, I expect there to be 250 people at his funeral. He and I had many discussions on religion over the years, it was particularly interesting during my fundie days. Theology was not important to him . Living like Jesus taught was important to him. Many would not think he was a Christian because of his disdain for church authority. To me he was the best Christian I know.

    He sounds amazing. God bless you & yours in your loss of a true Christian gentleman.